Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me preface by saying I only read the titular short story and skipped the rest of them, so if you want feedback on the other ones, this is not the right review for you.
I understand that the point of IHNMAIMS is to be a bleak apocalyptic science fiction story, but man I did not enjoy it. I am finding out that I enjoy stories with just a little bit of positivity in them, not dreary and bleak tales that start and end with little reprieve from the horrors. I also think that you can tell this was written in a night. The story plops you down into this world with little pretext or understanding of what is happening, and you have to piece it together while reading about the senseless horror they are put through. It felt like a snuff film put to text. Moreover, the characters all felt flat and underdeveloped. I understand that the point is for them to be five random strangers, and that Ted eventually tells you a bit about them, but it left me feeling disconnected and uncomfortable. I felt bad for them in a basic human way, but I had no real feeling of actual stakes with them. I also think Ellison's treatment of Ellen through this is atrocious, even amongst the rest of the cast, and I just felt like the whole story was an unpleasant waste of my time.
I understand that the point of IHNMAIMS is to be a bleak apocalyptic science fiction story, but man I did not enjoy it. I am finding out that I enjoy stories with just a little bit of positivity in them, not dreary and bleak tales that start and end with little reprieve from the horrors. I also think that you can tell this was written in a night. The story plops you down into this world with little pretext or understanding of what is happening, and you have to piece it together while reading about the senseless horror they are put through. It felt like a snuff film put to text. Moreover, the characters all felt flat and underdeveloped. I understand that the point is for them to be five random strangers, and that Ted eventually tells you a bit about them, but it left me feeling disconnected and uncomfortable. I felt bad for them in a basic human way, but I had no real feeling of actual stakes with them. I also think Ellison's treatment of Ellen through this is atrocious, even amongst the rest of the cast, and I just felt like the whole story was an unpleasant waste of my time.
dark
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was super interesting, I loved the sense of having an unreliable narrator who knew they were unreliable but couldn't really do much about it because of the circumstances. The ending fell a little short for me personally but I think I just wanted a little more detail in the ending instead of it being so abrupt.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Brilliant short story, will be thinking about it for years.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yikes 😬 This definitely could be an episode of Black Mirror or what the future holds for us.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
did not expect the misogyny, but still good
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
half the story is blatant misogyny. the other half is horror, if that. what could have been a visceral depiction of the loss of human autonomy to AI was instead overshadowed by the sexism. a waste of such a compelling title.