Reviews

Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

shellbellbell's review against another edition

4.0

One risk present in reading a short story collection from a single author is that all the stories will be too similar. Not so in this collection. The stories range from a silly space caper to queer melancholy to post apocalyptic hopefulness. There's slices of life, and stuff that's more action-y. What unites it all is a deep understanding of character and relationships, which is why I love all of Anders' work. Also helpful in this collection are the notes before each story describing a little bit about how the story was created, and also content warnings.

On the balance of it though, many of these stories feature broken romantic relationships or dark, post-apocalyptic futures. There's usually a grim sense of hope at the end, but it was a little bit too much of a downer for where I'm at right now. Not to say these stories weren't well written, because they were! Maybe too well written, because I got sucked into the story and wanted to know the end, even though I knew it would be a bummer. Oh well. I still enjoyed this collection overall.

solarpunkwitch's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted

3.0

roseth0rns's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

pigeomita's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 one of my fave collections of the year!

usskrantz's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tamouse's review against another edition

5.0

even better reading

I've read several of the stories in this collection before, and I am so happy having these friends all together where I can visit over and over.

An impeccable set, from a funny, fun, and gently provocative writer which I will come back to for a quick lift of spirit.

Thanks, Charlie Jane

smalefowles's review

3.0

Some of these stories were tremendously creative and fun to read. Many of them were delightfully filled with queer joy. All of them seemed to amuse the people sitting next to me on the NYC Metro.

aardwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There are a lot of great hits in this collection. The ultraviolent stuntman novella, the near-future collapse stories, and the weirder notes really glow. But there are a few silly ones. I like Anders better for short fiction, and I think it's because she's best when she's exploring weirdness. When she tells a straightforward sf story, even a shorter one, it falls kinda flat, with clumsy dialogue and bantery dullness. 

keary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5