Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Friday Black

Some of the stories in this collection were phenomenal, visceral writing - speculative fiction at its very best - but the rest varied between forgettable and downright bad. I would say it's worth it for the good ones.

Favourites: Through the Flash, Zimmer Land, Friday Black, The Finkelstein Five

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glf's review

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dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Every story had me putting the book down and staring into space.

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j_m_alexander's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

Biting, gut-punching short stories that are frighteningly sad and darkly humorous at times. Like all short story collections, this collection is a bit of a mixed bag, some nearly perfect, others falling a slightly short by comparison. The collection started and finished particularly strong - that first short story was a haunting and powerful statement to start with, the final story while similarly startling finished with more of a lingering bitter-sweetness; truly perfect choices to book-end the collection. There were a few others in the latter half that I felt really built on one another in a way I really liked as well. Adjei-Brenyah makes an undeniable impact in a short amount of pages/words, leaning toward dystopian of the rather violent variety. Not every story hits quite a perfect balance but when they do, it's a real triumph and will keep you thinking about them long afterward.

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bay22's review

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arieloley's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A lot of really reflective and important topics covered in this anthology of short stories. Lots of twists that weren’t expected in a very clever and dark way. Made me think of Black Mirror but as a book.

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savvylit's review

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

All of the stories in Friday Black are skillfully crafted speculative fiction; each one focuses on a slightly exaggerated version of the real world at its worst. There's a whole lot of dystopia: an amusement park where people can live out their most violent fantasies, a clothing store on Black Friday where the customers fight to the death over their desired purchases, a Groundhog Day-style pre-apocalyptic event... Adjei-Brenyah flawlessly creates realms that are both surreal yet terrifyingly reminiscent of all-too-ordinary scenarios. Overall, Friday Black is a remarkable and unforgettable commentary on morality, racial injustices, and peak-capitalist consumerism.

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jesromas's review

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challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wow. This is the best short story collection I’ve ever read. Probably going to write a full review.

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tey_lynn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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