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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
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
Much like most short story collections, the highs are high and the lows, well, are lower. Of my faves, I’d read several before…As Good as New…Clover…Six Months, Three Days. But then came my new Charlie Jane fixation…the Kango and Sharon (and Jara)-verse (A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime). Glad another of their adventures is out on the Interwebs! Okay, so I also really dug Rat Catcher’s Yellows and the concept behind Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie.
catcherinthepi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sydneybernthold's review against another edition
Anders’ stories always feel like eating cotton candy at a county fair— in the best way. The science fiction elements compliment the character moments in each story and aren’t just set dressing. The jokes are funny, and the emotional moments resonate harder because of it. Fantastic collection!
tero's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Islamophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Note: content warnings are for things mentioned or subjects tackled by the stories. Content warnings for individual stories are included in the book.jpitts's review against another edition
4.0
Even Greater Mistakes has cemented Charlie Jane Anders as one of my favorite authors.
This is a collection of Anders' short (mostly) speculative fiction over the years, each beginning with a half-page forward from the author about when and why she wrote each one. The content is wonderfully varied. There are gutwrenching and horrifying stories that she says she pulled from her deepest personal fears and anxieties, and then there are stories with names like "Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie," which she described as "a little bit Vampire Diaries fanfic." While some of them didn't quite land for me (hence the -1 star), they all demonstrate so much creativity, talent, and again, pure love for writing.
I've said something similar in the past, but my favorite thing about the way Anders writes is how clearly I can feel the passion and giddy enthusiasm she has for her craft. Everything I read from her makes my brain itch to create something. Seriously, I went back to work on two of my abandoned short story ideas while reading this. When I finish them, I'll have her to thank.
My personal favorite stories in this collection are:
The Time Travel Club - A funny and inventive story about a group of time traveler LARPers who have to figure out what to do when they invent an actual time machine
Six Months, Three Days - Probably my favorite story in the bunch. A woman who can see all of her possible futures dates a man who can only see his one true future. The two try to navigate their relationship while grappling with the knowledge that it will end.
Ghost Champagne - A woman is followed by the ghost of her future self. This one takes a strange turn that I really appreciated.
Captain Roger in Heaven - A weird new sex cult/religion/thing, discovering that they are destined to go to hell, tries to open up a pocket universe in which they can build a new, better afterlife. And that's just one part of it, this one is kinda crazy.
Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue - A short speculative horror story brought about by Anders' anxiety about "[her] body becoming illegal." MAJOR tw for
(Also FYI: I skipped over "If You Take My Meaning" and "Clover" for now because they're related to other Anders novels that I haven't read yet)
This is a collection of Anders' short (mostly) speculative fiction over the years, each beginning with a half-page forward from the author about when and why she wrote each one. The content is wonderfully varied. There are gutwrenching and horrifying stories that she says she pulled from her deepest personal fears and anxieties, and then there are stories with names like "Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie," which she described as "a little bit Vampire Diaries fanfic." While some of them didn't quite land for me (hence the -1 star), they all demonstrate so much creativity, talent, and again, pure love for writing.
I've said something similar in the past, but my favorite thing about the way Anders writes is how clearly I can feel the passion and giddy enthusiasm she has for her craft. Everything I read from her makes my brain itch to create something. Seriously, I went back to work on two of my abandoned short story ideas while reading this. When I finish them, I'll have her to thank.
My personal favorite stories in this collection are:
The Time Travel Club - A funny and inventive story about a group of time traveler LARPers who have to figure out what to do when they invent an actual time machine
Six Months, Three Days - Probably my favorite story in the bunch. A woman who can see all of her possible futures dates a man who can only see his one true future. The two try to navigate their relationship while grappling with the knowledge that it will end.
Ghost Champagne - A woman is followed by the ghost of her future self. This one takes a strange turn that I really appreciated.
Captain Roger in Heaven - A weird new sex cult/religion/thing, discovering that they are destined to go to hell, tries to open up a pocket universe in which they can build a new, better afterlife. And that's just one part of it, this one is kinda crazy.
Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue - A short speculative horror story brought about by Anders' anxiety about "[her] body becoming illegal." MAJOR tw for
Spoiler
kidnapping, medical horror, transphobia and forced detransition(Also FYI: I skipped over "If You Take My Meaning" and "Clover" for now because they're related to other Anders novels that I haven't read yet)
Content Warnings
The author is pretty good about including content warnings in her forewords for each story.
karalafleur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
enno's review against another edition
5.0
I don't usually read short stories, but this collection may serve to change my mind. I love a book that explores new ideas, or puts a new spin on an existing trope, and these short stories do that, and cover a wide range of them.
I'd already read Six Months, Three Days elsewhere, so that set my expectations, and I'm happy to say they were met. From classics like time travel in The Time Travel Club to the over-the-top gonzo style of Rock Manning Goes For Broke, there was something for everybody here. The medical horror of Don't Press Charges And I Won't Sue was probably my least favorite story, but that's partly because of the real-world politics that it mirrors, which are none of the story's faults.
I'm very happy to have received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, even though it took me months to get around to actually reading it, on account of my enourmas TBR pile.
I'd already read Six Months, Three Days elsewhere, so that set my expectations, and I'm happy to say they were met. From classics like time travel in The Time Travel Club to the over-the-top gonzo style of Rock Manning Goes For Broke, there was something for everybody here. The medical horror of Don't Press Charges And I Won't Sue was probably my least favorite story, but that's partly because of the real-world politics that it mirrors, which are none of the story's faults.
I'm very happy to have received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, even though it took me months to get around to actually reading it, on account of my enourmas TBR pile.