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brogan7's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
This is definitely a writer to watch. I first encountered her in "Accessing the future" an anthology of sci-fi/disability lit, and I wanted to read more by her. This book of stories did not disappoint.
I especially enjoyed "Wind will rove," a story on the premise of one of the subplots of Cloud Cuckoo Land --a spaceship carrying generations of people headed to another planet, generations that didn't expect to survive to see the new planet, nor had they seen Earth...
I also loved "And then there were (N)one," a meditation on multiple parallel realities...super confusing but also very interesting for a heady brain and a person who isn't sure about her relationship to herself and her past and who has a hard time making decisions...
Title story, just ok.
I find her imagination really interesting, and the writing is very smooth, very well executed, like pebbles well worn by the sea...you don't get jarred by things popping you out of the story, everything fits with everything else.
And from the acknowledgements page: she knows both Lily Yu and Karen Joy Fowler?! ... jealous!! (Me)
I especially enjoyed "Wind will rove," a story on the premise of one of the subplots of Cloud Cuckoo Land --a spaceship carrying generations of people headed to another planet, generations that didn't expect to survive to see the new planet, nor had they seen Earth...
I also loved "And then there were (N)one," a meditation on multiple parallel realities...super confusing but also very interesting for a heady brain and a person who isn't sure about her relationship to herself and her past and who has a hard time making decisions...
Title story, just ok.
I find her imagination really interesting, and the writing is very smooth, very well executed, like pebbles well worn by the sea...you don't get jarred by things popping you out of the story, everything fits with everything else.
And from the acknowledgements page: she knows both Lily Yu and Karen Joy Fowler?! ... jealous!! (Me)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Toxic relationship
mamoru's review
3.0
EDIT: I finally finished reading the entire collection and... This book is bland, with the occasional spur of colour. My God, I don't remember the last time I felt so bored reading something! I can't even be bothered writing a thorough review since I feel nothing. There is an audience for these stories, and it's not me (or my buddy reader with whom I read them whose rating is even lower than mine). The writing is not bad, but it's nothing special. It's...fine. I rated this book a 3 because of the last novella, which I loved but it's already fading from my memory.
This review is just for the novella "And then there were N-one".
Rating: 4/5
This was a claustrophobic, weird and wildly imaginative novella. I loved the premise but my advice is: don't pick this up if you like your story to make sense. Reading "And then there were N-one" feels like watching someone talk to themselves, argue with themselves and reach conclusions all by themselves. What they say doesn't always make sense and they might not even know you're there watching, but, nonetheless, it's a fascinating thing to witness.
Follow author Sarah Pinsker as she creates an unhinged piece about SarahCon, an interdimensional con where everyone is a different version of Sarah Pinsker. Once there, she must get to the bottom of a *gasp* murder mystery! One of the Sarahs has killed another Sarah with the most amazing murder weapon in history.
Will the murder make sense? Sort of. I felt smart when I realised what was happening, but I was completely lost as to who the killer was. Once we discover which Sarah is the killer, don't expect any resolution since this is an open-ended story. The open-endedness makes perfect sense in the context of the plot. While the story tries (and fails) to raise some philosophical questions, it's best to see it as an exercise in imagination and applaud the author for writing one of the most innovative pieces I've ever read.
P.S. After you read this, I want you to know that the story was nominated but didn't win the Nebula Award. You'll know why I'm mentioning it.
This review is just for the novella "And then there were N-one".
Rating: 4/5
This was a claustrophobic, weird and wildly imaginative novella. I loved the premise but my advice is: don't pick this up if you like your story to make sense. Reading "And then there were N-one" feels like watching someone talk to themselves, argue with themselves and reach conclusions all by themselves. What they say doesn't always make sense and they might not even know you're there watching, but, nonetheless, it's a fascinating thing to witness.
Follow author Sarah Pinsker as she creates an unhinged piece about SarahCon, an interdimensional con where everyone is a different version of Sarah Pinsker. Once there, she must get to the bottom of a *gasp* murder mystery! One of the Sarahs has killed another Sarah with the most amazing murder weapon in history.
Will the murder make sense? Sort of. I felt smart when I realised what was happening, but I was completely lost as to who the killer was. Once we discover which Sarah is the killer, don't expect any resolution since this is an open-ended story. The open-endedness makes perfect sense in the context of the plot. While the story tries (and fails) to raise some philosophical questions, it's best to see it as an exercise in imagination and applaud the author for writing one of the most innovative pieces I've ever read.
P.S. After you read this, I want you to know that the story was nominated but didn't win the Nebula Award. You'll know why I'm mentioning it.
borrowedandbacklist's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this collection filled with masterfully written first lines. Pinsker excels at creating characters I care about and detailed worlds that were so much fun to discover. I especially enjoyed the imaginative range of these stories.
hakimbriki's review
3.0
I'm torn about this one. I loved four out of the 13 stories. A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide is a breathtakingly ingenious take on the brain-computer interface tech. And We Were Left Darkling was both terrifying and strangely poetic. Our Lady of the Open Road presents a nightmarish yet likely realistic outlook on the future of live music. The Narwhal is the most endearing story in the collection, and offers a very emotional twist.
The other nine tales in the collection just didn't transcend me at all. Some have inventive ideas, like The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced and Wind Will Rove, both of which are sci-fi in nature, but it just didn't click for me, mainly due to the lack of characterization depth and uninspired plot developments. Two of the stories, Remembery Day and In Joy, Knowing the Abyss have big gaping plot holes that drove me nuts. All in all, this is a good collection full of originality and beautiful language. It made me want to read more of her books. If you're a musician like me, you'll also appreciate all the references, and the witticisms about certain musical behaviors, songwriting techniques, and bandmate banter.
The other nine tales in the collection just didn't transcend me at all. Some have inventive ideas, like The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced and Wind Will Rove, both of which are sci-fi in nature, but it just didn't click for me, mainly due to the lack of characterization depth and uninspired plot developments. Two of the stories, Remembery Day and In Joy, Knowing the Abyss have big gaping plot holes that drove me nuts. All in all, this is a good collection full of originality and beautiful language. It made me want to read more of her books. If you're a musician like me, you'll also appreciate all the references, and the witticisms about certain musical behaviors, songwriting techniques, and bandmate banter.
rouge_red's review
4.25
An amazing speculative short story collection. I didn't dislike any, save for the parts of certain ones that were about music. But that's not a topic I care to read about anyway, but besides that the stories were pretty intriguing. They span a range of sci-fi to fantasy ideas and were just generally full of imagination.
tophat8855's review
5.0
Really enjoyed this collection. Many of the stories involved music or musicians, which made me think she must be a musician, and indeed she is. So many creative ideas and situations- solid sci-fi. Would recommend. Also I really feel for the musicians in all these stories.
mcslevine's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-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? No
5.0