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natashaball's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Not normally a short story fan, but the science fiction side of the stories tempted me. Definitely enjoyed the longer stories, with Wind Will Rove and And Then There Were (N-One) - very clever title for that one - were my favorites. Even in the very short stories though, the characters are very well written, they are very real, detailed characters, a wide range of all different types of people which was refreshing. Would look out for Sarah Pinsker’s novels after reading this!
jvilches's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
librarian_of_trantor's review against another edition
4.0
Almost any story collection is going to be uneven but this one goes from good to extraordinary. The best of the stories:
"A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" explores an unusual complication with a prosthetic limb.
"In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind" is a moving tale of 88 yo woman dealing with her husband's stroke and recalling a life altering event years before. For most of the story you wonder, where's the SF? When it reveals itself the SF element is subtle and extremely powerful.
"Wind Will Rove" is the only generation ship story that I have read that suggests what a powerful force music could be on a generation ship. (I had read this story when first published.)
"Our Lady of the Open Road" is set in the same world as the author's Nebula award winning novel [b:A Song for a New Day|43401925|A Song for a New Day|Sarah Pinsker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556213598l/43401925._SY75_.jpg|64410073] with the same protagonist, Luce Cannon. This story distills the theme of the novel - the love of live music and the value of community, especially in hard times. But I'm not sure it would have the impact it did for me if someone had not read the novel for all its background.
"And Then There Were (N-One)" - Agatha Christie murder mystery in the multiverse. Fascinating concept that the author uses to explore choices and regrets. (Another story that I had read before. But well worth revisiting.)
"A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" explores an unusual complication with a prosthetic limb.
"In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind" is a moving tale of 88 yo woman dealing with her husband's stroke and recalling a life altering event years before. For most of the story you wonder, where's the SF? When it reveals itself the SF element is subtle and extremely powerful.
"Wind Will Rove" is the only generation ship story that I have read that suggests what a powerful force music could be on a generation ship. (I had read this story when first published.)
"Our Lady of the Open Road" is set in the same world as the author's Nebula award winning novel [b:A Song for a New Day|43401925|A Song for a New Day|Sarah Pinsker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556213598l/43401925._SY75_.jpg|64410073] with the same protagonist, Luce Cannon. This story distills the theme of the novel - the love of live music and the value of community, especially in hard times. But I'm not sure it would have the impact it did for me if someone had not read the novel for all its background.
"And Then There Were (N-One)" - Agatha Christie murder mystery in the multiverse. Fascinating concept that the author uses to explore choices and regrets. (Another story that I had read before. But well worth revisiting.)
jpark414's review
definitely stories worth reading in here. I especially liked the last "and then there were (N-one)"
I also love "In Joy Knowing the Abyss Behind" which I read back in 2012 when it won the sturgeon award. The first two stories in this collection were my least favorite, but I got going once I gave myself permission to jump around.
I also love "In Joy Knowing the Abyss Behind" which I read back in 2012 when it won the sturgeon award. The first two stories in this collection were my least favorite, but I got going once I gave myself permission to jump around.
kappafrog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a great collection of short stories! Some of these have really blown my mind. Here's my rating for each story:
A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide: 4.75
And We Were Left Darkling: 5
Remembery Day: 4.5
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea: 4
The Low Hum of Her: 3.25
Talking with Dead People: 3
The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced: 3.25
In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind: 5
No Lonely Seafarer: 3.5
Wind Will Rove: 3.5
Our Lady of the Open Road: 3
The Narwhal: 3.5
And Then There Were (N-One): 3.75
I knew right away from "A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" that this was going to be a great collection! Such an interesting idea explored. Then "And We Were Left Darkling" was so haunting and absorbing. I wanted there to be more, and yet, it was the perfect short story ending. "Remembery Day" was moving and thought-provoking. The next several stories didn't hit me quite as hard, and "The Sewell Home" felt way too short, more of a few thoughts stitched together than anything.
But then BAM, "In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind" was SO good.It was such a great example of taking one thread that no one usually looks at in a UFO story - the architect who designs the alien prison - and seeing where it lead. Heart-breaking but so good. The final story had a really fun premise. I was a little confused at the ending since it was hard to understand when the second quantologist to replace the host quantologist. But that story definitely gave me a lot to think about!
All in all, I'd highly recommend this collection to anyone interested in thought-provoking and sometimes melancholy sci-fi (with a bit of fantasy rather than sci-fi in "No Lonely Seafarer.") The strongest stories of this one were some of the shortest. They're going to stay with me for a long time!
A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide: 4.75
And We Were Left Darkling: 5
Remembery Day: 4.5
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea: 4
The Low Hum of Her: 3.25
Talking with Dead People: 3
The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced: 3.25
In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind: 5
No Lonely Seafarer: 3.5
Wind Will Rove: 3.5
Our Lady of the Open Road: 3
The Narwhal: 3.5
And Then There Were (N-One): 3.75
I knew right away from "A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" that this was going to be a great collection! Such an interesting idea explored. Then "And We Were Left Darkling" was so haunting and absorbing. I wanted there to be more, and yet, it was the perfect short story ending. "Remembery Day" was moving and thought-provoking. The next several stories didn't hit me quite as hard, and "The Sewell Home" felt way too short, more of a few thoughts stitched together than anything.
But then BAM, "In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind" was SO good.
All in all, I'd highly recommend this collection to anyone interested in thought-provoking and sometimes melancholy sci-fi (with a bit of fantasy rather than sci-fi in "No Lonely Seafarer.") The strongest stories of this one were some of the shortest. They're going to stay with me for a long time!
dontpanic42's review
4.0
An enjoyable collection. I particularly liked the final story, in which Sarah Pinsker goes to SarahCon, a convention of Sarah Pinskers from alternate realities--and it's a murder mystery! For anyone who has read A Song for a New Day, we also get to know Luce Cannon a bit more in one of these stories.
mshelley's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
paulfank's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75
niajacobsen's review
5.0
This is an amazing collection of wonderful stories that moved me deeply. I would recommend it to anyone.
jenmcmaynes's review
5.0
This is a superb collection of speculative fiction, where the ‘weird’ or ‘science fiction-y’ elements are in service of exploring the human condition or ethical quandaries. To put it simply, the science fiction isn’t the point – it is the people and how they respond to the universe Pinsker has created. Excellent storytelling, which I highly recommend. Only one story (the first) fell short for me. Brief (necessarily, to avoid spoilers) notes below.
A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide - A Canadian farmer whose arm has been ripped off by a combine is fitted with a high-tech prototype prosthetic, which inexplicably feeds back to him the impression that he’s on a remote Colorado highway – or may be a remote Colorado highway. I didn’t really get this one.
And We Were Left Darkling – Dreamers around the world dream of children that don’t exist, until one day the children materialize off the coast of California, sunny themselves like seals. The dreamers congregate, awaiting ‘their’ children. An ambiguous ending helped left this one up from mediocre to good.
Remembery Day – Veterans and their families remember a war of unspeakable horror. Good twist, and it raised excellent questions of the consequences of war and technology on the human psyche—and the consequences of those consequences.
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea – A pop star falls off a cruise ship in a post-apocalyptic future and is rescued by a recluse on an island coast. Good story, and I liked the internal “Behind the Music” bits.
The Low Hum of Her – A father builds a replacement Bubbe for his daughter, before their dramatic flight to a new life, fleeing the old world with the AI Bubbe in a trunk.
Talking with Dead People – A pair of college students start a company capitalizing on Americans’ obsession with murder, by building interactive diorama houses of crime scenes.
The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced – Very short, about a retirement home for time travelers.
In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind – One of my favorites. When Millie’s husband has a stroke, she looks over their long marriage together to pinpoint when he changed, in the early 50s, following some top secret government work. The secret fits the story and time period, as do George’s motivations and the disastrous effect of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
No Lonely Seafarer – A seaport is cut off from the world by a pack of sirens living in its bay. Notable less for the story than for the narrator and the strong empowerment message.
Wind Will Rove – Another one of my favorites. A multi-generational space ship is several generations into its journey. The story focuses on a history teacher and a group of folk musicians, and grapples with questions of what is history and art when you leave the source?
Our Lady of the Open Road – Punk musicians travel the Midwest in a time when nearly all live music is supplied by a virtual reality company.
The Narwhal – Vaguely superhero-ish setting, in which a young woman is hired to drive cross country in a car shaped like a narwhal. She stumbles upon the mystery of the car’s origins in a small town and its “The Incident” museum.
And Then There Were (N-One) - Bonkers! A multiverse convention of Sarah Pinskers meet at a hotel, and one of them is murdered. Loved the murder mystery aspect along with questions of identity and individuality. Great story.
A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide - A Canadian farmer whose arm has been ripped off by a combine is fitted with a high-tech prototype prosthetic, which inexplicably feeds back to him the impression that he’s on a remote Colorado highway – or may be a remote Colorado highway. I didn’t really get this one.
And We Were Left Darkling – Dreamers around the world dream of children that don’t exist, until one day the children materialize off the coast of California, sunny themselves like seals. The dreamers congregate, awaiting ‘their’ children. An ambiguous ending helped left this one up from mediocre to good.
Remembery Day – Veterans and their families remember a war of unspeakable horror. Good twist, and it raised excellent questions of the consequences of war and technology on the human psyche—and the consequences of those consequences.
Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea – A pop star falls off a cruise ship in a post-apocalyptic future and is rescued by a recluse on an island coast. Good story, and I liked the internal “Behind the Music” bits.
The Low Hum of Her – A father builds a replacement Bubbe for his daughter, before their dramatic flight to a new life, fleeing the old world with the AI Bubbe in a trunk.
Talking with Dead People – A pair of college students start a company capitalizing on Americans’ obsession with murder, by building interactive diorama houses of crime scenes.
The Sewell Home for the Temporally Displaced – Very short, about a retirement home for time travelers.
In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind – One of my favorites. When Millie’s husband has a stroke, she looks over their long marriage together to pinpoint when he changed, in the early 50s, following some top secret government work. The secret fits the story and time period, as do George’s motivations and the disastrous effect of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
No Lonely Seafarer – A seaport is cut off from the world by a pack of sirens living in its bay. Notable less for the story than for the narrator and the strong empowerment message.
Wind Will Rove – Another one of my favorites. A multi-generational space ship is several generations into its journey. The story focuses on a history teacher and a group of folk musicians, and grapples with questions of what is history and art when you leave the source?
Our Lady of the Open Road – Punk musicians travel the Midwest in a time when nearly all live music is supplied by a virtual reality company.
The Narwhal – Vaguely superhero-ish setting, in which a young woman is hired to drive cross country in a car shaped like a narwhal. She stumbles upon the mystery of the car’s origins in a small town and its “The Incident” museum.
And Then There Were (N-One) - Bonkers! A multiverse convention of Sarah Pinskers meet at a hotel, and one of them is murdered. Loved the murder mystery aspect along with questions of identity and individuality. Great story.