Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - And What Can We Offer You Tonight

The prose is really great. It evokes a lot of emotion and feeling, and made for a very sincere and compelling one sitting read. It's an awesome little novella. Characters finding their way through the bleak world was oddly satisfying. It is really all about the writing. I do think the story arcs and characters were well done, but if you aren't into the novella format this probably wouldn't change your mind. If you are looking for a novella to try, this is a good one to give a chance to. It's fast paced and easy to read, and not weird and out there like some novellas can be. Worth the time and fits a lot of good stuff into the short length.

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szuum's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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leguinstan's review

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dark medium-paced

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

2.0

I was excited to read this after finding out that it won the 2021 Nebula Award for Best Novella, but I'm sad to say that And What Can We Offer You Tonight left me feeling cold. I just think that the author was trying to cover too much in a short page count. Even after finishing the story, I do not feel like I have a good understanding of the book's dystopian setting or its characters. I barely got to know the characters and as a result I didn't feel particularly attached to them. And while this is partially a matter of personal taste, I did not jive at all with the prose--somehow it feels simultaneously lush and disjointed. It really hampered my ability to fully immerse myself in the story.

While it's nice to see an indie press shake up Tor's domination of the SFF novella market, I don't think this is up to par with the other Nebula-winning novellas I have previously read.

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theoldestbennetsister's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Loved this, wow. Wonderfully written with a simmering, electric anger throughout, including the jabs of dark humor.

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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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challenging 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? Yes

4.5

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laurareads87's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

And What We Can Offer You Tonight packs a lot into a novella-length work: richly described setting, enough world-building to know what's going on while leaving a lot of the societal background vague, beautiful writing, and some complex themes. Mohamed can definitely write, and I'm very much looking forward to reading more from her.
What didn't work for me in this one was the character development. Everyone felt very two-dimensional and, in conflict with the story's themes, characters were entirely defined by their social roles. I feel like characters' social positions -- rich sexist man, exploitative brothel owner, etc. -- are here treated like they're personality traits: there doesn't seem to be a lot else going on even with the main characters.

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howard's review against another edition

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4.0

A searing indictment of late-stage capitalism and how fighting to survive under present conditions is not only counterrevolutionary but will end up hurting yourself and your loved ones in the end. It took me a minute to get into the universe but this is a wonderful novella.

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

For you don't climb to us. You fall only, you don't climb. She had fallen, or been thrown. Now she would never rise again. A long sad time, never.

This could have been a 5 star read, but while I enjoyed the author's writing overall, there were a few sentences that took up almost an entire page, and that always drags me out of the narrative. That said, she somehow managed to develop an entire world and society within 80 pages, had me rooting for the main characters, and added a revenge plot that was compelling and had a satisfying ending. I can see why this won the Nebula Award, and definitely recommend it.

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