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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'
Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology by Jeff VanderMeer, Ann VanderMeer
1 review
purplemind's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A great anthology that made me discover some authors whose works I'm definitely going to seek out.
There are a few weaker stories in the bunch, but overall I can't really find it in me to bump the rating down by much, since the stories I enjoyed I really enjoyed.
A few of the stand-outs for me:
- The screwfly solution by James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Bradley Sheldon) : possibly my favourite story of them all; loved the hauntingly slow reveal of the plot via the epistolary format, it worked incredibly well for the horror/sci-fi blend the author was going for; amazing closing line.
- The evening and the morning and the night by Octavia E. Butler : tied for first place; Butler's writing immerses you in the narrative instantly, throwing you in a believably horrifying world without drowing you in exposition.
- The palm tree bandit by Nnedi Okorafor : short and sweet, an extremely pleasant read; features one of my favourite tropes, (view spoiler) but for real this time.
- Gestella by Susan Palwick : I loved and hated this story; this story slaps you in the face with the first paragraph and knocks you out clean with the last; read at your own risk.
- The glass bottle trick by Nalo Hopkinson : (view spoiler) set against the world of Jamaican folklore; loved how the dialogue was written in such a way that the characters' accent/dialect was clearly defined yet still perfectly understandable by
someome not immersed in the culture (like me).
- Home by the sea by Elisabeth Vonaburg : very Blade Runner-y, but not derivative, retaining its own flavour throughout; very vivid and "alive" characters, closing the anthology with a bang!
Also good: The forbidden words of Margaret A. (L. Timmel Duchamp), The grammarian's five daughters (Eleanor Arnason), Northern chess (Tanith Lee), Sur (Ursula K. Le Guin), Thirteen ways of looking at space/time (Catherynne M. Valente)
There are a few weaker stories in the bunch, but overall I can't really find it in me to bump the rating down by much, since the stories I enjoyed I really enjoyed.
A few of the stand-outs for me:
- The screwfly solution by James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Bradley Sheldon) : possibly my favourite story of them all; loved the hauntingly slow reveal of the plot via the epistolary format, it worked incredibly well for the horror/sci-fi blend the author was going for; amazing closing line.
- The evening and the morning and the night by Octavia E. Butler : tied for first place; Butler's writing immerses you in the narrative instantly, throwing you in a believably horrifying world without drowing you in exposition.
- The palm tree bandit by Nnedi Okorafor : short and sweet, an extremely pleasant read; features one of my favourite tropes, (view spoiler) but for real this time.
- Gestella by Susan Palwick : I loved and hated this story; this story slaps you in the face with the first paragraph and knocks you out clean with the last; read at your own risk.
- The glass bottle trick by Nalo Hopkinson : (view spoiler) set against the world of Jamaican folklore; loved how the dialogue was written in such a way that the characters' accent/dialect was clearly defined yet still perfectly understandable by
someome not immersed in the culture (like me).
- Home by the sea by Elisabeth Vonaburg : very Blade Runner-y, but not derivative, retaining its own flavour throughout; very vivid and "alive" characters, closing the anthology with a bang!
Also good: The forbidden words of Margaret A. (L. Timmel Duchamp), The grammarian's five daughters (Eleanor Arnason), Northern chess (Tanith Lee), Sur (Ursula K. Le Guin), Thirteen ways of looking at space/time (Catherynne M. Valente)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Misogyny
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