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theaurochs's review against another edition
4.0
First off, absolute treasure of a find in a charity shop on the isle of Mull- mid seventies edition of this book.
Secondly; Tiptree is an absolute master, although this collection definitely contains some less than stellar entries.
It is packed full with her trademark abrasive language and ideas; I feel like my mind is being expanded somewhat against my will when I read Tiptree, and it's great; the ideas forcing their way in and rattling around the inside of my cranium at somewhere near the speed of sound, sparking off each other and whatever else was already in there.
Her short stories do fantastic jobs of crafting fully realised worlds (and in some cases universes) in really minimal word-counts- the glimpses we get are very often tantalising, but they equally get across everything they want to. Short, sharp, precision stabs of incredible wit, social awareness and anger.
Some favourites include: The Man Who Walked Home; Mother In The Sky With Diamonds; I'm Too Big But I Love To Play
Less good: The Man Doors Said Hello to (too bonkers even for me); Faithful To Thee, Oh Terra, In Our Fashion & Birth of a Salesmen, only because they are doing very very similar things and the redundancy is a shame
Secondly; Tiptree is an absolute master, although this collection definitely contains some less than stellar entries.
It is packed full with her trademark abrasive language and ideas; I feel like my mind is being expanded somewhat against my will when I read Tiptree, and it's great; the ideas forcing their way in and rattling around the inside of my cranium at somewhere near the speed of sound, sparking off each other and whatever else was already in there.
Her short stories do fantastic jobs of crafting fully realised worlds (and in some cases universes) in really minimal word-counts- the glimpses we get are very often tantalising, but they equally get across everything they want to. Short, sharp, precision stabs of incredible wit, social awareness and anger.
Some favourites include: The Man Who Walked Home; Mother In The Sky With Diamonds; I'm Too Big But I Love To Play
Less good: The Man Doors Said Hello to (too bonkers even for me); Faithful To Thee, Oh Terra, In Our Fashion & Birth of a Salesmen, only because they are doing very very similar things and the redundancy is a shame
giboulet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
pipode1234's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
entvapparat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kjn1995's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
wunsworth's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
4.25
hanz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Really interesting and often strange collection. As expected I enjoyed some stories more than others. I really enjoyed The Man Who Walked Home, which was a very interesting story. Some others I didn't like as much and some stories were hard to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
fiendfull's review against another edition
3.0
Ten Thousand Light Years From Home is a new edition of science fiction short stories written by Alice B. Sheldon under the male pseudonym James Tiptree Jr. The stories focus on various sci fi elements, from contact with aliens to intergalactic business, with recurring themes of power, sex, and connections. Some of the most engaging stories are centred on some kind of space business, for example a planet for the fair racing of creatures from across space, which feel like wry looks at difference, power, and trade.
However, some of the stories were quite difficult to get into and not very engaging. I wanted to read this review copy after reading online about Sheldon and being intrigued by her life, even though I don't usually read a huge amount of sci fi. Some of the stories were good and clever, and there's some interesting points about power and sex and gender, but other stories I found myself skimming through.
However, some of the stories were quite difficult to get into and not very engaging. I wanted to read this review copy after reading online about Sheldon and being intrigued by her life, even though I don't usually read a huge amount of sci fi. Some of the stories were good and clever, and there's some interesting points about power and sex and gender, but other stories I found myself skimming through.