Reviews

Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi

5erinnicole's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was my first short story collection of the year. I loved “Saturday’s Song” - and I didn’t even know it was a sequel! I also really enjoyed “Ganger” but I think I would have preferred that one as a full novel. It didn’t feel complete, and yet was by far the longest story in the collection. 

I cannot wait to read more from Talabi. His voice came through in every story, connecting even the most different stories. He also experimented within writing formats including a story told via blog and another told as a patent submission. 

I found myself wondering what was up next each time I finished a story instead of missing the characters and plot of the previous. 

trukkos_travisz's review

ehhh, I just couldn't get into these stories

wandering_not_lost's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

My favorites were the longest, Ganger, which was a bit predictable but good, and a really short and sweet story called Abeokuta52.  Most stories were fun and showed people fighting against oppression with varying results, with a lot of thematic heft about technology's place as humanity moves further into capitalism/oligarchy and further harms the planet.  

khrystalynne's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

librarygirlreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

kleonard's review

3.0

A solid collection of SFF stories set mostly in Nigeria or among Nigerians that include topics like mining in space, the movement of human consciousnesses to robots, and social justice. I enjoyed "Ganger" in which a world dominated by automatons can only be escaped by becoming one, and "Blowout," in which a woman grapples with family history, the limits of machinery, and her own physical limits as she tries to save her brother on Mars.

dunecello's review

emotional inspiring reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Outstanding collection of stories. Emotionally gripping hard scifi/afrofuturism written by an engineer, what more could you ask for?

2treads's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I enjoyed these stories even when they tested the limits of my understanding re certain topics. But Talabi softened the harder edges of science and technology by centreing his characters, using the human characteristics and emotions that generally drive our reactions and relationships. Definitely an author whose work I will keep reading.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

kelleydoesbooks's review

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

_christinacreads's review

4.0

16 afrofuturistic science fiction short stories exploring and providing commentary on the potential challenges we might face in either the near future or in alternate realities. I was blown away by so many of the stories but most especially:

Saturday’s Song (7 god-like siblings chronicling an entirely human tale and learning from it), and

A Dream of Electric Mothers (Nebula-nominated novella featuring border disputes, a sentient AI formed from the collective consciousness of the deceased citizens of the country.)

(+) Nigerian author, Black cast of characters, some stories featuring QPOC characters