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becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Anya's style is so unique. Some of these stories I might need to re-read to really get, but it was enjoyable in a "wtf is going on" kind of way
teresareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Car accident, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, War, and Death
johnnyideaseed's review against another edition
5.0
I went into this book having been a big fan of Alan DeNiro's previous short story collection, Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead. This collection did not disappoint. Many of the details in the stories are a bit ridiculous -- details, whether factual or fictional, frequently are -- but in every story I was able to identify some emotional core that resonated strongly with me. Elements of horror, fantasy, and science fiction mingle freely and enthusiastically, and DeNiro seems to cultivate his ambiguous endings like it were a breed of rare flower. Which does tend to give the stories the general feeling of a particularly vivid dream, something which, as far as I'm concerned, is a good thing. Particularly enjoyable were the stories "(*_*?)~~~~(-_-):TheWarpandtheWoof" and "The Flowering Ape," the latter being a particularly touching meditation on being different and growing older. This book may not be for everyone, but this is basically exactly the sort of short story collection that I would like to read more often.
jessyhere's review against another edition
3.0
Most of this was too confusing to be enjoyable. I upgraded my rating from 2 to 3 stars based on the stories "The Flowering Ape" and "The Wildfires of Antarctica," which I really liked. On the whole, this was too 'experimental' for my tastes.
ederwin's review against another edition
4.0
Update: this book is having a weird effect on me. I've gone back to the stories I originally hated, and I really like some of them now. Gonna have to bump up the stars!
One story is available for free here: The Philip Sidney Game. Its recursive structure reminds me of a Charlie Kaufman movie.
Here is also a free excerpt from the much weirder story "The Walking-Stick Fires".
And here is the story Tyrannia.
Original review:
One of the weirdest books I've ever read. And from my reading history, that is saying a lot!
While 3 of the stories here have been published in "Asimov's Science Fiction" they are not your grandfather's SF stories! The writing is experimental, and the genre for most stories is closer to "Weird" than Sci-Fi.
I found this in a little free library. Was intrigued because it is from "Small Beer Press" which publishes interesting things. Absolutely hated the first few stories I tried. (I read in random order, so not the first stories in the book). I kept going. Turns out I really liked some stories very much, such as "Highly Responsive to Prayer" and "The [a:Philip Sidney|13836|Philip Sidney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1205343679p2/13836.jpg] Game". But most of the stories were just too confusing for me to get into.
This is the first book I've picked up, as far as I remember, to have a Book Crossing ID in it. So I'll get to go on that site and ask whoever put this in the box "What were you thinking ?!?!?!"
PS: That little free library is one of the cutest ones I've seen. Picture here: https://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt/1/5/1577/860881
One story is available for free here: The Philip Sidney Game. Its recursive structure reminds me of a Charlie Kaufman movie.
Here is also a free excerpt from the much weirder story "The Walking-Stick Fires".
And here is the story Tyrannia.
Original review:
One of the weirdest books I've ever read. And from my reading history, that is saying a lot!
While 3 of the stories here have been published in "Asimov's Science Fiction" they are not your grandfather's SF stories! The writing is experimental, and the genre for most stories is closer to "Weird" than Sci-Fi.
I found this in a little free library. Was intrigued because it is from "Small Beer Press" which publishes interesting things. Absolutely hated the first few stories I tried. (I read in random order, so not the first stories in the book). I kept going. Turns out I really liked some stories very much, such as "Highly Responsive to Prayer" and "The [a:Philip Sidney|13836|Philip Sidney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1205343679p2/13836.jpg] Game". But most of the stories were just too confusing for me to get into.
This is the first book I've picked up, as far as I remember, to have a Book Crossing ID in it. So I'll get to go on that site and ask whoever put this in the box "What were you thinking ?!?!?!"
PS: That little free library is one of the cutest ones I've seen. Picture here: https://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt/1/5/1577/860881
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