Scan barcode
abhi17's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
ariereads's review against another edition
3.0
Great - in small doses. I read this whole collection in one go, and by the end the dialogue grated. The ideas were cute, the execution sometimes fell short.
dreesreads's review against another edition
4.0
I gave the book 4 stars, but some of these stories are 5 stars, some are closer to 3. And the good ones are really good.
These are science fiction-ish stories (my favorite kind of science fiction), and I would say there is a theme here: In several of these stories, Yu examines corporate buying and selling of experience, emotion, and lives.
My favorites:
Standard Loneliness Package
Hero Absorbs Major Damage
Yeoman
Designer Emotion Number 67
Adult Contemporary
These are science fiction-ish stories (my favorite kind of science fiction), and I would say there is a theme here: In several of these stories, Yu examines corporate buying and selling of experience, emotion, and lives.
My favorites:
Standard Loneliness Package
Hero Absorbs Major Damage
Yeoman
Designer Emotion Number 67
Adult Contemporary
mrthehan's review against another edition
3.0
Imaginative and daring in form and content, but I found myself often wanting Yu to push things further in exploration or weirdness. Many of these stories seemed to have one foot planted a little too firmly to Earth.
gusiakos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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
3.5
sophronisba's review against another edition
4.0
There are a couple of masterpieces here--I especially liked "Hero Absorbs Major Damage" and "Standard Loneliness Package"--but most of the stories share the same bleak, world-weary mood (imagine Alice Munro and Greg Egan collaborating on a story together). Toward the end the stories began to feel a little too samy, which detracted from their impact. But this is my fault for reading the whole book in two sittings instead of pacing myself. I should know by now to pace myself when I'm reading a single-author short-story collection.
icameheretoread's review against another edition
4.0
I found this on the rack at the library just before we closed on Friday. Something told me to grab it, and I am so glad I did. Despite my usual distaste for short stories, I found myself sucked into Yu's wild imagination. The stories are best read with a bit of time in between, for processing.
If you can't read the entire book, here are my absolute faves:
1. Standard Loneliness Process
2. First Person Shooter
3. Hero Absorb's Major Damage
4. Yeoman (it is so funny, as I read Redshirts at the same time)
This is not to say the rest of the stories are unworthy, just that those four were my personal favorites.
If you can't read the entire book, here are my absolute faves:
1. Standard Loneliness Process
2. First Person Shooter
3. Hero Absorb's Major Damage
4. Yeoman (it is so funny, as I read Redshirts at the same time)
This is not to say the rest of the stories are unworthy, just that those four were my personal favorites.
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
4.0
Exploring the space between raw emotion and technology. They're short stories, so I liked some more than others (and I spaced them out over several days so they wouldn't all run together). Worthwhile, but I think only the first section will stick with me.