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shannonmatalone's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5
pdestrienne's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
I read this while I was super anxious so I'll probably never remember anything about the experience. Not the fault of the book tho.
gimchi's review
2.0
best story: standard loneliness package. really fantastic. others in the 'sorry' section were enjoyable along with hero absorbs major damage.
the other stories just made me think the author was a sad sack, shambling through life, writing overmuch and not knowing when to stop; irritating stream-of-consciousness.
i'm in the last section and i'm not really sure this finishing is going to happen.
the other stories just made me think the author was a sad sack, shambling through life, writing overmuch and not knowing when to stop; irritating stream-of-consciousness.
i'm in the last section and i'm not really sure this finishing is going to happen.
mountainreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ablotial's review
3.0
I've been enjoying short story collections recently, and I discovered this one because it got decent reviews in the Seasonal Reading Challenge group that I participate in. It is nominally a science fiction collection, and is split into four sections: Sorry, Please, Thank You, and an all of the above section that contains a story with the same title as the overall collection. Aside from the final story, I didn't really feel that the stories fit into these themes at all. For pretty much all the stories, I either really loved them, or I really ... didn't. There was no in-between.
Here are my thoughts for each story written as I was reading (modified from my status messages):
1. Standard Loneliness Package: Very cool first story about a company whose employees feel other people's emotions for them. I think he could have done more with the relationship between the two employees.
2. First Person Shooter: loved this idea, funny and well executed. Not your normal zombie story.
3. Troubleshooting: meh, didn't really get it.
4. Hero Absorbs Major Damage: wonderful! I have wanted to write something like this myself, fun to imagine the characters' thoughts.
5. Human for Beginners: uhhh what? this was just awkward and also doesn't fit the tone or genre of the other stories...
6. Inventory: also really strange, didn't like it as a whole but did have a few good quotes that I have thought myself at times about what reality really means.
7. Open: very cool concept! I wonder about the poem mentioned that inspired the door to show up.
8. Note to Self: Multiverse! I really like what the author tried to do here, bit I don't think it ended up working well.
9. Yeoman: loved this, maybe my favorite! perfect ending, even better than the one I was imagining.
10. Designer Emotion 67: meh. I don't like this style of story I guess.
11. The Book of Categories: It's a crowd-sourced Ontology! I love the idea, but this got too informal and weird for my tastes. And why didn't Chang clarify any of the questions others asked about him? I guess because he didn't see them because the book is too big.
12. Adult Contemporary: This one was really well done - kind of like a Truman Show type story except very different.
13. Sorry Please Thank You: Meh. Suicide note not really my cup of tea, and not really sci-fi ish...
Here are my thoughts for each story written as I was reading (modified from my status messages):
1. Standard Loneliness Package: Very cool first story about a company whose employees feel other people's emotions for them. I think he could have done more with the relationship between the two employees.
2. First Person Shooter: loved this idea, funny and well executed. Not your normal zombie story.
3. Troubleshooting: meh, didn't really get it.
4. Hero Absorbs Major Damage: wonderful! I have wanted to write something like this myself, fun to imagine the characters' thoughts.
5. Human for Beginners: uhhh what? this was just awkward and also doesn't fit the tone or genre of the other stories...
6. Inventory: also really strange, didn't like it as a whole but did have a few good quotes that I have thought myself at times about what reality really means.
7. Open: very cool concept! I wonder about the poem mentioned that inspired the door to show up.
8. Note to Self: Multiverse! I really like what the author tried to do here, bit I don't think it ended up working well.
9. Yeoman: loved this, maybe my favorite! perfect ending, even better than the one I was imagining.
10. Designer Emotion 67: meh. I don't like this style of story I guess.
11. The Book of Categories: It's a crowd-sourced Ontology! I love the idea, but this got too informal and weird for my tastes. And why didn't Chang clarify any of the questions others asked about him? I guess because he didn't see them because the book is too big.
12. Adult Contemporary: This one was really well done - kind of like a Truman Show type story except very different.
13. Sorry Please Thank You: Meh. Suicide note not really my cup of tea, and not really sci-fi ish...
storytimed's review against another edition
3.5
Almost, but not quite. Collection of short stories with interesting themes that never quite live up to their promise.
bessadams's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
aprilchen01's review
5.0
It’s giving modern Saunders. Read it in one sitting, made me laugh a lot and will be thinking about it for some time
nakedsushi's review
3.0
Sorry. Please. Thank you. They say that if you knew the words of these three phrases in any language, you can probably get by pretty well. Maybe if you can understand all the stories in here, you'll be able to get by in life? Overall, I found it to be like a less-successful Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (which you should read if you haven't already). Each of the stories in here is a little bizarre in the way Twilight Zone episodes are bizarre.
Unfortunately, the stories were hit or miss.
The ones I liked:
- Standard Loneliness Package: as a programmer, I can relate to someone who "rents out their mind" for work. While programmers rent out their thinking brain space, the people in this story rent out their feeling brain space. The ending was touching.
- Open: surreal and metaphorical, but I liked it. It was sad, but hopeful.
- Yeoman: you know that minor character in episodes of Star Trek that always ends up dying some ridiculous death? This is the story about him.
I didn't like the other stories as much because they seemed trite or trying too hard. Designer Emotion was heavy handed and didn't really need to be written. Inventory was one I "didn't get." First Person Shooter was silly but not in a good way. Troubleshooting was only okay.
Unfortunately, the stories were hit or miss.
The ones I liked:
- Standard Loneliness Package: as a programmer, I can relate to someone who "rents out their mind" for work. While programmers rent out their thinking brain space, the people in this story rent out their feeling brain space. The ending was touching.
- Open: surreal and metaphorical, but I liked it. It was sad, but hopeful.
- Yeoman: you know that minor character in episodes of Star Trek that always ends up dying some ridiculous death? This is the story about him.
I didn't like the other stories as much because they seemed trite or trying too hard. Designer Emotion was heavy handed and didn't really need to be written. Inventory was one I "didn't get." First Person Shooter was silly but not in a good way. Troubleshooting was only okay.
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide