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jacobina's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Some stories are amazing and some didn't really appeal to me. Overall the collection was OK.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/day-993-slipping/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/day-993-slipping/
lyrareadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
One of those rare short story collections that beat my expectations. I knew Beukes from The Shining Girls and there are certain elements (body horror, feminism) that echo in these stories and a few non-fiction pieces.
lindseysparks's review against another edition
3.0
I love Lauren Beukes but this collection was pretty uneven. I read that several of these were written for specific themes and maybe didn't work as well out of context. There are several brilliant ones though, like the title story about a cyborg and the one about a teenage ghost. I enjoyed the nonfiction a lot. Both of her novels that I've read take place in the states so it was nice to actually read about her writing about South Africa. Having loved The Shining Girls I liked reading All the Pretty Corpses, which discusses her inspiration for that novel. I also liked her letter to her daughter about beauty. It's been done before but was still well done and sadly still quite needed. I wish I had liked the story feauting Murakami more but it fell kind of flat for me. Definitely excited to see what she does next though.
bmg20's review against another edition
4.0
‘You don’t have to name something to understand it.’
In Slipping, Beukes takes the modern world and transforms it into something futuristic and near unrecognizable. The title story, Slipping, is about a girl who, following a severe accident, is transformed through technological advances into a racing machine. Smileys, is a strange story about a soldier attempting to extort a woman who sells cooked sheep heads. Pop Tarts, is a story about a reality star and the realization that it’s all nothing but scripted fiction. Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs, is the story about a woman who must save Tokyo (and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the talking cat). Each of these stories are wildly authentic, vastly entertaining, and a constant focus on the darkness in this world.
'Culture wants to be free. This is not my original thought. But who of us can claim to be truly original? Aren’t we all remixes of every influence we’ve ever come across?’
The wide variety of genres cause the stories to lack a certain cohesion like a typical short story anthology might, but it does this collection a disservice to think this is a negative. Instead, each of these stories act as their own palette cleanser from one story to the next and it keeps the reader in a constant state of bewilderment not knowing what type of outlandishness to expect next. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite part of this collection were the five Non-Fiction pieces included at the end. In these she discusses personal topics such as how she got into journalism, about the research she conducted for her book Zoo City within the inner city of Johannesburg, and some additional insight into why she wrote The Shining Girls, my personal favorite of Beukes, which made me love it even more. She leaves us on a resolute note, with a letter to her five-year-old daughter about the meaning of true beauty.
I’ve read (and loved) a few of Beukes’ full length novels and her writing prowess manages to be just as impressive in her short fiction. This obscure collection only proves that her talents are truly expansive and that we have much to look forward from her.
‘Every person I speak to gives me a new perspective, a different lens. It’s made my writing more than it would have ever been. And it’s still an excuse to go adventuring.’
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In Slipping, Beukes takes the modern world and transforms it into something futuristic and near unrecognizable. The title story, Slipping, is about a girl who, following a severe accident, is transformed through technological advances into a racing machine. Smileys, is a strange story about a soldier attempting to extort a woman who sells cooked sheep heads. Pop Tarts, is a story about a reality star and the realization that it’s all nothing but scripted fiction. Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs, is the story about a woman who must save Tokyo (and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the talking cat). Each of these stories are wildly authentic, vastly entertaining, and a constant focus on the darkness in this world.
'Culture wants to be free. This is not my original thought. But who of us can claim to be truly original? Aren’t we all remixes of every influence we’ve ever come across?’
The wide variety of genres cause the stories to lack a certain cohesion like a typical short story anthology might, but it does this collection a disservice to think this is a negative. Instead, each of these stories act as their own palette cleanser from one story to the next and it keeps the reader in a constant state of bewilderment not knowing what type of outlandishness to expect next. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite part of this collection were the five Non-Fiction pieces included at the end. In these she discusses personal topics such as how she got into journalism, about the research she conducted for her book Zoo City within the inner city of Johannesburg, and some additional insight into why she wrote The Shining Girls, my personal favorite of Beukes, which made me love it even more. She leaves us on a resolute note, with a letter to her five-year-old daughter about the meaning of true beauty.
I’ve read (and loved) a few of Beukes’ full length novels and her writing prowess manages to be just as impressive in her short fiction. This obscure collection only proves that her talents are truly expansive and that we have much to look forward from her.
‘Every person I speak to gives me a new perspective, a different lens. It’s made my writing more than it would have ever been. And it’s still an excuse to go adventuring.’
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley.
More like three and a half stars. I'm not really big into short story collections, but this wasn't bad. I picked it up because I really liked [b:Moxyland|3491640|Moxyland|Lauren Beukes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328732006s/3491640.jpg|3533237]. There was an interesting range of stories included, as well as some non-fiction essays, and while none were particularly stand out to me neither were any particularly bad. Overall, it felt like a really even collection. From the glimpses of her other work that this collection provided I think I'll definitely be looking for more of her novels.
More like three and a half stars. I'm not really big into short story collections, but this wasn't bad. I picked it up because I really liked [b:Moxyland|3491640|Moxyland|Lauren Beukes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328732006s/3491640.jpg|3533237]. There was an interesting range of stories included, as well as some non-fiction essays, and while none were particularly stand out to me neither were any particularly bad. Overall, it felt like a really even collection. From the glimpses of her other work that this collection provided I think I'll definitely be looking for more of her novels.
marmarta's review against another edition
5.0
Mind=blown. This cannot be described, it should be experienced. Beukes is, as always, masterful.
raforall's review against another edition
3.0
Full Review: http://raforall.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-im-reading-short-stories-edition.html
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've read all of Lauren Beukes's novels (with Broken Monsters being my favorite), so I was happy to have a chance to read her latest, a collection of short stories with a few nonfiction pieces. Short story collections (especially ones that mix fiction and nonfiction) are often a mixed bag, but Slipping does not disappoint. The stories are wonderful and many of them left me wanting more. I wasn't sure how I would like the nonfiction pieces (I admit I didn't care too much for the first one), but overall, I felt that they meshed well with the collection, and the last piece, a letter to Beukes's daughter, was so powerful. Highly recommended.
I've read all of Lauren Beukes's novels (with Broken Monsters being my favorite), so I was happy to have a chance to read her latest, a collection of short stories with a few nonfiction pieces. Short story collections (especially ones that mix fiction and nonfiction) are often a mixed bag, but Slipping does not disappoint. The stories are wonderful and many of them left me wanting more. I wasn't sure how I would like the nonfiction pieces (I admit I didn't care too much for the first one), but overall, I felt that they meshed well with the collection, and the last piece, a letter to Beukes's daughter, was so powerful. Highly recommended.
fairybookmother's review against another edition
3.0
Review coming soon!
Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon for the review copy!
Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon for the review copy!