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sausome's review
4.0
This was an interesting collection of sci-fi short stories with a focus on leading women; gender roles and their place in futuristic societies on other planets; the question of motherhood, regardless of whether a woman is bearing the child or a child is created in a lab; and the future of our planet, humanity’s survival, and the disappearing of our natural environment. As with most short story collections, some hit more pleasingly than others, but I really enjoyed all of the places, through space and time, that this author carried me for the duration of this collection.
mantissabolt's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
scrow1022's review
4.0
There is a deeply gentle feel to these, even as horrors are described. I appreciate her strong feminist take on horror.
jvilches's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.75
teanahk's review
3.0
I think the first story just kind of poisoned the rest. Maybe skip that one. The way children and parenting are treated through out this collection is just oddly offputting, and the first tale sends the whole book off on a bad start.
There was a story about daytime street burlesque that could have been something but just sort of... ended.
A Human Stain was a fantastically disturbing creepy tale. All the Heebie Jeebies.
Overall this collection just left me disappointed.
There was a story about daytime street burlesque that could have been something but just sort of... ended.
A Human Stain was a fantastically disturbing creepy tale. All the Heebie Jeebies.
Overall this collection just left me disappointed.
accidentallyinspace's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Excellent collection of speculative fiction short stories. Many are set in the same fictional universe (which is cool to piece together) and some aren't. A handful of them I may have missed the message on, as they seemed to pass me by without much of an impact. I highly recommend the last two stories, "We Who Live In the Heart" and "A Human Stain".
After (or before) reading the story "What Gentle Women Dare", I recommend tracking down and reading "The Screwfly Solution", which the author gives as a source of inspiration and I think absolutely adds to the experience.
After (or before) reading the story "What Gentle Women Dare", I recommend tracking down and reading "The Screwfly Solution", which the author gives as a source of inspiration and I think absolutely adds to the experience.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
Alias Space and Other Stories is an anthology that collects the best short stories written by Kelly Robson. They are mostly science fiction short stories, which admittedly is half the reason this anthology caught my eye (that and the amazing cover).
There are fourteen short stories in this anthology, including: Two-Year Man, A Study In Oils, Intervention, La Vitesse, So You Want To Be A Honeypot, Two Watersheds, The Desperate Flesh, Alias Space, Skin City, Waters of Versailles, What Gentle Women Dare, The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill, We Who Live in the Heart, and A Human Stain.
“And I fervently believe that humanity will survive to the stars.”
Two-Year Man
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Two-Year Man was an interesting choice for the first short in this collection, and I'm not going to lie; it did leave me a little bit concerned about the rest of the anthology. This story covers one make and his adopted children and the wife who didn't want them. It's a bit of a hard read and leaves a raw impression behind.
"The baby was the best thing he'd ever found."
A Study In Oils
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
A Study in Oils was a brilliant read and probably my favorite out of the entire collection. Yes, I really do mean that. I wish that the anthology had either started or ended on this note, but it is what it is. I love the level of detail in this narrative and wish that there was more.
"I'd do anything to keep you alive, kid, and I don't even like you."
Intervention
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I'm not sure how to feel about this one, truth be told. I sort of love the message here that humanity needs to learn to be more compassionate once again, but it also hurts to think that this is a lesson that needs to be taught.
"She said there was no better medicine for grief than children, so I found a creche tucked away behind a water printing plant and signed on as a cuddler."
La Vitesse
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
La Vitesse is perhaps my second or third favorite short story in this anthology, and I adored how different it was from everything else that I have read.
"Bea had seen the first dragon in 1981, two years back, when she was bringing home abuse full of soccer players after a tournament in Jasper."
So You Want To Be A Honeypot
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I went into this one wanting to love it; I really did. The title is clever and plays with classic spy tropes, as does most of this short, come to think of it. Mostly, I just had trouble getting into the narrative on this one.
"When she was a girl, Vasilisa wanted to be a sniper."
Two Watersheds
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I love how much of this story revolved around virtual reality, and yet it had such a very different take on it than I've seen before.
"The illusion of being in the Athabasca valley was flawless as a full-sensory gaming surround, but all-the-more-perfect because it was far, far from perfect."
The Desperate Flesh
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
The Desperate Flesh is a title that admittedly left me very concerned, but it was a pretty solid read on the whole. Not my favorite, but far from a bad read either.
"She'd expected to be busy in her new job but hadn't expected to face a scandal right away"
Alias Space
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Alias Space is the title story for this anthology, and frankly, I'm surprised that it wasn't at the end, where most anchor shorts are. Oh well, I wasn't going to complain about its appearance here. Though honestly, maybe having it be the opening was a good idea (I still don't love what they went with for an opener, sorry). My only regret is that the ending just seemed to...appear. Like there could have (and should have) been more to it, and there just wasn't. Then again, that does sort of fit the theme of it all...
"Twenty years, Agnes thought. Rain trickled down her face, acrid with run-off from her hair spray. I want twenty more."
Skin City
Rating: ⋆ ⋆
I'm not sure if this is the intention or not, but Skin City made me deeply uncomfortable. The whole intentionally misgendering just rubbed the wrong way – even if that was actually the whole point of the story. I'm not sure. I assume yes?
"For Kass, the worst thing about being in jail wasn't the food."
Waters of Versailles
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I was surprised by the Waters of Versailles, and not just because the title itself was pretty interesting. It was clever and quippy and probably one of the better stories in this anthology.
"After two winters at Versailles, Sylvain was well acquainted with the general passion for powder."
What Gentle Women Dare
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
How do you think a sex worker would react were she to meet the actual devil? Well, wonder no more, for that is exactly what happens in What Gentle Women Dare. This is another highlight of the anthology and absolutely worth the read.
"Her immortal soul had long since drowned in rum and rotted under gobs of treacle toffee."
The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill
Rating: ⋆
Warnings: Rape, murder
I learned the hard way a few anthologies ago that when an individual short story comes with a content warning, it's probably better to consider skipping. In this case, I don't feel bad about doing so. Other reviewers have reinforced that the VERY harsh content warning was an accurate one, and it should be skipped if these themes are even remotely upsetting to readers.
We Who Live in the Heart
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
This was an overall interesting read, one set in a far-fetched future that was actually somewhat hard to picture, despite all of the descriptions.
"The first thing newbies notice is how strange it smells."
A Human Stain
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I didn't know this before picking up the anthology, but A Human Stain is an award-winning horror short story. No wonder it was such a good read! Terrifying but brilliant. This is the perfect conclusion for the anthology, though I do kind of wish that it was higher up in the collection.
"If the best cure for a broken heart was a new young love, Helen suspected hers would be soon mended."
Thanks to Subterranean Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
There are fourteen short stories in this anthology, including: Two-Year Man, A Study In Oils, Intervention, La Vitesse, So You Want To Be A Honeypot, Two Watersheds, The Desperate Flesh, Alias Space, Skin City, Waters of Versailles, What Gentle Women Dare, The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill, We Who Live in the Heart, and A Human Stain.
“And I fervently believe that humanity will survive to the stars.”
Two-Year Man
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Two-Year Man was an interesting choice for the first short in this collection, and I'm not going to lie; it did leave me a little bit concerned about the rest of the anthology. This story covers one make and his adopted children and the wife who didn't want them. It's a bit of a hard read and leaves a raw impression behind.
"The baby was the best thing he'd ever found."
A Study In Oils
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
A Study in Oils was a brilliant read and probably my favorite out of the entire collection. Yes, I really do mean that. I wish that the anthology had either started or ended on this note, but it is what it is. I love the level of detail in this narrative and wish that there was more.
"I'd do anything to keep you alive, kid, and I don't even like you."
Intervention
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I'm not sure how to feel about this one, truth be told. I sort of love the message here that humanity needs to learn to be more compassionate once again, but it also hurts to think that this is a lesson that needs to be taught.
"She said there was no better medicine for grief than children, so I found a creche tucked away behind a water printing plant and signed on as a cuddler."
La Vitesse
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
La Vitesse is perhaps my second or third favorite short story in this anthology, and I adored how different it was from everything else that I have read.
"Bea had seen the first dragon in 1981, two years back, when she was bringing home abuse full of soccer players after a tournament in Jasper."
So You Want To Be A Honeypot
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I went into this one wanting to love it; I really did. The title is clever and plays with classic spy tropes, as does most of this short, come to think of it. Mostly, I just had trouble getting into the narrative on this one.
"When she was a girl, Vasilisa wanted to be a sniper."
Two Watersheds
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I love how much of this story revolved around virtual reality, and yet it had such a very different take on it than I've seen before.
"The illusion of being in the Athabasca valley was flawless as a full-sensory gaming surround, but all-the-more-perfect because it was far, far from perfect."
The Desperate Flesh
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
The Desperate Flesh is a title that admittedly left me very concerned, but it was a pretty solid read on the whole. Not my favorite, but far from a bad read either.
"She'd expected to be busy in her new job but hadn't expected to face a scandal right away"
Alias Space
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Alias Space is the title story for this anthology, and frankly, I'm surprised that it wasn't at the end, where most anchor shorts are. Oh well, I wasn't going to complain about its appearance here. Though honestly, maybe having it be the opening was a good idea (I still don't love what they went with for an opener, sorry). My only regret is that the ending just seemed to...appear. Like there could have (and should have) been more to it, and there just wasn't. Then again, that does sort of fit the theme of it all...
"Twenty years, Agnes thought. Rain trickled down her face, acrid with run-off from her hair spray. I want twenty more."
Skin City
Rating: ⋆ ⋆
I'm not sure if this is the intention or not, but Skin City made me deeply uncomfortable. The whole intentionally misgendering just rubbed the wrong way – even if that was actually the whole point of the story. I'm not sure. I assume yes?
"For Kass, the worst thing about being in jail wasn't the food."
Waters of Versailles
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I was surprised by the Waters of Versailles, and not just because the title itself was pretty interesting. It was clever and quippy and probably one of the better stories in this anthology.
"After two winters at Versailles, Sylvain was well acquainted with the general passion for powder."
What Gentle Women Dare
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
How do you think a sex worker would react were she to meet the actual devil? Well, wonder no more, for that is exactly what happens in What Gentle Women Dare. This is another highlight of the anthology and absolutely worth the read.
"Her immortal soul had long since drowned in rum and rotted under gobs of treacle toffee."
The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill
Rating: ⋆
Warnings: Rape, murder
I learned the hard way a few anthologies ago that when an individual short story comes with a content warning, it's probably better to consider skipping. In this case, I don't feel bad about doing so. Other reviewers have reinforced that the VERY harsh content warning was an accurate one, and it should be skipped if these themes are even remotely upsetting to readers.
We Who Live in the Heart
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
This was an overall interesting read, one set in a far-fetched future that was actually somewhat hard to picture, despite all of the descriptions.
"The first thing newbies notice is how strange it smells."
A Human Stain
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
I didn't know this before picking up the anthology, but A Human Stain is an award-winning horror short story. No wonder it was such a good read! Terrifying but brilliant. This is the perfect conclusion for the anthology, though I do kind of wish that it was higher up in the collection.
"If the best cure for a broken heart was a new young love, Helen suspected hers would be soon mended."
Thanks to Subterranean Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
caelyncobb's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
These stories are so much fun, and Robson has amazing range—historical fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary fantasy, and horror. Favorites: “A Study in Oils,” “La Vitesse,” “So You Want to Be a Honeypot,” and “A Human Stain.”
the_original_shelf_monkey's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
khimaera's review
4.0
Kelly Robson’s Alias Space and Other Stories takes you on a Queer-friendly journey through speculative spaces and showcases Robson’s evolution as a writer from her first published story to the Nebula Award-winning “A Human Stain”. If this collection is anything to go by, where she is in another five years will be something to see. Starting off with my favorite tale, the ending of the eponymous “Alias Space” felt a bit abrupt, but the truth is that it was the best kind of disappointing because it leaves a reader wanting more of the lush and evocative characters and their artistic world. For a story set in a futuristic Toronto about a famed burlesque troupe and a very special ‘bot named Petunia, it could not be more appropriate to leave the audience always wanting more and this entire collection will do just that.
“A Study in Oils” is set in the traditional and pastoral world of the Miao people of southern China where Robson spent time in 2018. A criminal on the run from the Moon is hoping for redemption as he learns about the culture of the Miao. Zhang Lei stumbles at first as he is cut off from all he knows and expects of the world. His lessons in stillness and solitude bring out his old skills as a painter and that may just be the key to saving his life.
We need an Afterschool Special movie made from “La Vitesse”. It’s a perfectly ordinary story about a bus driver in rural Canada working out some issues with her rebellious teenaged daughter. Don’t worry about the unrelenting and ravenous dragon chasing the busload full of kids home from school. “Two Watersheds” follows along with a scientist using an avatar to place survey equipment out in the Athabasca River Valley while streaming her feed live to the internet in a post-climate-change world. It’s a remarkable story of dedication, hope, and faith for the future.
A comical scene of seduction opens the “Waters of Versailles” as we follow Sylvain who is eager to fit into the upper echelons of the aristocracy. He proudly engineers the fountains, pipes, and the first toilets for the palace, fights off leaks that seem to have a mind of their own, and strives to create more grandiose schemes to keep the fickle aristocrats amused and engaged. He’s keeping a secret hidden in the depths of the palace and sooner or later he’s going to be faced with a choice we all have to make eventually: to decide what is really important to us in this world.
Those are my personal favorites but there is a lot more to love in this collection. “Skin City” reads like a Black Mirror episode they haven’t gotten around to filming yet. I have little doubt Zane Grey would be delighted that Riders of the Purple Sage still exists 30,000 years in the future in “We Who Live in the Heart”. The roughest and darkest story is probably “The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill” with elements of rape and murder. “What Gentle Women Dare” involves a quiet conversation in a 1763 churchyard in Liverpool between a down-on-her-luck whore and the Devil that questions senseless violence against women. In the author notes for that story, the reader is reminded that writing is often a means of trying to come to terms with unanswerable questions and that is what all these tales do in one way or another. Find your own favorites in this impressive collection and keep an eye out for what’s next from Kelly Robson.
** Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review **
“A Study in Oils” is set in the traditional and pastoral world of the Miao people of southern China where Robson spent time in 2018. A criminal on the run from the Moon is hoping for redemption as he learns about the culture of the Miao. Zhang Lei stumbles at first as he is cut off from all he knows and expects of the world. His lessons in stillness and solitude bring out his old skills as a painter and that may just be the key to saving his life.
We need an Afterschool Special movie made from “La Vitesse”. It’s a perfectly ordinary story about a bus driver in rural Canada working out some issues with her rebellious teenaged daughter. Don’t worry about the unrelenting and ravenous dragon chasing the busload full of kids home from school. “Two Watersheds” follows along with a scientist using an avatar to place survey equipment out in the Athabasca River Valley while streaming her feed live to the internet in a post-climate-change world. It’s a remarkable story of dedication, hope, and faith for the future.
A comical scene of seduction opens the “Waters of Versailles” as we follow Sylvain who is eager to fit into the upper echelons of the aristocracy. He proudly engineers the fountains, pipes, and the first toilets for the palace, fights off leaks that seem to have a mind of their own, and strives to create more grandiose schemes to keep the fickle aristocrats amused and engaged. He’s keeping a secret hidden in the depths of the palace and sooner or later he’s going to be faced with a choice we all have to make eventually: to decide what is really important to us in this world.
Those are my personal favorites but there is a lot more to love in this collection. “Skin City” reads like a Black Mirror episode they haven’t gotten around to filming yet. I have little doubt Zane Grey would be delighted that Riders of the Purple Sage still exists 30,000 years in the future in “We Who Live in the Heart”. The roughest and darkest story is probably “The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill” with elements of rape and murder. “What Gentle Women Dare” involves a quiet conversation in a 1763 churchyard in Liverpool between a down-on-her-luck whore and the Devil that questions senseless violence against women. In the author notes for that story, the reader is reminded that writing is often a means of trying to come to terms with unanswerable questions and that is what all these tales do in one way or another. Find your own favorites in this impressive collection and keep an eye out for what’s next from Kelly Robson.
** Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review **