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bmpicc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
"Read outside of your comfort zone." I say this at the library ALL the time. I decided to take my own advice. This is my guys favorite author, but even he admitted her books would be too much for my sci-fi/fantasy challenged brain. Then I realized Jemisin had a book of short stories. Could I do it?
Turns out I could! I read this with a friend as a buddy read and it was the BEST experience. We broke down each story. The writing, what it seemed the author might be trying to say, how it relates to us and our lives, was the amount of fantasy just enough or too much and why... We talked about everything. She might very well be the reason I finished too. There were 3 stories in here, that if they had placed earlier, I might have DNF'd.
This may be more of a 3.5, but the buddy read experience upped it to a 4. Do not let my fears of sci-fi/fantasy take away from the fact that Jemisin has a way with words that I deeply respect. I was very impressed.
Turns out I could! I read this with a friend as a buddy read and it was the BEST experience. We broke down each story. The writing, what it seemed the author might be trying to say, how it relates to us and our lives, was the amount of fantasy just enough or too much and why... We talked about everything. She might very well be the reason I finished too. There were 3 stories in here, that if they had placed earlier, I might have DNF'd.
This may be more of a 3.5, but the buddy read experience upped it to a 4. Do not let my fears of sci-fi/fantasy take away from the fact that Jemisin has a way with words that I deeply respect. I was very impressed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death
Moderate: Police brutality and Violence
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Death, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Sexism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Classism, Infertility, Sexual content, Gun violence, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Child death, Slavery, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Drug use
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I absolutely adored this collection of short science and speculative fiction stories! Some stood out to me or impacted me more than others, but that's just how short story collections go. NK Jemisin is such an excellent writer, and I will continue to read anything by her, even her grocery shopping lists!
My favorites were:
I absolutely adored this collection of short science and speculative fiction stories! Some stood out to me or impacted me more than others, but that's just how short story collections go. NK Jemisin is such an excellent writer, and I will continue to read anything by her, even her grocery shopping lists!
My favorites were:
- The Ones Who Stay and Fight
- The Effluent Engine
- Cloud Dragon Skies
- The Trojan Girl
- The Storyteller's Replacement
- The Brides of Heaven
- The Elevator Dancer
- On the Banks of Riber Lex
- The You Train
I listened to the audiobook and I *highly* recommend that format. All of the narrators (Shayna Small, Gail Nelson-Holgate, Robin Eller, Ron Butler, Kevin Stillwell, Je Nie Fleming, Jeannette Illidge) were fantastic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Gun violence, Animal death, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Police brutality, Slavery, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a powerful selection of works. Many I wish were longer but most are long enough to keep a reader satisfied. I recommend the audiobook edition but I will be seeking out a print edition to reread slowly and treasure every detail given life upon the page. There are dark topics within the works but they are not done in a graphic or offensive way. Their purpose isn't to jump scare or get a shock reaction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Animal death, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Police brutality, Slavery, and Racial slurs
queergoth_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is my first book by N.K. Jemisin and it was honestly so good. I love the mix of sci-fi and fantasy in this collection and how much variation there was in the types of stories. Definitely going to be one of my favourites from
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, and Violence
Minor: Slavery, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Rape
mar's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Animal death
Minor: Rape, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Bullying, and Racial slurs
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, racism, slavery mention, police violence, bullying, suicide, rape mention, child sexual abuse mention, natural disasters
How Long Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin is a collection of her afrofuturist/speculative fiction short stories. Jemisin got the title for this book from one of Janelle Monáe's songs, so this was the perfect way to transition into reading The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe.
All of these stories center Black people and people of color, and Jemisin has so expertly shown us how to include BIPOC into scifi/speculative fiction. She showed us a world that included and adapted for people with disabilities (even though it was done peripherally). She shows us a Utopia while criticizing those who can not conceive of a world without hate and violence. We see stories that clearly reflect some of Jemisin's other work about stone eaters (The Broken Earth trilogy) and cities becoming sentient (The City We Became).
We get some wonderfully unique stories about cooking as a form of alchemy, digital worlds and digital people, alien worlds, winged lizards who bring hurricanes to New Orleans. Like all of Jemisin's work, she hones in on deep and layers themes. She has the kind of writing that I feel like I would only fully understand upon a reread. We get themes on bodily autonomy and reproductive rights, who is seen as valuable and who is disposable.
It was refreshing to read something to so complex after reading so much YA. Jemisin gives you a lot to chew on. If you're new to Jemisin, this might be a good place to start. There was only one story I didn't care for, but I blame that on me on being smart enough to comprehend the genius of N.K. Jemisin 😆.
How Long Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin is a collection of her afrofuturist/speculative fiction short stories. Jemisin got the title for this book from one of Janelle Monáe's songs, so this was the perfect way to transition into reading The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe.
All of these stories center Black people and people of color, and Jemisin has so expertly shown us how to include BIPOC into scifi/speculative fiction. She showed us a world that included and adapted for people with disabilities (even though it was done peripherally). She shows us a Utopia while criticizing those who can not conceive of a world without hate and violence. We see stories that clearly reflect some of Jemisin's other work about stone eaters (The Broken Earth trilogy) and cities becoming sentient (The City We Became).
We get some wonderfully unique stories about cooking as a form of alchemy, digital worlds and digital people, alien worlds, winged lizards who bring hurricanes to New Orleans. Like all of Jemisin's work, she hones in on deep and layers themes. She has the kind of writing that I feel like I would only fully understand upon a reread. We get themes on bodily autonomy and reproductive rights, who is seen as valuable and who is disposable.
It was refreshing to read something to so complex after reading so much YA. Jemisin gives you a lot to chew on. If you're new to Jemisin, this might be a good place to start. There was only one story I didn't care for, but I blame that on me on being smart enough to comprehend the genius of N.K. Jemisin 😆.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Bullying, and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Police brutality
cheye13's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This collection is absolutely amazing. It's not that every story within is necessarily perfect, but as a whole this book is magnificent. The stories themselves are beautiful pieces of art; Jemisin crafts full and distinct new worlds with each piece, giving them the backbones to stand alone and clothing them in beautiful prose. But the care with which the collection was assembled is also noteworthy – the stories transition so well and the pacing of the collection never stagnates. Even the introduction is a good read, equal parts narrative, inspiring, and contextualizing.
–
★★★★★ | The Ones Who Stay and Fight; Red Dirt Witch; L’Alchemista; The Storyteller’s Replacement; The Brides of Heaven; The Evaluators; The Elevator Dancer; Cuisine des Mémoires; The You Train
–
★★★★★ | The Ones Who Stay and Fight; Red Dirt Witch; L’Alchemista; The Storyteller’s Replacement; The Brides of Heaven; The Evaluators; The Elevator Dancer; Cuisine des Mémoires; The You Train
★★★★ | The Effluent Engine; Cloud Dragon Skies; The Trojan Girl; Walking Awake; The Narcomancer; Henosis; Too Many Yesterdays […]
★★★ | The City Born Great; Valedictorian; On the Banks of the River Lex; Stone Hunger; Non-Zero Probabilities; Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints […]
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, and Slavery
None of the sensitive content is gratuitous; all is in service to the stories and handled/written sensitively in my opinion.
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