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scheu's review
5.0
A truly great collection. Some of these stories will stick with me for a very long time - "With Delicate Mad Hands" especially.
reluctantheroine's review
3.0
Note: I finished this book two weeks ago, so I'm mainly going to discussion my reactions to my favourite story, The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
I like this novella for two reasons. Firstly, I feel like how it discusses the shared and separate sexism that traditionally attractive and not-traditionally attractive women experience. I think the best example of this (especially given this American election cycle) is the passing mention of how when the non-traditionally attractive woman reported her sexual assault she was laughed at. The second reason I liked this novella, is that I think it did a really strong job of predicting the current advertising climate of product placements in traditional media, and relying more on "ordinary" people on mediums like Instagram and YouTube for promoting products compared to traditional celebrity endorsements.
My only qualm with this story is that it’s narrator is written to sound like Mary Jane Watson written by Stan Lee in 1960s’ The Amazing Spider-man. This is not necessarily a negative for me personally, but I can see how other readers might find it alienating.
I like this novella for two reasons. Firstly, I feel like how it discusses the shared and separate sexism that traditionally attractive and not-traditionally attractive women experience. I think the best example of this (especially given this American election cycle) is the passing mention of how when the non-traditionally attractive woman reported her sexual assault she was laughed at. The second reason I liked this novella, is that I think it did a really strong job of predicting the current advertising climate of product placements in traditional media, and relying more on "ordinary" people on mediums like Instagram and YouTube for promoting products compared to traditional celebrity endorsements.
My only qualm with this story is that it’s narrator is written to sound like Mary Jane Watson written by Stan Lee in 1960s’ The Amazing Spider-man. This is not necessarily a negative for me personally, but I can see how other readers might find it alienating.
maenad_wordsmith's review
5.0
My favorite piece in this collection remains "With Delicate Mad Hands," a story I read and wrote about several years ago.
I also discovered the amazing "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" and was fascinated by "A Momentary Taste of Being." I couldn't stop thinking about these stories after reading them; they were wonderful brain food. Other great stories include "Houston, Houston, Do You Read" and "Slow Music." It was brilliant to end the collection with "And So On, and So On."
There were a few shorter pieces that were occasionally beautiful while more incoherent. Overall, her work is powerful and compelling--worth reading and re-reading.
I also discovered the amazing "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" and was fascinated by "A Momentary Taste of Being." I couldn't stop thinking about these stories after reading them; they were wonderful brain food. Other great stories include "Houston, Houston, Do You Read" and "Slow Music." It was brilliant to end the collection with "And So On, and So On."
There were a few shorter pieces that were occasionally beautiful while more incoherent. Overall, her work is powerful and compelling--worth reading and re-reading.
adru's review against another edition
5.0
Nagu ikka kogumike puhul, on osa parem ja osa tavalisem, aga äge, kuidas iga lugu algas kohe mytaki suurema sissejuhatuseta nõudlikult pihta, nii et ma mõtlesin: "No mis jama see on?" Aga siis elasin sisse ja no osa oli ikka erakordne, eriti tema naistejutud ("The women men don't see", "The screwfly solution", "The girl who was plugged in" jm), mis panid kõik häirekellad lööma ja tekitasid sellise tunde nagu Liam Neesoni "The Grey", kui ma filmi lõppedes avastasin, et olin voodi peal kägaras stardiasendis, valmis põgenema või vastu kaklema, ainult et nendes lugudes ei ole kiskjaks hundid, vaid, nojah, mehed. Ma lugesin neid jutte tasapisi paari kuu jooksul ja samasse aega sattusid ka "Handmaid's tale" ja sari "Top of the lake" ja veel midagi ja kõik see kokku tekitas peaaegu et väikese paanika. Igaks juhuks peaks õppima korralikult kaklema, aga ka strateegiat, taktikat.
marcepax's review
4.0
La Tiptree no sabe de finales felices. Pero sus ideas suelen ser tan hermosas y bien ejecutadas, que no hay caso, uno se sigue exponiendo a la inevitable tragedia del final. Como la vida, supongo.
kb_208's review
4.0
This is an interesting collection of short stories (and some novellas, if you ask me). Some of her stories I found very interesting and thought provoking, like "Houston, Houston Can you read me?" and "The Girl Who Plugged In". Some of her other stories are very poetically written, which is interesting, but not really my cup of tea. I didn't always know what was going on until the end, and even then I wasn't always sure. Overall it is a solid collection of cool stories from one of the classic sci-fi greats.
breenmachine's review
4.0
Favorites short stories: "Screwfly Solution", "The Women Men Don't See", "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?", and "With Delicate Mad Hands".
Very alternative stories, each very different from the other. Some of them I would read and not think that much of at first, but then later find myself thinking about them all day. "The Women Men Don't See" was one of those - and now I have thought about it so much it is now my favorite.
I wanted a little more twists in some of the plots, but overall I enjoyed the randomness of the stories.
Very alternative stories, each very different from the other. Some of them I would read and not think that much of at first, but then later find myself thinking about them all day. "The Women Men Don't See" was one of those - and now I have thought about it so much it is now my favorite.
I wanted a little more twists in some of the plots, but overall I enjoyed the randomness of the stories.
alexjed123's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
elizafiedler's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
catsy2022's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0