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tigger89's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Against the backdrop of a world growing ever more desperate by the day, Hyde's short story collection seeks to catalogue various potential catastrophes and their effects on the planet, the future, and the survivors. Experimental palliative treatments gone wrong, the intersection of rugged capitalism with the commodification of youth, and a predictive algorithm gone authoritative are just a few of the unnerving scenarios proposed in this collection of fifteen stories.
Overall, this is a fairly solid collection. A few of the stories didn't really do it for me, but the ones I liked, I loved. My favorites were The Future Is a Click Away, Frights, Colonel Merryweather's Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature, and The Eaters. That last one actually gave me a spooky dream, so maybe don't make the mistake I did of reading it immediately before bed!
While most of the stories deal with various speculative situations, there's a few that seem to deal with the here and now, for example Chevalier. I actually struggle to see what ties those to the rest of the collection. I chose to write a description based on the majority of the content and what was presented in the publisher's write-up, but just know that the collection itself goes a little beyond those bounds. Themes range from the obvious — eco destruction, extinction, civilization collapse, technology run rampant — to the weird, such as the European researcher who intends to study American culture but instead finds herself trapped by it. On that note, I will say that this is a very US-centric collection, and readers from outside that culture may be left wondering, what about the rest of us? Well, you're not in this book, and when you are we apparently consume you.
While not every story did it for me as a whole, I enjoyed the process of reading them all. Hyde's writing style easily draws the reader in, making even the longer stories go by in what felt like a flash. There's an element of weird and whimsy present in most of the stories, balancing the darkness nicely. While I wouldn't say this is a horror collection, due to the subject matter there are elements of these stories that certainly could strike the horror chord in readers, so read with caution if you're sensitive to that.
Overall, this is a fairly solid collection. A few of the stories didn't really do it for me, but the ones I liked, I loved. My favorites were The Future Is a Click Away, Frights, Colonel Merryweather's Intergalactic Finishing School for Young Ladies of Grace & Good Nature, and The Eaters. That last one actually gave me a spooky dream, so maybe don't make the mistake I did of reading it immediately before bed!
While most of the stories deal with various speculative situations, there's a few that seem to deal with the here and now, for example Chevalier. I actually struggle to see what ties those to the rest of the collection. I chose to write a description based on the majority of the content and what was presented in the publisher's write-up, but just know that the collection itself goes a little beyond those bounds. Themes range from the obvious — eco destruction, extinction, civilization collapse, technology run rampant — to the weird, such as the European researcher who intends to study American culture but instead finds herself trapped by it. On that note, I will say that this is a very US-centric collection, and readers from outside that culture may be left wondering, what about the rest of us? Well, you're not in this book, and when you are we apparently consume you.
While not every story did it for me as a whole, I enjoyed the process of reading them all. Hyde's writing style easily draws the reader in, making even the longer stories go by in what felt like a flash. There's an element of weird and whimsy present in most of the stories, balancing the darkness nicely. While I wouldn't say this is a horror collection, due to the subject matter there are elements of these stories that certainly could strike the horror chord in readers, so read with caution if you're sensitive to that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism and Classism
pomeranian_poltergeist's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
librar_bee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
5 stars. Once again, Allegra Hyde's ability to capture human emotion through vivid worldbuilding has dazzled me. Each of the 15 stories in this collection was unique in creativity. Yet, they all echoed the power of our humanity and how it shapes our world even in times of crisis.
Hyde has a gift for creating memorable characters. I appreciated how each story took on a different vantage point or format (interview transcript, shifting first-person perspectives, second person, etc.) to demonstrate her brilliant range. Each story focused around a different theme within climate or tech dystopia, and I was blown away by how imaginative Hyde is in her writing.
Some highlights include a conversation between a Young Lady and her AI companion as she longs to know more about Earth while facing arranged marriage to a male space captain, a convoy of motorized vehicles that falls into decay as the Earth runs out of oil, a woman who fosters husbands and remembers the high of being shown affection, and a woman who is counting down the days until she can leave the digital addiction facility she is in.
This is the kind of book that takes me to places that I feel all too close on the horizon. Hyde is the kind of writer that makes me want to mine my own creativity, write, and think critically about the world around me.
An absolutely outstanding collection of stunning stories. I cannot recommend this collection enough.
Hyde has a gift for creating memorable characters. I appreciated how each story took on a different vantage point or format (interview transcript, shifting first-person perspectives, second person, etc.) to demonstrate her brilliant range. Each story focused around a different theme within climate or tech dystopia, and I was blown away by how imaginative Hyde is in her writing.
Some highlights include a conversation between a Young Lady and her AI companion as she longs to know more about Earth while facing arranged marriage to a male space captain, a convoy of motorized vehicles that falls into decay as the Earth runs out of oil, a woman who fosters husbands and remembers the high of being shown affection, and a woman who is counting down the days until she can leave the digital addiction facility she is in.
This is the kind of book that takes me to places that I feel all too close on the horizon. Hyde is the kind of writer that makes me want to mine my own creativity, write, and think critically about the world around me.
An absolutely outstanding collection of stunning stories. I cannot recommend this collection enough.
indukisreading's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marissahiggins's review
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this short story collection. I don't tend to go for speculative or climate fiction as a natural impulse, but these stories really blew me away and made me want to read way more stuff like it. The author has a strong voice and great narrative control, so each piece really felt like an immersive and unique experience; it was refreshing not to feel like I was experiencing different characters all through the same "writer voice" as sometimes happens in (even great) collections. This writer is clearly talented and each page was a delight. I especially enjoyed LeAnn's story (with the digital addiction facility) and the AI space ship one, but all are fantastic.
tinamayreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
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