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pattydsf's review
4.0
It took me forever to get through this audiobook. First of all, it was more than 20 hours and as I have lamented here before, I just don’t do that much driving anymore. Secondly, although I loved most of the stories, I had to take a break now and again so that the tales did not run together. Several authors used the same Ian songs and I would lose track of what was going on. Third and last reason – I ran out of renewals and had to let the library have the audio back for a while before I checked it out again. (I actually don’t have to pay fines because I retired from the library, but my ethics get in the way of me keeping things overdue.)
I fell in love with Ian’s music when I first heard “Society’s Child” and I thought she knew me when I heard “At Seventeen”. So, this collection has been on my radar for quite some time. Except for a few odd misses, I liked every story on this audiobook. It fascinates me how many different ways there are to interpret one song.
I found the narrators to all be especially good, but I was really pleased that Ian herself read the last story which is by Michael Swanwick. I liked the story and I love the combination of Ian and Swanwick together since they both have had an influence in my life. Which is a story for another time.
Thank you to the writers, narrators and Janis Ian for almost 21 hours of delight.
I fell in love with Ian’s music when I first heard “Society’s Child” and I thought she knew me when I heard “At Seventeen”. So, this collection has been on my radar for quite some time. Except for a few odd misses, I liked every story on this audiobook. It fascinates me how many different ways there are to interpret one song.
I found the narrators to all be especially good, but I was really pleased that Ian herself read the last story which is by Michael Swanwick. I liked the story and I love the combination of Ian and Swanwick together since they both have had an influence in my life. Which is a story for another time.
Thank you to the writers, narrators and Janis Ian for almost 21 hours of delight.
davecreek's review
5.0
I read the ebook re-issue of this anthology, which is one of the best in recent years. My copy of the print version, which was signed by both Ian and Resnick, was damaged beyond repair in some otherwise minor flooding in my home a few years ago, so I was glad to get this new version.
Janis Ian, best known for her songs "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," turns out to be a major SF fan. She explains how a fan letter she wrote to Mike Resnick led to her attending a Worldcon with him, which in turn led to a contract for a book of stories based on her music.
This new edition even has a new story, "For I Have Lain Me Down on The Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again," by Michael Swanwick.
The Swanwick story is one of those I highly recommend; it examines how 1916's Easter Rebellion in Ireland designed to throw off British rule and create an independent Irish Republic has consequences that will follow us past the present day and even into our spacefaring future.
There are plenty of other stories to recommend. "Riding Janis" by David Gerrold is a look at gender issues among the crew of a spaceship sending an asteroid (the Janis of the title) flying past the Earth as part of an Olympics celebration.
Robert J. Sawyer's "Immortality" imagines a former singer oddly similar to Janis Ian attending her 60th high school reunion and discovering the true nature of artistic immortality.
The ebook version even has links to Janis Ian's website where you can hear the songs that inspired each story.
The entire volume is highly recommended!
Janis Ian, best known for her songs "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," turns out to be a major SF fan. She explains how a fan letter she wrote to Mike Resnick led to her attending a Worldcon with him, which in turn led to a contract for a book of stories based on her music.
This new edition even has a new story, "For I Have Lain Me Down on The Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again," by Michael Swanwick.
The Swanwick story is one of those I highly recommend; it examines how 1916's Easter Rebellion in Ireland designed to throw off British rule and create an independent Irish Republic has consequences that will follow us past the present day and even into our spacefaring future.
There are plenty of other stories to recommend. "Riding Janis" by David Gerrold is a look at gender issues among the crew of a spaceship sending an asteroid (the Janis of the title) flying past the Earth as part of an Olympics celebration.
Robert J. Sawyer's "Immortality" imagines a former singer oddly similar to Janis Ian attending her 60th high school reunion and discovering the true nature of artistic immortality.
The ebook version even has links to Janis Ian's website where you can hear the songs that inspired each story.
The entire volume is highly recommended!
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