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itskiki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Murder, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
gabeisdabomb's review against another edition
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts
30something_reads's review against another edition
4.75
These visions of modern life wrestle with themes of death and technological consequences, guilt and sexuality, and unmask the contradictions that exist within all of us.
There are some absolute bangers in this collection of short stories.*
*Edit: I actually just increased the star rating. The more that I think about it, every one of these short stories were bangers in their own right. I was trying to come up with what I may not have liked but even the story that I liked least had some phenomenal moments that made my skin crawl so like... bravo?
I think the ones that resonated the most with me were:
Pre-simulation Consultation XF007867- This is like the darker side of the holodecks from Star Tek.
Time Cubes- A dystopian nightmare, honestly.
#ClimbingNation- Me, a non-thriller reader: this would be an amazing plot for a Thriller novel. I will always support women's wrongs.
Twenty Hours- Remember that Netflix show, Altered Carbon? But make it with 3D printers and the weird middle-aged white couple next door.
Bridezilla- Actually this one reminded me of an essay titled "We Swarm" by Sabrina Imbler in How Far the Light Reaches where they are discussing salps (which kind of have a similar if not entirely more benign description as the sea monster in this short story.) Totally unrelated I guess but I think about that essay a lot.
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
siriface's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Suicide
kelsea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Stalking
insects feature prominently in one of the storiesmarissab's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.75
I might revisit this collection again in the near future. I think I might enjoy it more a second time around.
My favorites were “Pre-Simulation Consultation XF007867,” “Twenty Hours,” “In This Fantasy” (this may have been my favorite), “Scissors,” and “June Bugs.”
I should also note for the short story, “June Bugs,” this focuses on an incredibly toxic relationship that might be triggering for some. If you’re also not a fan of insects, you’ll probably want to skip this story because it will make your skin crawl.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Body horror, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse