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bahnree's review against another edition
4.0
“This Is Not A Wardrobe Door”: I enjoyed the Monster’s Inc. / Narnia vibes getting twisted around and reimagined. The story was a little too pat overall for me.
My favorite story in the collection was “Tomorrow When We See The Sun.” I want 3 novels and a movie and I want to reread it until my eyeballs are bleeding. It is sad and angry and happy and there is so much packed into it.
Another of my faves was “The Sorcerer’s Unattainable Gardens”: I loved the two intertwined stories, and this was my favorite use of 2nd person in this collection (yes there are several!).
“The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie”: After the end of the world, there are dinos and robots and they make beautiful lives for themselves.
I didn’t like “For Want of a Heart,” but it did a beautiful job of slowly building up a nice solid Dread.
“Once I, Rose” was another one that seemed a little too pat, but the concept was fascinating!
“Where Monsters Dance” was another story that felt like it packed in an entire novel. I love everyone in this bar!
“A Survival Guide for When You’re Trapped in a Black Hole”: I hate dog stories, but Merc made this one a bit more palatable than usual.
“Thread”: When you’re enslaved by aliens made of light, darkness is suddenly very hopeful and cozy.
“Under Wine-Bright Seas”: This was the only one where I felt like the description dominated all other parts of the story so much that I don’t have an opinion on the story itself. But I like the world.
“Of Blessed Servitude”: Another favorite of mine that includes redemption and sacrifice and bravery in the face of sun-demons.
“To The Knife-Cold Stars”: I’ve rarely read anything so desperately determined to grasp hope out of terrible circumstances. It’s also a sequel of sorts to “Of Blessed Servitude.”
“Finding Home” was a really cool contrast between those always escaping and those who stay.
“Winter Bride”: This story did NOT make me rethink my desire for all Fae to die in a trash fire.
“To The Monsters, With Love”: An ode to all the monsters, monster-lovers, and monster-makers out there.
“BATTERIES FOR YOUR DOOMBOT5000 ARE NOT INCLUDED”: It’s like a super-hero story, except about the super-heroes (and villains) after they’ve gotten out of the business and are still dealing with the aftermath.
“….Or Be Forever Fallen”: YIKES. This was Elizabeth-Bear-Level of heartrending and oh-no-oh-no realizations and grim decisions to keep going.
“Iron Aria”: Kyru can talk to metal, and the mountain full of iron is hurting. I LOVED the wordsmithing in this one.
“What Becomes of the Third-Hearted”: It’s good. I’m nervous that saying anything about it will spoil the effect.
“The Gentleman of Chaos”: This was possibly the Merc-i-est story in this collection. I love Merc stories because they’re so often about finding hope in places/situations where there is absolutely no hope at first (or second, or third) glance.
“So You Want To Be a Robot”: Partway through reading this, the story grabbed me and made me cry and wouldn’t let me go. But in a good way.
Overall, I loved this collection. It’s well-written, with lots of surprises both in the stories and in the word-choice – I LOVE the surprising ways Merc describes or shows things in the words they use. There are several stories that not only use second person but SUCCEED with it, although this both a praise and a quibble because a little second person goes a LONG way with me.
Recommended for: any SciFi/Fantasy reader!
My favorite story in the collection was “Tomorrow When We See The Sun.” I want 3 novels and a movie and I want to reread it until my eyeballs are bleeding. It is sad and angry and happy and there is so much packed into it.
Another of my faves was “The Sorcerer’s Unattainable Gardens”: I loved the two intertwined stories, and this was my favorite use of 2nd person in this collection (yes there are several!).
“The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie”: After the end of the world, there are dinos and robots and they make beautiful lives for themselves.
I didn’t like “For Want of a Heart,” but it did a beautiful job of slowly building up a nice solid Dread.
“Once I, Rose” was another one that seemed a little too pat, but the concept was fascinating!
“Where Monsters Dance” was another story that felt like it packed in an entire novel. I love everyone in this bar!
“A Survival Guide for When You’re Trapped in a Black Hole”: I hate dog stories, but Merc made this one a bit more palatable than usual.
“Thread”: When you’re enslaved by aliens made of light, darkness is suddenly very hopeful and cozy.
“Under Wine-Bright Seas”: This was the only one where I felt like the description dominated all other parts of the story so much that I don’t have an opinion on the story itself. But I like the world.
“Of Blessed Servitude”: Another favorite of mine that includes redemption and sacrifice and bravery in the face of sun-demons.
“To The Knife-Cold Stars”: I’ve rarely read anything so desperately determined to grasp hope out of terrible circumstances. It’s also a sequel of sorts to “Of Blessed Servitude.”
“Finding Home” was a really cool contrast between those always escaping and those who stay.
“Winter Bride”: This story did NOT make me rethink my desire for all Fae to die in a trash fire.
“To The Monsters, With Love”: An ode to all the monsters, monster-lovers, and monster-makers out there.
“BATTERIES FOR YOUR DOOMBOT5000 ARE NOT INCLUDED”: It’s like a super-hero story, except about the super-heroes (and villains) after they’ve gotten out of the business and are still dealing with the aftermath.
“….Or Be Forever Fallen”: YIKES. This was Elizabeth-Bear-Level of heartrending and oh-no-oh-no realizations and grim decisions to keep going.
“Iron Aria”: Kyru can talk to metal, and the mountain full of iron is hurting. I LOVED the wordsmithing in this one.
“What Becomes of the Third-Hearted”: It’s good. I’m nervous that saying anything about it will spoil the effect.
“The Gentleman of Chaos”: This was possibly the Merc-i-est story in this collection. I love Merc stories because they’re so often about finding hope in places/situations where there is absolutely no hope at first (or second, or third) glance.
“So You Want To Be a Robot”: Partway through reading this, the story grabbed me and made me cry and wouldn’t let me go. But in a good way.
Overall, I loved this collection. It’s well-written, with lots of surprises both in the stories and in the word-choice – I LOVE the surprising ways Merc describes or shows things in the words they use. There are several stories that not only use second person but SUCCEED with it, although this both a praise and a quibble because a little second person goes a LONG way with me.
Recommended for: any SciFi/Fantasy reader!
katiespina's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't been fond of short stories in a long time. I've felt like they were commercial length, when I wanted something with more guts.
These short stories are incredible. I laughed. I cried. A lot. They absolutely gutted me and made me feel less alone in the world. I loved all of them.
READ THESE STORIES! SHARE THEM WITH THE WORLD!
These short stories are incredible. I laughed. I cried. A lot. They absolutely gutted me and made me feel less alone in the world. I loved all of them.
READ THESE STORIES! SHARE THEM WITH THE WORLD!
nerp's review against another edition
5.0
Merc is one of the best short story writers I've ever read. These stories were ABSOLUTELY what I've been asking for in speculative fiction regarding queerness, which is to say: that it's there and unexplained and unapologetic and a natural part of the worldbuilding/story/everything. My heart is so full.
begglebites's review against another edition
5.0
I had to take breaks after, like, half of the stories in this collection to wipe away tears and/or generally collect myself. They bounce between a few genres, often involve tension around identity and self-construction.
"In a black hole, memory is cyclical, endlessly repeating its birth and destruction as your mass collapses." (p90)
"In a black hole, memory is cyclical, endlessly repeating its birth and destruction as your mass collapses." (p90)
jonathanwlodarski's review against another edition
3.0
Most of these stories were just not doing it for me, unfortunately. Too much worldbuilding in short spaces and/or stories that felt more YA than my taste typically runs. I did think "Finding Home" and "How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps" were standouts.
2.5/5
2.5/5
veganschnitzel's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, moving, queer SFF stories that made me cry in public more than once. These stories touch on some of my favorite themes of found family, queer folks supporting queer folks, and choosing love even when it's difficult. And Merc's writing is vivid, clear, and imaginative, too. There's some great representation of autism, as well.
I've read some of Merc's short fiction outside of this collection, and I adored every story, and this collection only solidifies them as one of my very favorite SFF writers. I'm going to recommend this book to all of my friends.
I've read some of Merc's short fiction outside of this collection, and I adored every story, and this collection only solidifies them as one of my very favorite SFF writers. I'm going to recommend this book to all of my friends.
syuff's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
[Note that the author's name is now Merc Fenn Wolfmoor.]
The truest thing I can say about this collection is that reading it for the first time felt like coming home, and that seeing trans autistic characters getting to have genre adventures for the first time affected me in a way very few pieces of writing have ever done. But I'm not sure how coherent that is as a review, so:
The stories in this collection are incredibly varied, ranging from the sort-of-title-story about a person falling in love with a robot while trying to learn to become one, to one about a personless shadow navigating anextended metaphor for depression enchanted garden to get to the shadowless sorcerer they fell in love with, to one about the ghost of a dog holding on until she can say goodbye to one of the humans she loves. But they're tied together by a whimsical sense of worldbuilding, a readiness to interrogate the idea of personhood, and a belief that people--not always, but in general--tend to do their best to be good to each other. This is a sometimes sad but ultimately optimistic collection, and one I love dearly for both its themes and its craft.
The truest thing I can say about this collection is that reading it for the first time felt like coming home, and that seeing trans autistic characters getting to have genre adventures for the first time affected me in a way very few pieces of writing have ever done. But I'm not sure how coherent that is as a review, so:
The stories in this collection are incredibly varied, ranging from the sort-of-title-story about a person falling in love with a robot while trying to learn to become one, to one about a personless shadow navigating an
otterno11's review
4.0
So You Want to Be a Robot was a moving, thought provoking collection of short stories that really highlight the ability of speculative fiction to explore the complexities of human experience and consider it in new ways, from the exciting to the disconcerting. After reading their story “Our Aim Is Not to Die” in [b:A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers|40163361|A People's Future of the United States Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers|Victor LaValle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538815133l/40163361._SY75_.jpg|62303737], I was curious to read more of Merc Fenn Wolfmoor’s work, requesting their debut collection from the library. They will definitely be someone whose work I will continue to look for in the future.
Wolfmoor really has a knack for tackling a wide variety of genres, ideas, and tones, from the dark urban fantasy of “For Want of a Heart” to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi of “The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie,” and the fantasy of “Iron Aria,” but using them to touch on deeper questions of existence in a way that really appealed to me. Their connection to themes that thread throughout the stories are impressively strong, in particular that of the titular robots, as well as monsters, linking them to questions of gender identity in ways that feels very effective and compelling.
This is especially the case in the collections strongest work, the namesake story, a greatly affecting piece that really made me question how I feel about how society forces conformity in ways that hadn’t occurred to me before. In any case, it will be interesting to see their writing continue to evolve and what other places they will take us.
Wolfmoor really has a knack for tackling a wide variety of genres, ideas, and tones, from the dark urban fantasy of “For Want of a Heart” to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi of “The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie,” and the fantasy of “Iron Aria,” but using them to touch on deeper questions of existence in a way that really appealed to me. Their connection to themes that thread throughout the stories are impressively strong, in particular that of the titular robots, as well as monsters, linking them to questions of gender identity in ways that feels very effective and compelling.
This is especially the case in the collections strongest work, the namesake story, a greatly affecting piece that really made me question how I feel about how society forces conformity in ways that hadn’t occurred to me before. In any case, it will be interesting to see their writing continue to evolve and what other places they will take us.
forestofglory's review
3.0
I let this go back to the library half-finished. These stories are really well written but many of them are very grim and I had trouble motivating myself to read more. Sorry all the lovely people who recommended this to me.
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