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misterjay's review against another edition
4.0
This is a short, free collection of works published by Tor.com during 2011. I was unfamiliar with all the authors present save for Harry Turtledove before diving in. I have thoroughly enjoyed the collection, and as a marketing move, I hope it's something more publishers emulate. Soon.
Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
I really loved this beautiful story that contemplates whether the future can be changed and whether the two people who can see it are blessed or cursed. (4/5)
The Dala Horse by Michael Swanwick
This is an odd tale, set in a future Earth that tells the tale of a great civilization gone to dust and also that of a little girl and her troll, and how they are saved. I enjoyed it for its sense of childish innocence and ancient weariness. (3/5)
A Clean Sweep with all the Trimmings by James Alan Gardner
The story was interesting and I liked the main characters, but the writing style drove me a little nuts. I get that it's a tribute, borrowing from another time, but it was still irksome. (2/5)
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers by Matthew Sanborn Smith
This is what cyberpunk would look like if it were being invented today. Between the setting (Nagasaki) and the tech (augmented reality) and the people (heartbroken), this is the kind of story that reminds me why I loved the original cyberpunk novels so much and why I wish there was a lot more of this kind of story around. (5/5)
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee
I wanted to like this collection of sketches of different aliens with different ideas and different cultures, but it read (to me) as too fragmented and too insignificant to really carry the weight of the point the author was trying to make. I would much rather have read a longer story putting the pieces into a more conventional framework. (2/5)
Ragnorak by Paul Park
This piece too, did very little for me. While I have no problem with epic poetry in general, this story would have worked better for me if it were an actual prose work, rather than a poem that contrasts the modern with the mythic and attempts to tell the story of a war between them.
Hello Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
This fascinated me to the point that I immediately re-read the story after finishing it for the first time. The details and the setting alone were captivating, but the story built on top of them was superb. This is the story of a group of witches and what happens when they technology they've spelled changes them. (5/5)
Shetl Days by Harry Turtledove
Harry Tutledove's facility with history and language is on full display in this novella. It centers on the idea that pretending to be something can transform you into that same thing. I really enjoyed this one. The setting seemed far too real to be science-fiction, which is both thrilling and scary when you stop to think about it. (5/5)
Original Short Fiction on Tor.com 2011
Ok, this is not a story, but it is a compelling reason to skip to the end of the book. Tor have very kindly included a list of all the fiction they published on their website in 2011, broken down by short story and novella.
With any luck, Tor will continue to both publish and present short fiction like this collection. I intend to do my part to encourage them by immediately devouring everything I can find by Matthew Sanborn Smith and Nnedi Okorafor.
Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
I really loved this beautiful story that contemplates whether the future can be changed and whether the two people who can see it are blessed or cursed. (4/5)
The Dala Horse by Michael Swanwick
This is an odd tale, set in a future Earth that tells the tale of a great civilization gone to dust and also that of a little girl and her troll, and how they are saved. I enjoyed it for its sense of childish innocence and ancient weariness. (3/5)
A Clean Sweep with all the Trimmings by James Alan Gardner
The story was interesting and I liked the main characters, but the writing style drove me a little nuts. I get that it's a tribute, borrowing from another time, but it was still irksome. (2/5)
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers by Matthew Sanborn Smith
This is what cyberpunk would look like if it were being invented today. Between the setting (Nagasaki) and the tech (augmented reality) and the people (heartbroken), this is the kind of story that reminds me why I loved the original cyberpunk novels so much and why I wish there was a lot more of this kind of story around. (5/5)
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee
I wanted to like this collection of sketches of different aliens with different ideas and different cultures, but it read (to me) as too fragmented and too insignificant to really carry the weight of the point the author was trying to make. I would much rather have read a longer story putting the pieces into a more conventional framework. (2/5)
Ragnorak by Paul Park
This piece too, did very little for me. While I have no problem with epic poetry in general, this story would have worked better for me if it were an actual prose work, rather than a poem that contrasts the modern with the mythic and attempts to tell the story of a war between them.
Hello Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
This fascinated me to the point that I immediately re-read the story after finishing it for the first time. The details and the setting alone were captivating, but the story built on top of them was superb. This is the story of a group of witches and what happens when they technology they've spelled changes them. (5/5)
Shetl Days by Harry Turtledove
Harry Tutledove's facility with history and language is on full display in this novella. It centers on the idea that pretending to be something can transform you into that same thing. I really enjoyed this one. The setting seemed far too real to be science-fiction, which is both thrilling and scary when you stop to think about it. (5/5)
Original Short Fiction on Tor.com 2011
Ok, this is not a story, but it is a compelling reason to skip to the end of the book. Tor have very kindly included a list of all the fiction they published on their website in 2011, broken down by short story and novella.
With any luck, Tor will continue to both publish and present short fiction like this collection. I intend to do my part to encourage them by immediately devouring everything I can find by Matthew Sanborn Smith and Nnedi Okorafor.
bonzabar's review against another edition
2.0
A few gems, but many of the stories felt very middle of the road.
elusivity's review against another edition
3.0
Six Months, Three Days - Charles Jane Anders.
The Dala Horse - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Sweet innocent little girl sent off to the forest to her grandma's. On her way, she meets a bad man. A future Sweden where everything talks and is helpful to humans.
A Clean Sweep with All the Trimmings - James Alan Gardner. 3 STARS. Dolls and Spacemen. Somewhat amusing, but too stylized to be read for long.
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers - Matthew Sanborn Smith. 3 STARS. Ultra modern Tokyo, robots, and the pain of young love.
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel - Yoon Ha Lee. 2.5 STARS. Playing around in one's imagination is...OK, I guess. A listing of unlikely means of interstellar travel.
Ragnarok - Paul Park. A poem.
Hello, Moto - Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5 STARS. Nigerian women and sorcery and technology in their wigs. Too short to be meaningful.
Shtetl Days - Harry Turtledove.
The Dala Horse - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Sweet innocent little girl sent off to the forest to her grandma's. On her way, she meets a bad man. A future Sweden where everything talks and is helpful to humans.
A Clean Sweep with All the Trimmings - James Alan Gardner. 3 STARS. Dolls and Spacemen. Somewhat amusing, but too stylized to be read for long.
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers - Matthew Sanborn Smith. 3 STARS. Ultra modern Tokyo, robots, and the pain of young love.
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel - Yoon Ha Lee. 2.5 STARS. Playing around in one's imagination is...OK, I guess. A listing of unlikely means of interstellar travel.
Ragnarok - Paul Park. A poem.
Hello, Moto - Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5 STARS. Nigerian women and sorcery and technology in their wigs. Too short to be meaningful.
Shtetl Days - Harry Turtledove.
jselliot's review
medium-paced
4.0
A pretty solid anthology, even if there were a few that fell flat.
metaphorosis's review
4.0
Anthologies are always something of a risk. Themed anthologies rarely stick close to their theme. Single-editor anthologies (as with magazines) often end up with a numbing sameness in the feel or mood of the pieces. Happily, this 'best of' collection avoids both traps.
Up to about the halfway point, I thought that the anthology had even managed that rare feat of including only really strong stories. Unfortunately, after the first few stories, things start to weaken, and by the time I reached Paul Park's 'poem', it was clear that too many of the stories are self-consciously 'intellectual'. I'm a fan of intelligent writing, and some of these stories provide that. Some, however, seem designed more to display the author's cleverness than to tell a good story. They're good, in a technical sense, but they're not engaging of moving.
To pick one example (by an author whose trilogy [b:Starbridge Chronicles|8484171|Soldiers of Paradise Starbridge Chronicles 1 |Paul Park|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1277062368s/8484171.jpg|791987] was both intellectual and excellent), look at the 'poem' "Ragnarok" by [a:Paul Park|284559|Paul Park|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1223871259p2/284559.jpg]. It's broken up into equal-sized units of free verse, but there's nothing else about it that says 'poem' to me. In fact, it's a short story written in brief, declarative sentences, set out in the form of a poem. The story wasn't bad, but the whole thing seemed contrived and awkward. Some of the other stories displayed an equivalent awkwardness in their (failed) effort to be clever or poetic. It's a shame, because much of the material was good. Only one of the stories was really weak, though the final story drags on well after its point is made.
All in all, well worth reading (and it's free!) for several very good stories. I can see re-reading some of the stories here, though others I may well skip the next time around.
Up to about the halfway point, I thought that the anthology had even managed that rare feat of including only really strong stories. Unfortunately, after the first few stories, things start to weaken, and by the time I reached Paul Park's 'poem', it was clear that too many of the stories are self-consciously 'intellectual'. I'm a fan of intelligent writing, and some of these stories provide that. Some, however, seem designed more to display the author's cleverness than to tell a good story. They're good, in a technical sense, but they're not engaging of moving.
To pick one example (by an author whose trilogy [b:Starbridge Chronicles|8484171|Soldiers of Paradise Starbridge Chronicles 1 |Paul Park|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1277062368s/8484171.jpg|791987] was both intellectual and excellent), look at the 'poem' "Ragnarok" by [a:Paul Park|284559|Paul Park|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1223871259p2/284559.jpg]. It's broken up into equal-sized units of free verse, but there's nothing else about it that says 'poem' to me. In fact, it's a short story written in brief, declarative sentences, set out in the form of a poem. The story wasn't bad, but the whole thing seemed contrived and awkward. Some of the other stories displayed an equivalent awkwardness in their (failed) effort to be clever or poetic. It's a shame, because much of the material was good. Only one of the stories was really weak, though the final story drags on well after its point is made.
All in all, well worth reading (and it's free!) for several very good stories. I can see re-reading some of the stories here, though others I may well skip the next time around.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
4.0
I enjoyed, in particular two of the stories in this collection. "The Dala Horse" by Michael Swanwick and "Hello Moto" by [a:Nnedi Okorafor|588356|Nnedi Okorafor|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1352398595p2/588356.jpg]and Harry Turtledove's closing story "Shetel Days" - which one can buy for kindle on its own.
"Dala Horse" makes wonderful use of folklore and technology. It is actually surprising touching and powerful.
But the two stand outs, the reason for the four stars are "Hello Moto" and "Shetel Days". At first glance Moto looks like a standard witch story about two much power, yet it is also about hair and appearance. It is also about what is going on in parts of Africa. It is the shortest one in the collection but is tied with Shetel Days as the most power. I haven't read anything by Nnedi Okorafor before, but I will now.
"Shetel Days" is about being not only Jewish but being in general and is the type of story that you can think about, but reviewing becomes difficult.
The collection is free on Amazon as if this review and is worth reading.
"Dala Horse" makes wonderful use of folklore and technology. It is actually surprising touching and powerful.
But the two stand outs, the reason for the four stars are "Hello Moto" and "Shetel Days". At first glance Moto looks like a standard witch story about two much power, yet it is also about hair and appearance. It is also about what is going on in parts of Africa. It is the shortest one in the collection but is tied with Shetel Days as the most power. I haven't read anything by Nnedi Okorafor before, but I will now.
"Shetel Days" is about being not only Jewish but being in general and is the type of story that you can think about, but reviewing becomes difficult.
The collection is free on Amazon as if this review and is worth reading.
elusivity's review
3.0
Six Months, Three Days - Charles Jane Anders.
The Dala Horse - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Sweet innocent little girl sent off to the forest to her grandma's. On her way, she meets a bad man. A future Sweden where everything talks and is helpful to humans.
A Clean Sweep with All the Trimmings - James Alan Gardner. 3 STARS. Dolls and Spacemen. Somewhat amusing, but too stylized to be read for long.
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers - Matthew Sanborn Smith. 3 STARS. Ultra modern Tokyo, robots, and the pain of young love.
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel - Yoon Ha Lee. 2.5 STARS. Playing around in one's imagination is...OK, I guess. A listing of unlikely means of interstellar travel.
Ragnarok - Paul Park. A poem.
Hello, Moto - Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5 STARS. Nigerian women and sorcery and technology in their wigs. Too short to be meaningful.
Shtetl Days - Harry Turtledove.
The Dala Horse - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Sweet innocent little girl sent off to the forest to her grandma's. On her way, she meets a bad man. A future Sweden where everything talks and is helpful to humans.
A Clean Sweep with All the Trimmings - James Alan Gardner. 3 STARS. Dolls and Spacemen. Somewhat amusing, but too stylized to be read for long.
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers - Matthew Sanborn Smith. 3 STARS. Ultra modern Tokyo, robots, and the pain of young love.
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel - Yoon Ha Lee. 2.5 STARS. Playing around in one's imagination is...OK, I guess. A listing of unlikely means of interstellar travel.
Ragnarok - Paul Park. A poem.
Hello, Moto - Nnedi Okorafor. 2.5 STARS. Nigerian women and sorcery and technology in their wigs. Too short to be meaningful.
Shtetl Days - Harry Turtledove.
sgtbigg's review
3.0
A collection of short stories published on Tor.com during 2011. As is usual with collections such as this there is some good and some not so good. While I found most of the stories to be entertaining, there were a few I struggled through and one that I didn't finish; however, your mileage may vary. Given that Tor is offering the book for free, give it a try.
mathew's review
4.0
Has a couple of stories in common with 'The Dog Said Bow-Wow", but is a much better compilation overall.
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