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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I didn’t even realize it was short stories, I didn’t get that far. There was just so much set up that I lost interest. I may try it again
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The best sci-fi short story collection inspired by a film inspired by an album I've ever read
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Dirty Computer is Monáe's concept album that imagines a dystopian future where technology is used to wipe the memories of non-conformists living under an Orwellian techno-authoritarian regime. In Monáe’s companion film or “emotion picture” (available on YouTube), the full set of music videos for the album are interwoven with narratives that provide context for the story and show how the individual songs fit together within her overarching theme. This book contains five stories set in the world of Dirty Computer, each co-written with a different author.
I have not listened to the album or seen the emotion picture, so I did feel like I was missing something when I started with the first story. But the world building is fleshed out just enough in the first story. I was able to stick with it and get the gist of the world of the Dirty Computer. However, I'd probably recommend viewing the Dirty Computer video first because I think it would have helped me understand this world better.
That being said, it seems each of these stories is set in slightly different times of this world. Save Changes seems to be set fairly early in this dystopian world, whereas the Memory Librarian seems to be many decades into this world. For me, it would have helped to have had a timeline or some sort of linear understanding. And I think that maybe some of the conceptual things she did in the album and picture might not have translated well to page. While collaborations are great, I think collaborating with 5 different co-authors also hindered the cohesiveness that she might have been aiming for.
The positives are these stories are full of queerness, feminism, and creativity with themes of how humanity needs artists, dreamers, and people who don't necessarily fit with the square box that current society thinks people should fit into.
Overall, mixed feelings. Like most short stories, some I liked more than others. 3 stars.
I have not listened to the album or seen the emotion picture, so I did feel like I was missing something when I started with the first story. But the world building is fleshed out just enough in the first story. I was able to stick with it and get the gist of the world of the Dirty Computer. However, I'd probably recommend viewing the Dirty Computer video first because I think it would have helped me understand this world better.
That being said, it seems each of these stories is set in slightly different times of this world. Save Changes seems to be set fairly early in this dystopian world, whereas the Memory Librarian seems to be many decades into this world. For me, it would have helped to have had a timeline or some sort of linear understanding. And I think that maybe some of the conceptual things she did in the album and picture might not have translated well to page. While collaborations are great, I think collaborating with 5 different co-authors also hindered the cohesiveness that she might have been aiming for.
The positives are these stories are full of queerness, feminism, and creativity with themes of how humanity needs artists, dreamers, and people who don't necessarily fit with the square box that current society thinks people should fit into.
Overall, mixed feelings. Like most short stories, some I liked more than others. 3 stars.
emotional
hopeful
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Excellent first novel / short story collection.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This review does not take into account the related album or the short film, as I did not watch or listen to these.
Overall, I liked this set of stories, but I wasn't sure how the first Timebox story fit in. It didn't seem as connected to the world of New Dawn and its outskirts as the other stories. I thought the strongest story was the title one, but I was left a little confused at times about how New Dawn and the memory collection and such worked. An infodump is not the way, of course, but in some instances, a little more detail would have been helpful.
I think the themes are definitely on point and I liked the article from wired that was appended to the edition I read, which discussed Afrofuturism and what Monae was trying to do with this collection.
Overall, I liked this set of stories, but I wasn't sure how the first Timebox story fit in. It didn't seem as connected to the world of New Dawn and its outskirts as the other stories. I thought the strongest story was the title one, but I was left a little confused at times about how New Dawn and the memory collection and such worked. An infodump is not the way, of course, but in some instances, a little more detail would have been helpful.
I think the themes are definitely on point and I liked the article from wired that was appended to the edition I read, which discussed Afrofuturism and what Monae was trying to do with this collection.