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_emma_rose_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I've been working my way through Valente's writing, and I have to admit that this was difficult to finish. It could just be that I struggle with reading short story collections (I think the constant changes in momentum make them hard to pick back up sometimes) especially considering how good Valente's writing is. It is worth mentioning that some of the stories were pretty confusing, though-- definitely don't expect this to be a lightweight book.
kitty_whimsical's review
5.0
Reviewing a short story collection is not easy at all. It would be far too easy to fall into the trap of reviewing each and every story.
One of the standouts for me is the titular story, "The Future is Blue." I'm also going to focus a bit more on this story than some of the others because, joy of joys, a sequel is coming out next year! This was easily one of my favorite stories. Tetley, the heroine, is so lovable and optimistic, despite the trials that she faces in her everyday life. The story itself is a class in the "show don't tell" rule of fiction. Valente opens up Tetley's world just enough to intrigue the reader. Garbagetown, the setting, isn't ever fully explained or explored; the reader sees and experiences what Tetley decides to reveal in her narrative.
I'm also very fond of "Down and Out in R'lyeh." Lovecraftian stories are becoming some of my favorites. This story, from the point of view of Moloch, an eldritch youth (I can't say "teenager," as Moloch is "only 5,000" years old), who resides in (you guessed it) the city of R'lyeh. Recent reviews of Valente's newest novel, Space Opera focus on the humor. I am here to tell you that Valente's always been humorous, and this story (originally published in Uncanny Magazine in 2017) is a prime example. Imagine descriptions that you may have read of this famed, watery metropolis. Do any of them include phrases like "the tacky interdimensional shopfronts selling rubbish nobody wants," or "the ugly, kitschy non-Euclidean central business district brooding and moping up in your face"? Perhaps they should. Moloch is almost the polar opposite of Tetley, and that's a great thing. They're each shockingly realistic in their own way, and that's what makes this (and all of the other stories in the volume) more than worth your time. Another quote from this story, because I can't resist: "[Moloch's sister] works her cloacas off downtown for some effulgy gloon on the Planning Committee—to which I say, how the fuck do you plan the descent of the known universe into bloody infinite shrieking madness? If you have to have a board meeting about it, what’s the fhatgn point?" (All quotes from the online edition of the story, because I don't have my copy of the book handy to give you accurate page numbers or ebook locations).
I found all of the stories to be winners in their own way. My favorite stories involve complicated characters, those who have their own internal world and agendas. We aren't always privy to them, and many of these narrators are unreliable, but that's what makes reading this collection so fascinating. Each character is their own person, and no two of them are the same. I would advise reading only one of these stories per sitting; otherwise the POV shifts could be a little dizzying on one's brain.
It is difficult to talk about Valente's fiction without talking about the language itself. Valente's writing is not for those looking for something to casual to peruse. This collection, as with all of her other works that I've read, requires your attention. The wordplay is strong with this one, and you don't want to miss a single trick. I am in awe of Valente's verbal acrobatics. I cannot describe them properly; you're just going to have to experience them for yourself.
In Conclusion: If you haven't read much of Valente's fiction before, this is an excellent way to see if her work might be to your liking. This collection is a very good sampler of her writing and gives you an idea of what you might be getting yourself into if you decide to pick up one of her novels (either the Fairyland series, or Space Opera would be great places to start). Happily, you can acquire this collection for your very own. It's available in electronic formats in several places (for an extremely reasonable price). I've also done some digging and you can acquire a physical copy from a few retailers. I'm glad that I read this, and I look forward to reading it again in the future. (review to be published at speculativechic.com)
One of the standouts for me is the titular story, "The Future is Blue." I'm also going to focus a bit more on this story than some of the others because, joy of joys, a sequel is coming out next year! This was easily one of my favorite stories. Tetley, the heroine, is so lovable and optimistic, despite the trials that she faces in her everyday life. The story itself is a class in the "show don't tell" rule of fiction. Valente opens up Tetley's world just enough to intrigue the reader. Garbagetown, the setting, isn't ever fully explained or explored; the reader sees and experiences what Tetley decides to reveal in her narrative.
I'm also very fond of "Down and Out in R'lyeh." Lovecraftian stories are becoming some of my favorites. This story, from the point of view of Moloch, an eldritch youth (I can't say "teenager," as Moloch is "only 5,000" years old), who resides in (you guessed it) the city of R'lyeh. Recent reviews of Valente's newest novel, Space Opera focus on the humor. I am here to tell you that Valente's always been humorous, and this story (originally published in Uncanny Magazine in 2017) is a prime example. Imagine descriptions that you may have read of this famed, watery metropolis. Do any of them include phrases like "the tacky interdimensional shopfronts selling rubbish nobody wants," or "the ugly, kitschy non-Euclidean central business district brooding and moping up in your face"? Perhaps they should. Moloch is almost the polar opposite of Tetley, and that's a great thing. They're each shockingly realistic in their own way, and that's what makes this (and all of the other stories in the volume) more than worth your time. Another quote from this story, because I can't resist: "[Moloch's sister] works her cloacas off downtown for some effulgy gloon on the Planning Committee—to which I say, how the fuck do you plan the descent of the known universe into bloody infinite shrieking madness? If you have to have a board meeting about it, what’s the fhatgn point?" (All quotes from the online edition of the story, because I don't have my copy of the book handy to give you accurate page numbers or ebook locations).
I found all of the stories to be winners in their own way. My favorite stories involve complicated characters, those who have their own internal world and agendas. We aren't always privy to them, and many of these narrators are unreliable, but that's what makes reading this collection so fascinating. Each character is their own person, and no two of them are the same. I would advise reading only one of these stories per sitting; otherwise the POV shifts could be a little dizzying on one's brain.
It is difficult to talk about Valente's fiction without talking about the language itself. Valente's writing is not for those looking for something to casual to peruse. This collection, as with all of her other works that I've read, requires your attention. The wordplay is strong with this one, and you don't want to miss a single trick. I am in awe of Valente's verbal acrobatics. I cannot describe them properly; you're just going to have to experience them for yourself.
In Conclusion: If you haven't read much of Valente's fiction before, this is an excellent way to see if her work might be to your liking. This collection is a very good sampler of her writing and gives you an idea of what you might be getting yourself into if you decide to pick up one of her novels (either the Fairyland series, or Space Opera would be great places to start). Happily, you can acquire this collection for your very own. It's available in electronic formats in several places (for an extremely reasonable price). I've also done some digging and you can acquire a physical copy from a few retailers. I'm glad that I read this, and I look forward to reading it again in the future. (review to be published at speculativechic.com)
rmkg's review
Some gorgeous stories in here! "Down and Out in R'lyeh" and "Flame, Pearl, Mother, Autumn, Virgin, Sword, Kiss, Blood, Heart, and Grave" are must-reads.
feelingferal's review
4.0
There were a few stories I couldn’t get into. But the ones I could get into, I loved.
par3's review
3.0
3 Stars. This review is only for the novelette The Future Is Blue. The story was available for free online at ClarkesWorldMagazine.
Good overall story but didn’t care for a lot of little things. Had to wait till the last page to find out why Tetley wasn’t liked. And then I didnt like her either for what she did. Haha. Didn’t care for all the useless swearing or ridiculous names for everyone and everything. It was also kind of annoying that it read like a YA book even though it was clearly meant for adults. Brighton Pier reminded me of the traveling symphony in Station Eleven. But I do still want to read The Past Is Red. So I guess I enjoyed this one enough.
Read: 6/13/22-6/16/22
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/valente_03_19_reprint/
Merged review:
3 Stars. This review is only for the novelette The Future Is Blue. The story was available for free online at ClarkesWorldMagazine.
Good overall story but didn’t care for a lot of little things. Had to wait till the last page to find out why Tetley wasn’t liked. And then I didnt like her either for what she did. Haha. Didn’t care for all the useless swearing or ridiculous names for everyone and everything. It was also kind of annoying that it read like a YA book even though it was clearly meant for adults. Brighton Pier reminded me of the traveling symphony in Station Eleven. But I do still want to read The Past Is Red. So I guess I enjoyed this one enough.
Read: 6/13/22-6/16/22
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/valente_03_19_reprint/
Good overall story but didn’t care for a lot of little things. Had to wait till the last page to find out why Tetley wasn’t liked. And then I didnt like her either for what she did. Haha. Didn’t care for all the useless swearing or ridiculous names for everyone and everything. It was also kind of annoying that it read like a YA book even though it was clearly meant for adults. Brighton Pier reminded me of the traveling symphony in Station Eleven. But I do still want to read The Past Is Red. So I guess I enjoyed this one enough.
Read: 6/13/22-6/16/22
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/valente_03_19_reprint/
Merged review:
3 Stars. This review is only for the novelette The Future Is Blue. The story was available for free online at ClarkesWorldMagazine.
Good overall story but didn’t care for a lot of little things. Had to wait till the last page to find out why Tetley wasn’t liked. And then I didnt like her either for what she did. Haha. Didn’t care for all the useless swearing or ridiculous names for everyone and everything. It was also kind of annoying that it read like a YA book even though it was clearly meant for adults. Brighton Pier reminded me of the traveling symphony in Station Eleven. But I do still want to read The Past Is Red. So I guess I enjoyed this one enough.
Read: 6/13/22-6/16/22
Link: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/valente_03_19_reprint/
paintedgiraffe's review
5.0
I think I like The Bread We Eat in Dreams better, but that's probably because I'm just more used to it. Amazing and magical, though be warned that three or so stories don't exactly have happy endings.
namaenani's review
5.0
Every story in this book is clever, and beautiful, and poignant, and written like poetry. I laughed and sobbed, and sometimes both at once.
zquill's review
5.0
This was such a lush and delicious text. I am full-blown biased when it comes to Valente, but this was exceptional, to the point that I was reading stories out loud to myself in the bath. One of the stories literally takes place in a rainbow, and the rest of the stories figuratively due thanks to her beautiful imagery and unique story-lines. I'm in love, always will be.