Scan barcode
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
3.0
Like many short story collections or anthologies, there are strong pieces and less strong pieces. However, this collection is well edited for style, theme, and of course geography, and reads cumulatively very nicely.
filaughn's review
4.0
Like all anthologies, there were some of these that were more successful than others.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
3.0
This short anthology brings together speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy) short stories from several Caribbean authors. All of the authors were new-to-me, and I did find a few who I may seek out more work by. However, on the whole I didn’t think the collection was very strong.
In “Once in a Blood Moon” the protagonist is an orphaned girl drawn towards sea turtles. This magical realism story touches on environmental issues. Unfortunately, it was also fairly forgettable. At least I liked it more than the following story, “The Passing Over of Zephora,” a strange story that I couldn’t make heads or tails of.
Of the remaining fantastical stories, “Maiden of the Mud” by Kevin Jared Hosein might be my favorite. In it, a wedding singer ends up dead and haunting the man who murdered her, becoming an inspiration for local folklore. I found it a delicious ghost story, although her quest for vengeance could perhaps have been more developed. “Water Under the Bridge” is another vengeance story, this time about a girl who’s being molested by her mother’s boyfriend and finds supernatural aid. Finally, “The Ceremony” is a story of one family and their dark legacy. While well written and engaging, I wasn’t sure what the point of the ceremony itself was.
The science fiction stories slant towards dystopian and post-apocalyptic, although there are a few exceptions. In “Daddy,” the protagonist’s dementia-ridden father suddenly begins to teleport. It’s an intriguing idea, but like many of the other stories in the collection, could have used more development. “A New Life in a New Time” is the story of a man who works for a company that freezes people trying to get away from their problems, bringing them a few years into the future. It involves a trope I really hate — a man obsessing about a woman in cryo-sleep.
The most professional story in the collection is probably “Quaka-Hadja,” where the protagonist goes about her daily tasks, ignorant of the dire situation she’s in. I don’t want to say much more, but there’s a sort of creeping horror and understanding to the story!
“Past Imperfect” is a post-apocalyptic story involving a man with photographic memory. Honestly, I started skimming this one. It was not very interesting. The next story, “Cascadura,” about a woman who is famed for being strangely immortal, worked better for me. The protagonist is the last woman from Trinidad and Tobago, and she’s seen all the people she knows die. She isn’t happy with her immortality, but death is beyond her reach.
“Fallenangel.dll” by Brandon O’Brien is a more dystopic approach, about a man who is roped into going out past curfew and ends up in his co-worker’s scheme to uncover a conspiracy with government police robots. It perhaps could have used better development, but I liked it well enough. It’s also always nice to see queer characters get a happy ending.
Old Worlds, New Ways might not have been the best short story collection I’ve read, but there’s still a few gems to be had.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
In “Once in a Blood Moon” the protagonist is an orphaned girl drawn towards sea turtles. This magical realism story touches on environmental issues. Unfortunately, it was also fairly forgettable. At least I liked it more than the following story, “The Passing Over of Zephora,” a strange story that I couldn’t make heads or tails of.
Of the remaining fantastical stories, “Maiden of the Mud” by Kevin Jared Hosein might be my favorite. In it, a wedding singer ends up dead and haunting the man who murdered her, becoming an inspiration for local folklore. I found it a delicious ghost story, although her quest for vengeance could perhaps have been more developed. “Water Under the Bridge” is another vengeance story, this time about a girl who’s being molested by her mother’s boyfriend and finds supernatural aid. Finally, “The Ceremony” is a story of one family and their dark legacy. While well written and engaging, I wasn’t sure what the point of the ceremony itself was.
The science fiction stories slant towards dystopian and post-apocalyptic, although there are a few exceptions. In “Daddy,” the protagonist’s dementia-ridden father suddenly begins to teleport. It’s an intriguing idea, but like many of the other stories in the collection, could have used more development. “A New Life in a New Time” is the story of a man who works for a company that freezes people trying to get away from their problems, bringing them a few years into the future. It involves a trope I really hate — a man obsessing about a woman in cryo-sleep.
The most professional story in the collection is probably “Quaka-Hadja,” where the protagonist goes about her daily tasks, ignorant of the dire situation she’s in. I don’t want to say much more, but there’s a sort of creeping horror and understanding to the story!
“Past Imperfect” is a post-apocalyptic story involving a man with photographic memory. Honestly, I started skimming this one. It was not very interesting. The next story, “Cascadura,” about a woman who is famed for being strangely immortal, worked better for me. The protagonist is the last woman from Trinidad and Tobago, and she’s seen all the people she knows die. She isn’t happy with her immortality, but death is beyond her reach.
“Fallenangel.dll” by Brandon O’Brien is a more dystopic approach, about a man who is roped into going out past curfew and ends up in his co-worker’s scheme to uncover a conspiracy with government police robots. It perhaps could have used better development, but I liked it well enough. It’s also always nice to see queer characters get a happy ending.
Old Worlds, New Ways might not have been the best short story collection I’ve read, but there’s still a few gems to be had.
Review from The Illustrated Page.
vortacist's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
onyxpages's review
4.0
4.5
The stories in this collection spoke to me deeply. They captured anxieties that only a first generation Canadian single child of Trinidadian parents could know. I didn’t know that I needed these stories as much as I now know I so clearly do.
7 Cowrie Shell Review to come on ONYX Pages: https://youtu.be/AzRq9pflO4I
Subscribe and click on the notifications bell to receive an alert when it’s up!
The stories in this collection spoke to me deeply. They captured anxieties that only a first generation Canadian single child of Trinidadian parents could know. I didn’t know that I needed these stories as much as I now know I so clearly do.
7 Cowrie Shell Review to come on ONYX Pages: https://youtu.be/AzRq9pflO4I
Subscribe and click on the notifications bell to receive an alert when it’s up!
speculativebecky's review
4.0
I found the collection to be uneven in my enjoyment, but it ended far stronger than it began, leaving me with a very positive overall impression. Characteristically, I was more intrigued by the stories that leaned more into science fiction, rather than those that felt built upon folklore. The stories that stuck out to me the most were The Ceremony by Elizabeth J. Jones, about a woman whose family has an insidious traditional ceremony involved in the passing down of their land, and Daddy by Damion Wilson, about a woman learning that her father, who has dementia, has begun to teleport out of his nursing home in search of his late wife. Also Quaka-Hadja by Brian Franklin, about a constructed woman taking care of her creator father in a post-apocalyptic bunker, and Cascadura by H. K. Williams, about an unhappy immortal woman. In spite of some of the stories underwhelming, I'd definitely recommend this collection to speculative fiction fans. Glad I picked it up!
jameseckman's review
3.0
About half of these shorts have some connection to the Caribbean other than the author and there are some I'm just missing. A somewhat melancholy collection.
holmesstorybooks's review
3.0
This was a fun little anthology.
I enjoyed some stories more than others, which I think is often the case with anthologies. I appreciate Peekash Press for publishing that fits into such a niche. I've always loved Karen Lord's writing and felt that this curated collection was an interesting mix of folklore, science fiction and speculative fiction.
What I enjoyed most about this collection was how the culture of the Caribbean and its politics informed these short stories. The last black woman on earth. Police robots that are as corrupt as other cops. Cryogenics, a cursed legacy, a vengeful woman going to exact her revenge -- all these tropes were all the more fascinating with the backdrop of the Caribbean. Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados.
And perhaps the best of all, so many characters of colour. I would like to pick up some of these authors' work in the future.
I enjoyed some stories more than others, which I think is often the case with anthologies. I appreciate Peekash Press for publishing that fits into such a niche. I've always loved Karen Lord's writing and felt that this curated collection was an interesting mix of folklore, science fiction and speculative fiction.
What I enjoyed most about this collection was how the culture of the Caribbean and its politics informed these short stories. The last black woman on earth. Police robots that are as corrupt as other cops. Cryogenics, a cursed legacy, a vengeful woman going to exact her revenge -- all these tropes were all the more fascinating with the backdrop of the Caribbean. Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados.
And perhaps the best of all, so many characters of colour. I would like to pick up some of these authors' work in the future.
readingtheend's review
5.0
Love this collection! A wonderful mix of creepy, fun, and moving SFF stories from the Caribbean. Thanks as always to Akashic for publishing amazing work.
More...