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ckatie454's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
misterythemermaid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ashlikes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
frostbitsky's review against another edition
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.0
Oh my goodness I bought this back in March 2020 for $3.
It was ok. I felt like some of the stories were preaching a futuristic utopia and I got the feeling it was praising it instead of warning against it. So I left feeling unsettled.
ARK, by Veronica Roth, read by Evan Rachel Wood.
On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.
It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.
I think I bought it because Roth's name was attached and then I found it to be the most forgettable story. Though I did like the part where they are picking which album to take with them on the cramped spaceship and how to pick an album.
SUMMER FROST, by Blake Crouch, read by Rosa Salazar.
A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.
Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision - veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?
The most frustrating story because Riley is a stupid, dumb, idiot. Falling in love with an AI character and throwing your family away and getting manipulated to the point of death is just.... stupid dumb-ass. How can you be so blind?
EMERGENCY SKIN, by N. K. Jemisin, read by Jason Isaacs.
What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award-winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy.
An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind - hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out ages ago. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.
Best narration, creepy utopia-like-story. Jason Isaacs was great with the different voices, accents, and having a one sided conversation. The story had me roll my eyes quite a bit. One world government, no boarders, eugenics.... A warning of what not to do.
YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION, by Amor Towles, read by David Harbour.
Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.
When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question the choices he has made in his life.
They don't call it birth control for nothing. Best line about genetic engineering. The ending was also so abrupt that can't even remember how it ended.
THE LAST CONVERSATION, by Paul Tremblay, read by Steven Strait.
What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award-winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about human consciousness.
Imagine you’ve woken up in an unfamiliar room with no memory of who you are, how you got there, or where you were before. All you have is the disconnected voice of an attentive caretaker. Dr. Kuhn is there to help you - physically, emotionally, and psychologically. She’ll make sure you reclaim your lost identity. Now answer one question: Are you sure you want to?
This was a long, slow reveal about clones. And not giving the clone content to be cloned again. Interesting concept but too repetitive and long.
RANDOMIZE, by Andy Weir, read by Janina Gavanka.
In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.
An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house.
This was actually my favorite of the collection. It's smart and deceitful. I could see it as a movie.
2 out of 5 Tomorrows.
It was ok. I felt like some of the stories were preaching a futuristic utopia and I got the feeling it was praising it instead of warning against it. So I left feeling unsettled.
On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.
It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.
I think I bought it because Roth's name was attached and then I found it to be the most forgettable story. Though I did like the part where they are picking which album to take with them on the cramped spaceship and how to pick an album.
SUMMER FROST, by Blake Crouch, read by Rosa Salazar.
A video game developer becomes obsessed with a willful character in her new project, in a mind-bending exploration of what it means to be human by the New York Times bestselling author of Recursion.
Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision - veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?
The most frustrating story because Riley is a stupid, dumb, idiot. Falling in love with an AI character and throwing your family away and getting manipulated to the point of death is just.... stupid dumb-ass. How can you be so blind?
EMERGENCY SKIN, by N. K. Jemisin, read by Jason Isaacs.
What will become of our self-destructed planet? The answer shatters all expectations in this subversive speculation from the Hugo Award-winning author of the Broken Earth trilogy.
An explorer returns to gather information from a climate-ravaged Earth that his ancestors, and others among the planet’s finest, fled centuries ago. The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind - hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out ages ago. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.
Best narration, creepy utopia-like-story. Jason Isaacs was great with the different voices, accents, and having a one sided conversation. The story had me roll my eyes quite a bit. One world government, no boarders, eugenics.... A warning of what not to do.
YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION, by Amor Towles, read by David Harbour.
Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.
When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question the choices he has made in his life.
They don't call it birth control for nothing. Best line about genetic engineering. The ending was also so abrupt that can't even remember how it ended.
THE LAST CONVERSATION, by Paul Tremblay, read by Steven Strait.
What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award-winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about human consciousness.
Imagine you’ve woken up in an unfamiliar room with no memory of who you are, how you got there, or where you were before. All you have is the disconnected voice of an attentive caretaker. Dr. Kuhn is there to help you - physically, emotionally, and psychologically. She’ll make sure you reclaim your lost identity. Now answer one question: Are you sure you want to?
This was a long, slow reveal about clones. And not giving the clone content to be cloned again. Interesting concept but too repetitive and long.
RANDOMIZE, by Andy Weir, read by Janina Gavanka.
In the near future, if Vegas games are ingeniously scam-proof, then the heists have to be too, in this imaginative and whip-smart story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.
An IT whiz at the Babylon Casino is enlisted to upgrade security for the game of keno and its random-number generator. The new quantum computer system is foolproof. But someone on the inside is no fool. For once the odds may not favor the house.
This was actually my favorite of the collection. It's smart and deceitful. I could see it as a movie.
2 out of 5 Tomorrows.
ckarako's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
roadtripreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
(Read the short stories but selected the audible to add to my challenge so I dont waste book tracking space.)
I found my way to this collection of short stories through Randomizer by Andy Weir. Mainly because he was part of a scifi challenge I had set up for myself and I hadn't read anything by him before. So a short story seemed fitting. I loved the story - but then I discovered there was a whole collection of gems and let me tell you something for nothing: If Randomizer is the lower end of poignant short stories well this collection is worth way more than the paper it's printed on.
My Top 3
(which is really not fair seeing as all these stories struck a cord and made me think and made me google and fall headfirst into rabbit holes of quantum physics and then spiralled all the way to my nonfiction bookshelf and finally just finding more open ended questions that made me go ... hhhmm)
I found my way to this collection of short stories through Randomizer by Andy Weir. Mainly because he was part of a scifi challenge I had set up for myself and I hadn't read anything by him before. So a short story seemed fitting. I loved the story - but then I discovered there was a whole collection of gems and let me tell you something for nothing: If Randomizer is the lower end of poignant short stories well this collection is worth way more than the paper it's printed on.
My Top 3
(which is really not fair seeing as all these stories struck a cord and made me think and made me google and fall headfirst into rabbit holes of quantum physics and then spiralled all the way to my nonfiction bookshelf and finally just finding more open ended questions that made me go ... hhhmm)
- Ark was delicate, tragic and hopeful. The idea that there could be something...more after the apocalypse is a modicum of hope that some are afraid to feel. Hope in the face of the end.
- Now more than ever I want to crack open the spine of Book 1 in The Broken Earth trilogy - N.K Jemisin, they hype is accurate. Emergency Skin was a punch to the senses - wake up and smell what's been hidden from you.
- Randomizer had me wondering if such a hack already exists and I'm pretty sure we're either a hare's breath away from it or it's in testing stages.
My nerd soul met with my geek spirit and together we have thoroughly reveled in this collection.
maxoliveira's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jacobjonk's review against another edition
4.0
This is really one of my favorite genres. Scifi short stories often just itch a scratch unlike no other and these stories while not all fully rocking my world all brought something interesting to the table. I started with randomize as a big fan of Weir's work, and when I found out Crouch was involved, I decided to spring for the whole collection any I think it was well worth it. The rest of the authors impressed me as well before I even realized I knew some of their work without knowing their name. Now I feel encouraged to continue reading their work and see what I think of some of the longer works by these talented authors.
nikkikeist's review against another edition
2.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ark by Veronica Roth.
As an asteroid makes its long-anticipated journey towards Earth, a botanist logs plant material for the future generations who will survive on a new planet. She thinks about her past, the death of her future, and finds searches for meaning as it all ends. This was melancholy in the way that you feel when you look at the stars and remember how small you are.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch.
A woman in the near future tests her evolving creation: true artificial intelligence that accidentally crept to life within a video game. I was keenly on edge listening to this, never sure what kind of ending was in store. Explores themes of love, devotion, and sentience. Bonus points for lesbians and a fantastic audio narrator (Rosa Salazar) :)
⭐️
Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin.
This one was annoying. The narration is very unique because it’s told by a man who talks directly to you as if he’s responding to your questions, but it didn’t work well. Really on the nose about how rich/racist people are bad, and I felt zero connection to the characters.
⭐️⭐️
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles.
This one seemed boring, then caught my attention, then completely lost me. I have no idea what happened at the end but it seemed like it was supposed to be profound.
Ark by Veronica Roth.
As an asteroid makes its long-anticipated journey towards Earth, a botanist logs plant material for the future generations who will survive on a new planet. She thinks about her past, the death of her future, and finds searches for meaning as it all ends. This was melancholy in the way that you feel when you look at the stars and remember how small you are.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch.
A woman in the near future tests her evolving creation: true artificial intelligence that accidentally crept to life within a video game. I was keenly on edge listening to this, never sure what kind of ending was in store. Explores themes of love, devotion, and sentience. Bonus points for lesbians and a fantastic audio narrator (Rosa Salazar) :)
⭐️
Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin.
This one was annoying. The narration is very unique because it’s told by a man who talks directly to you as if he’s responding to your questions, but it didn’t work well. Really on the nose about how rich/racist people are bad, and I felt zero connection to the characters.
⭐️⭐️
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles.
This one seemed boring, then caught my attention, then completely lost me. I have no idea what happened at the end but it seemed like it was supposed to be profound.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay.
A suspenseful take on a character who wakes up knowing nothing about themselves in suspicious and eerie circumstances. I loved this one and the ending didn’t disappoint.
⭐️
Randomize by Andy Weir.
This one felt too grounded in reality to be part of a sci-fi collection. It left me feeling nothing.
relearning2read's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.5
This is a collection of 6 sci-fi short stories/novelettes that offered a chance to try out several new authors. Overall it was excellent, with each story being unique in themes, technology & style, though unfortunately one story was a huge let down (interestingly the only story from and author I'd read from before) without that story could have been a 5 star collection (I consider a 5 star collection one with all 4 or 5 star stories)
Stories:
Randomize by Andy Weir: 1 star, I would recommend skipping it, the characters were flat and the plot didn't really have stakes
Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemison: 4 stars, This author is known for her unique uses of format, and perspective and this story offered a taste of that that makes me excited to try her full length works, though it did take some getting used to. While a little heavy handed in its themes its an interesting twist on the "a remnant of humanity flees earth to save the species" trope
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch: 5 stars, I can totally understand why Crouch is one of the bestselling modern sci-fi thriller authors. This is an AI story that keeps you on your toes while also touching on themes about what progress really is and how we determine our values
Ark by Veronica Roth: 5 stars, this was an unexpectedly touching story that zooms in on the grunt worked involved in those "humanity flees the planet" endeavors and is ultimately about how we can find hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances
You Have Arrived at Your Destination: 4 stars, starts out as a story about genetic engineering (very gattaca like) but becomes a story about how we envision the stories of our lives and the lives of people around us. Something about the writing felt kind of dude-bro-y though which kept me from fulling emotionally engaging
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay: 5 stars, have definitely heard mixed things about this author and I can understand why if this is representative of his style. This story includes some horror elements and a "twist" that I think you are meant to see coming as knowing before the character really added to the tension for me
Stories:
Randomize by Andy Weir: 1 star, I would recommend skipping it, the characters were flat and the plot didn't really have stakes
Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemison: 4 stars, This author is known for her unique uses of format, and perspective and this story offered a taste of that that makes me excited to try her full length works, though it did take some getting used to. While a little heavy handed in its themes its an interesting twist on the "a remnant of humanity flees earth to save the species" trope
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch: 5 stars, I can totally understand why Crouch is one of the bestselling modern sci-fi thriller authors. This is an AI story that keeps you on your toes while also touching on themes about what progress really is and how we determine our values
Ark by Veronica Roth: 5 stars, this was an unexpectedly touching story that zooms in on the grunt worked involved in those "humanity flees the planet" endeavors and is ultimately about how we can find hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances
You Have Arrived at Your Destination: 4 stars, starts out as a story about genetic engineering (very gattaca like) but becomes a story about how we envision the stories of our lives and the lives of people around us. Something about the writing felt kind of dude-bro-y though which kept me from fulling emotionally engaging
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay: 5 stars, have definitely heard mixed things about this author and I can understand why if this is representative of his style. This story includes some horror elements and a "twist" that I think you are meant to see coming as knowing before the character really added to the tension for me