Reviews

Black Sci-Fi Short Stories by Temi Oh

gneumann's review

this was excellent and something i want to pick back up again, but just didn’t get through this time around

heyitsjo's review

5.0

I received an ARC copy of this book on netgalley.
I really loved this book. I am a big fan of all things Sci-Fi and as I've gotten older I've been more intentional about trying to find more Black Sci-Fi authors. This collection of short stories begins by introducing Black science fiction to the reader and tracing the history of the genre. It discusses how science fiction has been 'hostile' towards Black people and how Black people begin to conceptualize Black Sci-Fi. I enjoyed the reading of this introduction and tracing of history as much as the reading the short stories. The collection includes stories by a variety of authors across time and I truly appreciate being introduced to varied Black Sci-Fi authors in addition to reading their stories. I had no idea that W.E.B. Du Bois had written Sci-Fi. This is an excellent collection and I look forward to adding the physical book to my bookshelf when it is available.

readerandcat's review

4.0

This book contains an assembly of stories which are futuristic and show a dark vision of a future that could await us. At the same time it still touches topics that are more than present nowadays which makes the scenarios somehiw scarily realistic. I would recommend this for everyone that is too exhausted to read a long book at the moment. It is easy to read some stories, stop in between and pick the book back up a few days later. Although the topics grasp the truth and some very serious questions about the human race. This book is not just entertaining, it holds fundamental issues and their possible future for humanity. A very interesting read!

zoya_neela's review

4.0

For a change, I enjoyed most of the stories in this anthology. Part of that could be that some of the stories were longer than others, and allowed me to get into the narrative in quite a satisfying way.

rosekk's review

3.0

There were some stories I really loved. I'll keep an eye out for other offerings from their writers. None were bad, though some appealed to me less, or had a writing style I enjoyed less. The collection did as it promised though - it offered some interesting tales which used a lot of the usual Sci-Fi tropes from a different perspective.

zoes_human's review

3.5

Showcasing the work of Black authors, this impressive collection of speculative fiction has original publication dates from 1859 to 2021. The modern fiction is, without exception, good with far too many excellent stories to list off. The classic fiction, however, is a bit more challenging. The pieces published closest to the American Civil War have the tendency towards didacticism that was prominent in the era, which can be wearing. However, their historical significance is not to be underestimated, and they offer a fascinating insight into some of the perspectives of the time. The stand-out star of those pieces is W. E. B. Du Bois' "The Comet" which is timeless in the way of classics, though most sadly so.

I would strongly recommend reading Dr. Sandra Grayson's insightful Introduction as an Afterword. I consider her essay to be well worth your time; however, it does contain spoilers.

caidyn's review

The stories were pretty meh. I didn't want to spend more time on it than I already had.

anxiousrage's review

3.0

Good collection of short stories. Not all of them were for me but I discovered a few new authors that I’d like to read more work from.

grapie_deltaco's review

5.0

*Thank you Flame Tree Press for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Wow.

As someone who grew up loving The Twilight Zone, I adored this collection of short stories.

With a wide range of writing styles and messages from pieces across various decades and writers, 'Black Sci Fi Short Stories' explores superpowers, cults worshipping a mysterious orb, the apocalypse, reanimating the dead, aliens coming to rescue the victims of white supremacy, and so, SO much more.

The stories vary in length, with one short story finishing up in 3 pages while another takes up 20, but the themes it has you sit with hit hard every time.

This collection of all Black authors leaves a mix of race-centered messages alongside stories that don't mention race at all and just happen to be stories written by a Black creative.

There were numerous times I finished a story and closed the book to stare at my wall before going back to re-read it all again.

ananamauvais's review

adventurous dark hopeful slow-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

3.0