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juicyplum320's review against another edition
5.0
Collection of wonderful stories! Many left me craving for more!
aearsenault's review
4.0
(3.5 rounded up to 4)
I must begin by saying that Jonathan Strahan is a fabulous editor, and he chose the cream of the crop for this sci-fi anthology; 14 of the 16 were original to this book, the other 2 being favorites of Strahan.
As with most anthologies, the content of Someone in Time was quite diverse; the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters/story lines is what originally drew me to this book, and to begin with 2 queer romances was a delight. The majority of these stories do fit in the category of time travel, however I don't think that I would necessarily describe all of them as "sci-fi romance." There is a romantic underline associated with time travel in general, but the stories I enjoyed the most in this anthology were equally as sci-fi as they were romantic.
Roadside Attraction stands out as my personal favorite, a story about a young man in Kansas who discovers, through time travel, that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. (And, with whom he is supposed to be with.) Alix Harrow has such a gift with her heartbreaking story arcs, and I was happy that this story had a satisfying ending.
Thank you to Rebellion and NetGalley for the ARC of “Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
I must begin by saying that Jonathan Strahan is a fabulous editor, and he chose the cream of the crop for this sci-fi anthology; 14 of the 16 were original to this book, the other 2 being favorites of Strahan.
As with most anthologies, the content of Someone in Time was quite diverse; the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters/story lines is what originally drew me to this book, and to begin with 2 queer romances was a delight. The majority of these stories do fit in the category of time travel, however I don't think that I would necessarily describe all of them as "sci-fi romance." There is a romantic underline associated with time travel in general, but the stories I enjoyed the most in this anthology were equally as sci-fi as they were romantic.
Roadside Attraction stands out as my personal favorite, a story about a young man in Kansas who discovers, through time travel, that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. (And, with whom he is supposed to be with.) Alix Harrow has such a gift with her heartbreaking story arcs, and I was happy that this story had a satisfying ending.
Thank you to Rebellion and NetGalley for the ARC of “Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
emmacatereads's review
4.0
I LOVE time travel romance so this short story collection was instantly intriguing. Once I realized the author lineup included some of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy authors (Cathrynne M. Valente, Zen Cho, Alix E. Harrow, etc) I bumped this forward on my to-read shelf. Little did I know, this collection is also gorgeously, heartwarmingly, unabashedly queer - at least 10 of the 16 stories feature explicitly LGBTQ+ characters or romances. It makes sense for a book about romantic love to be a celebration of all its many manifestations, but that doesn't change the warmth kindled in my heart by representation featured prominently in my favorite genre.
My top three stories were:
1. The Difference Between Love and Time by Cathrynne M. Valente: A funny, heartfelt tale of woman who is courted across the span of her life by a physical manifestation of the space-time continuum. I want to print this story out and frame it over my bed so I can read it anytime I feel lost, alone, or at all wavering in my faith in the transcendent and eternal power of human connection.
2. Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages: A queer scientist travels back in time to meet her hero, a female physicist from the 1950s. This story provides a deeply painful reminder of the affront to human rights suffered by queer people in midcentury America, while also touching on issues of misogyny in academia and gentle love story between two brilliant gay women. As a bisexual scientist myself, this really hit hard.
3. A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss: A woman in climate ravaged future on the edge of death is brought into a program run by scientists from a dwindling future in which her consciousness is projected into important people from the past in an effort to change the future. Her assignment? Queen Guinevere. Probably the most compelling story conceptually and a fresh take on the time loop trope, providing a perspective on the future that is both melancholy and strangely hopeful.
My top three stories were:
1. The Difference Between Love and Time by Cathrynne M. Valente: A funny, heartfelt tale of woman who is courted across the span of her life by a physical manifestation of the space-time continuum. I want to print this story out and frame it over my bed so I can read it anytime I feel lost, alone, or at all wavering in my faith in the transcendent and eternal power of human connection.
2. Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages: A queer scientist travels back in time to meet her hero, a female physicist from the 1950s. This story provides a deeply painful reminder of the affront to human rights suffered by queer people in midcentury America, while also touching on issues of misogyny in academia and gentle love story between two brilliant gay women. As a bisexual scientist myself, this really hit hard.
3. A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss: A woman in climate ravaged future on the edge of death is brought into a program run by scientists from a dwindling future in which her consciousness is projected into important people from the past in an effort to change the future. Her assignment? Queen Guinevere. Probably the most compelling story conceptually and a fresh take on the time loop trope, providing a perspective on the future that is both melancholy and strangely hopeful.
natbendel's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
limabeans's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
overall, this was fun to read. short stories about time traveling romance, a unique idea that was executed decently.
i will say that the stories started off super strong and intriguing. pretty sure i read 100 pages in my first sitting. but as they went on, i felt less interested in some and found the ones with no, or little to none, dialogue quite boring.
i think it’s hard to rate a book with short stories. some stories i loved, others i couldn’t care less.
i will still give it 4 stars. the first four stories were probably some of my favorites.
i will say that the stories started off super strong and intriguing. pretty sure i read 100 pages in my first sitting. but as they went on, i felt less interested in some and found the ones with no, or little to none, dialogue quite boring.
i think it’s hard to rate a book with short stories. some stories i loved, others i couldn’t care less.
i will still give it 4 stars. the first four stories were probably some of my favorites.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, and Homophobia
cynthiareads's review
adventurous
slow-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? No
3.5
a nice collection of time travel romance stories, some by authors I like and others by authors who are new to me. Focus on LGBTQIA characters.