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echthroi's review
3.0
I'm not much for reading about people's emotional weariness, but the little tangle of affection between the two main characters which kept them both from calling out was nice.
amyotheramy's review
4.0
Isn’t it a little like cartography? Meeting lovely people, mapping them, racing to find their hurts before they can find yours—getting use from them, squeezing them dry, and then striking first, unilaterally and with awful effect, because the alternative is waiting for them to do the same to you. These are the rules, you didn’t make them, they’re not your fault. So you might as well play to win.
Is there a balance a person can ever find wherein life can be lived unselfishly? Is love ever unselfish? What about death?
In less skillful hands, this would have been very maudlin, or very ugly. But it isn't in less skillful hands. These voices ring true. These conversations are conversations I feel I've had. With just a touch of the fantastic as it comes to a close. Those last lines pack a nice punch. I loved this.
The author has also written [b:The Traitor Baru Cormorant|23444482|The Traitor Baru Cormorant|Seth Dickinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422463936s/23444482.jpg|43007917], which I think I should bump up my list quite a bit, based on this little story.
Available free from Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2015/09/16/please-undo-this-hurt-seth-dickinson/
And I can't help it; covers from Tor for these shorts are always amazing, but this one just knocked me over. Cover enlargement:
Is there a balance a person can ever find wherein life can be lived unselfishly? Is love ever unselfish? What about death?
In less skillful hands, this would have been very maudlin, or very ugly. But it isn't in less skillful hands. These voices ring true. These conversations are conversations I feel I've had. With just a touch of the fantastic as it comes to a close. Those last lines pack a nice punch. I loved this.
The author has also written [b:The Traitor Baru Cormorant|23444482|The Traitor Baru Cormorant|Seth Dickinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422463936s/23444482.jpg|43007917], which I think I should bump up my list quite a bit, based on this little story.
Available free from Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2015/09/16/please-undo-this-hurt-seth-dickinson/
And I can't help it; covers from Tor for these shorts are always amazing, but this one just knocked me over. Cover enlargement:
yarvi's review
5.0
As the year is about to end, I keep thinking of this short story. To my favorites you go.
chicareading's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thesffreader's review
4.0
Don't read this if you are depressed. Or maybe do.
This was very good and powerful. I think I may have to read everything Dickinson wrote (and will write).
This was very good and powerful. I think I may have to read everything Dickinson wrote (and will write).
pharyngeals's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
that shit hurted
sahibooknerd's review
2.0
CW: suicide ideation and depression
I’m someone who tries to avoid books which feature suicidal thoughts but I didn’t know this story had similar themes. While it makes some good points about - how compassionate people are the first ones who feel burnout and scared of contemplating self harm despite being depressed, because they don’t want to hurt others with their decisions - I can’t say this was enjoyable. The writing also felt very disjointed and confusing at times.
I’m someone who tries to avoid books which feature suicidal thoughts but I didn’t know this story had similar themes. While it makes some good points about - how compassionate people are the first ones who feel burnout and scared of contemplating self harm despite being depressed, because they don’t want to hurt others with their decisions - I can’t say this was enjoyable. The writing also felt very disjointed and confusing at times.
charst's review
2.0
Maybe my expectations were too high considering how short this is... But it resolves so fast that the central conflict doesn't really get the gravity it ought to have. Dickinson handles complex emotional themes much, much better in the Masquerade series tbh
connieischill's review
2.0
This short story is about two very emotionally unhealthy individuals, one of whom thinks they can 'save' the other, and by the end, I felt quite sick. The message of being able to save someone from their mental illness is one that needs to start being edged out of our mindsets, because that's not how mental illness works, and seeing it crop up time and time again is draining as someone with a mental illness similar to what we see in this story.
The writing was choppy and uneven and altogether very confusing to understand, with the narrator going off on tangents that felt unrelated to the scenes, and I just altogether found it quite dull to read. It felt more like our main character was surface level sad about a relationship ending rather than ever focusing on anything more than that; failing relationships definitely feed into the unhappiness a person can feel, but it was never executed well enough to feel like there was anything MORE there. She's a medic, but that seems to take a backseat so we can read about how dejected and miserable she is that her ex-boyfriend has moved on and started a new relationship, and I just found her-- and Nico-- wholly unremarkable and unlikable as characters.
The writing was choppy and uneven and altogether very confusing to understand, with the narrator going off on tangents that felt unrelated to the scenes, and I just altogether found it quite dull to read. It felt more like our main character was surface level sad about a relationship ending rather than ever focusing on anything more than that; failing relationships definitely feed into the unhappiness a person can feel, but it was never executed well enough to feel like there was anything MORE there. She's a medic, but that seems to take a backseat so we can read about how dejected and miserable she is that her ex-boyfriend has moved on and started a new relationship, and I just found her-- and Nico-- wholly unremarkable and unlikable as characters.
ranaelizabeth's review
5.0
Turns out, I've read this before. Probably in some anthology or other but this time around, I bought it off of Serial Box.
But so glad that I came across this story again, it's so utterly fucking good and hard.
Also: I just realized that The Tyrant Baru Cormorant is up for pre-order! Due out June!
But so glad that I came across this story again, it's so utterly fucking good and hard.
Also: I just realized that The Tyrant Baru Cormorant is up for pre-order! Due out June!