Reviews

Please note that this is my overall score for the entire 6 book collection. See below for separate story ratings as well as a few of my thoughts regarding each story.

Strongest Stories:
5 stars Book 5 - Clap Back
- Omg this totally got inspired by Dolls Kill's racist antics (seriously DO NOT buy from them)
- A very unique take on the exploitation of black artists and geniuses for corporate companies
- This is the best story and I want it adapted by Blumhouse ASAP.

5 stars Book 4 - These Alien Skies
- Indya Moore KILLED IT as a narrator and I need her to read me everything. Give her a goddamn award!
-Total 'Black Mirror' in space vibes in the best way possible.
- If I were WATCHING this story I would literally be going through a rollercoaster of emotions.

4 stars Book 3 - The Visit
- This would be such a good Twilight Zone episode.
- If you are a cis man reading/listening to this story and it makes you angry to lose rights to your body and have idiotic marriage, reproduction, and careers (specifically on giving up your career to raise your family) constantly placed upon you then you need to fight more for women’s rights

Strong Narration But Not My Fave Story-wise:

3.5 stars Book 6 - We Travel The Spaceways
- Brian Tyree Henry is a fantastic narrator, but overall this story is just eh
- More Kim, less cans

2.75 Book 2 - The Black Pages
- Starting with a Fahrenheit 451 quote is not a strong start because I despise that book (sorry not sorry)
- "Destroying someone else’s home is enjoyment for them"
- Naomi Ackie is a soothing narrator but the story itself took way too long to get to the interesting part considering it’s a short story.

I Wanted A Little More From The Story:
3.25 Book 1 - 2043: A Merman I Should Turn Be
- Very real with BLM and BHM constantly turned into trends for influencers and companies who could not give a flying fuck to take advantage of but yet do nothing to actually educate themselves or unlearn harmful behavior.

Overall, I really did enjoy this collection. I found something that I liked in each story and a majority of them were very thought-provoking.

kmardahl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this anthology of short speculative stories from Black authors. I did not read them in order, which was serendipitous because I ended on a high note. The numbers in parentheses are the order in which the stories appear in the anthology. Four of the six stories directly address the issues of racism and white supremacy, or have it in the story's past as something the protagonists are acting on.

2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be) by Nisi Shawl (1/6)
This is the first story in the collection, and the first one I listened to. We are in a time when African-Americans are getting reparations underwater! Technology has advanced so you can get technology installed in your body so you can breathe underwater and thus live underwater. There is still rampant racism and white supremacy on land, so people are not quite moving underwater - they are fleeing there for safety. The idea of living underwater is exciting, but the premise is actually horrifying, because some aspects of the hate from white supremacists on land affects the process of getting underwater and finding a habitat. The persons or group the story follows is a band, who are going to perform and then live underwater. I think. This was not completely clear to me. There is an incident underwater, and the band is so large, that I was confused about what exactly was going on. It seems that those underwater have a class system or something. This is the story I least enjoyed simple due to confusion about the storyline. I give it 2 stars.

The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (3/6)
This is the second story I listened to. I chose it simply because of the length of the story at the time. This is a tale of role reversal - a matriarchal world where women have the power and men are second-class citizen. The story is based in Nigeria, and there are clever angles about men having to be demure or not have a job because that would reflect badly on the wife's breadwinning abilities. It was well-crafted and entertaining, but it was not a novel idea because I have read something like this before from Norway. I give it 3.5 stars.

Clap Back by Nalo Hopkinson (5/6)
Next, I read "Clap Back", which was definitely audacious, to copy the word used in the blurb. One person in the story creates a clothing line with nanites (?) in the clothing that are designed to seep into your skin with a statement that you then speak out loud several times until the nanites are harmlessly flushed through your body. The statements are basic exploitation. They are quotes from Black youth in Malawi, which touch on topics such as poverty and capitalism. This fashion designer sells this line for high prices, which the youth don't benefit from at all. I don't believe it is ever mentioned, but I am sure this designer is a white woman. Another person in the story is a Black artist who buys up racist memorabilia that she finds in second-hand shops all over the place, and adds some futuristic technology with nanites(?) to bring them to life. Just seeing ashtrays, lampposts, and other artefacts with horrible charicatures with racist designs come to life and wander about sounds quite horrifying. This artist has a better grasp of the science to control the nanotechnology, which the fashion designer couldn't handle. Everyone oohs and aahs over the fashion designer up to a point, but feel repulsed by Wenda's, the Black artist, more caustic statement. I give it 3.5 stars.

The Black Pages by Nnedi Okorafor (2/6)
This is my story number four. Al Qaeda supporters burn down a library in Timbuktu in Mali, unknowningly liberating an ancient djinn (spirit). The djinn finds a young man, Issaka, from Mali just returned home from the U.S. for a brief holiday with his parents and inhabits his iPad. YOu find out how and why an ancient djinn can figure out what an iPad is. Obvious, when you find out. :) Issaka finds out more about his past than he ever expected. I loved this one especially because I had learned about the ancient books in Mali that have been preserved for centuries by many clans in the book "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu". There are definitely a few bad-ass librarians in this story. I also think I can credit Akwaeke Emezi's "Freshwater" for teaching me some of the concepts of the spirit world. I would enjoy this story anyway, but I enjoyed recognizing some of the elements of the story. I absolutely loved the explanation of the title. It makes perfect sense, but is such a brilliant idea. When the story ended, I wanted more. The story is nice and complete as it is, but so many possibilities can come next. Please build on this, Nnedi Okorafor! I give it 5 stars.

These Alien Skies by C.T. Rwizi (4/6)
My penultimate story. Msizi and Tariro travel through a wormhole to study a planet called Malcolm X-b to see whether it is a truly liveable planet. An accident happens that strands them on this unknown planet, light-years from home. The tale of their adventure is quite amazing. I think this is my absolute favourite of all the stories. C.T. Rwizi is welcome to expand this story, too! I give it 5 stars.

We Travel the Spaceways by Victor LaValle (6/6)
The last story in the anthology and the last one I listened to. This was a well-constructed idea and story. Know that guy collecting empty bottles who smells horrible, shouts a lot, and talks to himself? Things are not what they seem. Grimace is a homeless man who talks to the empty bottles and cans he carries around. They talk to him... He runs around burning down Black (not white) churches on a mission that he has from the bottles. He meets Kim, a trans woman, who begins to help him out. They fall in love and we learn about these unique messages in bottles. I enjoyed ending with this story because I think it will sit in my thoughts for a while. I give it 5 stars.