Scan barcode
sunn_bleach's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s hard to write speculative fiction with a social issues bent in the 2010s and beyond without accusation of Black Mirror-lite. So, perhaps readers might be interested to hear some of these stories predate the show, and that they have more in common with the tradition of Borges and other Argentinian/Chilean magical realism authors in addition to the contemporary issues of today (and yesterday, and tomorrow). I respected how the “Lifecycle” story to its extreme end, I found the title story masterful as a response to Kierkegaard’s “leap of faith”, and I enjoyed the parable-esque nature of the rest. The only one I thought a little trite was “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling”, which kinda failed on the dual-story part with the African analog seeming cliché. But it’s a small price to pay for the overall collection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
knightzach's review against another edition
Promotes the normalization of atheism and homosexuality, Anti-Christian
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexual content
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Colonisation, Addiction, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Violence, Sexism, Ableism, Child abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, and Misogyny
Extinction and apocalyptic events in multiple stories. Dissection, though with visuals of machinery rather than flesh ("Exhalation"). Mentions of bestiality, discussion of sentient sex dolls, cruelty to and dehumanization of AIs/robots, emotional infidelity ("The Lifecycle of Software Objects"). Mentions of natural disasters, manipulation/extortion ("Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom").apeck's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Torture
More...