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A review by nicolet2018
Diverse Energies by Tobias S. Buckell, Joe Monti
3.0
I picked this up on a spur not knowing how diverse this anthology would be. I was surprised that it featured young adults of different ethnicities. It felt very refreshing. I think the reason why I was interested was because the anthology centred on Dystopia. I loved the preface and the afterword. Honestly I have never heard of any of these authors before but am interested to be introduced to them.
The Last Day by Ellen Oh
4/5 stars
As this is the first story I do not really have a benchmark to compare this to. I could not quite get the world. I thought it was WW2 because it was set in Japan and children were supposed to fight as soldiers. Silly right?
It felt tense and I was glued to the part where Ms Ueda came to take Kenji's neighbour's daughter. I like the writing. The end was so sad and quick. I could not believe it ended that way. I felt the injustice wrought on the people because of the Emperor's wishes to have more. Despite this being the first it was one of the stories I enjoyed the most because it felt so human.
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson
3/5 stars
I felt that the title was odd. I did not like the way the story was told. In a magazine interview style. It was about robots rising up to try and over throw humans. No doubt the story was short and centred on one small incident. The details were vivid and startling. Such as the violence. It goes to show how people exhibit scepticism in things that are out of the ordinary and what this ignorance can cost. It plays up artificial intelligience and asks if robots could truly feel anger, happiness and sadness. As well as the will to act against orders.
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bedford.
2.5/5 stars
This started out good. But it became confusing. The story's time travelling was poorly written, tough to understand. The plot lost steam towards the end. I was bored.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu
3/5 stars
The story began nicely. Children are taken and brought to a facility where they are taught in a certain way, fed and trained for a particular skill: pattern recognition. The main character hardly made an impact other than the fact that he was sneaking off to meet a girl. What was interesting was that the director of the school was considered an abuser when the world knew of this school. He was condemned but he argues that he provides the children a safe place.
Who is right? I think that it was noble to bring in many children, feed them and educate them in certain skills but not to lie to them about the world outside. However cruel it may be.
Gods of the Dimming Light by Greg Van Eekhout
3/5 stars
I sat up and paid attention when I read that norse gods like Odin were mentioned. I love how the story tied mythology with dystopian. A risk but well done. I love the setting. Very typical dystopian of despair, poverty and hope. I think the point of Norsecode Genomics was silly. The main character's decision surprised me but now thinking about it. He made the right decision. It all sounds too far fetched.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia
3.5/5 stars
I liked the idea of the Strangers. It reminds me of the movie, Surrogates. I was surprised to see a mixed gay couple. The ending was not that bad.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo
3/5 stars
Another dystopian world I liked. Again I was surprised to read about a girl expressing attraction to another girl. I do not read about lgbt much in novels. It is more a choice. I am okay with it but some part of me is also not entirely comfortable with the idea still. The rest of the story was good.
A Pocket Full Of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi
3/5 stars
I was intrigued by such a dark world. The story flowed well and I was dying to know what would happen to Wang Jun and what was inside the cube. It ended most unexpectedly.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon
2.5/5 stars
I think Cindy Pon is the only writer I did recognize but I have not read any of her books. I love the idea of a bad boy and the world where the rich wear fish bowls and air conditioned suits because the air has become so polluted.
I wished the story had more time to develop so I could find out more about what the MC wanted. His mannerisms and characteristics were very typical of a young teenage guy. Like admiring a girl's breasts. I will admit I had a fear that Stockholm Sydrome would develop between captive and kidnapper. It honestly seemed to be happening but in the end, it did not.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna
3/5 stars
I liked the world building but the plot felt too straight forward. Death and lies is not but the flow and characters just felt that way.
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin
2/5 stars
This had a sci-fi feel. It seemed interesting. But the MC was odd. The world and the people of Eleven Soro were strange. The idea that technology is considered magic is simple minded. I agreed with some of the MC's musings and the people of Eleven Soro do have good morels. But I do not agree with all of it. The blatant mentions of sex further enhance this wild culture and world. I am glad that the people are not animals but they live lives not everyone can understand.
Overall I was happy to see so many characters of mixed or different enthnicities. Many stories were based in china or off it. That was different. The same sex relationships and romance further enhance the diversity. I liked that romance is not a fore front of these stories like most YA. The worlds and lessons of the stories are what is focused upon. I love why the editors did this anthology. It introduced many authors but was not the best writing. There was a great idea behind it but not everyone will like this.
The Last Day by Ellen Oh
4/5 stars
As this is the first story I do not really have a benchmark to compare this to. I could not quite get the world. I thought it was WW2 because it was set in Japan and children were supposed to fight as soldiers. Silly right?
It felt tense and I was glued to the part where Ms Ueda came to take Kenji's neighbour's daughter. I like the writing. The end was so sad and quick. I could not believe it ended that way. I felt the injustice wrought on the people because of the Emperor's wishes to have more. Despite this being the first it was one of the stories I enjoyed the most because it felt so human.
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson
3/5 stars
I felt that the title was odd. I did not like the way the story was told. In a magazine interview style. It was about robots rising up to try and over throw humans. No doubt the story was short and centred on one small incident. The details were vivid and startling. Such as the violence. It goes to show how people exhibit scepticism in things that are out of the ordinary and what this ignorance can cost. It plays up artificial intelligience and asks if robots could truly feel anger, happiness and sadness. As well as the will to act against orders.
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bedford.
2.5/5 stars
This started out good. But it became confusing. The story's time travelling was poorly written, tough to understand. The plot lost steam towards the end. I was bored.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu
3/5 stars
The story began nicely. Children are taken and brought to a facility where they are taught in a certain way, fed and trained for a particular skill: pattern recognition. The main character hardly made an impact other than the fact that he was sneaking off to meet a girl. What was interesting was that the director of the school was considered an abuser when the world knew of this school. He was condemned but he argues that he provides the children a safe place.
Who is right? I think that it was noble to bring in many children, feed them and educate them in certain skills but not to lie to them about the world outside. However cruel it may be.
Gods of the Dimming Light by Greg Van Eekhout
3/5 stars
I sat up and paid attention when I read that norse gods like Odin were mentioned. I love how the story tied mythology with dystopian. A risk but well done. I love the setting. Very typical dystopian of despair, poverty and hope. I think the point of Norsecode Genomics was silly. The main character's decision surprised me but now thinking about it. He made the right decision. It all sounds too far fetched.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia
3.5/5 stars
I liked the idea of the Strangers. It reminds me of the movie, Surrogates. I was surprised to see a mixed gay couple. The ending was not that bad.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo
3/5 stars
Another dystopian world I liked. Again I was surprised to read about a girl expressing attraction to another girl. I do not read about lgbt much in novels. It is more a choice. I am okay with it but some part of me is also not entirely comfortable with the idea still. The rest of the story was good.
A Pocket Full Of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi
3/5 stars
I was intrigued by such a dark world. The story flowed well and I was dying to know what would happen to Wang Jun and what was inside the cube. It ended most unexpectedly.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon
2.5/5 stars
I think Cindy Pon is the only writer I did recognize but I have not read any of her books. I love the idea of a bad boy and the world where the rich wear fish bowls and air conditioned suits because the air has become so polluted.
I wished the story had more time to develop so I could find out more about what the MC wanted. His mannerisms and characteristics were very typical of a young teenage guy. Like admiring a girl's breasts. I will admit I had a fear that Stockholm Sydrome would develop between captive and kidnapper. It honestly seemed to be happening but in the end, it did not.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna
3/5 stars
I liked the world building but the plot felt too straight forward. Death and lies is not but the flow and characters just felt that way.
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin
2/5 stars
This had a sci-fi feel. It seemed interesting. But the MC was odd. The world and the people of Eleven Soro were strange. The idea that technology is considered magic is simple minded. I agreed with some of the MC's musings and the people of Eleven Soro do have good morels. But I do not agree with all of it. The blatant mentions of sex further enhance this wild culture and world. I am glad that the people are not animals but they live lives not everyone can understand.
Overall I was happy to see so many characters of mixed or different enthnicities. Many stories were based in china or off it. That was different. The same sex relationships and romance further enhance the diversity. I liked that romance is not a fore front of these stories like most YA. The worlds and lessons of the stories are what is focused upon. I love why the editors did this anthology. It introduced many authors but was not the best writing. There was a great idea behind it but not everyone will like this.