A review by unboxedjack
Learning to Hate Yourself as a Self-Defense Mechanism: And Other Stories by Andrea Kriz

challenging reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Learning to Hate Yourself as a Self-Defense Mechanism is an easily digestible and enjoyable collection of SFF and speculative fiction. Andrea Kriz does well tackling topics like AI, identity, art, xenophobia, and fascism without coming across as preachy or overbearing. The stories themselves vary in theme and structure, which gave a nice array of genres to engage in. Kriz's sci-fi seems to be her strongest amongst this collection, with her stories "Learning to Hate Yourself as a Self-Defense Mechanism", "There Are No Hot Topics on Whukai", and "Demonstration of a novel Draconification Protocol in a Human Subject" as some of my favorites. Her more fantastical works were enjoyable, but not as strong. The final few stories were more focused on time travel and its relation to the French Resistance of WW2. Though these were not as strong, I did enjoy "The Last Caricature of Jean Moulin" and its meditation on history, art, and legacy.

Overall this was a nice getaway of a short story collection to engage in for a Sunday afternoon. Kriz has some strong skills in world-building, especially within the confines of shorter fiction, yet gets caught in the weeds of trying to explain complex sci-fi or fantastical elements, taking the reader away from the story. A strong 3.5/5 stars from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
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