omnombailey 's review for:

Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder by Saundra Mitchell

3.5

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I've read the very first anthology (All Out) and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to see there was a sci-fi version. This was way more of a mixed bag in terms of story quality and how much each author embraced the sci-fi elements (there were a few that had me wondering if they had ever written sci-fi before bc it was so bare bones), but I mostly enjoyed it. What I liked the most about this collection was that it gave the creative freedom to queer writers to explore the futures and possibilities THEY wanted to write. Not every single story is wholesome and happy, nor should they be, and I really appreciated the variety. Besides, sci-fi imo is at its best when it reflects aspects of our current world and then dissected.

My rating is just an average of all the individual story ratings. Below are details of my thoughts on each short story.

Doublers (Alex London): 3

Really interesting worldbuilding. Liked the characters well enough, but the prose and POV was difficult to follow.

Aesthetically Hungry (Mato J Steger): 3.5

Loved the characters/plot/worldbuilding (I could've read a whole novel with this concept), but wow I did NOT like the prose at all. Way too simple and amateurish to the point of being distracting. Even so, I enjoyed reading this one more than the first one.

The Rift (Claire Kann): 4.5

Beautiful prose, equally compelling characters and worldbuilding, and fantastic from beginning to end. That said, it ended VERY abruptly and on a cliffhanger, which is fine but kinda gave me mental whiplash lol. Regardless, I couldn't put this one down.

Renaissance (Emma K Ohland): 5

Gorgeous and emotional from start to finish. Definitely one of my favorites, also made me tear up.

Like Sunshine, Like Concrete (Z R Ellor): 1.5

The worst one. I just could not be bothered to give a shit about the characters or the story. The prose felt odd at times too. Some of the queer sci-fi ideas were neat, but not well-executed. Just really disappointing, especially after really the previous short story.

Translating for the Machine (Nita Tyndall): 3

I was the most excited about this one, but ended up being disappointed. It was decent, but spent way too long info dumping the story's setup. By the time it finished the foundations, the story was essentially over and just ended on a weird cliffhanger. I did enjoy what WAS there. Just think it needed to marinate longer during edits, which is unfortunate.

Reshadow (Adam Sass): 3.5

The prose was stellar and flowed well, but I had so many mixed feelings about the main character. On one hand, he was petulant and insufferable, making it impossible for me to give a shit about him. But on the other hand, it's because of his personality that made the narrative work. But even then, I was a bit disappointed with the twist at the end.

The Department of Homegoing Affairs (Kalynn Bayron): 2

Super info dumpy and I was bored for most of it. Which is a massive shame bc the idea is awesome and very me, but the execution is very meh.

The Undeniable Price of Everything (Z Brewer): 4

Really haunting and fascinating, both with the worldbuilding and prose. Wish it was longer and I definitely would've read a whole novel with this concept.

Present: Tense (Jim McCarthy): 2.5

I am NOT the target audience for this story lol it was honestly fine, both with plot and prose, but I don't enjoy "coming out stories featuring deeply bigoted religious bullshit". The sci-fi aspects felt like very last minute additions, but were at least interesting.

Nick and Bodhi (Naomi Kanakia): 2.5

A bit too abrasive/obnoxious for me, but I appreciate the author's boldness to tackle this story. Sadly didn't feel like a coherent story and made it hard for me to wrap my head around what was actually going on plot-wise.

Crash Landing (Mason Deaver): 5

So sweet and witty! Immensely relatable and felt like a plot for an 80s sci-fi movie, but make it very queer. Also teared up over this one.

Beauty Sleep (Alechia Dow): 4

This concept is STELLAR, but I found the prose a bit too dense at times, which made it difficult to properly enjoy this. Still thoroughly enjoyed it—a lovely sci-fi spin on a fairytale.

Concerto (Adbi Nazemian): 5

Hands down one of the best short stories in this anthology. Give this author a raise.

Home (K Ancrum): 3.5

Took a while for me to get invested, but was really heartfelt. A bit hard to understand what was going on at first, but I enjoyed connecting the dots. Probably would enjoy it more with a reread.

Fractal Eyes (Ugochi M Agoawike): 4

Took a bit to adjust to what was going on, but I really enjoyed the story. Wish it was a novel and expanded more on this idea. Imagery was gorgeous.

Nobody Cares Who You Kiss at the End of the World (Leah Johnson): 3

For the final story, this was Just Okay. I don't know if it was because I wanted to wrap things up, but it felt very wordy and redundant. Also was annoyed that the "why" of the apocalypse was never remotely explained. Just felt like a remixed version of the straight rapture story from earlier, religious bullshit included. At least the characters were enjoyable.