Scan barcode
A review by emmazucati
Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories by Hugh Howey
3.0
I can't decide between 3 and 4 stars but I think I'm gonna have to bring it down to 3. Some of these just did not age well. I understood when they were written and the reflection of that was there, but that doesn't make them interesting to me now. My other big issue was that reading this many stories after reading the Silo trilogy, it's clear Howey can only write two women: super gritty or super helpless and pathetic. I guess also helpless->gritty but that doesn't really count as a third type of woman. It's just a bit tired to read, especially when the men are so interesting. Also, was there a single woman that didn't have a weird daddy issue or secret/stressful unhealthy relationship with a man (or both!)? The answer is no and that's obnoxious.
That being said, the stories were really interesting. I'm still thinking about them weeks later. I was impressed with how quickly and well alien species and situations were set up to take away something interesting from such a short story.
I can't say I'm in love with the Silo ones, specifically because of the last one. Not because of the ending, but the improbability of it all. I felt like Howey did such a good job with realistic people acting in a realistic way in the crazy Silo situation that to get someone physically from Point A to Point B improbably with a single sentence of "they traveled for months" to wrap everything up pretty at the end was just kinda frustrating.
That being said, the stories were really interesting. I'm still thinking about them weeks later. I was impressed with how quickly and well alien species and situations were set up to take away something interesting from such a short story.
I can't say I'm in love with the Silo ones, specifically because of the last one. Not because of the ending, but the improbability of it all. I felt like Howey did such a good job with realistic people acting in a realistic way in the crazy Silo situation that to get someone physically from Point A to Point B improbably with a single sentence of "they traveled for months" to wrap everything up pretty at the end was just kinda frustrating.