dorhastings's review
4.0
So at some point last year, I visited my friend Carrie in San Fran and we visited an indie bookstore, because that's what we do. I wasn't going to buy anything. I picked this up and showed it to my friend, who skimmed the authors and recommended it. After reading hundreds of student papers, I both needed a break but also needed to read something worthwhile. Short stories sounded like a good plan, and I wasn't disappointed. Almost every author was new to me. The following were the ones that really struck me and make me want to read more about those authors. They are equal parts fantasy and science fiction, which is delightful, and I found myself not favoring one over the other.
-Carmen Maria Machado, "Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead"
-Alaya Dawn Johnson, "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i"; I would feel odd not having it on this list, and I'm not entirely sure why. Might be the main character?
-Seanan McGuire, "Each to Each"; quite fantastic
-Theodora Goss, "Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology"; alarming, but not really for the concept of imaginary anthropology, which is bizarre, I suppose.
-Jo Walton, "Sleeper"; this particular reading was fascinating
-Neil Gaiman, "How the Marquis Got His Coat Back"; a spinoff from Neverwhere
-Adam-Troy Castro, "The Thing About Shapes to Come; bizarre and delightful
-Daniel H. Wilson, "The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever"; Wilson also wrote Robopocalypse, which I don't remember liking all that much; this was my FAVORITE story in the whole book. I needed a break afterward.
-Kelly Sandoval, "The One They Took Before"; an interesting little read post-fey abduction (post-fey? current fey?)
-A. Merc Rustad, "How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps"; feels a bit alternative in terms of all the lists and suchlike; it's a good ending to the series.
Yes, there were a handful of stories in the book I didn't like. Par for the course.
-Carmen Maria Machado, "Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead"
-Alaya Dawn Johnson, "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i"; I would feel odd not having it on this list, and I'm not entirely sure why. Might be the main character?
-Seanan McGuire, "Each to Each"; quite fantastic
-Theodora Goss, "Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology"; alarming, but not really for the concept of imaginary anthropology, which is bizarre, I suppose.
-Jo Walton, "Sleeper"; this particular reading was fascinating
-Neil Gaiman, "How the Marquis Got His Coat Back"; a spinoff from Neverwhere
-Adam-Troy Castro, "The Thing About Shapes to Come; bizarre and delightful
-Daniel H. Wilson, "The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever"; Wilson also wrote Robopocalypse, which I don't remember liking all that much; this was my FAVORITE story in the whole book. I needed a break afterward.
-Kelly Sandoval, "The One They Took Before"; an interesting little read post-fey abduction (post-fey? current fey?)
-A. Merc Rustad, "How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps"; feels a bit alternative in terms of all the lists and suchlike; it's a good ending to the series.
Yes, there were a handful of stories in the book I didn't like. Par for the course.
dryhop's review
4.0
Some startlingly good stories in this collection. I particularly enjoyed Skullpocket. That was an imaginative world.
I was and am slightly baffled by The Thing About Shapes To Come, but I definitely enjoyed it.
I really wanted Neil Gaiman's contribution to be amazing. Sadly, it was just ok.
All in all, I found this to be a great little collection of stories.
I was and am slightly baffled by The Thing About Shapes To Come, but I definitely enjoyed it.
I really wanted Neil Gaiman's contribution to be amazing. Sadly, it was just ok.
All in all, I found this to be a great little collection of stories.
tashaw's review
5.0
This collection is GOLD. Some of my particular favorites were by Cat Rambo, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Seanan McGuire, Daniel H. Wilson, and the always incomparable Neil Gaiman.
bhavik's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
This was such an interesting collection of stories. Some took me a while to get through, while others were captivating. My favorites were:
- Cimmeria, from the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology
- The Thing About Shapes To Come
- Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead
- How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps
- The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever
- HM: Skullpocket
jhstack's review against another edition
4.0
Not usually one for short fiction anthologies, but there's plenty of intriguing premises and up-and-coming diverse authors in this collection!
cmd_prompt's review
4.0
My favorite stories were The Thing About Shapes to Come by Adam-Troy Castro, The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever by Daniel H. Wilson, and How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (though that last was a re-read).
kate_kathleen's review
dark
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was the first in the Best of American Science Fiction and Fantasy in the series and what a treat! I picked this up while browsing the shelves at my public library which I haven't done in forever. There were names I knew and new authors for me to enjoy.