mojostdennis's review against another edition
4.0
read harder challenge 2021: read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color
52 book club challenge 2021: read a book that shares a similar title to another book
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Hit or miss, like all short story anthologies. Mostly hit.
52 book club challenge 2021: read a book that shares a similar title to another book
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Hit or miss, like all short story anthologies. Mostly hit.
mirrormir's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
kimu's review against another edition
3.0
I had not read any previous entries in this series of anthologies, nor was I familiar with the work of the series editor or the editor for this specific year. I picked this volume up because I wanted to read *The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington* by P. Djélí Clark, and I was happy to discover that I enjoyed many of the other stories as well. This collection feels very much like the modern face of science fiction and fantasy, but I also felt it very much missed the mark by a rather substantial diversion into what seemed to me to be much more horror rather than either science fiction or fantasy. Although genre lines can be blurry, the division seemed fairly clear for several of the selected stories. Also, possibly an artifact of the Kindle version: the organization of the stories was terrible, with no clear division between the science fiction and fantasy stories - a division that is much clearer on the website for the book. The standout stories for me personally, besides *The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington* were *The Storyteller's Replacement* by N.K. Jemisin, *The Kite Maker* by Brenda Peynado, and *Nine Last Days on Planet Earth* by Daryl Gregory. My favorite story from the anthology was *When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis* by Annalee Newitz, which was so near-future as to be almost plausible today. I appreciated that the author of each included story had the opportunity to provide a brief overview of what they intended or were thinking when writing the story - reading these at the end provided some interesting insights in several cases. Overall, while I'm glad that I read several of the stories in this collection, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if you don't enjoy horror.
jessthanthree's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, and Death
hoatzin's review against another edition
I guess I succedded in reading more short stories this year, since I'd already read 4 of these stories.
Favorites: Through the Flash (already read but loved it again the 2nd time) Nine Last Days on Planet Earth (made my little scientist heart happy) Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie, Skinned
Less liked: Hard Mary, Pitcher Plant, STET
Many of the stories edged the boundaries between SFF and mainstream fiction which I was fine with but might not be enjoyable for others.
Favorites: Through the Flash (already read but loved it again the 2nd time) Nine Last Days on Planet Earth (made my little scientist heart happy) Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie, Skinned
Less liked: Hard Mary, Pitcher Plant, STET
Many of the stories edged the boundaries between SFF and mainstream fiction which I was fine with but might not be enjoyable for others.
deborama's review against another edition
3.0
Read two stories had to return the book. The Storyteller's Replacement by N. K. Jemisin, and On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog, by Adam Shannon.
vshah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
esoken's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
inamerata's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
An eclectic collection of short stories exploring a variety of settings, themes, and formats. Most pieces are vaguely contemporary and lead toward speculative fiction, and even when they deal with darker topics, they avoid wallowing, and it makes for an engaging read. The length is just right -- either cutting right to the good stuff, or else I'm not spending too much time dragging through something that wasn't for me. I found some great new authors and each story includes brief commentary, as well, which is always a plus.
My favorites were When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis, On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog, The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington, Poor Unfortunate Fools, Variations on a Theme from Turandot, and Pitcher Plant.
My favorites were When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis, On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog, The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington, Poor Unfortunate Fools, Variations on a Theme from Turandot, and Pitcher Plant.
specificwonderland's review
4.0
I skipped around in this anthology approved and stitched together by Carmen Maria Machado. Most of the pieces were great, so I'm glad I picked this up.
Read harder 2021: sff anthology edited by a POC
Read harder 2021: sff anthology edited by a POC