crystal_e_fall's review against another edition
3.0
A mixed bag - enjoyed some stories, others not as much. A lot of them felt incomplete? Standouts for me though were Walidah Imarisha's Black angel, Tara Bett's Runaway blackout, Vagabond's Kafka's last laugh and the two non-fiction essays at the end by Mumia Abu-Jamal and Tananarive Due.
ouroredux's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
ddescamps's review against another edition
3.0
**3.5. As with most books comprised of short stories, there were some I loved and some I really did not enjoy. I took it down from a 4 to a 3.5 because I felt like even the stories I loved were too short and often felt incomplete, leaving me wanting more.
mrsbluejay's review against another edition
5.0
Stories I liked best: the river - adrienne maree brown, The Long Memory - Morrigan Philipps, In Spite of Darkness - Alixa Garcia, Hollow - Mia Mingus, Sanford and Sun - Dawolu Jaban Anderson.
At the moment, this is probably the most exciting collection of short stories I've ever read. The quality of writing is varying, however I felt like the importance of being chosen to contribute to this collection really shines through. There's just so much passion to all of them.
It's also really striking how speculative fiction about social change and radical political and sociological ideas comes in so many different shapes and sizes. It's a super positive contrast to non-fiction books about the same themes that are oftentimes very homogenous and therefore inherently uninspiring.
At the moment, this is probably the most exciting collection of short stories I've ever read. The quality of writing is varying, however I felt like the importance of being chosen to contribute to this collection really shines through. There's just so much passion to all of them.
It's also really striking how speculative fiction about social change and radical political and sociological ideas comes in so many different shapes and sizes. It's a super positive contrast to non-fiction books about the same themes that are oftentimes very homogenous and therefore inherently uninspiring.
cblueweaver's review against another edition
3.0
A far-seeing and deeply-felt speculative fiction collection organized around the work and legacy of Octavia Butler. A wide range in terms of quality, but that's okay because the book works as a beacon of inspiration for organizers, activists, and writers.
piggejl's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
andprevatte's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
binaverklempt's review against another edition
5.0
one of my favourite collections of short stories all of which are exactly my kind of writing: speculative fiction that grounds imagination in material reality with the anchor of radical politics. Octavia Butler’s sharp-as-obsidian analysis shines brightly as an influence throughout all of these short stories (some better than others imo), making the book well worth a read from cover to cover. let it stimulate your imagination of a better world and inspire you to fight for it<3
knicke's review against another edition
Struggled to get into this despite being so compelled by the book, conceptually.