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amsswim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So I started this book thinking the short story the movie Arrival was based on was in this book, turns out it is in a different book lol. THat being said I still love all science fiction and these short stories were so good. If you're a fan of science fiction that touches on new tech in our modern world and the moral implications, this is for you.
My favorite stories were: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, Exhalation, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, and The Truth of Fact the Truth of Feeling.
My favorite stories were: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, Exhalation, The Lifecycle of Software Objects, and The Truth of Fact the Truth of Feeling.
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, and Car accident
cassimiranda's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
~The past has left its traces on the world, and we only have to know how to read them.~
This collection of short stories explores intelligence, agency, and self-determination. Each story explores these questions in a unique hard science fiction settings. The worlds are interesting and well-developed and the themes are intriguing. My favorite story, The Great Silence, explores human’s inability to recognize intelligent, if dissimilar, communication from close to home. While thought-provoking and imaginative, the prose style is distancing. This made it difficult to connect with the characters, and reduced my overall enjoyment.
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
Extinction and apocalyptic events in multiple stories. Dissection, though with visuals of machinery rather than flesh ("Exhalation"). Mentions of bestiality, discussion of sentient sex dolls, cruelty to and dehumanization of AIs/robots, emotional infidelity ("The Lifecycle of Software Objects"). Mentions of natural disasters, manipulation/extortion ("Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom").
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