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trike's review against another edition
3.0
This collection contains one of my favorite short stories ever, “A Proper Santa Claus”. It’s not a feel-good story, but rather one about trying to be your own self even when no one else gets you or your art.
I don’t clearly recall some of the other stories, but a few stand out, such as the Pern short “The Smallest Dragonboy”
I don’t clearly recall some of the other stories, but a few stand out, such as the Pern short “The Smallest Dragonboy”
mal_eficent's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I didn't get along with most of the stories in this collection that were set in a the early future/time of writing (I like McCaffrey's fantastical worlds far more than the almost real ones) it included a short Pern story about a boy Impressing a dragon and a sequel to The Ship Who Sang so I'm considering this a win on the whole.
A lot of these were romance stories, so be warned if you're not a fan of the way McCaffrey writes relationships – gay or straight, as one story (Changeling) is about a woman being a surrogate for a gay man who's the centre of her polyamorous relationship.
I especially enjoyed the little blurbs she provided that explained each one's provenance – getting a little bit of author insight is always interesting, and it's much harder to find those tidbits now a lot of older forums have closed down.
A lot of these were romance stories, so be warned if you're not a fan of the way McCaffrey writes relationships – gay or straight, as one story (Changeling) is about a woman being a surrogate for a gay man who's the centre of her polyamorous relationship.
I especially enjoyed the little blurbs she provided that explained each one's provenance – getting a little bit of author insight is always interesting, and it's much harder to find those tidbits now a lot of older forums have closed down.
vermidian's review against another edition
1.0
This book is terrible. TERRIBLE. You may not think so - maybe nostalgia for her books has clouded your mind - but these stories are boring, offensive, and frankly have characters in them that seem incomplete and wooden. Dear God, save yourself. I got to page 120 and stopped. I don't know what the next story was about, but it was boring me to death.
Allow me to display the thing that I read that bothered me the most. "How could she have blundered around so, looking for a mind that was superior to her, completely overlooking the fact that a woman's most important function in life begins with physical domination?" Page 57. That's a direct quote. There's also another story three stories later about surrogate mothers for gay people and it essentially implies they're all repressing the urge to have a relationship with a woman and have a child with them, since that's their true masculine need.
Other than those two, the stories were not overly terrible. Sure, the characters were a little one dimensional for each, but they could have been worse. (See above.) The story about the little girl from the farming family was decent enough, but it bothered me that she had no female peers aside from her mother, who was repressed and content to quietly pull strings from behind the scenes. And the story about the Rowan, which was changed into a full novel from what I understand, is simply referred to as "The Rowan" the entire story. Why that is is never explained. Why didn't they just call the woman Rowan and leave off the article?
Allow me to display the thing that I read that bothered me the most. "How could she have blundered around so, looking for a mind that was superior to her, completely overlooking the fact that a woman's most important function in life begins with physical domination?" Page 57. That's a direct quote. There's also another story three stories later about surrogate mothers for gay people and it essentially implies they're all repressing the urge to have a relationship with a woman and have a child with them, since that's their true masculine need.
Other than those two, the stories were not overly terrible. Sure, the characters were a little one dimensional for each, but they could have been worse. (See above.) The story about the little girl from the farming family was decent enough, but it bothered me that she had no female peers aside from her mother, who was repressed and content to quietly pull strings from behind the scenes. And the story about the Rowan, which was changed into a full novel from what I understand, is simply referred to as "The Rowan" the entire story. Why that is is never explained. Why didn't they just call the woman Rowan and leave off the article?
jovvijo's review against another edition
4.0
Oooh, I all but cut my baby teeth on this book!
I totally loved it as it gave me little nibbles into the different types of books A.M. writes, like little samples for me to decide what I might like and what I certainly wouldn't!
(And one or two where I was just like, "Whaaaa'?")
The great canine chorus was my favourite!
Yours?
I totally loved it as it gave me little nibbles into the different types of books A.M. writes, like little samples for me to decide what I might like and what I certainly wouldn't!
(And one or two where I was just like, "Whaaaa'?")
The great canine chorus was my favourite!
Yours?
una_10bananas's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amalyndb's review against another edition
3.0
A selection of assorted short story, one of Pern included in the mix. A few (Dull Drums comes to mind) felt incomplete, but they were interesting to read, especially as I have not read her other series.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with assessing short story collections is one of averages. I quite enjoyed some of the stories in here, though they're clearly a product of their time. Taken together, it's come out as an ok collection for me. Glad to have read it, but I wouldn't reread.
Bar the utterly distasteful "Thorns" which relies on the ever-offensive "rape as turn-on" trope, it's the stories that seem to have spun off into series that got the most reaction from me. In two cases (Pern and the Tower series) this was positive. The final story, though, "Honeymoon", which ended up in the Brainship series, was pretty dire. Oddly, I remember reading that series when I was young and enjoyed it, so either my tastes have changed or "Honeymoon" was a low point.
Bar the utterly distasteful "Thorns" which relies on the ever-offensive "rape as turn-on" trope, it's the stories that seem to have spun off into series that got the most reaction from me. In two cases (Pern and the Tower series) this was positive. The final story, though, "Honeymoon", which ended up in the Brainship series, was pretty dire. Oddly, I remember reading that series when I was young and enjoyed it, so either my tastes have changed or "Honeymoon" was a low point.
spectacledbear's review against another edition
5.0
A collection of short stories - some in McCaffrey's existing universes such as Pern, some in original universes. The common theme is that of not fitting in. Well written, as always, and an easy and enjoyable read.
bookcrazylady45's review against another edition
4.0
Anthologies are a strange bird and not all stories are winners but every one of the stories in this one was a gem. The Smallest Dragonboy, Helva's Honeymoon with Niall. Damia story was good. I did wish for a third story in the Farm Complex story Daughter and Dull Drums. Really a treasure this book.
pussreboots's review against another edition
2.0
In an effort to clear my shelves I am "forcing" myself to read books I've had for just about forever. Take for instance Get off the Unicorn, I think I've had this copy for 20 years! That would have made me 13 or 14 when I bought it — right at the peek of my love for Anne McCaffrey's books. I should have read it back then; I would have enjoyed it more.
This book contains a dozen short stories, many of which exist in the worlds of her various series. Of her series I've mostly read the Pern books so most of the stories in this book didn't grab my attention on familiarity nor did they keep me interested enough to want to seek out their series.
Collectively they seem to center on ideas of gender, age and the burden of power. There are only so many times I can stand to read about how hard it is to be a girl, or how hard it is to make grownups listen, or how hard it is to control one's psychic power, or how hard it is to be the youngest (or smallest), etc. If I were still an angsty teenager this book would probably speak more to me than it does now.
This book contains a dozen short stories, many of which exist in the worlds of her various series. Of her series I've mostly read the Pern books so most of the stories in this book didn't grab my attention on familiarity nor did they keep me interested enough to want to seek out their series.
Collectively they seem to center on ideas of gender, age and the burden of power. There are only so many times I can stand to read about how hard it is to be a girl, or how hard it is to make grownups listen, or how hard it is to control one's psychic power, or how hard it is to be the youngest (or smallest), etc. If I were still an angsty teenager this book would probably speak more to me than it does now.