emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
3.0
What I Didn't Like
Honestly, I think any anthology can be difficult to get that into. Short stories make it hard to deeply bond with a character or find oneself deeply wound within a post-apocalyptic world. Each chapter was a brand new premise written by a different author and featuring entirely different characters.
Some short stories weren't that great. Part of it may have been my own personal preference. I don't care for extreme science fiction or alien stories, so I tended to dislike the short stories in this anthology that were about those topics.
"Hw th’Irth Wint Wrong by Hapless Joey @ homeskool.guv" by Gregory Maguire was one of those that I could hardly get through at all. The horrific spelling and grammar made sense, but it was so dense that I could hardly trudge through. "The Great Game at the End of the World" by Matthew Kressel and "Visiting Nelson" by Katherine Langrish were my two other least favorites.
Another thing that bothered me was the content of some of these stories. A few were sexual in nature and contained explicit language. I'm not sure how every short story in this collection could be labeled Young Adult.
What I Did Like
My favorite short stories in the anthology were: "The Segment" by Genevieve Valentine, "Rust With Wings" by Steven Gould, "Reunion" by Susan Beth Pfeffer, "All I Know of Freedom" by Carol Emshwiller, and "After the Cure" by Carrie Ryan.
After finishing a few of these, I longed for the author to go ahead and write an entire novel set in these worlds. There were some real dystopian gems in this anthology.
Overall
I learned quite a bit about the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres from these excellent writers. Some stories I didn't like at all; others left me breathless and on the edge of my seat.
Honestly, I think any anthology can be difficult to get that into. Short stories make it hard to deeply bond with a character or find oneself deeply wound within a post-apocalyptic world. Each chapter was a brand new premise written by a different author and featuring entirely different characters.
Some short stories weren't that great. Part of it may have been my own personal preference. I don't care for extreme science fiction or alien stories, so I tended to dislike the short stories in this anthology that were about those topics.
"Hw th’Irth Wint Wrong by Hapless Joey @ homeskool.guv" by Gregory Maguire was one of those that I could hardly get through at all. The horrific spelling and grammar made sense, but it was so dense that I could hardly trudge through. "The Great Game at the End of the World" by Matthew Kressel and "Visiting Nelson" by Katherine Langrish were my two other least favorites.
Another thing that bothered me was the content of some of these stories. A few were sexual in nature and contained explicit language. I'm not sure how every short story in this collection could be labeled Young Adult.
What I Did Like
My favorite short stories in the anthology were: "The Segment" by Genevieve Valentine, "Rust With Wings" by Steven Gould, "Reunion" by Susan Beth Pfeffer, "All I Know of Freedom" by Carol Emshwiller, and "After the Cure" by Carrie Ryan.
After finishing a few of these, I longed for the author to go ahead and write an entire novel set in these worlds. There were some real dystopian gems in this anthology.
Overall
I learned quite a bit about the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres from these excellent writers. Some stories I didn't like at all; others left me breathless and on the edge of my seat.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Short story collections and anthologies are always a mixed bag for me. Not only do I struggle with my own personal hang-ups when it comes to the short story format itself, you pretty much know going in to any anthology there will be hits and there will be misses. If you're lucky, a few will emerge as outstanding pieces of awesomeness, and I'm thankful to report I experienced that here.
Two things attracted me to this collection: 1) Ellen Datlow (editor extraordinaire) and 2) you had me at dystopia. I'm addicted to tales of dark and dangerous futures comprised of post-apocalyptic landscapes, where human survival is not a given, and the long and suffocating reach of a rigidly controlled society is profoundly felt.
I admit that these days we've gotten pretty footloose and fancy-free when it comes to our definition of dystopia. I'm not a purist by any means, but there are elements I expect to see (or not as it were) if I'm going to consider a story full-on dystopian. Much of it has to do with how well the society and its rules are conceived. Dystopia (just like the devil) is in the details. But we are talking about a spectrum. And there are an infinite number of spaces on that spectrum where a story can fall. The joy comes with the discovery of just how much variety and interpretation can be applied to a genre, how much can any one writer push the boundaries past what we've come to know and expect.
For whatever the reasons (and pundits and academics will argue the causes til they run out of oxygen), YA publishing is in the throes of a passionate obsession with dystopian tales and end-of-the-world scenarios. Readers are responding in kind, feeding the monster. And I couldn't be happier about that. The more authors, new and established, are encouraged to play around in the dystopia sandbox, the better off the genre will be. Push it to its limits, see what it can do, uncover all it has to teach us and the infinite number of ways it has to thrill and chill.
The short stories comprising this anthology (like every other anthology I've ever read) are not equally strong. There are definite misses where either the idea is confused or fumbled altogether, the characters underdeveloped, the prose weak. But I don't want to focus on the negative here, because there are also some outstanding pieces of writing not to be missed.
After the Cure, Carrie Ryan: You may already know Ryan from her Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy (which I highly recommend checking out). Here, Ryan tells the story of a young girl who is a recovering blood-sucking predator of humankind. In a new post-apocalyptic world of survivors, she has been cured. But it has left her lonely and longing for something more. No longer quite human, but no longer able to run with her pack, she seeks out the company of a young man with a tragic past. The writing here is beautiful, the mood melancholy.
The Great Game at the End of the World, Matthew Kressel: This one has such a weird and dreamlike quality to it, with an unsettling underbelly vibe that I can't quite call sinister, but feels like something Lovecraft could have written. A brother and his younger sister are the sole survivors of a mysterious, unknowable, cataclysmic "event". The siblings are forced to adapt to their new environment. All I can say is that it's a strange and wonderful piece.
Reunion, Susan Beth Pfeffer: Pfeffer is a prolific and bestselling YA author. This story is dark and damaged in so many ways, with a nice twist at the end. There aren't a lot of details about the society, but what we do get is reminiscent of Nazi Germany or Communist Russia. A mother and daughter proceed to interview young girls in the hope of finding their child / sister who was stolen from them years before. They recount their ordeal to her, how they had to submit themselves to the murderous whims of savage soldiers in order to find out her fate. This one is so tightly plotted, it had me sitting on the edge of my seat.
Rust With Wings, Steven Gould: I loved this one because it is such good ol' fashioned, high octane fun of action and peril. It has its roots firmly planted in the 1950's sci-fi tradition of "bugs gone wild".
The Marker, Cecil Castellucci: Interesting idea satisfyingly realized. Trust me, that's all you need to know.
Before I wrap this up, I do want to mention "Faint Heart" by Sarah Rees Brennan because it is the only one that reads like the beginning of a novel, rather than a short story. The cliffhanger ending left me screaming "Nooooo!" because I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next. It is a "deadly games" premise where certain males are forced to compete to the death in The Trials. The sole survivor wins the hand of the "queen" - a genetically cloned model of perfection. I was just really getting into the story and warming up to the characters when it was over. This aggravated me more than pleased me.
This anthology is a rich grab bag, so don't be shy about diving in because you're sure to find something to suit your tastes. Just for the sheer variety of the stories -- I never knew what to expect next -- and the overall quality of the writing, I am highly recommending you check it out!
samiism's review against another edition
2.0
The only thing I liked was After the Cure by Carrie Ryan. Everything else was meh.
melanieapril's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories is unusual in that I read halfway through the book before I hit a story I did not like. The early ones are all great! The book also makes for excellent bedtime reading, since each story is just the right length to finish before falling asleep.
catebethh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
caelumsthelimit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
misssusan's review against another edition
3.0
I've been sitting on this review for a couple of days because I couldn't bring myself to muster up the degree of effort it would take to say something about nineteen separate stories. :/ Frankly I've read fewer short story collections this year than I typically do because of that. I have thus decided there's absolutely no reason why I should have to review it that way! So the collection as a whole: quite strong! I like the diversity of the protagonists in terms of sexual orientation, I was less impressed on its approach to race. :/ Also on how every single story in this collection is set in the US or its' counterpart, like I know that's pretty standard for these types of YA collections but I've been reading a lot of really excellent properly diverse YA short stories online so that isn't quite cutting it for me anymore.
But back to the positive! I did actually quite like this collection after all. :) I liked how media manipulation ended up as an (un/intentional?) theme in this collection, I feel like fostering a healthy distrust of media narratives in teenagers is a noble goal indeed. :) Plus a very plausible element of any dystopia so. My favourite stories of the collection were After the Cure by Genevieve Valentine (television lies in various and terrible ways, felt like the kind of thing Suzanne Collins was aiming to show in Mockingjay), Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan (perfect post-apocalyptic fairytale!), Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer (exactly as harsh and cruel as you'd expect characters who'd survived a brutal regime to be and the ending packed a nice punch) and Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin (I adored the protagonist and found the world interesting; I was very pleased to learn she's considering returning to it in a YA novel). There were a couple of stories here based on authors' pre-existing novels, I found they tended to be a little weaker than the rest. For example, Garth Nix's 'You Won't Feel A Thing' had interesting worldbuilding but I'm 90% certain I would've gotten more out of it if I'd read Shade's Children. It felt like the kind of world that needed a book even before I saw the note on the end explaining the connection. 3.5 stars
But back to the positive! I did actually quite like this collection after all. :) I liked how media manipulation ended up as an (un/intentional?) theme in this collection, I feel like fostering a healthy distrust of media narratives in teenagers is a noble goal indeed. :) Plus a very plausible element of any dystopia so. My favourite stories of the collection were After the Cure by Genevieve Valentine (television lies in various and terrible ways, felt like the kind of thing Suzanne Collins was aiming to show in Mockingjay), Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan (perfect post-apocalyptic fairytale!), Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer (exactly as harsh and cruel as you'd expect characters who'd survived a brutal regime to be and the ending packed a nice punch) and Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin (I adored the protagonist and found the world interesting; I was very pleased to learn she's considering returning to it in a YA novel). There were a couple of stories here based on authors' pre-existing novels, I found they tended to be a little weaker than the rest. For example, Garth Nix's 'You Won't Feel A Thing' had interesting worldbuilding but I'm 90% certain I would've gotten more out of it if I'd read Shade's Children. It felt like the kind of world that needed a book even before I saw the note on the end explaining the connection. 3.5 stars
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
3.0
The Segment by Genevieve Valentine ~ 4 stars
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan ~ 5 stars
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisin ~ 4 stars
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish ~ 4 stars
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller ~ 3 stars
The Other Elder by Beth Revis ~ 4 stars
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel ~ 3 stars
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer ~ 2 stars
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford ~ 1 star
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes ~ 3 stars
How th'Irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire ~ 3 stars
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould ~ 4 stars
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 5 stars
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkins ~ 3 stars
Gray by Jane Yolen ~ 1 star
Before by Carolyn Dunn ~ 3 stars
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan ~ 4 stars
You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix ~ 4 stars
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci ~ 4 stars
After the Cure by Carrie Ryan ~ 5 stars
Valedictorian by N.K. Jemisin ~ 4 stars
Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish ~ 4 stars
All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller ~ 3 stars
The Other Elder by Beth Revis ~ 4 stars
The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel ~ 3 stars
Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer ~ 2 stars
Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford ~ 1 star
Reality Girl by Richard Bowes ~ 3 stars
How th'Irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire ~ 3 stars
Rust with Wings by Steven Gould ~ 4 stars
Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 5 stars
The Easthound by Nalo Hopkins ~ 3 stars
Gray by Jane Yolen ~ 1 star
Before by Carolyn Dunn ~ 3 stars
Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan ~ 4 stars
You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix ~ 4 stars
The Marker by Cecil Castellucci ~ 4 stars
howattp's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this was a good collection of short stories. As to be expected, there are some which are much better than others, though this is a good intro to the dystopic and post-apocalyptic genres, particularly taking into account the editors' forward and afterward.
thenerdjournals's review against another edition
4.0
I don't normally read anthologies for a few different reasons. It's always such an eclectic mix of good, bad, meh and confusion. I always end up skipping parts. I never know how to rate and review these things properly. But this is a DYSTOPIAN(!!) anthology and it came highly recommended to me from a friend who lent it to me (thanks, Liz). So I read it. And I enjoyed it. Mostly.
My favorite stories in this book were The Segment by Genevieve Valentine (corporate created news media), Rust With Wings (metal eating bugs) by Steven Gould and Faint Heart (warrior Queen Roz) by Sarah Rees Brennan. These three stories made me wish they were full books and not just short stories, especially Faint Heart. I feel like Faint Heart ended, while giving closure to the short story, is just getting started in Faint Heart: THE BOOK.
There were three stories that I skipped entirely because they didn't interest me or I didn't like how they were written. I won't call out which stories I didn't like but if you feel the same way about them that I did, you will skip them, too.
Lastly I would like to mention the single poem, Gray by Jane Yolen, that was included in this anthology. I don't like poems but more than that, it certainly didn't feel like it belonged in this book. I read it, thought I missed something so I read it again. I didn't miss anything, it was just sort of pointless in comparison to the rest of the book. It should have been included in a book of poetry instead.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in dyslit, but don't expect to like everything this book has to offer.
My favorite stories in this book were The Segment by Genevieve Valentine (corporate created news media), Rust With Wings (metal eating bugs) by Steven Gould and Faint Heart (warrior Queen Roz) by Sarah Rees Brennan. These three stories made me wish they were full books and not just short stories, especially Faint Heart. I feel like Faint Heart ended, while giving closure to the short story, is just getting started in Faint Heart: THE BOOK.
There were three stories that I skipped entirely because they didn't interest me or I didn't like how they were written. I won't call out which stories I didn't like but if you feel the same way about them that I did, you will skip them, too.
Lastly I would like to mention the single poem, Gray by Jane Yolen, that was included in this anthology. I don't like poems but more than that, it certainly didn't feel like it belonged in this book. I read it, thought I missed something so I read it again. I didn't miss anything, it was just sort of pointless in comparison to the rest of the book. It should have been included in a book of poetry instead.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in dyslit, but don't expect to like everything this book has to offer.