Reviews

Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories by Alexis Lantgen

mayade's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.5

__apf__'s review

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5.0

I devoured this book in one long read, hopping from sidewalk to bus to barstool with my book in hand. Sapience tells fascinating stories of space pioneers and their predecessors. Some stories bring you to pleasant worlds; others are darkly dystopian. They’re connected by themes of defiance and survival: resisting dystopian overlords, fighting against inhospitable worlds, and struggling with society’s expectations. Most stories are hopeful, even if they are set in a hopeless world.

I’ve grown to really love the short story format for space adventures. Short stories are long enough to connect the reader with an interesting character in an interesting world, but then the story ends so that you can move on to the next character and the next world. In Sapience, most of the stories are loosely connected — they are in the same universe, but in different points in time — so you see many glimpses into this strange future.

nairforceone's review

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5.0

Sapience is a fantastic set of science fiction short stories that harken back to Golden Age sci-fi with a dash of modern sensibilities. The stories are all at once intriguing, beautiful and powerful. A must read for any sci-fi fan who misses the elegant wonder and desolation captured by Ray Bradbury.

jerowney's review

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5.0

Sci-fi that will yank at your heartstrings

There’s something deeply emotional and moving about the way that Lantgen writes. Although the genre is sci-fi, the stories in this collection are sensitively created and deal with intensely human issues. I could have read an entire book about Gwydion, Danu and Dr Mathis. In fact my only complaint is that there isn’t more! Seriously, it’s a great quick read with stories that are unique and very enjoyable. I couldn’t put it down.
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