sarah984's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
4.0
This is a sci-fi/fantasy anthology featuring LGBT+ Indigenous characters. I didn't realize at first that the publishing house is Canadian; it was interesting to see Canadian characters and locations feature in some of the stories. As with any anthology, the tones varied by quite a bit and I liked some of the stories more than others. However, the anthology overall has a hopeful tone and I enjoyed it.
My two favourite stories were Né łe! by Darcie Little Badger and The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds by Daniel Heath Justice.
My two favourite stories were Né łe! by Darcie Little Badger and The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds by Daniel Heath Justice.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Hate crime, Medical content, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Transphobia, Vomit, and Homophobia
spinesinaline's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A very enjoyable short story collection! Find my full review at spinesinaline.wordpress.com
Love Beyond is a collection of LGBTQ+ sci-fi stories written by Indigenous authors from a range of identities (not all identify as LGBTQ+ themselves but many do). I was excited to come across a number of names I recognized who I’ve been meaning to read (David A. Robertson, Cherie Dimaline, Darcie Little Badger to name a few).
I wouldn’t normally call myself a sci-fi fan, though at times I think I do enjoy it more than fantasy, but I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. It’s also one of the first short story collections that’s not been a mixed bag for me, where I’ve enjoyed each story even if I liked some better than others. The nice thing is that there’s variety in these stories for whatever your interest in the genre is. There are some that lean heavily into sci-fi with extensive technical descriptions (admittedly not my favourite), while others felt closer to literary fiction with sci-fi elements.
My favourites were in the collection were “Perfectly You” by David A. Robertson (about a VR experiment gone wrong), “Né łe!” by Darcie Little Badger (puppies in space! as wonderful as it sounds!), and “Aliens” by Richard Van Camp (which felt the least sci-fi-ish of the bunch). Some stories I loved, some I liked, some I feel I need to read a few more times to really grasp its meaning but a great collection all-around.
Love Beyond is a collection of LGBTQ+ sci-fi stories written by Indigenous authors from a range of identities (not all identify as LGBTQ+ themselves but many do). I was excited to come across a number of names I recognized who I’ve been meaning to read (David A. Robertson, Cherie Dimaline, Darcie Little Badger to name a few).
I wouldn’t normally call myself a sci-fi fan, though at times I think I do enjoy it more than fantasy, but I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. It’s also one of the first short story collections that’s not been a mixed bag for me, where I’ve enjoyed each story even if I liked some better than others. The nice thing is that there’s variety in these stories for whatever your interest in the genre is. There are some that lean heavily into sci-fi with extensive technical descriptions (admittedly not my favourite), while others felt closer to literary fiction with sci-fi elements.
My favourites were in the collection were “Perfectly You” by David A. Robertson (about a VR experiment gone wrong), “Né łe!” by Darcie Little Badger (puppies in space! as wonderful as it sounds!), and “Aliens” by Richard Van Camp (which felt the least sci-fi-ish of the bunch). Some stories I loved, some I liked, some I feel I need to read a few more times to really grasp its meaning but a great collection all-around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Death
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