Reviews

The Best of Uncanny, by Michael Damian Thomas, Lynne M. Thomas

bookaneer's review

4.0

I read 2/3 of the stories (skipped the poems, sorry, not my thing) and could already conclude that Uncanny has the knack of selecting bizarre and challenging stories from very diverse voices. Sometimes the endings were ambiguous too.

In the last three years, I was introduced to many favorite new authors, so, thank you!

Personal favorites from the 20+ stories I read:
Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies by Brooke Bolander
Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu
Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Wooden Feathers by Ursula Vernon
The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History by Sam J. Miller
The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight by E. Lily Yu
You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay by Alyssa Wong

laurelthebooks's review

I liked the short stories enough that I then hunted down the magazine and made sure I would get future issues. There are some phenomenal science fiction and fantasy stories in here, and I enjoyed the occasional poem as well.

8bitlapras's review

3.0

Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies by Brooke Bolander: 4/5
Blessings by Naomi Novik: 2/5
Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu: 3.5/5
Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad: 5/5
Catcall by Delilah S. Dawson: 2.5/5
Wooden Feathers by Ursula Vernon: 4/5
The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History by Sam J. Miller: 3/5
Ghost Champagne by Charlie Jane Anders: 2/5
Translatio Corporis by Kat Howard: 2/5
The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight by E. Lily Yu: 4/5
Monster Girls Don't Cry by A. Merc Rustad: 5/5
Midnight Hour by Mary Robinette Kowal: 5/5 (This is probably my favorite of the anthology; not a surprise as I tend to love anything the author writes)
Henosis by N.K. Jemisin: 3/5
Restore the Heart into Love by John Chu: 3.5/5
I Frequently Hear Music in the Very Heart of Noise by Sarah Pinsker: 1.5/5
You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay by Alyssa Wong: 2.5/5
She Still Loves the Dragon by Elizabeth Bear: 3/5
If You Were a Tiger, I'd Have to Wear White by Maria Dahvana Headley: 1.5/5
Sun, Moon Dust by Ursula Vernon: 4/5
Planet Lion by Catherynne M. Valente: 1.5/5
The Hydraulic Emperor by Arkady Martine: 3/5
Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. Szpara: 3/5
Auspicium Melioris Aevi by J.Y. Yang: 3/5
Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde: 2/5
An Ocean the Color of Bruises by Isabel Yap: 1.5/5
Those by Sofia Samatar: 1.5/5
Though She Be But Little by C.S.E. Cooney: 2/5
Children of Thorns, Children of Water by Aliette de Bodard: 1.5/5
My Body, Herself by Carmen Maria Machado: 2/5
Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands by Seanan McGuire: (Previously read) 4.5/5
The Words on My Skin by Caroline Y. Yoachim: 5/5
And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker: 3.5/5
Pockets by Amal El-Mohtar: 2/5

Notable poetry that I liked also:
Rose Child by Theodora Goss
The Persecution of Witches by Ali Trotta

Average rating: 2.94/5, rounded up to a 3/5. To be honest I'm really disappointed in this anthology. There were a few bangers but most stories were forgettable.

rubyhosh's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

arifel's review

5.0

Uncanny has been knocking out of the park in its first few years of existence, so it's no surprise that this Best Of collection is full of almost universally amazing stuff. It's testament to the strength of the stories that I reread almost every story I was already familiar with, when usually I'm inclined to skip repeats - because I just needed that extra hit of Sarah Pinsker's multiverse murder mystery (And Then There Were (N-One)) or Cat Valente's weird space colonisation adventure (Planet Lion). And there's some stuff in here I've been meaning to read for AAAGES, like The Hydraulic Emperor by Arkady Martine, which did not disappoint.

I'm so glad I could get hold of the gorgeous hardback edition too - just an excellent reading experience from start to finish.