wunder's review
3.0
Oddly, this did not take me to a better place. Some of the stories were downers, others more stopped than ended. All of the science fiction stories were better than the non-genre stories. Maybe SF authors have more experience at weaving a topic into a story.
But none of the stories were five-star for me. The anthology is supposed to revolve around the Culture of Health idea from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I couldn't see any common threads beyond "health" being part of the plots. I could give the whole thing 3.5 stars, but without a standout, I'm rounding down.
For an anthology that really does take you to a better place (mostly), I recommend "Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction For A Time of Pandemic". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54327781-consolation-songs
But none of the stories were five-star for me. The anthology is supposed to revolve around the Culture of Health idea from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I couldn't see any common threads beyond "health" being part of the plots. I could give the whole thing 3.5 stars, but without a standout, I'm rounding down.
For an anthology that really does take you to a better place (mostly), I recommend "Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction For A Time of Pandemic". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54327781-consolation-songs
snuzzbobble's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cgoiris's review
3.0
It's more like a 3.5 really.
Of course, in an anthology you're always going to find stories you like better than others. Most of these had some valuable contemplations about the roles of community, (income) inequality, politics,... in health outcomes.
It's a free read (no, really!) so I'd still recommend this to anyone who might be interested in contemplating the future of our healthcare system through different angles and prompts.
However, I felt like there was still something missing from this whole book. I sort of missed seeing authors like Tara Moss here, someone whose perspective would be influenced by their lived experience as a chronically ill author. I don't know every writer's lived experience but somehow still felt like this was missing.
Of course, in an anthology you're always going to find stories you like better than others. Most of these had some valuable contemplations about the roles of community, (income) inequality, politics,... in health outcomes.
It's a free read (no, really!) so I'd still recommend this to anyone who might be interested in contemplating the future of our healthcare system through different angles and prompts.
However, I felt like there was still something missing from this whole book. I sort of missed seeing authors like Tara Moss here, someone whose perspective would be influenced by their lived experience as a chronically ill author. I don't know every writer's lived experience but somehow still felt like this was missing.
greymalkin's review
Did not finish. Way too depressing. Writing quality was mostly fine (especially from those authors that I know and like) but the gist of almost every book was "terrible thing happened and we will go into detail how it happened and how miserable and hopeless it is". I thought this was going to be more hopepunk with stories of how we could take apocalyptic stories and make them more positive but no, at most the stories that had "happy" endings just implied that things would get better. We don't actually get to see it.
else's review
4.0
This is quite an interesting anthology. It's free to read or listen.
'The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published these stories to help ignite a lively discussion and healthy debate about what it will take to build a better future.'
See the website: https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2019/11/take-us-to-a-better-place-stories-coming-january-2020.html
I read 'Obsolescence' by Martha Wells and it was really good, although it was very short.
Planning to read more stories at some point.
'The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published these stories to help ignite a lively discussion and healthy debate about what it will take to build a better future.'
See the website: https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2019/11/take-us-to-a-better-place-stories-coming-january-2020.html
I read 'Obsolescence' by Martha Wells and it was really good, although it was very short.
Planning to read more stories at some point.
anjana's review
4.0
Usually, I am unable to give a breakup of individual reviews when I read books like this. Given that there are only ten stories and they vary very widely in the tone as well as the content I decided to try this one time. Hopefully, I will see my way through and not come back and delete this introduction I am typing. I will, however not rate them separately because that would be too hard.
Flotilla at Bird Island by Mike McClelland:
This set the tone for what I thought would be a collection of dystopian scenarios, but as I will end up explaining, that was not to be the case. This first tale, however, is a dystopia. I will not go into the finer details, but we see the world through the eyes of one man who meets an old friend and finds out that people are working on alternatives to their current living conditions. It brought up the questions of the hierarchy of being saved when the situation worsens or even if there was a cure to all the ills ailing their world, who decides the reach of it. I liked it and looked forward to reading the rest.
2. Paradise by Hannah Lillith Assadi
This story switches tack completely to focus on one girl carrying the weight of memories of losing her mother in a war-torn country, of being smuggled out and of trying to survive in a whole new place which just will not wholly accept her. It was a pretty good narrative and pulled a lot of heartstrings. The best part was the ending, it added a whole new dimension to the full story.
3. The Erasure Game by Yoon Ha Lee
Our country world is swamped by our need to stick to the latest trend, monitor our body, and this story takes it a whole step further. It took me a while to get the entire picture being presented and the rules of this seemingly utopic scenario where everyone is healthy and tries to stay that way. Some people are discontented with this interconnected life, but it was a decent story.
4. The Sweet Spot by Achy Obejas
I did not get this story in context with the previous ones. I read the author's description of why this fits into the book at the end and only then I was able to appreciate this story of a couple, one of who is losing her hearing and how that seems to impact the larger picture and her role in it. It is more about relationships and interdependence than anything else.
5.Reclamation by David A.Robertson and Illustration by Selena Goulding
All the previous chapters also had illustrations, but this was a graphic story, so I decided to mention the illustrator's name as well. There weren't too many panels, and although the story was pretty straightforward and simple, the drawings added nuance to it. This is the story of an indigenous (US-based) boy who finds a way to lay some claim to his roots.
6. Obsolescence by Martha Wells
I have read only one novella by this author, and it probably was her name that directed my attention to this collection in the first place. I liked the beginning of the story, the background (it is based in space), but I felt the ending a little too abrupt given the pacing during the rest of the narrative! It deals with how health care facilities are different for varying people
7. Viral Content by Madeline Ashby
This was a scary new world, where most things were normal but loneliness and misinformation are concentrated due to information online. We have one journalist trying to take a stand to bring something into focus. I would have liked there to be more of a twist in this since the scenario was pretty impressive.
8. Brief Exercises in Mindfulness by Calvin Baker
This was another chapter that I only got the significance of when I read the author's note at the end of the book. It made sense only then. Otherwise, it mostly dealt with the complications of living with roommates and sharing space with other people
9. The Plague Doctors by Karen Lord
This felt more like a novella in itself than any of the others. We were given the entire scenario as well as an ever decreasing timeline to procure a solution. It covered a lot of ground while being quick about it. The focus is on a contagion that people do not know how to protect the world and their loved ones from.
10. The Masculine and the Dead by Frank Bill
This final story was interesting and even as I liked the content, I was not very taken by the presentation. We meet a lonely man who has brought a whole community together and even if it is similar to the Erasure Game (3), there is no one tallying anything or keeping track except for the villain of the piece. I liked the emotions in it.
Overall it was a different book to read, and I am glad I gave it a shot. They were different from each other in such a way that you can read one at a time and not feel the need to rush to complete them all in one sitting.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Flotilla at Bird Island by Mike McClelland:
This set the tone for what I thought would be a collection of dystopian scenarios, but as I will end up explaining, that was not to be the case. This first tale, however, is a dystopia. I will not go into the finer details, but we see the world through the eyes of one man who meets an old friend and finds out that people are working on alternatives to their current living conditions. It brought up the questions of the hierarchy of being saved when the situation worsens or even if there was a cure to all the ills ailing their world, who decides the reach of it. I liked it and looked forward to reading the rest.
2. Paradise by Hannah Lillith Assadi
This story switches tack completely to focus on one girl carrying the weight of memories of losing her mother in a war-torn country, of being smuggled out and of trying to survive in a whole new place which just will not wholly accept her. It was a pretty good narrative and pulled a lot of heartstrings. The best part was the ending, it added a whole new dimension to the full story.
3. The Erasure Game by Yoon Ha Lee
Our country world is swamped by our need to stick to the latest trend, monitor our body, and this story takes it a whole step further. It took me a while to get the entire picture being presented and the rules of this seemingly utopic scenario where everyone is healthy and tries to stay that way. Some people are discontented with this interconnected life, but it was a decent story.
4. The Sweet Spot by Achy Obejas
I did not get this story in context with the previous ones. I read the author's description of why this fits into the book at the end and only then I was able to appreciate this story of a couple, one of who is losing her hearing and how that seems to impact the larger picture and her role in it. It is more about relationships and interdependence than anything else.
5.Reclamation by David A.Robertson and Illustration by Selena Goulding
All the previous chapters also had illustrations, but this was a graphic story, so I decided to mention the illustrator's name as well. There weren't too many panels, and although the story was pretty straightforward and simple, the drawings added nuance to it. This is the story of an indigenous (US-based) boy who finds a way to lay some claim to his roots.
6. Obsolescence by Martha Wells
I have read only one novella by this author, and it probably was her name that directed my attention to this collection in the first place. I liked the beginning of the story, the background (it is based in space), but I felt the ending a little too abrupt given the pacing during the rest of the narrative! It deals with how health care facilities are different for varying people
7. Viral Content by Madeline Ashby
This was a scary new world, where most things were normal but loneliness and misinformation are concentrated due to information online. We have one journalist trying to take a stand to bring something into focus. I would have liked there to be more of a twist in this since the scenario was pretty impressive.
8. Brief Exercises in Mindfulness by Calvin Baker
This was another chapter that I only got the significance of when I read the author's note at the end of the book. It made sense only then. Otherwise, it mostly dealt with the complications of living with roommates and sharing space with other people
9. The Plague Doctors by Karen Lord
This felt more like a novella in itself than any of the others. We were given the entire scenario as well as an ever decreasing timeline to procure a solution. It covered a lot of ground while being quick about it. The focus is on a contagion that people do not know how to protect the world and their loved ones from.
10. The Masculine and the Dead by Frank Bill
This final story was interesting and even as I liked the content, I was not very taken by the presentation. We meet a lonely man who has brought a whole community together and even if it is similar to the Erasure Game (3), there is no one tallying anything or keeping track except for the villain of the piece. I liked the emotions in it.
Overall it was a different book to read, and I am glad I gave it a shot. They were different from each other in such a way that you can read one at a time and not feel the need to rush to complete them all in one sitting.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
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