Reviews

Life Among the Terranauts, by Caitlin Horrocks

aaafton's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

pbarish18's review against another edition

3.0

Collection of short stories that ranged from fascinating to others that felt incomplete and lackluster. In general, I just enjoy stories that are fleshed out a little more.

bellwetherdays's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

ambatkins's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

hmatt's review against another edition

challenging sad slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don't think I'd recommend this collection on - it really confused me. There didn't seem to be a central focus or theme that tied all the stories together, despite what many of the reviews will try to argue. Maybe "strange stories about sad people", but that's the best I've got. The first and last stories were by far more well-written, interesting, and longer than the others, so I would maybe recommend those to read separately (These were "The Sleep" and the title story - I also liked "Paradise Lodge" which is towards the end).

[Not logging content warnings because I won't accurately capture all of them.]

sparklingpastures's review against another edition

2.0

I believe that I am finding out that I am not a fan of short story collection books. I only finished this book because I had it in audio format and could 2 times speed the narration. I would not recommend this collection but I did somewhat enjoy the final story, Life Among the Terranauts, the name of this book. I found that so many of the other short stories revolved around cheating and risque sexual acts. I don't enjoy plots that revolve around the characters' sexuality so this was a big miss for me. Some of the stories I didn't even finish the last few pages, such as the mid-life crisis cheating husband or the fetishized soon to be placed in jail murderer. I gave this collection 2 stars because the author does a brilliant job at writing and shows lots of potential for enjoyment, if I liked the content.

samiedens's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

4.0

clairemcnerney's review against another edition

3.0

litfic is always so hit or miss for me. I liked the first story and the last story but very few in the middle.

madolinwelch's review against another edition

3.0

I think that short stories are not my jam, but it was different and I think the stories themselves are well written. Fun reading about Midwest locations I know. 3.5 stars

sarahholliday's review against another edition

dark funny reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

An impressively well-crafted collection of stories that investigate the ubiquitousness of loneliness and isolation, even among friends, lovers, and colleagues. That's not to say that the stories are universally depressing or cynical--there's hope and humor in these pages, too--but they do force the reader to confront the ways in which we all exist as solitary creatures alongside our communal identities.

Favorites include, "The Sleep," the story of a town that turns to hibernation as an answer to life's problems; "Better Not Tell You Know," which follows a group of young girls as they deal with the consequences of trying to tell the future; "Paradise Lodge," a longer story covering the shortcomings of eco-tourism; and "Life Among the Terranauts," the tale of a billionaire's guilt-fueled experiment turned horrific disaster.