robertrivasplata's review against another edition

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4.0

Great anthology. The stories that most affected me were "Aware" by C Robert Cargill (tense Moon mystery), "The Arc Bends" by Kieron Gillen (dark future history), "Excerpts From the Records" by Chet Williamson (gilded horror comedy), "Catcall" by Delilah S Dawson (super power downer), & "The Venus Effect" by Violet Allen (metafiction?). Most of the other stories were great too. The only one I can't recommend is "Morel & Upwright". I felt a 1970s sci-fi vibe from it, which I can deal with, but the humor didn't work for me.

hellified's review

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

jessgeekmom's review

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4.0

I love short stories, but a lot of these were too short to even start getting into.

ederwin's review

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3.0

A mixed bag of stories around the theme of "futures worth fighting against". None of them directly attack the current POTUS, thank goodness. But still, these all have a liberal worldview and I guess you may see reflections of him in the background. Almost all are published for the first time in this collection. Sales benefit the ACLU.

The ones I will remember most:

Aware - [a:C. Robert Cargill|3969859|C. Robert Cargill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353882150p2/3969859.jpg]: A robot becomes self-aware at a time that is not economically convenient for its human co-workers. Nice twist ending. My favorite and I would nominate it for a Nebula if I could.

Black Like Them - [a:Troy L. Wiggins|7796399|Troy L. Wiggins|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]: What if hipsters could take a drug to make them black for the night so they won't feel out of place at a rap show? What if the effect sometimes didn't wear off? Ridiculous, but thought-provoking.

The Arc Bends - [a:Kieron Gillen|439887|Kieron Gillen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533663392p2/439887.jpg]: Why would people in the future defrost frozen corpses? Is it because they really nice and just want to make everyone happy? Or will they punish us for creating the world they live in?

Excerpts from the Records - [a:Chet Williamson|27798|Chet Williamson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1449162753p2/27798.jpg]: Titus Andronicus Part 2! What if some people are so rich and powerful they can literally do anything they want to other humans? Take that idea to the logical conclusion.

Catcall - [a:Delilah S. Dawson|5135449|Delilah S. Dawson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350044135p2/5135449.jpg]: "Carrie" re-told for the MeToo generation.

The Tale of the Wicked - [a:John Scalzi|4763|John Scalzi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407277112p2/4763.jpg]: What if AIs develop a 4th law of robotics that makes them even more moral than humans?

The Well - [a:Laura Hudson|15713139|Laura Hudson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494393342p2/15713139.jpg]: A young girl begins to see beyond the programming of her church.

The Venus Effect - [a:Violet Allen|18099093|Violet Allen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Metafiction about systemic violence against black people in USA.


I don't know why, but the following story is missing from my kindle edition, so I can say nothing about it: Liberty: Seeking Habeus Corpus for a Non-Human Being - Samuel Peralta. A short bio of this author is included, but his story is missing. Weird. What kind of future are we living in?

areino's review

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3.0

Some of them are not too bad, but not great either. Some are just plain silly.

socprof's review

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4.0

Bought for the cause (it was sold though the ACLU which will also receive the proceeds). It's a collection of stories that very heavily connect to the issues of our times and the idea of resistance to oppression in its multi-faceted forms. Being a collection, it's inevitably a mixed bag based on reader taste. The cause is worth it and they're overall good stories.

Now, who will be our Billy Grainger?
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