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gilroy0's review against another edition
4.0
A solid collection
It’s hard to call any collection the “best” but this one is pretty good. A nice mix of space opera, fantasy, and hard sci fi, the diversity of styles and topics keeps it interesting.
It’s hard to call any collection the “best” but this one is pretty good. A nice mix of space opera, fantasy, and hard sci fi, the diversity of styles and topics keeps it interesting.
andreashibly's review
3.0
Troll Bliod, Katabasis, Great Grandmother in the Cellar, Color Least Used By Nature, Let Maps to Others
claire_baco's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
wizardowl's review
I'm going to be reviewing each story as I read it so that I don't forget my thoughts by the end of the volume!
The contrary Gardener by Christopher Rowe - 4 stars. It's set in a futuristic US where people grow programmed vegetables for ammunition and other supplies in 'victory gardens'--which sounds incredibly bizarre, but this story is so evocative and has such a strong and vividly painted world that I didn't doubt it for a minute. I love the protagonist and felt I knew her well (which I miss in a lot of short stories). An intriguing, immersive story, definitely recommend.
The Woman Who Cheated Death Five Times by Eleanor Arnason - 3 stars. Not a bad story but also not one I expect to remember in a few months time. It might appeal more to people who love the folktale style of story, but personally I found myself much more interested in the culture of aliens that the tale supposedly comes from than the story itself, which was pretty 'meh' for me.
Great Grandmother in the Cellar by Peter S. Beagle - 5 stars. What a terrifying, marvelous story! I tore through this one because I simply had to know what happened immediately. I don't want to spoil anything by summarizing, so I'll just say that it's very well paced and creepy in a good way (which I don't often say, since I'm so easily frightened by horror) and has a very satisfying ending.
Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson - ? stars. I don't know how to rate this one. Personally, I found it disturbing and unrewarding. But technically, it was a well written story that would probably be excellent to the people it appeals to. It's flat out horror, complete with a downer ending where the scary stuff is entirely unresolved, and that is sooooo not my cup of tea. If you like to be shocked and chilled and uncomfortably unable to stop thinking about it, then this defs accomplishes that.
The contrary Gardener by Christopher Rowe - 4 stars. It's set in a futuristic US where people grow programmed vegetables for ammunition and other supplies in 'victory gardens'--which sounds incredibly bizarre, but this story is so evocative and has such a strong and vividly painted world that I didn't doubt it for a minute. I love the protagonist and felt I knew her well (which I miss in a lot of short stories). An intriguing, immersive story, definitely recommend.
The Woman Who Cheated Death Five Times by Eleanor Arnason - 3 stars. Not a bad story but also not one I expect to remember in a few months time. It might appeal more to people who love the folktale style of story, but personally I found myself much more interested in the culture of aliens that the tale supposedly comes from than the story itself, which was pretty 'meh' for me.
Great Grandmother in the Cellar by Peter S. Beagle - 5 stars. What a terrifying, marvelous story! I tore through this one because I simply had to know what happened immediately. I don't want to spoil anything by summarizing, so I'll just say that it's very well paced and creepy in a good way (which I don't often say, since I'm so easily frightened by horror) and has a very satisfying ending.
Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson - ? stars. I don't know how to rate this one. Personally, I found it disturbing and unrewarding. But technically, it was a well written story that would probably be excellent to the people it appeals to. It's flat out horror, complete with a downer ending where the scary stuff is entirely unresolved, and that is sooooo not my cup of tea. If you like to be shocked and chilled and uncomfortably unable to stop thinking about it, then this defs accomplishes that.
wmhenrymorris's review
I didn't read every single story so I'm not going to give it a rating. I did read at 80-85% of them, though. There were many that I really liked and several that I didn't. But this anthology is worth picking up because of the stories by Rowe, Beagle, Valentine, Goss, Klages, Johnson, de Bodard, Parker and Tidbeck
kayswear's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad but just like the first or second volume heavily weighted to fantasy versus SF.