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Sunspot Jungle: Volume Two, Volume 2: The Ever Expanding Universe of Fantasy and Science Fiction by
literaturesciencealliance's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Like any short story collection with this many stories (over 50) there were amazing highs and some lows but the average ended up being a 4 star collection with amazingly diverse stories from all over the world! Below are the stand out stories:
Straight Lines by Naru Dames Sundar - Such a wonderful story about a space ship who goes through therapy to handle their past and cope with its OCD. I read this 2 months ago and its still stuck with me.
Waiting for the Flood OR the Bathers by Natalia Theodoridou - I really liked the structure of this one and I want to be vague about the plot because unpacking that was also part of the fun for me.
Sin Embargo by Sabrina Vourvoulias - I need to re-read this one and read anything by this author in the future. It is very literary and I know I didn't pick everything up on a first read but how it plays with language and the themes of this one really resonated with me.
Straight Lines by Naru Dames Sundar - Such a wonderful story about a space ship who goes through therapy to handle their past and cope with its OCD. I read this 2 months ago and its still stuck with me.
Waiting for the Flood OR the Bathers by Natalia Theodoridou - I really liked the structure of this one and I want to be vague about the plot because unpacking that was also part of the fun for me.
Sin Embargo by Sabrina Vourvoulias - I need to re-read this one and read anything by this author in the future. It is very literary and I know I didn't pick everything up on a first read but how it plays with language and the themes of this one really resonated with me.
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience by Rebecca Roanhorse - This is the story that got me to read all of her novels. Its such a tight story with a very specific theme that is extremely well executed.
Letters as Sweet as Honey by Fox Meadows - Just thinking of this story makes me smile. It has a clear agenda and is very relatable but the world is unique enough that we have a separation from the themes. I also loved the format of this story and how it is told in articles and letters. Really excited to try out more of Meadow's works.
Simulacrum by Ken Liu - This is the second short story I have read by Ken Liu and once again its a family story that was extremely relatable and heart breaking. Cannot wait to read more of his fiction.
No Other City by Ng Yi-Sheng I love stories in second person and how this reminded me of the snap in the mcu and exploring what it would mean for a whole part of the world would just vanish.
Señora Suerte by Tananarive Due - So haunting and compelling, I also really love a grouchy protagonist.
Ghostalker by T.L. Huchu - I loved the voice of this character and watching her deal with some news in her life and also watching a day in her life as a ghostalker, which was also very interesting.
Increasing Police Visibility by Bogi Takacs - This is another story that has a very clear agenda and I still loved it. The ending was just so great and as a scientist it does a great job describing how hard it is to argue things in a political setting based on science cause things are rarely about being efficient or right!
The Mighty Slinger by Karen Lord and Tobias S. Buckell - Unsurprisingly I loved this! Not shocking when one of the authors is Karen Lord. But seriously looking at resistance over generations through the eyes of music and how that art is used in revolution was amazing and I loved the world building, theming and how much I loved these characters even though we do not spend much time with them.
Letters as Sweet as Honey by Fox Meadows - Just thinking of this story makes me smile. It has a clear agenda and is very relatable but the world is unique enough that we have a separation from the themes. I also loved the format of this story and how it is told in articles and letters. Really excited to try out more of Meadow's works.
Simulacrum by Ken Liu - This is the second short story I have read by Ken Liu and once again its a family story that was extremely relatable and heart breaking. Cannot wait to read more of his fiction.
No Other City by Ng Yi-Sheng I love stories in second person and how this reminded me of the snap in the mcu and exploring what it would mean for a whole part of the world would just vanish.
Señora Suerte by Tananarive Due - So haunting and compelling, I also really love a grouchy protagonist.
Ghostalker by T.L. Huchu - I loved the voice of this character and watching her deal with some news in her life and also watching a day in her life as a ghostalker, which was also very interesting.
Increasing Police Visibility by Bogi Takacs - This is another story that has a very clear agenda and I still loved it. The ending was just so great and as a scientist it does a great job describing how hard it is to argue things in a political setting based on science cause things are rarely about being efficient or right!
The Mighty Slinger by Karen Lord and Tobias S. Buckell - Unsurprisingly I loved this! Not shocking when one of the authors is Karen Lord. But seriously looking at resistance over generations through the eyes of music and how that art is used in revolution was amazing and I loved the world building, theming and how much I loved these characters even though we do not spend much time with them.
thistle_and_verse's review against another edition
4.0
I have a full length review of my general impressions of this anthology, personal highlights, and stories that were honorable mentions on my YouTube channel here: https://studio.youtube.com/video/CW-lslIKMxQ/edit/basic
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