A review by samdalefox
Cosmogramma by Courttia Newland

adventurous mysterious 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? No

2.75

I was so looking forward to this series; scifi short stories by a Black British author! Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the collection. That's not to say that they're bad, they're just not very good. I found most of the stories shallow, with the occasional good premis but ultimately not fleshed out or intiguing enough to hold my attention. A fair few actually repeated the same concepts, such as
Spoiler alien breeding programs
in 'Buck' and 'Nommo'. And the others never struck the right balance between world building and plot, so much seemed like it was just being explained to me rather than being immersed in the story. Looking back at these I actually can't remember most of the stories, which indicates the average rating should really be lowered.

Two stories do stand out however, 'Control' is a chilling vignette of racist Britain, and 'Seed' was a fabulously surreal and mildly threatening story. I actually think 'Seed' had potential to have more done with it! I would recommend reading both. 

Individual ratings:

  • Percipi - 2.5 ⭐
  • Cirrostratus - 2.5 ⭐
  • Scarecrow - 2 ⭐
  • Cosmogramma - 2.5 ⭐
  • Buck - 3 ⭐
  • Control - 4.25 ⭐ 
  • You meets you- 2.75 ⭐
  • Seed - 4 ⭐ 
  • Dark Matters - 3.5 ⭐
  • Nocturne - 2 ⭐
  • Nommo - 2.5 ⭐ repeat mating story like buck 
  • The Sankofa Principle 2.5 ⭐
  • Link - 2 ⭐
  • The difference between me and you - 3 ⭐
  • Utoma - 3.25 ⭐


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