Reviews

How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story by John Scalzi

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authoraugust's review against another edition

4.0

Ahaha. This was a nifty little short story. Scalzi thinks of some fun scenarios, and though I can't say I didn't see /a/ twist coming, this wasn't the one I imagined.

nyx_bringer_of_stars's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

iskanderjonesiv's review against another edition

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4.0

Everyone wants to know how I proposed to Claire. Well, it’s complicated...

roadtripreader's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

How to court an alien in 10 Days or something
I've been knee-deep in The Human Division series for this Scifi month and I have loved every short story. This feels like it takes place in the same OMW/Human Division universe so I'm counting it.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
How I met your mother but without the kid. Oh and there's aliens.

Character Development/Favorite Character:
Why are Editors-in-Chief so ... what's the word ... weird? Insane? Colorful? Adept at Moral ambiguity and crossing lines.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :

Charlie attends a Cli Fertilization Party:
That’s why everyone’s put a milt ball on the table.”
“But how does the sperm get distributed from the table to you?”
I asked.
“We just add water,” Ronen said.
“Water?” I asked, alarmed. Ronen looked over at me. “?h dear,” it said. “I may have made a faux pas. We Cli don’t wear clothes. I should have told you it would be advisable to bring a swimsuit.”

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “One of the things I love about you is that you’re smart. But for this whole thing it’s like someone took your brain and hid it in the trash can.” (Claire on Charlies latest ER visit)
🖤 “I’m a dominant, Sefhuan don’t have sexes like humans do. But we have positions.” (Ttan on Sefhuan gender norms)
🖤 “In a week, you’ve been stabbed, covered in goo, baptized and tricked into sex. For what? For a story.” (Claire on Charlie's dating escapades)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
All Charlie's dates with different Aliens
■ Sefhuan game of Jard
■ Cli Fertilization Party
■ Fruden Baptism for Slavering Godhead
■Ambush shenanigans with a Durang

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025

diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition

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4.0

Short story full of Scalzi's trademark humor and quirky aliens. Fun and short.

vanncrowe's review against another edition

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3.0

I suspect the author titled this story for shock value or to embarrass anyone caught reading it. Knowing Scalzi, I didn’t expect it to be titillating—and it wasn’t.