Reviews

FTL, Y'all!: Tales From the Age of the $200 Warp Drive by Julie Gravelle, Iris Jay, Nathaniel Wilson, Earl T. Roske, Olivia Northrop, James F. Wright, Evan Dahm, Skolli Rubedo, David Andry, Jonathon Dalton, Seren Krakens, Cindy Powers, Molly Kennedy, Sunny, C.B. Webb, Cheez Hayama, N.N. Chan, C. Spike Trotman, Kay Rossbach, Chris Williamson, Alexxander Dovelin, Ainsley Seago, Little Corvus, Xia Gordon, Luz Bianca, Maia Kobabe, J. Piechowiak, Miss Jamie Kaye, Rachel Ordway, Mary Anne Mackey, Ahueonao, Mulele Jarvis, Blue Delliquanti, Paul Schultz, Jay Eaton

pathfinder's review

ÄLSKAR scifi, väldigt många gems här, men kanske främst potentia .  Det mesta kändes inte som fully realised stories och jag ville ha mer från dem. Men kul! Grandpas new wife va LÄTT min favorit. 

caedocyon's review

5.0

There are not a lot of anthologies that are as solid all the way through as this one, with little to no repetition. Wonderful.

crookedtreehouse's review

3.0

This is a pretty good anthology of sci-fi stories involving space travel and lesbianism. It's sometimes tough reviewing an anthology, not only because there are a variety of different art styles and stories, but also because placement is so important.

The first story wasn't for me. The use of Youtube style comments to serve as conversation distracted me from the story, though I enjoyed the premise. This turned up as IMs in another story.

Overall, I liked the stories in this collection, as well as the art. I'm always impressed when an anthology can showcase a variety of different art styles using no colors but black and white.

While I didn't love the book, I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction anthology, comics or otherwise. People looking for better representation in comics will also enjoy this book. And hopefully, if you do pick up this book and you enjoy a particular story, check and see if the creators have any other books available.

mjfmjfmjf's review

3.0

Well huh. I can't say that this kind of thing is my preference, but it was interesting. This all was both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. There were just so so many stories, it was hard to take them in. But they were short that they were barely a taste. As a whole they were better than I expected. I don't think any of them were actually bad - and the art and writing was good throughout. Some of them were more interesting and others more or less original. As a discussion point this would probably work. As an interesting book, I think I would have preferred less stories but longer.

e_t_smith's review

3.0

Pretty good, though it would have been nicer if all the stories had stuck to the premise more consistently. Several drift pretty wide from the precepts of the "$200 Warp Drive," though perhaps I'm over-aware because I've read the original forum thread this book is based on, where the premise was rigidly examined from world-building and technical perspectives rather than narrative ones. In particular "M.S.P.I.P.S.P." by Kay Rossbach while a decent story on it's own terms is widely off the mark, abandoning the democratizing influence of the drive to recycle old air-travel cliches. And while "Space to Grow" is both charmingly illustrated and built around a good theme, it feels too general to be here. On the other hand, "Story of a Rescue" by Nathaniel Wilson and "Soft Physics" by Blue Delliquanti both give strong depictions of unique and well-envisaged experiences that can only happen when anyone can leave Earth.

notesfromthebookdrop's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

geolatin's review against another edition

3.0

As with any anthology, some are better than others, but an enjoyable read overall.

1librarianspath's review

For once I’m not giving a rating. I don’t feel I would be happy with any rating I give this, because it is a collection of 19 comic stories, with wildly different illustration styles and storylines. Obviously there is a common thread; the FTL (Faster Than Light) warp drives, and the use of black and white illustrations rather than colour. Some were funny, some were poignant, some were bleak. There’s a real range, and I appreciate that. There’s also a fantastic range of characters and identities which is so nice to see.

Out of the 19 stories, I particularly enjoyed 11 of them. That’s not to say that the other stories were badly written, or drawn, they just didn’t capture me in the same way. Here are my favourites (in order read, not order of favourites):
- Lia by Alexxander Dovelin
- Passing Through by Jamie Kaye Sunny
- Space to Grow by NN Chan
- Microwave by Jay Eaton
- Prodigal Sunset by James F Wright and Little Corvus
- Story of a Rescue by Nathanial Wilson
- Words From the Dead by Jonathon Dalton
- Solitary by David Andry, Paul Schultz and Lucas Gattoni
- Granddad’s Second Wife by Cheez Hayama and Earl T Roske
- The Senior Project by Maia Kobabe
- Wayhome by Evan Dahm

I realised I prefer the cleaner graphics of a lot of them, and the less technical stories in general. I enjoy reading about the human (or living being) experience, rather than the science. Again, that’s personal preference.

teanahk's review

4.0

Pretty good comic anthology. A nice variety of art styles and stories. There’s a very good dog, some spot on commentary of social media, and some cute but deadly aliens.

thomcat's review

3.0

Nineteen stories inspired by the common theme of "detailed schematics for a $200 faster than light engine", leading to the instant and chaotic democratization of the cosmos. I didn't recognize any of the artists here, but many are web comic illustrators and all the credits are included in the back.

I picked this up from the library "new" shelf for Paul Davey's cover illustration. My favorite stories were probably Words From the Dead, The Senior Project, and especially Lia (both story and art style). It appears C. Spike Trotman, a web comic creator herself, has put together other collections, and I would like to check some more out.