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annecrisp's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Becky Chambers short story, which was excellent. 4.5*
I don't have any interest in reading the others at this time.
I don't have any interest in reading the others at this time.
ninj's review
5.0
Great short story of a bot on a spaceship just after a battle. Elements of Iain M Banks and perhaps also Neal Asher ... or at least it brought him to mind.
cassmarlatt's review
5.0
I purchased this collection solely for Becky Chambers's contribution (which was great), but I enjoyed some other stories even more! While I didn't love every story in the collection, I had a lot of fun and discovered some new-to-me authors to check out. I'll keep my review of each story to a short, one-word descriptor:
1. A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime by Charlie Jane Anders: 3.5* - Action-packed;
2. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias S. Buckell: 5* - Brilliant;
3. The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts by Becky Chambers: 4.5*- Charming;
4. The Sighted Watchmaker by Vylar Kaftan: 5* - Thought-provoking;
5. Infinite Love Engine by Joseph Allen Hill: 1* - Dreadful;
6. Unfamiliar Gods by Adam-Troy Castro with Judi B. Castro: 3* - Chuckle-worthy;
7. Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Carolyn M. Yoachim: 3.5* - Expansive;
8. Our Specialty is Xenogeology by Alan Dean Foster: 5* - Fascinating;
9. Golden Ring by Karl Schroeder: 3* - Mind-bending;
10. Tomorrow When We See the Sun by A. Merc Rustad: 4* - Heart-wrenching;
11. Bring the Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair! by Seanan McGuire: 5* - Fantastic;
12. The Dragon That Flew Out of The Sun by Aliette de Bodard: 4.5* - Important;
13. Diamond and the World Breaker by Linda Nagata: 4* - Fun;
14. The Chameleon's Gloves by Yoon Ha Lee: 4.5* - Excellent;
15. The Universe, Sung in Stars by Kat Howard: 5* - Stunning;
16. Wakening Ouroboros by Jack Campbell: 3.5*- Interesting;
17. Warped Passages by Kameron Hurley: 3* - Spooky; and
18. The Frost Giant's Data by Dan Abnett: 3.5* - Clever.
Consider me officially in my short story era.
1. A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime by Charlie Jane Anders: 3.5* - Action-packed;
2. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias S. Buckell: 5* - Brilliant;
3. The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts by Becky Chambers: 4.5*- Charming;
4. The Sighted Watchmaker by Vylar Kaftan: 5* - Thought-provoking;
5. Infinite Love Engine by Joseph Allen Hill: 1* - Dreadful;
6. Unfamiliar Gods by Adam-Troy Castro with Judi B. Castro: 3* - Chuckle-worthy;
7. Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Carolyn M. Yoachim: 3.5* - Expansive;
8. Our Specialty is Xenogeology by Alan Dean Foster: 5* - Fascinating;
9. Golden Ring by Karl Schroeder: 3* - Mind-bending;
10. Tomorrow When We See the Sun by A. Merc Rustad: 4* - Heart-wrenching;
11. Bring the Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair! by Seanan McGuire: 5* - Fantastic;
12. The Dragon That Flew Out of The Sun by Aliette de Bodard: 4.5* - Important;
13. Diamond and the World Breaker by Linda Nagata: 4* - Fun;
14. The Chameleon's Gloves by Yoon Ha Lee: 4.5* - Excellent;
15. The Universe, Sung in Stars by Kat Howard: 5* - Stunning;
16. Wakening Ouroboros by Jack Campbell: 3.5*- Interesting;
17. Warped Passages by Kameron Hurley: 3* - Spooky; and
18. The Frost Giant's Data by Dan Abnett: 3.5* - Clever.
Consider me officially in my short story era.
ethancf's review
4.0
I only read the Becky Chambers story in here, which is a fun little deconstruction of chosen one tropes with a really sweet ending.
wicked_stardust's review
3.0
1. A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime - Awful. Characters are one dimensional. Plot is all over the place. Hope this is the worst one of the anthology. ⭐
2. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance - I really liked this one. It contemplates what free will is and how two characters - a robot and a human - view free will. I also like the side characters and would enjoy reading more about this world. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts - This story reminds me of the story of Mulan or other tough girl who saves her people. I really like this writer and went into it expecting to love it. I did. I'll read anything by Becky Chambers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Sighted Watchmaker - I didn't know what to expect with this one but I really liked it. Man makes machine, man dies, machine is left to answer the tough questions alone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Infinite Love Engine - Writing and story telling deserve no stars. Overused words in this one include: fuckboys, cool, "Airaness", vibes, chill, and squish. DnF. ⭐
6. Unfamiliar Gods - Twilight Zone's "How To Serve Man" ⭐⭐⭐
7. Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World - This one was a bit complicated for a short story collection IMO. I think I would have liked it a lot more if it were longer and had time to explain more of what was going on. It was too fast and I got lost easily. Involves the dimensions of time? ⭐⭐⭐
8. Our Specialty is Xenogeology - This was was basic in plot but I enjoyed everything else. The characters find a space artifact and inspect it. It was descriptive; there was time to get to know the characters a little; the setting was interesting. It ends on somewhat of a low note but would read more from this author. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Golden Ring - A light God stops shining on a planet inhabited by people. Again, I liked this one but it was kinda missing something for me. I think this story would be a lot better if the author had more pages to tell it in. ⭐⭐
10. Tomorrow When We See The Sun - I liked the way this one was split up into sections. The way the robot gave definitions to help the reader along. The writing. A ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. Bring The Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair - This one was a little weird but a new idea and I kinda dug it. The main character runs a fun fair in the world of VR. She getting into some shenanigans. It ends a little abruptly IMO. ⭐⭐⭐
12. The Dragon That Flew Out of The Sun - This wasn't my favorite. Confusing and not very interesting. ⭐⭐
13. Diamond and The World Breaker - Great new idea for a future world. Would like to read more from this author. In an AI utopia, what problems could humans have? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
14. The Chameleons Gloves - a Sifi heist. Pretty interesting. Liked it okay. ⭐⭐⭐
15. The Universe, Sung in Stars - This one was short and sweet. It didn't have much going on at all but I liked the writing a lot. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
16. Wakening Outoboros - Also liked this one okay. Two people are left in the world and covers the adventure they go on to save the planet. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. Warped Passages - This was okay, but I felt like it could be a lot better. I liked the premise and the little we get to know about the character. ⭐⭐⭐
18. The Frost Giant's Data - This short story was really pretty lame. Nothing interesting about it. Not a good note to end on in my opinion. ⭐⭐
2. Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance - I really liked this one. It contemplates what free will is and how two characters - a robot and a human - view free will. I also like the side characters and would enjoy reading more about this world. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts - This story reminds me of the story of Mulan or other tough girl who saves her people. I really like this writer and went into it expecting to love it. I did. I'll read anything by Becky Chambers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Sighted Watchmaker - I didn't know what to expect with this one but I really liked it. Man makes machine, man dies, machine is left to answer the tough questions alone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Infinite Love Engine - Writing and story telling deserve no stars. Overused words in this one include: fuckboys, cool, "Airaness", vibes, chill, and squish. DnF. ⭐
6. Unfamiliar Gods - Twilight Zone's "How To Serve Man" ⭐⭐⭐
7. Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World - This one was a bit complicated for a short story collection IMO. I think I would have liked it a lot more if it were longer and had time to explain more of what was going on. It was too fast and I got lost easily. Involves the dimensions of time? ⭐⭐⭐
8. Our Specialty is Xenogeology - This was was basic in plot but I enjoyed everything else. The characters find a space artifact and inspect it. It was descriptive; there was time to get to know the characters a little; the setting was interesting. It ends on somewhat of a low note but would read more from this author. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Golden Ring - A light God stops shining on a planet inhabited by people. Again, I liked this one but it was kinda missing something for me. I think this story would be a lot better if the author had more pages to tell it in. ⭐⭐
10. Tomorrow When We See The Sun - I liked the way this one was split up into sections. The way the robot gave definitions to help the reader along. The writing. A ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. Bring The Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair - This one was a little weird but a new idea and I kinda dug it. The main character runs a fun fair in the world of VR. She getting into some shenanigans. It ends a little abruptly IMO. ⭐⭐⭐
12. The Dragon That Flew Out of The Sun - This wasn't my favorite. Confusing and not very interesting. ⭐⭐
13. Diamond and The World Breaker - Great new idea for a future world. Would like to read more from this author. In an AI utopia, what problems could humans have? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
14. The Chameleons Gloves - a Sifi heist. Pretty interesting. Liked it okay. ⭐⭐⭐
15. The Universe, Sung in Stars - This one was short and sweet. It didn't have much going on at all but I liked the writing a lot. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
16. Wakening Outoboros - Also liked this one okay. Two people are left in the world and covers the adventure they go on to save the planet. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. Warped Passages - This was okay, but I felt like it could be a lot better. I liked the premise and the little we get to know about the character. ⭐⭐⭐
18. The Frost Giant's Data - This short story was really pretty lame. Nothing interesting about it. Not a good note to end on in my opinion. ⭐⭐
firesolstice's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
else's review
4.0
I’ve only read: The Deckhand, the Nova Blade and the Thrice-Sung Texts by Becky Chambers
colossal's review
5.0
A wonderful anthology of science fiction and fantasy with a view towards the widest scopes. It's not all on a cosmic space or time scope, but it's definitely all playing to the theme. There's a wide range in tone as well, with some being very hard science fiction, a couple of laugh-out-loud funny stories and a few that are touching and sweet.
As with all anthologies, the quality is somewhat uneven and naturally subjective, but there were only a few stories I really didn't care for and some of the highlights are going to stick with me for a while. There are summaries of what I thought of each story in my updates for the book, but I'll give my highlights here and then list my ratings for individual stories.
"The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts" by Becky Chambers
Chambers seems to be a polarizing author. A lot of people don't seem to like SF stories that are light on SF but heavy on positivity. This story fits well into her wheel-house and as a fan of this author's novels this is more of what I love from her. It's structured as the journal of a self-effacing ordinary person who gets to be the chosen one in a plot that could have been lifted from an anime. When the deckhand realizes that her journal is being read by a censor she starts using it to engage in a one-sided conversation/confessional.
"Tomorrow When We See the Sun" by A. Merc Rustad
As I said in my update for this, it takes a lot to get me engaged in a post-singularity story as the concerns of such beings seem alien and largely irrelevant to anything meaningful for the reader, but this one pulls off the trick brilliantly. From the main character's odd way of talking (explained later in the piece), to its construction and purpose and its constant rebelling against the role it is forced to play ... I found in profoundly engaging. I think this author is one to watch.
There's also a few stories in here that are worth calling out because of how they play with the theme, including the hilarious "A Temporary Embarassment in Spactime" and "Infinite Love Engine". If you don't like humor in your SF, then I recommend skipping them, but if you do there's some fine work here. Also the story "The Universe, Sung in Stars" isn't at all science fiction, playing with the concept of keepers of universes, pocket galaxies and orreries of real stars. It's also really sweet.
Ranked
★★★★★
"The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts" by Becky Chambers
"Tomorrow When We See the Sun" by A. Merc Rustad
★★★★☆
"A Temporary Embarassment in Spactime" by Charlie Jane Anders
"Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance" by Tobias S. Buckell
"Infinite Love Engine" by Joseph Allen Hill
"The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun" by Aliette de Bodard
"The Universe, Sung in Stars" by Kat Howard
★★★☆☆
"Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World" by Caroline M. Yoachim
"Golden Ring" by Karl Schroeder
"Bring the Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair!" by Seanan McGuire
"Diamond and the World Breaker" by Linda Nagata
"The Chameleon's Gloves" by Yoon Ha Lee
"Warped Passages" by Kameron Hurley
"The Frost Giant's Data" by Dan Abnett
"Wakening Ouroboros" by Jack Campbell
★★☆☆☆
"Our Speciality is Xenogeology" by Alan Dean Foster
★☆☆☆☆
"The Sighted Watchmaker" by Vylar Kaftan
"Unfamiliar Gods" by Adam-Troy Castro with Judi B. Castro
As with all anthologies, the quality is somewhat uneven and naturally subjective, but there were only a few stories I really didn't care for and some of the highlights are going to stick with me for a while. There are summaries of what I thought of each story in my updates for the book, but I'll give my highlights here and then list my ratings for individual stories.
"The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts" by Becky Chambers
Chambers seems to be a polarizing author. A lot of people don't seem to like SF stories that are light on SF but heavy on positivity. This story fits well into her wheel-house and as a fan of this author's novels this is more of what I love from her. It's structured as the journal of a self-effacing ordinary person who gets to be the chosen one in a plot that could have been lifted from an anime. When the deckhand realizes that her journal is being read by a censor she starts using it to engage in a one-sided conversation/confessional.
"Tomorrow When We See the Sun" by A. Merc Rustad
As I said in my update for this, it takes a lot to get me engaged in a post-singularity story as the concerns of such beings seem alien and largely irrelevant to anything meaningful for the reader, but this one pulls off the trick brilliantly. From the main character's odd way of talking (explained later in the piece), to its construction and purpose and its constant rebelling against the role it is forced to play ... I found in profoundly engaging. I think this author is one to watch.
There's also a few stories in here that are worth calling out because of how they play with the theme, including the hilarious "A Temporary Embarassment in Spactime" and "Infinite Love Engine". If you don't like humor in your SF, then I recommend skipping them, but if you do there's some fine work here. Also the story "The Universe, Sung in Stars" isn't at all science fiction, playing with the concept of keepers of universes, pocket galaxies and orreries of real stars. It's also really sweet.
Ranked
★★★★★
"The Deckhand, the Nova Blade, and the Thrice-Sung Texts" by Becky Chambers
"Tomorrow When We See the Sun" by A. Merc Rustad
★★★★☆
"A Temporary Embarassment in Spactime" by Charlie Jane Anders
"Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance" by Tobias S. Buckell
"Infinite Love Engine" by Joseph Allen Hill
"The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun" by Aliette de Bodard
"The Universe, Sung in Stars" by Kat Howard
★★★☆☆
"Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World" by Caroline M. Yoachim
"Golden Ring" by Karl Schroeder
"Bring the Kids and Revisit the Past at the Traveling Retro Funfair!" by Seanan McGuire
"Diamond and the World Breaker" by Linda Nagata
"The Chameleon's Gloves" by Yoon Ha Lee
"Warped Passages" by Kameron Hurley
"The Frost Giant's Data" by Dan Abnett
"Wakening Ouroboros" by Jack Campbell
★★☆☆☆
"Our Speciality is Xenogeology" by Alan Dean Foster
★☆☆☆☆
"The Sighted Watchmaker" by Vylar Kaftan
"Unfamiliar Gods" by Adam-Troy Castro with Judi B. Castro