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amyjoy's review against another edition
Goodreads just recommended this to me, except I've already read it! Except I can't remember if it was from 2013 or 2014 (13 probably). I liked it; there were some good stories here.
nicolet2018's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up on a spur not knowing how diverse this anthology would be. I was surprised that it featured young adults of different ethnicities. It felt very refreshing. I think the reason why I was interested was because the anthology centred on Dystopia. I loved the preface and the afterword. Honestly I have never heard of any of these authors before but am interested to be introduced to them.
The Last Day by Ellen Oh
4/5 stars
As this is the first story I do not really have a benchmark to compare this to. I could not quite get the world. I thought it was WW2 because it was set in Japan and children were supposed to fight as soldiers. Silly right?
It felt tense and I was glued to the part where Ms Ueda came to take Kenji's neighbour's daughter. I like the writing. The end was so sad and quick. I could not believe it ended that way. I felt the injustice wrought on the people because of the Emperor's wishes to have more. Despite this being the first it was one of the stories I enjoyed the most because it felt so human.
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson
3/5 stars
I felt that the title was odd. I did not like the way the story was told. In a magazine interview style. It was about robots rising up to try and over throw humans. No doubt the story was short and centred on one small incident. The details were vivid and startling. Such as the violence. It goes to show how people exhibit scepticism in things that are out of the ordinary and what this ignorance can cost. It plays up artificial intelligience and asks if robots could truly feel anger, happiness and sadness. As well as the will to act against orders.
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bedford.
2.5/5 stars
This started out good. But it became confusing. The story's time travelling was poorly written, tough to understand. The plot lost steam towards the end. I was bored.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu
3/5 stars
The story began nicely. Children are taken and brought to a facility where they are taught in a certain way, fed and trained for a particular skill: pattern recognition. The main character hardly made an impact other than the fact that he was sneaking off to meet a girl. What was interesting was that the director of the school was considered an abuser when the world knew of this school. He was condemned but he argues that he provides the children a safe place.
Who is right? I think that it was noble to bring in many children, feed them and educate them in certain skills but not to lie to them about the world outside. However cruel it may be.
Gods of the Dimming Light by Greg Van Eekhout
3/5 stars
I sat up and paid attention when I read that norse gods like Odin were mentioned. I love how the story tied mythology with dystopian. A risk but well done. I love the setting. Very typical dystopian of despair, poverty and hope. I think the point of Norsecode Genomics was silly. The main character's decision surprised me but now thinking about it. He made the right decision. It all sounds too far fetched.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia
3.5/5 stars
I liked the idea of the Strangers. It reminds me of the movie, Surrogates. I was surprised to see a mixed gay couple. The ending was not that bad.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo
3/5 stars
Another dystopian world I liked. Again I was surprised to read about a girl expressing attraction to another girl. I do not read about lgbt much in novels. It is more a choice. I am okay with it but some part of me is also not entirely comfortable with the idea still. The rest of the story was good.
A Pocket Full Of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi
3/5 stars
I was intrigued by such a dark world. The story flowed well and I was dying to know what would happen to Wang Jun and what was inside the cube. It ended most unexpectedly.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon
2.5/5 stars
I think Cindy Pon is the only writer I did recognize but I have not read any of her books. I love the idea of a bad boy and the world where the rich wear fish bowls and air conditioned suits because the air has become so polluted.
I wished the story had more time to develop so I could find out more about what the MC wanted. His mannerisms and characteristics were very typical of a young teenage guy. Like admiring a girl's breasts. I will admit I had a fear that Stockholm Sydrome would develop between captive and kidnapper. It honestly seemed to be happening but in the end, it did not.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna
3/5 stars
I liked the world building but the plot felt too straight forward. Death and lies is not but the flow and characters just felt that way.
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin
2/5 stars
This had a sci-fi feel. It seemed interesting. But the MC was odd. The world and the people of Eleven Soro were strange. The idea that technology is considered magic is simple minded. I agreed with some of the MC's musings and the people of Eleven Soro do have good morels. But I do not agree with all of it. The blatant mentions of sex further enhance this wild culture and world. I am glad that the people are not animals but they live lives not everyone can understand.
Overall I was happy to see so many characters of mixed or different enthnicities. Many stories were based in china or off it. That was different. The same sex relationships and romance further enhance the diversity. I liked that romance is not a fore front of these stories like most YA. The worlds and lessons of the stories are what is focused upon. I love why the editors did this anthology. It introduced many authors but was not the best writing. There was a great idea behind it but not everyone will like this.
The Last Day by Ellen Oh
4/5 stars
As this is the first story I do not really have a benchmark to compare this to. I could not quite get the world. I thought it was WW2 because it was set in Japan and children were supposed to fight as soldiers. Silly right?
It felt tense and I was glued to the part where Ms Ueda came to take Kenji's neighbour's daughter. I like the writing. The end was so sad and quick. I could not believe it ended that way. I felt the injustice wrought on the people because of the Emperor's wishes to have more. Despite this being the first it was one of the stories I enjoyed the most because it felt so human.
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson
3/5 stars
I felt that the title was odd. I did not like the way the story was told. In a magazine interview style. It was about robots rising up to try and over throw humans. No doubt the story was short and centred on one small incident. The details were vivid and startling. Such as the violence. It goes to show how people exhibit scepticism in things that are out of the ordinary and what this ignorance can cost. It plays up artificial intelligience and asks if robots could truly feel anger, happiness and sadness. As well as the will to act against orders.
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bedford.
2.5/5 stars
This started out good. But it became confusing. The story's time travelling was poorly written, tough to understand. The plot lost steam towards the end. I was bored.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu
3/5 stars
The story began nicely. Children are taken and brought to a facility where they are taught in a certain way, fed and trained for a particular skill: pattern recognition. The main character hardly made an impact other than the fact that he was sneaking off to meet a girl. What was interesting was that the director of the school was considered an abuser when the world knew of this school. He was condemned but he argues that he provides the children a safe place.
Who is right? I think that it was noble to bring in many children, feed them and educate them in certain skills but not to lie to them about the world outside. However cruel it may be.
Gods of the Dimming Light by Greg Van Eekhout
3/5 stars
I sat up and paid attention when I read that norse gods like Odin were mentioned. I love how the story tied mythology with dystopian. A risk but well done. I love the setting. Very typical dystopian of despair, poverty and hope. I think the point of Norsecode Genomics was silly. The main character's decision surprised me but now thinking about it. He made the right decision. It all sounds too far fetched.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia
3.5/5 stars
I liked the idea of the Strangers. It reminds me of the movie, Surrogates. I was surprised to see a mixed gay couple. The ending was not that bad.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo
3/5 stars
Another dystopian world I liked. Again I was surprised to read about a girl expressing attraction to another girl. I do not read about lgbt much in novels. It is more a choice. I am okay with it but some part of me is also not entirely comfortable with the idea still. The rest of the story was good.
A Pocket Full Of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi
3/5 stars
I was intrigued by such a dark world. The story flowed well and I was dying to know what would happen to Wang Jun and what was inside the cube. It ended most unexpectedly.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon
2.5/5 stars
I think Cindy Pon is the only writer I did recognize but I have not read any of her books. I love the idea of a bad boy and the world where the rich wear fish bowls and air conditioned suits because the air has become so polluted.
I wished the story had more time to develop so I could find out more about what the MC wanted. His mannerisms and characteristics were very typical of a young teenage guy. Like admiring a girl's breasts. I will admit I had a fear that Stockholm Sydrome would develop between captive and kidnapper. It honestly seemed to be happening but in the end, it did not.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna
3/5 stars
I liked the world building but the plot felt too straight forward. Death and lies is not but the flow and characters just felt that way.
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin
2/5 stars
This had a sci-fi feel. It seemed interesting. But the MC was odd. The world and the people of Eleven Soro were strange. The idea that technology is considered magic is simple minded. I agreed with some of the MC's musings and the people of Eleven Soro do have good morels. But I do not agree with all of it. The blatant mentions of sex further enhance this wild culture and world. I am glad that the people are not animals but they live lives not everyone can understand.
Overall I was happy to see so many characters of mixed or different enthnicities. Many stories were based in china or off it. That was different. The same sex relationships and romance further enhance the diversity. I liked that romance is not a fore front of these stories like most YA. The worlds and lessons of the stories are what is focused upon. I love why the editors did this anthology. It introduced many authors but was not the best writing. There was a great idea behind it but not everyone will like this.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti is a superb anthology. This book provides a good sample of various authors which is perfect if you're looking to read more #ownvoices and are not quite sure where to begin. Read my full review here
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Mandy W.
Cover Story: The Future Is Bleak
The Best: "Pattern Recognition" by Ken Liu, "Next Door" by Rahul Kanakia, "Blue Skies" by Cindy Pon
The Worst: "What Arms to Hold Us" by Raja Khanna
The Weird: "Uncertainty Principle" by K. Tempest Bradford, "A Pocket Full of Dharma" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bonus Factors: Diversity, LGBTQ, Skynet, Time Travel, Vikings
Break Glass In Case Of: Dystopia Fatigue
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: The Future Is Bleak
The Best: "Pattern Recognition" by Ken Liu, "Next Door" by Rahul Kanakia, "Blue Skies" by Cindy Pon
The Worst: "What Arms to Hold Us" by Raja Khanna
The Weird: "Uncertainty Principle" by K. Tempest Bradford, "A Pocket Full of Dharma" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bonus Factors: Diversity, LGBTQ, Skynet, Time Travel, Vikings
Break Glass In Case Of: Dystopia Fatigue
Read the full book report here.
alexctelander's review against another edition
4.0
There have been a number of science fiction anthologies released over the last few years, and a good portion of them were on the subject of dystopian worlds. A future time where things don’t look so great, but the characters in the stories have hope for something better. But none of them are anything like Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Bucknell of British and Caribbean heritage. In the introduction, Bucknell talks about growing up and loving science fiction, but was always disappointed how the covers featured tough white guys with chiseled chins; that none of them ever looked like him. So when he set out to put Diverse Energies together, he was looking for diversity in every story.
“The Last Day” by Ellen Oh is set in a dystopian Japan where the world is at war and the children fear the next explosion will wipe out everything. “Next Door” by Rahul Kanakia is a world where the rich and well off are hooked into their virtual worlds, while the poor squat in their homes trying to eke out a living; in this story two boyfriends search for the ultimate place to live. “Good Girl” by Malinda Lo is about a relationship between two girls set in a world where races need to be pure otherwise people will become infected with a lethal illness; at least that’s what the government is telling them. The high point of the anthology is “Uncertainty Principle” by K. Tempest Bradford about a girl whose world keeps changing and she’s the only one who knows it’s happening. The collection also features stories from Paolo Baciagalupi and Ursula LeGuin.
Diverse Energies features no stories with tough white dudes and their chiseled chins. It features real people, from all walks of life, from all classes, from a number of different races, nations and cultures. The plots are unique and interesting encompassing many different worlds, and while all of them are of a dystopian nature, some have a little more hope and possibility than others. Diverse Energies is an anthology like no other, which is exactly why you need to read it.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
“The Last Day” by Ellen Oh is set in a dystopian Japan where the world is at war and the children fear the next explosion will wipe out everything. “Next Door” by Rahul Kanakia is a world where the rich and well off are hooked into their virtual worlds, while the poor squat in their homes trying to eke out a living; in this story two boyfriends search for the ultimate place to live. “Good Girl” by Malinda Lo is about a relationship between two girls set in a world where races need to be pure otherwise people will become infected with a lethal illness; at least that’s what the government is telling them. The high point of the anthology is “Uncertainty Principle” by K. Tempest Bradford about a girl whose world keeps changing and she’s the only one who knows it’s happening. The collection also features stories from Paolo Baciagalupi and Ursula LeGuin.
Diverse Energies features no stories with tough white dudes and their chiseled chins. It features real people, from all walks of life, from all classes, from a number of different races, nations and cultures. The plots are unique and interesting encompassing many different worlds, and while all of them are of a dystopian nature, some have a little more hope and possibility than others. Diverse Energies is an anthology like no other, which is exactly why you need to read it.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
katiegrrrl's review against another edition
5.0
A great collection of dystopian tales featuring cultural diverse characters. Something that is often missing from teen fiction.
devrose's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book. I really did. But the only stories that drew me in were Malinda Lo’s and Ursula Le Guin’s. Those stories I would read again. The others? Let’s just say there were many times when I almost gave up on finishing it.
jessidee's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but I requested this one from NetGalley because I like some of the authors mentioned and I love supporting books about diverse characters. The stories are all interesting, but there are definitely some that I enjoyed more than others. My favorites were "Uncertainty Principle" by K. Tempest Bradford (a girl discovers that she's the only person who can detect temporal anomalies), "Gods of the Dimming Light" by Greg van Eekhout (a modernization of Ragnarok - especially cool because I read it the day before Ragnarok was thought to occur!), and "Blue Skies" by Cindy Pon (not your typical kidnapping story). The others weren't bad, but these were the three that I found the most interesting and wish I had gotten more story for.
This collection is great because of the much-needed diversity it features. However, the downside is that so much of it is bleak. The worlds these authors have created are beautiful and fascinating, but also really terrible if I were to actually live in them. I would love to see a collection of stories (or novels) about these characters when they're happy and living normal lives.
This collection is great because of the much-needed diversity it features. However, the downside is that so much of it is bleak. The worlds these authors have created are beautiful and fascinating, but also really terrible if I were to actually live in them. I would love to see a collection of stories (or novels) about these characters when they're happy and living normal lives.
lucyp21's review
3.0
It's been a while since I read a short story collection and I thought this one would be good to try as there were several authors I had read and enjoyed on the list. And I appreciated the sci-fi nature of these stories, there was a great variety of settings and I really enjoyed that.
The Last Day by Ellen Oh: Really interesting historical alternate universe story. I liked the ending for the main character as well, I really expected himto be the survivor and so it was a real surprise.
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson: I think the world needs more robot uprising novels, they seem to have fallen out of favour (probably around the time when technology became very commonplace for everything) and this one was suitably terrifying. Also very graphic. I think I would have liked a little more focus on the police officerwho apparently joined a taskforce to fight the robot uprising rather than the main character.
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bradford: This started off so strong and then it just turned into a bit of a wandering mess. I really loved the idea of a girl who is aware of the changes in the timeline and is the only one but then I got very confused about what was going on. It's the trouble with multiple timelines.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu: This one felt more like a complete story that fit nicely into the length. I liked the children having a variety of different experiences and that changed what they did afterwards. I didn't like the timeskips, they seemed to happen really abruptly and I wasn't even sure there had been a timeskip until a paragraph or two had gone past.
Gods of the Dimming LIght by Greg van Eekhout: I'm not sure how to feel about the plot of this one, it didn't make too much sense to me, but I do appreciate a protagonist who is very much 'why do I have to save the world, I'm just here to save my family'.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia: Really interesting idea of having rich people have high tech implants that make them not want to live in the real world anymore and therefore don't care about people squatting in their homes. I loved the world-building of this but I wasn't suchg a huge fan of the plot. It felt like it wasn't nearly as memorable as the world itself.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo: I wasn't sure a huge fan of this one. While I appreciated that a female/female relationship at the forefront of this story, as well as a not particularly healthy one (the love interest didn't seem to return her interest to the same extent), I kept thinking about the girl's mother who had been forced away from the man she loved and now both her children had left her.
A Pocket Full of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi: I didn't really know what was going on in this story (the Dalai Lama on a datacube that everyone wants?) but I enjoyed it a lot. The main character didn't seem that intelligent but that was actually quite a nice change? I appreciated it.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon: I really liked this one. The story felt like a complete one for the length, I enjoyed what we heard about the world and I'm really intrigued about what the main character was going to do with the money. He wanted to see blue skies again but how was he going to do that? I'm very intrigued and I would read more about this.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna: I was a little meh on this one with the setup being one I felt like I had seen before (children work to gain credit towards being able to leave and get a better life for themselves and their family) but I really liked how the main characterrejected doing the dirty work for someone else, saving him from being the scapegoat . It was a nice change.
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin: I loved this one. It's all about a family going to live on Earth post-apocalypse as the mother wants to learn more about the culture that sprang up and the only way is through the children. But it becomes her daughter's culture and so when it comes time to leave, problems come up. The new culture of men and women living apart sprang up in a really interesting way. I loved the talk about learning through song, adults not able to enter other people's houses and how children are raised. Such an interesting story, probably the only one I would reread.
I did like this collection of stories but I do wish there had been slightly fewer dystopian settings. It's not like any of them were the same in anyway, but I did get some fatigue with the whole genre. It was why I liked the first three stories and the last one so much.
3.5 stars!
The Last Day by Ellen Oh: Really interesting historical alternate universe story. I liked the ending for the main character as well, I really expected him
Freshee's Frogurt by Daniel H. Wilson: I think the world needs more robot uprising novels, they seem to have fallen out of favour (probably around the time when technology became very commonplace for everything) and this one was suitably terrifying. Also very graphic. I think I would have liked a little more focus on the police officer
Uncertainty Principle by K. Tempest Bradford: This started off so strong and then it just turned into a bit of a wandering mess. I really loved the idea of a girl who is aware of the changes in the timeline and is the only one but then I got very confused about what was going on. It's the trouble with multiple timelines.
Pattern Recognition by Ken Liu: This one felt more like a complete story that fit nicely into the length. I liked the children having a variety of different experiences and that changed what they did afterwards. I didn't like the timeskips, they seemed to happen really abruptly and I wasn't even sure there had been a timeskip until a paragraph or two had gone past.
Gods of the Dimming LIght by Greg van Eekhout: I'm not sure how to feel about the plot of this one, it didn't make too much sense to me, but I do appreciate a protagonist who is very much 'why do I have to save the world, I'm just here to save my family'.
Next Door by Rahul Kanakia: Really interesting idea of having rich people have high tech implants that make them not want to live in the real world anymore and therefore don't care about people squatting in their homes. I loved the world-building of this but I wasn't suchg a huge fan of the plot. It felt like it wasn't nearly as memorable as the world itself.
Good Girl by Malinda Lo: I wasn't sure a huge fan of this one. While I appreciated that a female/female relationship at the forefront of this story, as well as a not particularly healthy one (the love interest didn't seem to return her interest to the same extent), I kept thinking about the girl's mother who had been forced away from the man she loved and now both her children had left her.
A Pocket Full of Dharma by Paolo Bacigalupi: I didn't really know what was going on in this story (the Dalai Lama on a datacube that everyone wants?) but I enjoyed it a lot. The main character didn't seem that intelligent but that was actually quite a nice change? I appreciated it.
Blue Skies by Cindy Pon: I really liked this one. The story felt like a complete one for the length, I enjoyed what we heard about the world and I'm really intrigued about what the main character was going to do with the money. He wanted to see blue skies again but how was he going to do that? I'm very intrigued and I would read more about this.
What Arms to Hold Us by Rajan Khanna: I was a little meh on this one with the setup being one I felt like I had seen before (children work to gain credit towards being able to leave and get a better life for themselves and their family) but I really liked how the main character
Solitude by Ursula K. Le Guin: I loved this one. It's all about a family going to live on Earth post-apocalypse as the mother wants to learn more about the culture that sprang up and the only way is through the children. But it becomes her daughter's culture and so when it comes time to leave, problems come up. The new culture of men and women living apart sprang up in a really interesting way. I loved the talk about learning through song, adults not able to enter other people's houses and how children are raised. Such an interesting story, probably the only one I would reread.
I did like this collection of stories but I do wish there had been slightly fewer dystopian settings. It's not like any of them were the same in anyway, but I did get some fatigue with the whole genre. It was why I liked the first three stories and the last one so much.
3.5 stars!