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metaphorosis's review
3.0
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3.5 stars
Tor.com has some of the best free SFF on the web recently. Even the stories designed to promote long-form authors are generally solid, stand-alone stories. Because of that, their 'best of' anthologies have been a cut above most anthologies. That's not to say they're all good, but as a free download, it's pretty hard to beat this collection.
The best stories were:
The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo (whose excellent Witch of Duva is in both Tor Fierce anthologies, and who is clearly a writer to watch). A classic-style fairy tale. Thief of War, by Beth Bernobich. One of those authors anthologies exist for. This story made me look up her other work and add it to my wish list (to buy when prices descend from unrealistic levels). Epic fantasy, magic, good writing.
Lawful Interception by Cory Doctorow. The story isn't astounding, but it's a well thought out exploration of near future surveillance and hacking possibilities.
Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages. The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Hollywood, but good despite that, for smooth writing.
The Hanging Game by Helen Marshall. Just what it sounds like.
In the Greenwood by Mari Ness. Another author that, for me, anyway, has suddenly sprung from nowhere, with good stories everywhere you look. This one is about Robin Hood, but surprisingly good despite the tired subject.
Sing by Karen Tidbeck. An unusual story about relationships.
All in all, worth picking up.
bucketheadmary's review
4.0
I love a good short story collection, and I think this was exactly that.
elusivity's review
4.0
A Rumor of Angels - Dale Bailey. 3 STARS. Written along the tradition of Steinbeck. Spare words illustrating the grinding desperation of people with no where to flee, holding hard onto thin thread of hope. Beautiful in its way, but I personally did not respond to it.
The Too-Clever Fox - Leigh Bardugo. 4 STARS. A folk tale with a truly surprising ending.
Thief of War - Beth Bernobich. 3.5 STARS. A short story based on the world from the author's main series. Palace intrigue, politics, magic, and too-pat love that always seem to come from nowhere. Interesting read, meandering, and slightly anticlimactic ending -- but worth a read.
A Window or a Small Box - Jedediah Berry. 4 STARS. A wild run through a surrealism, and a parable of what it is to be in a relationship, to enter into life-long commitment in an uncertain world. In our world.
Contains Multitudes - Ben Burgis. 3 STARS.
The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere - John Chu. 3.5 STARS. Water suddenly begins falling on anyone telling a lie.
Old Dead Futures - Tina Connolly. 4 Stars. Short and to-the-point, like a dagger to the heart. A tale of pure sacrifice.
The Elephant in the Room - Paul Cornell. 2 STARS. Rambling.
Lawful Inception - Cory Doctorow. Couldn't get into this one.
Wakulla Springs - Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages.
A Terror - Jeffrey Ford. 3 STARS. An interesting imagining of the adventure may have led to Emily Dickinson's poem "Death."
The Hanging Game - Helen Marshall. 4 STARS. Children play a game where, when they hang themselves by the throat, they can blurt out prophecies of the future. Meanwhile, men kill the forest's bears, and the forest extract its price. Dark, chilling.
In the Greenwood - Mari Ness. 4 STARS. Re-telling of Robin Hood from Maid Marian's perspective. Touching, beautiful.
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket - Thomas Olde Heuvelt. Can't get into this one.
Burning Girls - Veronica Schanoes. 4.5 STARS. Jewish mythticism, interwoven with a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with Jewish pogroms in Poland and the Shirtwaist Fire in early 1900s. The ties of family love, the pain of life itself... Amazing.
Rag and Bone - Priya Sharma. 4 STARS. Grim, harsh world where poor people's lives are worth nothing, are reduced to merely their value as healthy flesh and bones to aid the rich.
Equoid - Charles Stross. 3.5 STARS. A Laundry story. Bob, a member of the Laundry -- a branch of British secret service dealing with monsters from the dungeon dimensions, gets called to the field to deal with unicorns. Non-sparkly, HP Lovecraftian unicorns.
Sing - Karin Tidbeck. 4 STARS.
Terrain - Genevieve Valentine. 3.5 STARS. Steampunk American west, in lawless cowboy country -- a small group of non-white people try to protect their home against the incoming Railroad who wants their land, and won't hesitate to kill to get it.
The Best We Can - Carrie Vaughn. 2.5 STARS. Can't get into this one.
Super Bass - Kai Ashante Wilson. 2.5 STARS. Tropical world where gods possess their mortal counterparts, and marriages occur in trios.
The Too-Clever Fox - Leigh Bardugo. 4 STARS. A folk tale with a truly surprising ending.
Thief of War - Beth Bernobich. 3.5 STARS. A short story based on the world from the author's main series. Palace intrigue, politics, magic, and too-pat love that always seem to come from nowhere. Interesting read, meandering, and slightly anticlimactic ending -- but worth a read.
A Window or a Small Box - Jedediah Berry. 4 STARS. A wild run through a surrealism, and a parable of what it is to be in a relationship, to enter into life-long commitment in an uncertain world. In our world.
Contains Multitudes - Ben Burgis. 3 STARS.
Spoiler
Children of an entire generation carry aliens gestating in their stomachs in symbiosis.The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere - John Chu. 3.5 STARS. Water suddenly begins falling on anyone telling a lie.
Spoiler
The protagonist decides to come out to his Chinese family during Christmas. Surprisingly, the biggest issue was not with his parents, but his older sister who'd bullied him all his life.Old Dead Futures - Tina Connolly. 4 Stars. Short and to-the-point, like a dagger to the heart.
Spoiler
A physically and mentally deformed child could manipulate the future if he feels hate. An older man with similar disabilities comes with scientists to make the child perform according to plan. If the child does not do it, the older man tortures the child's mother to force the child.The Elephant in the Room - Paul Cornell. 2 STARS. Rambling.
Lawful Inception - Cory Doctorow. Couldn't get into this one.
Wakulla Springs - Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages.
A Terror - Jeffrey Ford. 3 STARS. An interesting imagining of the adventure may have led to Emily Dickinson's poem "Death."
Spoiler
Having died of a sickness, Death comes for her in a black carriage, and makes a bargain. A woman in some other place was keeping her dead child "alive" with magic. They go spying in the woman's house, hears her magic words, then Death keeps Emily in a tomb for eternity in return for a poem that can counter the woman's magic, in return for another 25 years of life.The Hanging Game - Helen Marshall. 4 STARS. Children play a game where, when they hang themselves by the throat, they can blurt out prophecies of the future. Meanwhile, men kill the forest's bears, and the forest extract its price. Dark, chilling.
In the Greenwood - Mari Ness. 4 STARS. Re-telling of Robin Hood from Maid Marian's perspective. Touching, beautiful.
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket - Thomas Olde Heuvelt. Can't get into this one.
Burning Girls - Veronica Schanoes. 4.5 STARS. Jewish mythticism, interwoven with a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with Jewish pogroms in Poland and the Shirtwaist Fire in early 1900s. The ties of family love, the pain of life itself... Amazing.
Rag and Bone - Priya Sharma. 4 STARS. Grim, harsh world where poor people's lives are worth nothing, are reduced to merely their value as healthy flesh and bones to aid the rich.
Equoid - Charles Stross. 3.5 STARS. A Laundry story. Bob, a member of the Laundry -- a branch of British secret service dealing with monsters from the dungeon dimensions, gets called to the field to deal with unicorns. Non-sparkly, HP Lovecraftian unicorns.
Sing - Karin Tidbeck. 4 STARS.
Spoiler
In an backwater world, the moons silences various sounds so that people are only able to sing to one another. They do so by allowing themselves to become parasite to birds. Some people do not fully recover from parasitism and become deformed, such as Aino, the protagonist, a tailor. One day Petr arrives from off-world, and fell in love with the place. He was desperate to stay, to be able to sing, while Aino wanted to leave and go to a space station where the low-gravity would enable her to be free.Terrain - Genevieve Valentine. 3.5 STARS. Steampunk American west, in lawless cowboy country -- a small group of non-white people try to protect their home against the incoming Railroad who wants their land, and won't hesitate to kill to get it.
The Best We Can - Carrie Vaughn. 2.5 STARS. Can't get into this one.
Super Bass - Kai Ashante Wilson. 2.5 STARS. Tropical world where gods possess their mortal counterparts, and marriages occur in trios.
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