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justiceofkalr's review
3.0
Overall this was a pretty good selection of short stories. Although I'm sure a bit of it went over my head.
fairymodmother's review
3.0
Overall this was an interesting read. It took me longer than planned for personal reasons. It was quick and thought provoking. Because this was a collection of short stories, I will do short reviews of each.
Antaius Floating in Heavens Among the Stars by Andrea Phillips: 4 stars. This was fun. A little tropey, but a good intro into the feel of the book. Enough of the "alien" to immediately relate with the happy couple and their marital woes.
The Matter of Meroz by Roseanne Rabinowitz: 3 stars. Relatable and yet foreign, terrifying and yet familiar. I liked the bits where it felt like I was sharing in the collective consciousness of this people, their hopes and fears. The alien tie in left me wanting though. Was there a different future?
Alien Thoughts by Eric Kaplan: 3 Stars. This was a little more conceptual and overly vague for me, but I liked the sense of action and the battle with S, which I assume is "the accuser."
The Reluctant Jew by Rachel Swirksy: 4 stars. Hilarious. Truly funny. The plot was a little weak, but I liked the rather scathing, irreverent look at both being in service and being told to be performatively Jewish.
To Serve...Breakfast by Jay Caselberg: 2 stars. This was one of the weaker ones for me. A predictable storyline, and implausible denouement and even in my limited understanding of Judaism a shaky doctrinal point. I guess is still a matter of debate, but...yeah, I don't buy it.
The Farm by Elana Gomel: 4 stars. I think this was my favorite overall story. It had a strong story arc, and combined the elements of horrifying aliens, the Jewish persecution, and the estrangement both from humanity and faith. It had atmosphere and lots of things to consider.
Don't Blink by Gon Ben Ari: 2 stars. Veeeery long and it didn't build to any sort of resolution that felt satisfying. It felt more like a bad conversation, even though the considerations of doctrine and life as a lapsed Jew all felt very "honest."
Nameless and Shameless by Lois H. Gresh: 3.5 stars. I thought this was a really fun retelling of the fall of Sodom. Really good blending of an alien culture that's been accepted and a very well known story.
The Ghetto by Matthue Roth: 2 stars. This one didn't seem to tell me much.
Excision by Naomi Alderman: 3 stars. Very short but insightful, thought provoking and capturing a bright, brilliant bubble of what it means for this author to consider genocide, family, and the haunt of the past.
Overall an enjoyable read by obviously talented storytellers.
Antaius Floating in Heavens Among the Stars by Andrea Phillips: 4 stars. This was fun. A little tropey, but a good intro into the feel of the book. Enough of the "alien" to immediately relate with the happy couple and their marital woes.
The Matter of Meroz by Roseanne Rabinowitz: 3 stars. Relatable and yet foreign, terrifying and yet familiar. I liked the bits where it felt like I was sharing in the collective consciousness of this people, their hopes and fears. The alien tie in left me wanting though. Was there a different future?
Alien Thoughts by Eric Kaplan: 3 Stars. This was a little more conceptual and overly vague for me, but I liked the sense of action and the battle with S, which I assume is "the accuser."
The Reluctant Jew by Rachel Swirksy: 4 stars. Hilarious. Truly funny. The plot was a little weak, but I liked the rather scathing, irreverent look at both being in service and being told to be performatively Jewish.
To Serve...Breakfast by Jay Caselberg: 2 stars. This was one of the weaker ones for me. A predictable storyline, and implausible denouement and even in my limited understanding of Judaism a shaky doctrinal point. I guess
Spoiler
eating peopleThe Farm by Elana Gomel: 4 stars. I think this was my favorite overall story. It had a strong story arc, and combined the elements of horrifying aliens, the Jewish persecution, and the estrangement both from humanity and faith. It had atmosphere and lots of things to consider.
Don't Blink by Gon Ben Ari: 2 stars. Veeeery long and it didn't build to any sort of resolution that felt satisfying. It felt more like a bad conversation, even though the considerations of doctrine and life as a lapsed Jew all felt very "honest."
Nameless and Shameless by Lois H. Gresh: 3.5 stars. I thought this was a really fun retelling of the fall of Sodom. Really good blending of an alien culture that's been accepted and a very well known story.
The Ghetto by Matthue Roth: 2 stars. This one didn't seem to tell me much.
Excision by Naomi Alderman: 3 stars. Very short but insightful, thought provoking and capturing a bright, brilliant bubble of what it means for this author to consider genocide, family, and the haunt of the past.
Overall an enjoyable read by obviously talented storytellers.
nwhyte's review
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2584699.html
In the foreword to Jews vs Aliens, Lavie Tidhar points out that "The alien in science fiction, it is often said, stands in for the Other in all its myriad forms... To [John W.] Campbell, of course, the Jews were the aliens – but what happens when the roles are reversed?" Another theme that came through to me here more than in the other book was the military tradition of aggressive defence; Roseanne Rabinovitz's story "The Matter of Meroz" combines the two very effectively.
In the foreword to Jews vs Aliens, Lavie Tidhar points out that "The alien in science fiction, it is often said, stands in for the Other in all its myriad forms... To [John W.] Campbell, of course, the Jews were the aliens – but what happens when the roles are reversed?" Another theme that came through to me here more than in the other book was the military tradition of aggressive defence; Roseanne Rabinovitz's story "The Matter of Meroz" combines the two very effectively.
happentobeshort's review
2.0
I was really sad that this wasn't as great as I'd hoped it'd be. :( I guess I set the bar too high.. It wasn't terrible though, it's just that the stories were not of the caliber that I was expecting. I'm not a zombie person so I don't think I'm going to get the sister book to this - [b:Jews vs Zombies|24965564|Jews vs Zombies (Jews Vs, #1)|Rebecca Levene|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424281412s/24965564.jpg|44628686]. I DID however, really like the first few and last story in this!!
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/
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