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timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
I had read most of this before learning that there's a fair bit of earlier work here. I wasn't surprised. The writing isn't as polished as in "Who Fears Death," the only other work of hers that I've read.
The title story and a couple of others were good, but even Kabu-Kabu was predictable after only a page or two. Okorafor seems to be trying to weave Nigerian history and culture into the viewpoint of a modern expat, which is fine, but some of the stories seem to do only that. I'm looking for a story that does that AND makes me think, "Oh, yes, how did I miss it, of course it would have to unfold that way" instead of the much weaker, "Oh yes, I saw that coming a mile away."
Also, these stories lean on magic realism pretty hard, and I don't care for it - even though I am fine with most fantasy. As far as I can tell it's that MR just drops incongruous magic into the real world and makes no attempt to explain it, where fantasy requires some explanation and worldbuilding.
It's always unfortunate when the author's notes indicate that even she doesn't much like that story. But many famous authors have done that, and I guess completists like it.
If you read this and didn't much care for it, give the novels a chance anyway.
The title story and a couple of others were good, but even Kabu-Kabu was predictable after only a page or two. Okorafor seems to be trying to weave Nigerian history and culture into the viewpoint of a modern expat, which is fine, but some of the stories seem to do only that. I'm looking for a story that does that AND makes me think, "Oh, yes, how did I miss it, of course it would have to unfold that way" instead of the much weaker, "Oh yes, I saw that coming a mile away."
Also, these stories lean on magic realism pretty hard, and I don't care for it - even though I am fine with most fantasy. As far as I can tell it's that MR just drops incongruous magic into the real world and makes no attempt to explain it, where fantasy requires some explanation and worldbuilding.
It's always unfortunate when the author's notes indicate that even she doesn't much like that story. But many famous authors have done that, and I guess completists like it.
If you read this and didn't much care for it, give the novels a chance anyway.
tregina's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous choice for my first book of the year. A mix of magic realism, folklore and science fiction, many of the stories had an underlying theme of travel, whether they were stories about the journeys themselves or stories about having been one place or stories about going to (or wanting to go to) another. My favourite was probably "Spider the Artist", the most straight-up science fiction of the bunch, which approached emerging AI in a way that is similar to the way I think about it. But really, you can't go wrong with any of them.
viquilombo's review against another edition
4.0
The ones that were the most immersive to me always ended very abruptly and had open endings, and that pissed me off. Then, on the author's notes, it explained those ones stemmed from other novels she has published. So that saved the book for me a little bit.
kellbells's review against another edition
5.0
Best sci-fi/fantasy author right now as far as I'm concerned. Favorites from this collection: "How Inyang Got Her Wings," "Spider the Artist," "Tumaki," "The Palm Tree Bandit."
lilygeller's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
lsparrow's review against another edition
5.0
I love well written short stories, and I love fantasy sci fi and this author is so good at both. I just wish there were more!
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful, exuberant, fascinating stories of magic realism in the modern world.
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
I've paced myself reading this book because I've enjoyed all the stories so much. They are wonderful and fascinating!
sarabz's review against another edition
4.0
very readable and enjoyable collection of stories. especially good if you've read her novels - several of the stories are set in those worlds or give background/add to those stories.
thepamz's review against another edition
5.0
Muy diversa la colección de cuentos, incluso hay uno de terror, y varios tienen temas medio dark. Al final, la autora nos da un breve contexto del porque de la existencia de cada uno de los cuentos y de la inspiración detrás de ellos, lo cual se me hizo interesante (sobre todo como fan de Nnedi Okorafor que ya soy). Lo recomiendo mucho. Son temas adultos tratados en formato como de fábula.