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lizshayne's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Takács is such an extraordinary writer and ey bring eir Judaism into the stories in a way that makes me not actually get hung up on weird questions and actually just embrace the realness because ey include but don’t infodump. It’s just part of the background fabric of the incredibly strange and moving and complicated stories.
littlebookterror's review
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A spectacular speculative collection that highlights diverse, intersectional characters and unique worlds while exploring the human condition.
I love how so many of eir pieces center communication and conflict resolution as their central themes and focus on how the lives of each protagonist shape the narrative itself. You can see it in Four-Point Affective Calibration where our protagonist is frustrated by how much they have to compensate and pick themselves apart to be heard and accepted. Or how in Folded into Tendril and Leaf, one character is changing into a tree, both physically, and later on, mentally. Their neurodivergence, Jewish identity and physical difference shape their interactions with the world.
We also have several pieces where aliens are coming into contact with humans with varying degrees of success. From unwanted housing situations to unique consciousnesses and recourse-seekers, their interactions are all different but relatable. It's easy to understand where they are arguing from even if a solution might be harder to find.
Some of the stories (Four-Point Affective Calibration, An Errant Holy Spark)
also address a “you”, the reader or another person present in the text, something I always love and adds another meta-textual layer to a story.
Sometimes, worldbuilding can feel gimmicky when authors are trying to inclusitivity but Takács does it effortlessly, naturally. It's entwined with the narrative and not an afterthought. I particularly enjoyed that Jewish identity and practices were involved since (real-world) religions are often forgotten in SFF books.
As with all collections/anthologies, I read, I am always excited when a foreword or commentary is included to give an insight into the creation of the pieces or why they were chosen – this one has both!
Four-Point Affective Calibration | ★★★✩✩
about a person transcribing their thoughts through prompts for a screening, discussing the assumption of others and having to placate strangers, microaggressions and more.
An Errant Holy Spark | ★★★★✩
a kidnapping case where the protagonist thinks about his existence and which is addressed towards “you” the kidnapper.
And I Entreated | ★★★★✩
A mother turned houseplant navigating her temporary sedentary life with her child's upcoming bar mitzvah.
Folded into Tendril and Leaf | ★★★✩✩
About two mage students who are in love where one turns into a tree for two long to avoid an upcoming war
The Third Extension | ★★★★✩
A short piece about exclusion and trying to survive under scrutiny.
On Good Friday the Raven Washes Its Young | ★★★✩✩
An outsider finding kindship in an unexpected place.
Volatile Patterns | ★★★✩✩
A courthouse proceeding in which magic channelling clothing patterns are at the centre of discussion.
The Ladybug, In Flight | ★★★★✩
A hivemind meeting a human.
The 1st Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade | ★★★✩✩
An unlikely team are travelling through Hungary and hoping to start peaceful communications with the new aliens arriving while making friends along the way.
A Technical Term, Like Priveledge | ★★★★✩
On the surface, it's about a blood-sucking sentient housebeast but it's also a discussion on perceived and true privilege while being stuck.
Power to Yield | ★★★★✩
A novella-length tale about a research project turning into a life-long vocation – kinship or obsession? The complexity of human natures.
I received an advanced reading copy from Broken Eye Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love how so many of eir pieces center communication and conflict resolution as their central themes and focus on how the lives of each protagonist shape the narrative itself. You can see it in Four-Point Affective Calibration where our protagonist is frustrated by how much they have to compensate and pick themselves apart to be heard and accepted. Or how in Folded into Tendril and Leaf, one character is changing into a tree, both physically, and later on, mentally. Their neurodivergence, Jewish identity and physical difference shape their interactions with the world.
We also have several pieces where aliens are coming into contact with humans with varying degrees of success. From unwanted housing situations to unique consciousnesses and recourse-seekers, their interactions are all different but relatable. It's easy to understand where they are arguing from even if a solution might be harder to find.
Some of the stories (Four-Point Affective Calibration, An Errant Holy Spark)
also address a “you”, the reader or another person present in the text, something I always love and adds another meta-textual layer to a story.
Sometimes, worldbuilding can feel gimmicky when authors are trying to inclusitivity but Takács does it effortlessly, naturally. It's entwined with the narrative and not an afterthought. I particularly enjoyed that Jewish identity and practices were involved since (real-world) religions are often forgotten in SFF books.
As with all collections/anthologies, I read, I am always excited when a foreword or commentary is included to give an insight into the creation of the pieces or why they were chosen – this one has both!
Four-Point Affective Calibration | ★★★✩✩
about a person transcribing their thoughts through prompts for a screening, discussing the assumption of others and having to placate strangers, microaggressions and more.
An Errant Holy Spark | ★★★★✩
a kidnapping case where the protagonist thinks about his existence and which is addressed towards “you” the kidnapper.
And I Entreated | ★★★★✩
A mother turned houseplant navigating her temporary sedentary life with her child's upcoming bar mitzvah.
Folded into Tendril and Leaf | ★★★✩✩
About two mage students who are in love where one turns into a tree for two long to avoid an upcoming war
The Third Extension | ★★★★✩
A short piece about exclusion and trying to survive under scrutiny.
On Good Friday the Raven Washes Its Young | ★★★✩✩
An outsider finding kindship in an unexpected place.
Volatile Patterns | ★★★✩✩
A courthouse proceeding in which magic channelling clothing patterns are at the centre of discussion.
The Ladybug, In Flight | ★★★★✩
A hivemind meeting a human.
The 1st Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade | ★★★✩✩
An unlikely team are travelling through Hungary and hoping to start peaceful communications with the new aliens arriving while making friends along the way.
A Technical Term, Like Priveledge | ★★★★✩
On the surface, it's about a blood-sucking sentient housebeast but it's also a discussion on perceived and true privilege while being stuck.
Power to Yield | ★★★★✩
A novella-length tale about a research project turning into a life-long vocation – kinship or obsession? The complexity of human natures.
I received an advanced reading copy from Broken Eye Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
danielles_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Broken Eye Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Average rating: 3.97
I really enjoyed this short story collection. It's light speculative fiction but what makes it unique is its focus on various kinds of disability and mental illness, Judaism, and gender. Almost every story features a queer character, many have a disabled character, and a few heavily feature Jewish traditions. Some of the stories are located in or reference Hungary as well. I don't fit into any of these identities myself so a lot of these stories were very eye-opening for me. I didn't understand all the Jewish references so I had to Google a bit, and learned a lot!
I will say that I generally preferred the shorter stories in this collection. My favorite story is actually less than 2 pages long ("The Third Extension" - I honestly couldn't tell you what it was about but the vibes are immaculate)! I feel like Takács is great at depicting unique worlds and perspectives with very few words. The other top stories for me were "An Errant Holy Spark" (about AI with a Jewish twist), "Volatile Patterns" (about the dangers of cultural appropriation across alien species), and "A Technical Term, like Privilege" (about a renter tired of giving blood to their landlord / housebeast). All three of these tackle real world issues within a unique speculative context, which is one of my favorite things.
Sadly, the title story, "Power to Yield", was my least favorite of the collection by far. It was also the longest, at about three times the length of most of the other stories, so it was a struggle for me to get through. I had no idea what was going on as nothing was explained in a straightforward manner and was just alluded to. It felt really uncomfortable in a way that I'm pretty sure the author intended, but I honestly wouldn't have understood it at all without the context from the author's notes at the end of the book (which are great!) and the foreword from Ada Hoffmann at the beginning, both of which explain it briefly.
I'm sad that none of my libraries have this and it seems to be difficult to obtain for most people. But if you can get your hands on this, I highly recommend it! I would definitely be interested in reading more of Bogi Takács's work in the future.
Average rating: 3.97
I really enjoyed this short story collection. It's light speculative fiction but what makes it unique is its focus on various kinds of disability and mental illness, Judaism, and gender. Almost every story features a queer character, many have a disabled character, and a few heavily feature Jewish traditions. Some of the stories are located in or reference Hungary as well. I don't fit into any of these identities myself so a lot of these stories were very eye-opening for me. I didn't understand all the Jewish references so I had to Google a bit, and learned a lot!
I will say that I generally preferred the shorter stories in this collection. My favorite story is actually less than 2 pages long ("The Third Extension" - I honestly couldn't tell you what it was about but the vibes are immaculate)! I feel like Takács is great at depicting unique worlds and perspectives with very few words. The other top stories for me were "An Errant Holy Spark" (about AI with a Jewish twist), "Volatile Patterns" (about the dangers of cultural appropriation across alien species), and "A Technical Term, like Privilege" (about a renter tired of giving blood to their landlord / housebeast). All three of these tackle real world issues within a unique speculative context, which is one of my favorite things.
Sadly, the title story, "Power to Yield", was my least favorite of the collection by far. It was also the longest, at about three times the length of most of the other stories, so it was a struggle for me to get through. I had no idea what was going on as nothing was explained in a straightforward manner and was just alluded to. It felt really uncomfortable in a way that I'm pretty sure the author intended, but I honestly wouldn't have understood it at all without the context from the author's notes at the end of the book (which are great!) and the foreword from Ada Hoffmann at the beginning, both of which explain it briefly.
I'm sad that none of my libraries have this and it seems to be difficult to obtain for most people. But if you can get your hands on this, I highly recommend it! I would definitely be interested in reading more of Bogi Takács's work in the future.
karensareadsatnight's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
clara_ward's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
cobwebshelves's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"I always told myself I was focusing on my studies, that was why I couldn't pay attention to politics. But politics had spattered me in blood and left people dying in my arms."
"Power to Yield" is a compelling collection of sci-fi works that introduces some interesting concepts while staying grounded in reality. You can clearly tell how Takács's lived experiences influence eir storytelling - subjects of gender, sexuality, religion, and culture are interwoven throughout, exploring how one's identity and attitude toward it would change (or stay the same) through the lens of alien life and technological developments.
The common thread in each of the short stories is community and communication, yet each approach is distinct, and Takács gives distinct voices to eir cast of characters, some being closer reflections of em than others. The stories lean more heavily to light scifi and I quite enjoyed the touch of likening what would typically be written as "superhuman powers" to magic, combining the futurism of scifi with tropes more common in fantasy. My favourite story from the bunch was "Folded into Tendril and Leaf", which was one of the few to lean into the magic of it all. The concepts were captivating enough that I'd love to read long-form stories set in the same universes, regardless if they'd follow the same cast of characters or explore different scenes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Broken Eye Books for the arc.
"Power to Yield" is a compelling collection of sci-fi works that introduces some interesting concepts while staying grounded in reality. You can clearly tell how Takács's lived experiences influence eir storytelling - subjects of gender, sexuality, religion, and culture are interwoven throughout, exploring how one's identity and attitude toward it would change (or stay the same) through the lens of alien life and technological developments.
The common thread in each of the short stories is community and communication, yet each approach is distinct, and Takács gives distinct voices to eir cast of characters, some being closer reflections of em than others. The stories lean more heavily to light scifi and I quite enjoyed the touch of likening what would typically be written as "superhuman powers" to magic, combining the futurism of scifi with tropes more common in fantasy. My favourite story from the bunch was "Folded into Tendril and Leaf", which was one of the few to lean into the magic of it all. The concepts were captivating enough that I'd love to read long-form stories set in the same universes, regardless if they'd follow the same cast of characters or explore different scenes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Broken Eye Books for the arc.
nikereadsbooks's review
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
There were stories in this book I really enjoyed, in particular "And I Entreated". I loved the concept of being stuck as a plant and how all of the characters were affected by it somehow. I also liked “The 1st Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade” especially its setting and the community the characters built for themselves. At last, and probably my favourite from all the stories, was "Power to Yield". It's a novella and I feel its length was great enough to build the characters, which was something that made me like it much more than the stories which didn't have that opportunity. It also dealt a lot with ableism and neurodivergency and I really loved Oyārun as a character.
The overall writing of this book was excellent, flowy and focused on the characters, it was easy to read in most parts.
But I still struggled to get through some of the stories and while the ones I mentioned were great, the whole impression I was left with after finishing this book was simply okay.
There were stories in this book I really enjoyed, in particular "And I Entreated". I loved the concept of being stuck as a plant and how all of the characters were affected by it somehow. I also liked “The 1st Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade” especially its setting and the community the characters built for themselves. At last, and probably my favourite from all the stories, was "Power to Yield". It's a novella and I feel its length was great enough to build the characters, which was something that made me like it much more than the stories which didn't have that opportunity. It also dealt a lot with ableism and neurodivergency and I really loved Oyārun as a character.
The overall writing of this book was excellent, flowy and focused on the characters, it was easy to read in most parts.
But I still struggled to get through some of the stories and while the ones I mentioned were great, the whole impression I was left with after finishing this book was simply okay.
frankiesellitto's review
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this collection, but I had to put down the arc due to the terrible formatting. A more detailed review will come once the book officially come out.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this collection, but I had to put down the arc due to the terrible formatting. A more detailed review will come once the book officially come out.
laurareads87's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
4.5, rounding up. Before picking up Power to Yield and Other Stories, I had read one story by Bogi Takács before in an anthology (Xenocultivars) and really enjoyed it - it was one of my favourites. When I saw the chance to read an entire collection of eirs I was really happy and requested it immediately. While inevitably, with any collection there are some stories that I liked more than others, there is no 'filler' here - the stories fit together without feeling repetitive and all are compelling in one way or another. I find Bogi Takács' work very thoughtful and thought-provoking, particularly around themes of identity and power. There is so much diverse representation here that I appreciate.
I will mention here some of my absolute favourites:"The First Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade," "Folded into Tendril and Leaf" (the story I'd read previously in Xenocultivars), "And I Entreated," "An Errand Holy Spark," and the first story in the collection "Four-Point Affective Calibration" which let me know I was in for a great read.
Content warnings: violence, war, imprisonment, self-harm, blood, injury detail, colonialism, harm to non-human animals, mentions of antisemitism, classism, cissexism / transphobia, ableism, S/M in a non-sexual context. NOTE: the author provides a list of content warnings story by story at the back of the book. I have here adjusted the terms slightly just so that my StoryGraph and Goodreads reviews are consistent, but please do consult the author's own list if you have concerns - e even bolds the titles of the stories that are most content-heavy, which is thoughtful and something I wish more authors bothered to do.
Thank you to Broken Eye Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
I will mention here some of my absolute favourites:"The First Interspecies Solidarity Fair and Parade," "Folded into Tendril and Leaf" (the story I'd read previously in Xenocultivars), "And I Entreated," "An Errand Holy Spark," and the first story in the collection "Four-Point Affective Calibration" which let me know I was in for a great read.
Content warnings: violence, war, imprisonment, self-harm, blood, injury detail, colonialism, harm to non-human animals, mentions of antisemitism, classism, cissexism / transphobia, ableism, S/M in a non-sexual context. NOTE: the author provides a list of content warnings story by story at the back of the book. I have here adjusted the terms slightly just so that my StoryGraph and Goodreads reviews are consistent, but please do consult the author's own list if you have concerns - e even bolds the titles of the stories that are most content-heavy, which is thoughtful and something I wish more authors bothered to do.
Thank you to Broken Eye Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Transphobia, Classism, and Blood
edebell's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I always love Bogi Takács's writing, and this new collection elevates on every level. The art, the weaving between tale and inspiration, the spin through dream and water of eir stories always makes me feel more connected, more mortal, and thus more alive. And in that: calm. Peace and control within the storm. The choice to love and the choice to break. The essence of our existence. Power to Yield and Other Stories is an invitation to insight, an invitation to joy.
Regarding content notices: There were moments that came close to hard-learned guidelines for my own care. That said - something I have learned through my own experiences with ptsd is that the measure of content is vastly affected by the understanding of trust, the meaning of message! A theme? A good theme, I think.
Regarding content notices: There were moments that came close to hard-learned guidelines for my own care. That said - something I have learned through my own experiences with ptsd is that the measure of content is vastly affected by the understanding of trust, the meaning of message! A theme? A good theme, I think.
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