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timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Mostly fantasy, mostly not to my taste.
Several felt like stories that were written to win an award, rather than to tell me a story.
I had no problem with the novellas, except that if you don't like one you've lost quite a few pages.
I'm just about done with the weird-girl-who-lives-apart-from the-world stories (once you've read "Cold Comfort Farm" it's hard to be impressed by anything else) and too many of these felt like that.
OK, there were a couple of good ones.
I don't need to go back to heroes in leather underpants eating stew in an inn where a man with a cowl is sitting alone in the corner, or pretty elves seducing plain young men and women, but I do like to be taken elsewhere once in a while, instead of meeting a naiad in downtown Schenectady. I'm an older reader, but I think the Showcases of years past were better.
Several felt like stories that were written to win an award, rather than to tell me a story.
I had no problem with the novellas, except that if you don't like one you've lost quite a few pages.
I'm just about done with the weird-girl-who-lives-apart-from the-world stories (once you've read "Cold Comfort Farm" it's hard to be impressed by anything else) and too many of these felt like that.
OK, there were a couple of good ones.
I don't need to go back to heroes in leather underpants eating stew in an inn where a man with a cowl is sitting alone in the corner, or pretty elves seducing plain young men and women, but I do like to be taken elsewhere once in a while, instead of meeting a naiad in downtown Schenectady. I'm an older reader, but I think the Showcases of years past were better.
palomapepper's review against another edition
3.0
I only read the short stories. I enjoyed:
- "The Fisher Queen" (Alyssa Wong): a fisherman's daughter who makes a choice involving a grotesque mermaid.
- "The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye" (Matthew Kressel): a galaxy-eating being and its minion re-create a long-dead human being. I wasn't sold until the end, when the wide-eyed wonder made me feel warm and fuzzy.
- "Jackalope Wives" (Ursula Vernon): a grandmother tries to undo her grandson's naive mistake.
- "A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" (Sarah Pinkser): a farmer's new bionic arm has its own sense of self.
- "The Breath of War" (Aliette de Bodard): a pregnant woman seeks her long-lost animate stone carving, without whom her unborn child will die.
- "The Fisher Queen" (Alyssa Wong): a fisherman's daughter who makes a choice involving a grotesque mermaid.
- "The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye" (Matthew Kressel): a galaxy-eating being and its minion re-create a long-dead human being. I wasn't sold until the end, when the wide-eyed wonder made me feel warm and fuzzy.
- "Jackalope Wives" (Ursula Vernon): a grandmother tries to undo her grandson's naive mistake.
- "A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" (Sarah Pinkser): a farmer's new bionic arm has its own sense of self.
- "The Breath of War" (Aliette de Bodard): a pregnant woman seeks her long-lost animate stone carving, without whom her unborn child will die.
pigeomita's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
lymadebell's review against another edition
3.0
Top stories I liked: jackalope wives - Ursula Vernon, the fisher queen - Alyssa Wong, a guide to the fruits of Hawaii - Alaya dawn Johnson and yesterday's kin - nancy Kress. Everything else seemed generic.
miramanga's review against another edition
4.0
A myriad of fabulous extracts and short stories. Most valuable to me the comprehensive listing of all the previous awards won since the birth of the Nebula so lots to add to my reading list..!
memoriast's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.5
Everything here was good. Most of it was emotionally devastating, so be warned.
Personal favourites:
Personal favourites:
- "The Fisher Queen" by Alyssa Wong
- "The Husband Stitch" by Carmen Maria Machado
- "The Devil in America" by Kai Ashante Wilson
- "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" by Alaya Dawn Johnson
- Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress
Other highlights:
- "The Magician and Laplace's Demon" by Tom Crosshill
- "We Are the Cloud" by Sam J. Miller
- "The Breath of War" by Aliette de Bodard
- "A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide" by Sarah Pinsker
- "Jackalope Wives" by Ursula Vernon
- "The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye" by Matthew Kressel
reading_monkey's review against another edition
5.0
Great collection of stories. Some cutting edge stuff.
bookwyrmknits's review
4.0
I only read the award-winning stories from this compilation:
* Jackalope Wives (short story) by Ursula Vernon
* A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i (novelette) by Alaya Dawn Johnson
* Yesterday's Kin (novella) by Nancy Kress
I enjoyed the stories I read, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed (at least some of) the rest of the compilation too, had I decided to read it. However, my reason for getting this out of the library was to read more of the Nebula Award Winners, so I stuck with just those.
They were all enjoyable, though they didn't always portray humanity in a flattering light. One of the things I liked was that though there was often a "humanity as a whole can be mean" type of feel, the heroines also served as examples that individual people can be beacons of hope in the darkness of mob mentality. (Side note: all three of the award-winners for 2015 featured female main characters.)
* Jackalope Wives (short story) by Ursula Vernon
* A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i (novelette) by Alaya Dawn Johnson
* Yesterday's Kin (novella) by Nancy Kress
I enjoyed the stories I read, and I'm sure I would have enjoyed (at least some of) the rest of the compilation too, had I decided to read it. However, my reason for getting this out of the library was to read more of the Nebula Award Winners, so I stuck with just those.
They were all enjoyable, though they didn't always portray humanity in a flattering light. One of the things I liked was that though there was often a "humanity as a whole can be mean" type of feel, the heroines also served as examples that individual people can be beacons of hope in the darkness of mob mentality. (Side note: all three of the award-winners for 2015 featured female main characters.)
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