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annashiv's review against another edition
3.0
In the Eyes of the Empress' Cat - 2 stars. Fine, but nothing special.
Mazer in Prison - 5 stars, really solid short story. I was gripped by it and interested throughout. If course it is Card's story. Just reminded me how talented he is. Also, loved the narrator's voice for this one (listened to audiobook for all these)
Tabloid Reporter to the Stars - 4.5 stars. Loved this one for the most part. The ending was a little silly but still satisfying. I'm a fan of Stones writing in general and is why I wanted to read this collection.
Audience - 2.5 stars. Nothing special, but not bad either.
The Mooncalfe - 0 stars. I hated this. Don't bother with it.
Cheater - 3 stars. Interesting. Especially enjoyed the thinking of our main character. I thought maybe he was a robot/AI but it went in a different direction. I think I would have liked it more had he been an AI. I would have liked to explore that side of the idea personally.
Dream Engine - 2 stars. Too weird for me. Didn't care for the characters or plot or setting.
Hats Off - 1 star. Pointless. Not worth reading. At least it's short.
Eviction Notice - 1 star. Not for me.
To Know All Things That Are in the Earth - 2.5 stars. Interesting, but a little gruesome and simple. It embodied an idea I've understood for a long time, so it was a little underwhelming, but I could see it being a big thing for someone who didn't grow up as I did.
Beats of Seven - 2 stars. Not particularly interesting to me. Might be more for those who really really really love music.
Pretty Boy - I enjoyed this until the ending of it. I didn't remember this character from Ender's game until the end, and it just didn't seem to fit him. His reasoning had been good and interesting, but then I guess it's plausible. Just not Card's best story in here.
Respite - 4 stars. I enjoyed this one, though it's a little bare.
The Box of Beautiful Things - 3 stars. Interesting, but could have been better.
Taint of Treason - 5 stars. Simple concept, did what it wanted to do and ended appropriately. I really love this author.
Call Me Mr. Positive - 3 stars. Felt like something was missing. I think it would have been better as a mystery rather than a character study.
A Young Man with Prospects - 3 stars.
Ender's Homecoming - 3 stars. It's been quite some time since I read Ender's game. Most of the other Ender stories were fine despite that fact. This one I felt like i would have been better having read it more recently. I do feel more motivated to reread Ender's Game and continue the series though.
Mazer in Prison - 5 stars, really solid short story. I was gripped by it and interested throughout. If course it is Card's story. Just reminded me how talented he is. Also, loved the narrator's voice for this one (listened to audiobook for all these)
Tabloid Reporter to the Stars - 4.5 stars. Loved this one for the most part. The ending was a little silly but still satisfying. I'm a fan of Stones writing in general and is why I wanted to read this collection.
Audience - 2.5 stars. Nothing special, but not bad either.
The Mooncalfe - 0 stars. I hated this. Don't bother with it.
Cheater - 3 stars. Interesting. Especially enjoyed the thinking of our main character. I thought maybe he was a robot/AI but it went in a different direction. I think I would have liked it more had he been an AI. I would have liked to explore that side of the idea personally.
Dream Engine - 2 stars. Too weird for me. Didn't care for the characters or plot or setting.
Hats Off - 1 star. Pointless. Not worth reading. At least it's short.
Eviction Notice - 1 star. Not for me.
To Know All Things That Are in the Earth - 2.5 stars. Interesting, but a little gruesome and simple. It embodied an idea I've understood for a long time, so it was a little underwhelming, but I could see it being a big thing for someone who didn't grow up as I did.
Beats of Seven - 2 stars. Not particularly interesting to me. Might be more for those who really really really love music.
Pretty Boy - I enjoyed this until the ending of it. I didn't remember this character from Ender's game until the end, and it just didn't seem to fit him. His reasoning had been good and interesting, but then I guess it's plausible. Just not Card's best story in here.
Respite - 4 stars. I enjoyed this one, though it's a little bare.
The Box of Beautiful Things - 3 stars. Interesting, but could have been better.
Taint of Treason - 5 stars. Simple concept, did what it wanted to do and ended appropriately. I really love this author.
Call Me Mr. Positive - 3 stars. Felt like something was missing. I think it would have been better as a mystery rather than a character study.
A Young Man with Prospects - 3 stars.
Ender's Homecoming - 3 stars. It's been quite some time since I read Ender's game. Most of the other Ender stories were fine despite that fact. This one I felt like i would have been better having read it more recently. I do feel more motivated to reread Ender's Game and continue the series though.
zwinning's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories offers a wide range of 'sci-fi' with a high concentration of good quality stories. There were only a few I didn't care for, but others might like them.
My favorite was probably 'Tabloid Reporter to the Stars' and 'The Mooncalfe' and 'Call me Mr. Positive' follow with a tie for second place. Originally I bought the book so I could read the Ender short stories, but I ended up with so much more than I had anticipated. Anyone who hasn't read much from the Ender's Game series might be a little disappointed with the Ender stories, but they serve their purpose of back filling the Enderverse and giving a new perspective. I'm sure I'll see more of Alessandra in the Enderverse
My favorite was probably 'Tabloid Reporter to the Stars' and 'The Mooncalfe' and 'Call me Mr. Positive' follow with a tie for second place. Originally I bought the book so I could read the Ender short stories, but I ended up with so much more than I had anticipated. Anyone who hasn't read much from the Ender's Game series might be a little disappointed with the Ender stories, but they serve their purpose of back filling the Enderverse and giving a new perspective. I'm sure I'll see more of Alessandra in the Enderverse
thukpa's review against another edition
4.0
Considering that the only sci-fi I really read is the Ender and Shadow series, and that is what drew me to this collection of short stories, I really enjoyed the stories that weren't from Ender's Universe. I'm looking forward to yet another collection from the online mag Orson Scott Card's Intergallactic Medicine Show, or I may just have to purchase one on the site!
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
Some good stories, some bad. Some were downright amateur. Card's stories were fun. The last of Card's stories, though, was lifted from one of his Ender books.
scottcmikula's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't actually read this book cover to cover, because I had already read most of the stories in the online magazine. (http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com) There were a few stories that I had to reread, though, and it was good to be reminded that Orson Scott Card's magazine tends to be better than many other magazines at providing a selection of short fiction that I really enjoy.
The bonus to reading this anthology is getting the afterward to each story, where the author explains a little bit about where the story came from. Edmund Schubert, in his introduction, likens it to getting a peek at the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. (In some cases I enjoyed those anecdotes as much as the stories themselves!)
The bonus to reading this anthology is getting the afterward to each story, where the author explains a little bit about where the story came from. Edmund Schubert, in his introduction, likens it to getting a peek at the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. (In some cases I enjoyed those anecdotes as much as the stories themselves!)
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
I read this several weeks ago but have put off writing a review because I am somewhat acquainted with three of the authors represented in the anthology and wanted to give them their due as well as highlight some of the other stories. But of course now I've had to return the book to the library and can't find a table of contents anywhere and can't remember a bunch of the stories.
But I can say this:
I enjoyed "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" by Eric James Stone for its blend of hard sci-fi and humor and for a suspenseful and hilarious take on the first contact genre. I'm serious -- on one level there was a bit that was absurd, but on the other hand, we end up with some excellent exploration of questions of faith and the other.
"Audience" by Ty Franck is an idea story. Some people see such stories as lesser achievements. I disagree. First of all, it's an excellent idea/concept/conceit. But secondly, Ty shows admirable restraint in telling the story. It must have been difficult (or would have been difficult for me) to not push the story further, not tease out more consequences and situations and show off more cleverness. But he keeps things tight.
"Eviction Notice" by Scott Roberts is a devastating, dark story. I'm surprised it didn't get more play in the reviews of the anthology. In fact, the reviews highlighted stories that I thought were okay but not really standout. Anyway, Roberts is an intense, poetic writer and "Eviction Notice" is no exception. Not an easy read. But it really gets under your skin.
In addition, I was pleasantly surprised by Orson Scott Card's Enderverse contributions. They were kind of fun. A couple seemed a little slight or easy -- "Pretty Boy" and "A Young Man with Prospects" -- but "Mazer in Prison" is fascinating and almost made me tear up a little and "Cheater" is pretty cool.
Of the other stories, I liked David Farland's "The Mooncalfe" quite a bit. Same with "To Know All Things That Are in the Earth" by James Maxey. But at the same time, there was something about the natures of each story that made me go "eh" when I should have been going "ooooo."
The other stories were fine, but I don't remember them enough to comment on them specifically.
But I can say this:
I enjoyed "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" by Eric James Stone for its blend of hard sci-fi and humor and for a suspenseful and hilarious take on the first contact genre. I'm serious -- on one level there was a bit that was absurd, but on the other hand, we end up with some excellent exploration of questions of faith and the other.
"Audience" by Ty Franck is an idea story. Some people see such stories as lesser achievements. I disagree. First of all, it's an excellent idea/concept/conceit. But secondly, Ty shows admirable restraint in telling the story. It must have been difficult (or would have been difficult for me) to not push the story further, not tease out more consequences and situations and show off more cleverness. But he keeps things tight.
"Eviction Notice" by Scott Roberts is a devastating, dark story. I'm surprised it didn't get more play in the reviews of the anthology. In fact, the reviews highlighted stories that I thought were okay but not really standout. Anyway, Roberts is an intense, poetic writer and "Eviction Notice" is no exception. Not an easy read. But it really gets under your skin.
In addition, I was pleasantly surprised by Orson Scott Card's Enderverse contributions. They were kind of fun. A couple seemed a little slight or easy -- "Pretty Boy" and "A Young Man with Prospects" -- but "Mazer in Prison" is fascinating and almost made me tear up a little and "Cheater" is pretty cool.
Of the other stories, I liked David Farland's "The Mooncalfe" quite a bit. Same with "To Know All Things That Are in the Earth" by James Maxey. But at the same time, there was something about the natures of each story that made me go "eh" when I should have been going "ooooo."
The other stories were fine, but I don't remember them enough to comment on them specifically.
davidr's review
3.0
Here are some very good short stories, and some not-so-good stories. A couple of the stories are by Card, even placed in the setting of the Ender's Game universe. Most are by other authors.
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