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rakoerose's review
4.0
This is a fantastic little collection full of a variety of speculative themes and elements that are heightened by this anthology’s focus on queer identities! I found myself enjoying more stories than not and I think any reader will find at least one thing they jive with.
Hollow says, “You have your own form and function, and it is beautiful.”
— “8-Bit Free Will”
This collection is full of queer love, queer struggles, and was resoundingly compelling. Relatable and chock full of so many fun elements!! Being able to point at some pages and say “this is me” is always a wonderful feeling, and it’s similarly wonderful to point at other pages with underrepresented identities and say “and there they are!”
For me it was the more magical-fantasy and technology focused stories that I loved the most. Like “The Currant Dumas” with its dystopia filled with little technological choices and a hint of magic. Or “Rat and Finch Are Friends” which perfectly captures that young-love dynamic while imbuing it with shape-shifting. “The Last Good Time to Be Alive” decimated me with its tension and use of the internet as a vehicle for hope.
Surprisingly, it was some of the last stories in this that made a giant impression on me. “Salt and Iron” was a wonderful tale focusing on how we as individuals are whole and worthy just by existing, and nothing can take that away.
“Monsters Never Leave You” by Carlie St. George is my favorite, I think. It was the perfect length, covering some amazing themes around family acceptance and how children should be given free choice about how they will live. Its focus on two different sibling pairs made it right up my alley. That being said, this story does discuss familial abuse and I’d recommend looking for a content warning list if you know you may have some sensitivities before reading this anthology.
Overall, super pleased that I’ve been able to go back to my library recently and start picking up things that spark my interest, like this collection! This was a great read full of authors I plan to keep my eye out for as time goes on.
Hollow says, “You have your own form and function, and it is beautiful.”
— “8-Bit Free Will”
This collection is full of queer love, queer struggles, and was resoundingly compelling. Relatable and chock full of so many fun elements!! Being able to point at some pages and say “this is me” is always a wonderful feeling, and it’s similarly wonderful to point at other pages with underrepresented identities and say “and there they are!”
For me it was the more magical-fantasy and technology focused stories that I loved the most. Like “The Currant Dumas” with its dystopia filled with little technological choices and a hint of magic. Or “Rat and Finch Are Friends” which perfectly captures that young-love dynamic while imbuing it with shape-shifting. “The Last Good Time to Be Alive” decimated me with its tension and use of the internet as a vehicle for hope.
Surprisingly, it was some of the last stories in this that made a giant impression on me. “Salt and Iron” was a wonderful tale focusing on how we as individuals are whole and worthy just by existing, and nothing can take that away.
“Monsters Never Leave You” by Carlie St. George is my favorite, I think. It was the perfect length, covering some amazing themes around family acceptance and how children should be given free choice about how they will live. Its focus on two different sibling pairs made it right up my alley. That being said, this story does discuss familial abuse and I’d recommend looking for a content warning list if you know you may have some sensitivities before reading this anthology.
Overall, super pleased that I’ve been able to go back to my library recently and start picking up things that spark my interest, like this collection! This was a great read full of authors I plan to keep my eye out for as time goes on.
alyssabookrecs's review
4.0
Really good collection of queer speculative short fiction. In particular, my favorites were “Everquest,” “Thin Red Jellies,” and “Salt and Iron”; strong second favorites were “The Currant Dumas,” “The Last Good Time to Be Alive,” and “The Wedding After the Bomb.” I also enjoyed reading “Monsters Never Leave You” and “To Balance the Weight of Khalem.” Overall, super solid anthology!!
librarian_barbie's review
5.0
One of the few books to get me fully invested during my reading slump. Each story was amazingly well told. I loved it.
potatoaficionado's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
Mainly traditional short stories, but I liked that there were a few different formats - including a review of an art exhibit featuring fictional artists from a fictional art movement.
Favorites:
The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike by Kristen Koopman
The Last Good Time to Be Alive by Waverly SM
8-Bit Free Will by John Wiswell
Runners Up:
Everquest by Naomi Kanaki
Salt and Iron by Gemma Isherwood
Monsters Never Leave You by Carlie St. George
Favorites:
The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike by Kristen Koopman
The Last Good Time to Be Alive by Waverly SM
8-Bit Free Will by John Wiswell
Runners Up:
Everquest by Naomi Kanaki
Salt and Iron by Gemma Isherwood
Monsters Never Leave You by Carlie St. George
alexfromatlanta's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
ryttu3k's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rynaissanceenby's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This book is a lovely collection of all sorts of queer stories. Reading it really resonated with things I've experienced, and also helped me understand the variety of queer experiences better. Some of the writing was not as strong as I was hoping, but all the stories were good. My favorite was definitely The Wedding After the Bomb.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, War, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Death, Dysphoria, Body horror, Grief, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Death of parent
sydneyraereads's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This anthology is well-curated. There are tales involving a video game, movie, monsters, witches, a plum farmer, immigration, hiking, trains, the apocalypse, AI, joy, love, self-doubt, fury, and more. The through line of the stories is obviously being queer and being speculative, but they are very diverse in focus. This made the collection engaging and avoided unnecessary redundancy. I would have preferred some of the stories in a different order during my reading experience, but I am sure every reader may feel that way. Some of these stories stood out as favorites and I would reread them in lieu of having a full book to pick up with the characters and story.
Listed below is my star rating, story title, author, and (the order I would've liked them in).
*3.5* "Escaping Dr. Markoff" by Gabriela Santiago (16)
*4* "The Currant Dumas" by L.D. Lewis (11)
*4* "The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike" by Kristen Koopman (6)
*3.5* "Portrait of Three Women with an Owl" by Gwen C. Katz (3)
*4* "If You Take My Meaning" by Charlie Jane Anders (9)
*3.5* "A Voyage to Queensthroat" by Anya Johanna DeNiro (13)
*3* "Body, Remember" by Nicasio Andres Reed (7)
*3* "Rat and Finch Are Friends" by Innocent Chizaram Ilo (1)
*4* "The Last Good Time to Be Alive" by Waverly SM (4)
*2.5* "Everquest" by Naomi Kanaki (2)
*2* "8-Bit Free Will" by John Wiswell (8)
*5* "The Wedding After the Bomb" by Brendan Williams-Childs (15)
*5* "Thin Red Jellies" by Lina Rather (10)
*3.5* "Salt and Iron" by Gemma Isherwood (5)
*5* "Monsters Never Leave you" by Carlie St. George (14)
*2* "To Balance the Weight of Khalem" by R.B. Lemberg (12)
Listed below is my star rating, story title, author, and (the order I would've liked them in).
*3.5* "Escaping Dr. Markoff" by Gabriela Santiago (16)
*4* "The Currant Dumas" by L.D. Lewis (11)
*4* "The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike" by Kristen Koopman (6)
*3.5* "Portrait of Three Women with an Owl" by Gwen C. Katz (3)
*4* "If You Take My Meaning" by Charlie Jane Anders (9)
*3.5* "A Voyage to Queensthroat" by Anya Johanna DeNiro (13)
*3* "Body, Remember" by Nicasio Andres Reed (7)
*3* "Rat and Finch Are Friends" by Innocent Chizaram Ilo (1)
*4* "The Last Good Time to Be Alive" by Waverly SM (4)
*2.5* "Everquest" by Naomi Kanaki (2)
*2* "8-Bit Free Will" by John Wiswell (8)
*5* "The Wedding After the Bomb" by Brendan Williams-Childs (15)
*5* "Thin Red Jellies" by Lina Rather (10)
*3.5* "Salt and Iron" by Gemma Isherwood (5)
*5* "Monsters Never Leave you" by Carlie St. George (14)
*2* "To Balance the Weight of Khalem" by R.B. Lemberg (12)
maeve_spry's review
3.0
A queer collection of stories rather than a collection of queer stories. Too many short collections of words without much story attached; or, where there is story, too many missing beginnings or conclusions or comprehensible characters.