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A review by koreykit
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Thirteen by Jonathan Strahan
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
The vast majority of the stories in this book are absolute bangers.
Particular favourites:
Mother Tongues by S. Qiouyi Lu - A touching story of what a mother will give up for her child
The Woman Who Destroyed Us by S. L. Huang - Focuses on interesting philosophy of the line between treating someone's mental illness/difference and making them a different person
The Blue Fairy's Manifesto by Annalee Newitz - A fun story about what it means to choose and what lives are worth living. Deals with consent.
Intervention by Kelly Robson - Explores a future where reproduction is separated from biology and children are raised communally by specialists.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E Harrow - A witch librarian and semi-sentient books help a foster kid. As an aspiring librarian, I found it really sweet and accurate to the way books can change a life.
The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander - Alternate history where humans learn to communicate with elephants and immediately exploit them to work with radiation. Told from multiple perspectives, including the elephants', from three points in time.
The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher - My favourite story of the collection. A woman works her way through a string of faerie lovers, as told by the faeries. Absolutely hilarious.
Meat and Salt and Sparks by Rich Larson - A chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence solves crimes. I liked the attention paid to the accommodations that a chimp would need to navigate the human world.
The Storyteller's Replacement by N. K. Jemisin - A lyrical original fairytale
Particular favourites:
Mother Tongues by S. Qiouyi Lu - A touching story of what a mother will give up for her child
The Woman Who Destroyed Us by S. L. Huang - Focuses on interesting philosophy of the line between treating someone's mental illness/difference and making them a different person
The Blue Fairy's Manifesto by Annalee Newitz - A fun story about what it means to choose and what lives are worth living. Deals with consent.
Intervention by Kelly Robson - Explores a future where reproduction is separated from biology and children are raised communally by specialists.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E Harrow - A witch librarian and semi-sentient books help a foster kid. As an aspiring librarian, I found it really sweet and accurate to the way books can change a life.
The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander - Alternate history where humans learn to communicate with elephants and immediately exploit them to work with radiation. Told from multiple perspectives, including the elephants', from three points in time.
The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher - My favourite story of the collection. A woman works her way through a string of faerie lovers, as told by the faeries. Absolutely hilarious.
Meat and Salt and Sparks by Rich Larson - A chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence solves crimes. I liked the attention paid to the accommodations that a chimp would need to navigate the human world.
The Storyteller's Replacement by N. K. Jemisin - A lyrical original fairytale