A review by laffingkat
Clones: The Anthology by P.K. Tyler, Hank Garner, Jessica West, Joshua Ingle, Susan Kaye Quinn, Samuel Peralta, Rysa Walker, R.D. Brady, Daniel Arthur Smith, Michael Patrick Hicks, Nathan M. Beauchamp

4.0

This anthology was really well done, though the stories were darker than what I generally prefer to read, and some were quite violent. Doesn't anyone write hopeful, optimistic scifi anymore? Apparently not, at least not when clones are the topic. That's the only reason I couldn't rate this higher than a 4, because I found the stories intriguing and well-written, and I don't recall any typos or other editorial problems.

I definitely enjoyed some of the stories more than others. I didn't hate any of them, but some were a bit too dark for me, and some were too predictable. Michael Patrick Hicks' somewhat Lovecraftian "Black Site" was clever, but too gory for me. I still feel a bit queasy thinking about it! The stories that surprised me the most were "Awakening" by Susan Kaye Quinn and "All These Bodies" by P.K. Tyler. I also enjoyed the philosophical questions brought up in Joshua Ingle's "The Vandal."

If you're really sensitive to violence, you should probably give this a pass. Otherwise, if you enjoy scifi and perhaps the occasional horror story, give it a chance. I suspect you'll like at least some of the stories.

Note that I received a free copy of the book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.