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A review by misterjay
Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2011 edition by Matthew Sanborn Smith, Michael Swanwick, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Paul Park, Harry Turtledove, James Alan Gardner, Yoon Ha Lee, Charlie Jane Anders, Liz Gorinsky, Nnedi Okorafor
4.0
This is a short, free collection of works published by Tor.com during 2011. I was unfamiliar with all the authors present save for Harry Turtledove before diving in. I have thoroughly enjoyed the collection, and as a marketing move, I hope it's something more publishers emulate. Soon.
Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
I really loved this beautiful story that contemplates whether the future can be changed and whether the two people who can see it are blessed or cursed. (4/5)
The Dala Horse by Michael Swanwick
This is an odd tale, set in a future Earth that tells the tale of a great civilization gone to dust and also that of a little girl and her troll, and how they are saved. I enjoyed it for its sense of childish innocence and ancient weariness. (3/5)
A Clean Sweep with all the Trimmings by James Alan Gardner
The story was interesting and I liked the main characters, but the writing style drove me a little nuts. I get that it's a tribute, borrowing from another time, but it was still irksome. (2/5)
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers by Matthew Sanborn Smith
This is what cyberpunk would look like if it were being invented today. Between the setting (Nagasaki) and the tech (augmented reality) and the people (heartbroken), this is the kind of story that reminds me why I loved the original cyberpunk novels so much and why I wish there was a lot more of this kind of story around. (5/5)
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee
I wanted to like this collection of sketches of different aliens with different ideas and different cultures, but it read (to me) as too fragmented and too insignificant to really carry the weight of the point the author was trying to make. I would much rather have read a longer story putting the pieces into a more conventional framework. (2/5)
Ragnorak by Paul Park
This piece too, did very little for me. While I have no problem with epic poetry in general, this story would have worked better for me if it were an actual prose work, rather than a poem that contrasts the modern with the mythic and attempts to tell the story of a war between them.
Hello Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
This fascinated me to the point that I immediately re-read the story after finishing it for the first time. The details and the setting alone were captivating, but the story built on top of them was superb. This is the story of a group of witches and what happens when they technology they've spelled changes them. (5/5)
Shetl Days by Harry Turtledove
Harry Tutledove's facility with history and language is on full display in this novella. It centers on the idea that pretending to be something can transform you into that same thing. I really enjoyed this one. The setting seemed far too real to be science-fiction, which is both thrilling and scary when you stop to think about it. (5/5)
Original Short Fiction on Tor.com 2011
Ok, this is not a story, but it is a compelling reason to skip to the end of the book. Tor have very kindly included a list of all the fiction they published on their website in 2011, broken down by short story and novella.
With any luck, Tor will continue to both publish and present short fiction like this collection. I intend to do my part to encourage them by immediately devouring everything I can find by Matthew Sanborn Smith and Nnedi Okorafor.
Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
I really loved this beautiful story that contemplates whether the future can be changed and whether the two people who can see it are blessed or cursed. (4/5)
The Dala Horse by Michael Swanwick
This is an odd tale, set in a future Earth that tells the tale of a great civilization gone to dust and also that of a little girl and her troll, and how they are saved. I enjoyed it for its sense of childish innocence and ancient weariness. (3/5)
A Clean Sweep with all the Trimmings by James Alan Gardner
The story was interesting and I liked the main characters, but the writing style drove me a little nuts. I get that it's a tribute, borrowing from another time, but it was still irksome. (2/5)
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers by Matthew Sanborn Smith
This is what cyberpunk would look like if it were being invented today. Between the setting (Nagasaki) and the tech (augmented reality) and the people (heartbroken), this is the kind of story that reminds me why I loved the original cyberpunk novels so much and why I wish there was a lot more of this kind of story around. (5/5)
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee
I wanted to like this collection of sketches of different aliens with different ideas and different cultures, but it read (to me) as too fragmented and too insignificant to really carry the weight of the point the author was trying to make. I would much rather have read a longer story putting the pieces into a more conventional framework. (2/5)
Ragnorak by Paul Park
This piece too, did very little for me. While I have no problem with epic poetry in general, this story would have worked better for me if it were an actual prose work, rather than a poem that contrasts the modern with the mythic and attempts to tell the story of a war between them.
Hello Moto by Nnedi Okorafor
This fascinated me to the point that I immediately re-read the story after finishing it for the first time. The details and the setting alone were captivating, but the story built on top of them was superb. This is the story of a group of witches and what happens when they technology they've spelled changes them. (5/5)
Shetl Days by Harry Turtledove
Harry Tutledove's facility with history and language is on full display in this novella. It centers on the idea that pretending to be something can transform you into that same thing. I really enjoyed this one. The setting seemed far too real to be science-fiction, which is both thrilling and scary when you stop to think about it. (5/5)
Original Short Fiction on Tor.com 2011
Ok, this is not a story, but it is a compelling reason to skip to the end of the book. Tor have very kindly included a list of all the fiction they published on their website in 2011, broken down by short story and novella.
With any luck, Tor will continue to both publish and present short fiction like this collection. I intend to do my part to encourage them by immediately devouring everything I can find by Matthew Sanborn Smith and Nnedi Okorafor.