Showcases a creative and impactful writing talent across a broad spectrum of tone within sci fi and fantasy, contemporary (?) genres.Only the first, eponymous story, feels like the CatNet duology. After that, I appreciate Kritzer's writing but it's a heck of a tone shift. Despite the adorable title, I wouldn't say that age demographic for this collection is YA. More about each story individually in comments below:
Ace of Spades - what does it mean to truly live your life, if you were offered a different future , would you change your decisions, your goals, your dreams?
Wind - Fantasy/fairytale/folk lore - again unexpected, but quite enjoyed it
2y
Blessing Creek - What it can do to people raised under repressive traditions, how racism/xenophobia twists people to do things they might not otherwise consider, addresses the destruction and displacement of indigenous peoples by white 'settlers' of the Western 'frontier'.
2y
Artifice - The kind of sad robot story I'm used to seeing in modern sci-fi, I'm glad it's not the only kind out there, even if it makes its points well. 2y
The Good Son - My personal synopsis would be: 'what if the Fae/Fey were not canonically assholes?' , a few jabs at US health care system as it exists, what true love and commitment looks like in the face of illness, mortality 2y
Comrade Grandmother - Not one for Russian nationalism or war stories, myself, but the idea of Bab Yaga from folklore shaping pivotal WW2 battles with other mythical figures, and dropping by a combat zone to chat with an incredibly brave young woman is honestly more palatable than the truth of warfare 2y
Bits - Somehow wholesome and a jaw dropper, the author's note gave me a giggle
Honest Man - Going to stay with me for a long time, because I had an uncanny sense of deja vu the whole time I was reading it, and the timing of its original publication makes it incredibly unlikely I would have read it previously 😨 2y
⚠️ [Overall] Descriptions of WW2 anti-semitic genocide
Three different stories set in the time of world war two, but it's obvious from the start, so easy to skip if that's not your bag 2y
I rely on library loan periods to access books and the pressure to read a book within a certain time period is exacerbated by unmodifiable interlibrary loan due dates.
There's such a difference in tone from story to story in a short story collection, but also, I feel that authors pull their punches less when the narrative arc is short. You may have several hard hitting tales in a row, whereas a novel (not in the thriller/horror genre) would ease up in the course of the narrative.
While reading a short story made to be impactful, brief or even not completely satisfying in ending every once in a while, spaced out, is reasonable for my personal reader temperament, trying to steadily work my way through a variable collection, as I would with the chapters in a linear volume, feels like it requires more energy/effort/attention. Not an experience I'm likely to repeat frequently. 2y