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This is a wonderful collection, all of the stories felt entirely new and fresh. If you love speculative short stories, in particular sci-fi with a focus on the lives of ordinary people, you need to give this collection a go.
It’s interesting the way the short story style consistently left me wanting more from each story, but sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a... less good way. Some of the stories (particularly “they shall salt the earth with seeds of glass” and “the mirage”— ha, I guess I have a thing for post apocalyptic stories) I wish were full-length novels because I’m so intrigued and want more! Conversely, other stories were harder for me to get into at all because I spent the whole time confused, havi...
A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i - A mildly interesting story about vampire's. Just couldn't get into it. Brought nothing really new to the genre and I don't even know the genre that well but I have read riffs like this before. And They Shall Salt the Earth With Seeds of Glass - Two very well drawn main characters. I was disappointed with the end. Mostly because I wanted to know more. Would love to see these characters in a longer format. I want to know more about this world and what makes it. T...
I wanted to like this so much more than I did :(
As the author acknowledges, most of these short stories were written within a specific and narrow timeframe: post-9/11 and pre-Trump. She also points out that it was much lonelier at the time for a Black speculative fiction author. It makes sense to me that much of these stories' on-the-noseness was intended as a direct challenge to the white male hegemony of science fiction and as a response to the calamity of U.S. imperialism.These stories do reflect many of the anxieties of that moment. Some
Superb collection. Full review coming at the Chicago Review.
This book of short stories of speculative fiction stretches the imagination. There are stories of vampires who have invaded the world. They have set up concentration camps of humans as feeding stations. It is an orderly society with laws, rules, regulations, and ethics on feeding on humans. It gives a different perception on victimization. There is a story about teenagers going thru adolescence, peer pressure, and Camp Ondawalla to discover their changing bodies. Read about the social activist w...
I was pleasantly surprised by how great this was. The plot is definitely amazing.
I deeply admire Alaya Dawn Johnson's writing style and she is one of my favorite authors for sure, so I was definitely excited to dive into these short stories—and I was not disappointed. ADJ always manages to blow me away with such beautiful language, paired with soul-crushing pathos even within such short pieces and so many deep questions about humanity, love, faith, race and dichotomies, that she wraps up in these gorgeous science fiction/fantasy worlds. And she doesn't hold your hand through...
An exceptional collection of thoughtful and provocative speculative fiction ranging from magical realism to dystopian scifi. Even the least appealing stories were conceptually intriguing, and the best of them were both intellectually and emotionally stimulating.INDIVIDUAL STORY RATINGS, NOTES, AND REVIEWSA Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i5 starsIn a dystopian future where humans are kept as food in concentration camps, are the worst monsters the vampires or their human collaborators?They Shall Sal...
Had to pause and catch my breath after some of these!
3.5
Some of these short stories are stories that have stuck with me since reading it a year ago, especially Reconstruction and Far and Deep 27. So for these stories to continue to haunt me, the author and the book itself must be something special.
So glad I randomly picked up this gem of a collection of short stories! They inhabit gorgeous worlds filled with magic, intrigue and imagination. The diversity of the characters and settings was wonderful and I will never forget my favourite story, Hard and Deep.
I didn't love love every story, but “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i" was so fucking good wow.
