This was not what I expected from the publisher's blurb. Imo, the stories didn't have much depth to them. It was disappointing. ( )

Nalo Hopkinson has been on my radar as an author I need to read for awhile but I hadn't, so as soon as I saw this title, I knew I had to request it. I'm not normally a giant fan of short stories, preferring longer works as a way to really get into a story. So I was very pleased that I fell into this collection and if not out-right loved every story, at least liked them all.

As with any short story collection, there are some gems that shine brighter than others. Hopkinson tells stories where the magical is ordinary; stories that show the best and the worst of human nature; stories that are uplifting, horrifying, or sad in turn. She makes the reader check his or her assumptions on humanity, on sexuality, on race, and on reality. In short, she writes what speculative fiction should be at its best.

Some of my favorites:
The collection starts off with a bang with "The Easthound," a story of a group of children just trying to survive in a world where growing up means becoming a monster.

"Message in a Bottle" explores what exactly is art.

"The Smile on the Face" is the story of the power of mythology and the power of womanhood.

"Left Foot, Right" is about loss, redemption, and survival.

"Old Habits" takes a peek at the lives of ghosts.

"A Raggy Dog, a Shaggy Dog" is about how hard it is to find love... and orchids.

"Flying Lessons" broke my heart once I understood it.

"Blushing" is the familiar tale of Bluebeard... or is it?

A fantastic collection that any speculative fiction fan should read.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2021/11/2021142-falling-in-love-with-hominids.htm... ( )

This was my first exposure to this author, and I was very impressed. Overall, the good stuff was VERY good, and the misses were far outnumbered by the hits. Giving a solid 4 stars for the collection, and I'll be looking for more from her.

My quick reviews of the stories:
The Easthound - outstanding start to the collection. Great post-apocalyptic story, nice and moody. 5 *'s
Soul Case - short, efficient story. I like stories that give just a glimpse of a world, without feeling like they need to give away too much. 5 *s
Message in a bottle - wow, great story, with a lot of background and follow-through that could be expanded and explored, but ends just in time to leaving me simultaneously feeling satisfied yet wanting to see more. 5 *
The Smile on the Face - Not as gripping as the previous stories. Servicable. 3 *'s
Left Foot, Right - Sad, touching story 4 *'s
Old Habits - What if when we die we just become ghosts where we died? And if that place was the mall? Horrifying! 4 *'s
Emily Breakfast - what a fun story with lots of little unexpected gems - 5 *'s
Herbal - I would do the same if an elephant crashed my pad - 4 *'s
A Young Candy Daughter - This might be the first story that took place in less time than it took to read. Lots of fun. 5 *'s
A Raggy Dog, a Shaggy Dog - A bit creepier than we've seen so far, but I liked it - 5 *'s
Shift - oof... first (and hopefully only) misstep. I hate stories that are told in second person, and while I've got nothing against re-tellings in general, I really get annoyed when either I don't realize that it's a retelling, or I'm not familiar enough with the source to appreciate it. Luckily, the author's intro discussed that this was based on The Tempest, which I have not read, so that earns the single *.
Delicious Monster - good one - 4 *'s
Snow Day - oooh, a story with a puzzle in it! I found 1 2/3 of the books (giving myself partial credit for one). Story itself another great tight one. 5 *'s
Flying Lessons - dreamy but unclear - 3 *'
Whose Upward Flight I Love - Fantastic Flying Firs! 4 *'
Blushing - Creepy, gory, good - 4 *'s
Ours Is the Prettiest - sadly, another one that I had to bail about halfway through. I'm not familiar with the source shared world, and it wasn't compelling enough to motivate me to finish - 2 *'s
Men Sell Not Such in Any Town - Tiny little thing to end the book. Like a shiny jewel. 4 *'s
( )

This is a wonderful collection of short stories, and Nalo Hopkinson, as the writer, and Bahni Turpin, as the narrator, kept me listening to stories that were just straight up horror that I would ordinarily just skip right over. Along with the horror, there's dark fantasy, lighter, happier fantasy, and even a couple of stories that can fairly be called science fiction. There's a reworking of the story of Caliban, and a new Bordertown story. It's an impressive range.

What sets this collection apart, aside from the fact that Hopkinson is just a really excellent writer, is that she writes from her own Afro-Caribbean heritage, giving us stories that are new to me, and bringing an entirely different perspective to stories grounded in more familiar material.

Highly recommended.

I bought this audiobook. ( )