Alisa Krasnostein

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/sprawl-ed-alisa-krasnostein/

An anthology of sff stories by Australian writers, published in 2010 in anticipation of that year’s Worldcon. They’re all pretty good. I particularly liked the opening by Tansy Rayner Roberts, “Relentless Adaptations”, which looks at a dystopian future for literature, and the sinister youth of Angela Slatter’s “Brisneyland by Night”. but I don’t think that there is a dud in the collection.… (mais)

Bumping up the grade to 4 stars on the account of the general impression from this anthology as a whole. Some stories did not resonate but that's what happens with most anthologies. Below is the rundown.

Cookie Cutter Superhero - 4 - This was a little underwhelming after [b:Kid Dark Against The Machine|30558167|Kid Dark Against The Machine|Tansy Rayner Roberts|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465878829s/30558167.jpg|50876629]. More of a glimpse than a full-blown story. Still, it raised some interesting questions.

Seventh Day of the Seventh Moon - 3 - Yuan was being a little dramatic about the whole thing. I liked Jing better. It does have a good message.

The Legend Trap - 3 - Somewhat unsettling, but theirs was a Bad Idea from the start so... I don't have anything against chasing urban myths but. Honestly, what kind of moron doesn't research a way out in case things go pear-shaped??

End of Service - 3 - This was weird.

Chupacabra’s Song - 4 - Reading this was unsettling and uncomfortable. But I liked the story overall. And yes, this pushed my comfort zone.

The Day the God Died - 4 - I honestly hope this person gets better. They should... Ah no, that's wrong way to say this. Here's instead: I hope they meet someone who changes them and shows them the world can be a better warmer place. Also - I'm glad this god did not die alone.

Signature - 5 - THIS. Was. Awesome. And very different. Loved it! A bit like a thriller.

The Lovely Duckling - 5 - Wow. Ingenious. Quietly amazed over here. Amazing tale of resilience and tenacity. And subterfuge, from authorities even! The ending left me smiling and deeply satisfied.

Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and Tell - 5 - At one point I thought she developed a magical ability and was being forcefully medicated. Hush, you. There was magic in two previous stories. I was... misled? Anyway, this was full of suspense about several things. It was very dynamic. Loved it! ALSO - HELL NO TO DOING DRUGS (not medicinal). AND you can take your clairvoyance and shove it. Er, sorry for the rant?

Vanilla - 5 - This was so lovely. I do not really have the words. And hon, you will do just fine.

Careful Magic - 4 - This was cute. Kind of made me sit tight with worry for a bit.

Walkdog - 2 - All kinds of weird and confusing. Not really up my alley.

Celebration - 2 - In the beginning it reminded me of [b:The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls|10893214|The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls|Claire Legrand|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336841328s/10893214.jpg|15809029] a little. Just creepy-crawly. The story was super fast and not really good. The author did not do the idea justice. Maybe short-form is not their thing?

The Truth About Owls - 4 - This was very interesting. Mostly about fitting in while embracing your sense of self. I'm not really good at explaining this one.

Krishna Blue - 2 - Very very super weird. I think it is similar to schizophrenia? I'm not very good at differentiating mental illnesses. Not for me, this one.

Every Little Thing - 4 - Liked this one a lot. Also - mixing love and magic is one of the worst things, EVER.

Happy Go Lucky - 1 - I did not sign up to read about a whiny girl throwing a tantrum. The writing was irksome. Did not like it at all.

Ordinary Things - 2 - This was a stressful read. The ending was a bust. No way in hell could she recover so fast. Not with how she is.

Double Time - 3 - This was interesting, but very disheartening. Some people have no business having children.

Welcome - 4 - Too short! Loved it. Would have loved to read more, alas. It's not exactly a happy story, but I liked the style of narration.… (mais)

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3656496.html

I thought this was a tremendously strong anthology, and my money was well spent. One of the stories, Amal El-Mohtar's “The Truth About Owls”, went on to win the Locus Award, and several others were shortlisted elsewhere or included in various Year's Best volumes. All of them were good and some of them were really stick-in-the-mind good; to pick just two, Jim Hines' tale of the Chupacabra, and John Chu's about the time-travelling skater. The stories are all written with diversity as an axiom, ie none of them is about cishet white men (like me); but the point is the story in each case, and the strength of the narrative, which is considerable. Strongly recommended for those of you with YA readers, or indeed who just like stories.… (mais)

This is a fantastic anthology of diverse SFF YA short stories. The collection in and of itself is diverse - The stories cover the breadth of underrepresented minorities in speculative fiction literature - there's not just racial and ethnic minorities, or protagonists who are LGBT+, there are also protagonists who have mental illnesses, are disabled, and/or are autistic. Perhaps most importantly, stories may not feature only one aspect of diversity, but several.

Some of the stories that really stand out to me:
- "The Seventh Day of the Seventh Moon" by Ken Liu - I'm a sucker for any story that incorporates The Cowherd and the Weaver Maiden, which is my favorite fairy tale.
- "Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and Tell" by E.C. Myers - a new party drug that lets you visit the future if you're a teenager
- "Vanilla" by Dirk Flinthart - a journal written by an Somalian-Australian girl about the space aliens she befriends.… (mais)