Brie
[ ℹ️ I read this for an IRL book club. ]
I found this book while browsing NPR's "Books We Love".
This was a fun, light read. Yet, there were a few surprisingly bittersweet and tender moments in the book. The author's passages of dialogue are good: there's no need for "he said" or "she said" and the reader always knows who is speaking.
I did not particularly care for many of the characters. Steve experienced some growth but the others were one-note and uninteresting: I did not feel very vested in their fates.
Using ChatGPT to disguise the criminal's voice was a new twist on an old genre. I don't like the idea of reading a book that contains content that was generated in part by ChatGPT (even if susbsequently edited). The book carries no disclaimer about this one way or the other.
🐈 Also: I expected more cats.
[ ℹ️ I read this for an IRL book club. ]
I found this book while browsing NPR's "Books We Love".
This was a fun, light read. Yet, there were a few surprisingly bittersweet and tender moments in the book. The author's passages of dialogue are good: there's no need for "he said" or "she said" and the reader always knows who is speaking.
I did not particularly care for many of the characters. Steve experienced some growth but the others were one-note and uninteresting: I did not feel very vested in their fates.
Using ChatGPT to disguise the criminal's voice was a new twist on an old genre. I don't like the idea of reading a book that contains content that was generated in part by ChatGPT (even if susbsequently edited). The book carries no disclaimer about this one way or the other.
🐈 Also: I expected more cats.
- William Gibson
- John Shirley
- Paul Di Filippo
- Lewis Shiner
- Tom Maddox
- Pat Cadigan
- Rudy Rucker
- Marc Laidlaw
- James Patrick Kelly
- Greg Bear
- Bruce Sterling
Of all the stories, I especially enjoyed "Petra", "Stone Lives", and "Red Star, Winter Orbit". The other stories were fine. I typically think anthologies are helpful for getting an idea of whether one wants to read more of a particular author's work. Interestingly, I enjoyed William Gibson's contributions in this anthology far more than his other works. In the co-authored "Red Star, Winter Orbit", I finally found the Gibson I've been wanting to read.
The blurbs before each story are well done and I walked away wanting to read more from Greg Bear and Paul Di Filippo.
The stories range in length from ~30 pages to 110+ (the first "Freezone" piece).
I am quick to DNF books I don't enjoy. I considered marking this DNF: the stories I liked weren't enough to make the entire anthology compelling reading. Ultimately, I read it all because it's on my r/fantasy bingo card and I have just over a week to go.
Of all the stories, I especially enjoyed "Petra", "Stone Lives", and "Red Star, Winter Orbit". The other stories were fine. I typically think anthologies are helpful for getting an idea of whether one wants to read more of a particular author's work. Interestingly, I enjoyed William Gibson's contributions in this anthology far more than his other works. In the co-authored "Red Star, Winter Orbit", I finally found the Gibson I've been wanting to read.
The blurbs before each story are well done and I walked away wanting to read more from Greg Bear and Paul Di Filippo.
The stories range in length from ~30 pages to 110+ (the first "Freezone" piece).
I am quick to DNF books I don't enjoy. I considered marking this DNF: the stories I liked weren't enough to make the entire anthology compelling reading. Ultimately, I read it all because it's on my r/fantasy bingo card and I have just over a week to go.
