How Long 'til Black Future Month?

N.K. Jemisin is a master storyteller, and there is a lot to love in this collection. The worldbuilding is vivid even in short glimpses and some of the food descriptions in particular left me hungry. There are definitely worlds I would have loved to see more of; I know “The City Born Great” and “The Narcomancer”  both take place in or are forerunners to two of her duologies (which I am now definitely interested in checking out). And 22 stories is a lot — there were a couple I bounced off of, which is not unexpected with that much variety, and some with more experimental forms.

A few standouts for me personally, not counting the two I've already mentioned:

• “Red Dirt Witch” - One of a couple of historical fantasy tales, that read like an old folktale with choices, belief, and eldritch deals at its center.
• “The Effluent Engine” - Steampunk and intelligence agents, with a world I was super invested in.
• “On the Banks of the River Lex” - Probably my favorite, featuring Death and post apocalyptic gods getting by and The beginnings of something new.
• “Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows” — A time loop of an apocalypse, and musings on connection and disconnection that really worked for me.
• “Saints, Sinners, Dragons, and Haints in the City Beneath Still Waters” -  Just a great endcap to the collection. Modern urban fantasy with a lot of commentary.

my average for these stories was a mean of 3.14 (median of 3), but i'd give the collection as a whole a 3.5. there was enough in here that really got me thinking. i was excited to be introduced to new worlds and to see glimpses of ones i had already read from before. this has definitely amped me up to read more of Jemisen's books. i just wish i had loved more of these. i still highly recommend the collection, the ideas in here are just amazing.

I cannot express my love for this book enough. It's truly inspiring. Jemisin is an artist able to create completely unique and fulfilling stories in only a few pages. The only problem with it is that the stories are not longer. Another new favorite book has been added to my collection, I only wish I read it sooner.

dnf

If you ask me who the most imaginative and creative writers in modern fantasy are, N.K. Jemisin is near the top of that list. The Broken Earth trilogy is incredible and made me put the rest of her works on my TBR. This collection of short stories has her imagination and unique worldview going for it. But it still falls into the trap that most short story collections do- mixed quality. Some of these stories were fine, some were good, some were boring, some I probably didn't understand, and a couple were great. The narrators for the audiobook were all very good.

But it's hard to gush over such a mixed experience. If you want to try Jemisin for the first time, I'd recommend one of her actual series first. If you already like her, this is probably worth your time. Jemisin's prose and concepts are still at the top of barrel. My favorite stories were “The Eternal Engine” and “On The Banks of the River Lex”, as well as the last story, which has too long of a name to remember.

Red skies, high water
old folks resistant to change
cities being born.

Controversial opinion: I did not like The Broken Earth. At all. I was barely able to finish the trilogy. So it took me a while to give this collection of short stories a chance. Which was a shame because these are great! I disliked the one story that takes place in The Broken Earth universe but the rest of them were very good. The scary ones kept me awake at night, the funny ones made me laugh, and a few of them prompted more self-reflection than I'm used to when reading fiction.

Jemisin's first short story anthology provides an interesting insight into her development as a writer. There is definitely an empowerment theme running through a lot of the stories - I imagine it is a topic close to her heart. More interestingly, several of the stories provide first glimpses of ideas that were later developed into full novel series - you can see early elements of the Fifth Season and The City That We Became in two of the stories.

I am a big fan of Jemisin's writing style. It is personal and engaging whilst at the same time evoking a wonderful epicness. Her ideas are varied and unique. The amount of creativity on display here is impressive. This also track how her style has evolved in an interesting way.

I am a fan of short stories. They are a good way of getting a taste of a story in a short sitting. Good short stories are well worth reading, and the overall quality of this collection is high.

3.5 stars. Loved some of the stories, didn't understand others, and the others just didn't resonate with me.

I managed to finish six of the stories. Generally too on the nose and yielding to stock themes of science fiction. “Walking Awake” was the most engaging even with all the hand-holding, with allusions to Get Out and TNG's “Conspiracy”.

So far Jemisin's not for me.

2

This woman's creativity knows no bounds! This collection has so many fantastic stories, and I personally hope that she writes some long-form sci-fi some day because her sci-fi shorts knocked me out. They were unlike any futuristic stories I read before and just perfectly on point on so many levels!
This is one of those collections I know I'll keep going back to. And give to my daughters when they're old enough to get it. Thanks to the author for sharing her creative gifts to the world.

I would create a yearly standing reservation.

Merged review:

Read to me by Levar Burton.

This is a fantastic collection of short stories from across NK Jemisin's career. It was particularly fun to see some stories that are clear precursors to things like the Broken Earth trilogy. I particularly enjoyed the last story, it was really well-placed at the end of the book and felt like a great way to wrap up an experience that was fulfilling overall. Highly recommend.

Jemisin is a phenomenal writer and every story of hers reflects her talent. She has a knack for telling stories and creating worlds with a lot of depth and meaning and lot of parallels to our real world. This collection of short stories has its own share of some great ones and some not so good ones, but my main problem was that there were a few I just didn't understand. I've felt this before about the author's works - she writes on a whole other level which is very complicated and not easy for me to comprehend. However, the writing is beautiful and few of the stories have a profound meaning to them. I would recommend this book to all adult sci-fi lovers.

I've taken an average of the ratings for all the stories and rounded it up to 4. Please find my individual ratings and reviews below:

The Ones who stay and fight

It took me a while to get into this but then it was so interesting. It focuses on showing us a post colonial utopian world (or simply an alternate universe) where diverse groups of people live in true harmony. This story is a commentary on how we are so used to living in a world so full of divisions and hate and all kinds of discrimination, we can't even imagine that such a utopia can exist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The City born great

I don't think I really understood this story 😔

⭐️

Red Dirt Witch

A story set (I think) during the Jim Crow era Alabama or earlier, this shows the lengths to which a woman will sacrifice herself to ensure that her daughter's dream of a more prosperous future for Black people comes true.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

L'Alchimista

The story of a master chef capable of creating magic through her delicious cooking, this was beautifully written and features a woman who is extremely sure of her capabilities despite being denied her due.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Effluent Engine

The tale of two young women - one a very capable scientist from New Orleans and another a spy from Haiti trying to keep her country free - this story is about these women taking control of their futures despite the discriminatory systems in which they live. With the hint of the beginning of a love story between the two, I completely fell in love with these characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cloud Dragon Skies

Depicting the struggle a woman faces when having to choose between her family or her love, set against the backdrop of a dystopian future where Earth has been drastically affected due to climate change, this is a very fascinating story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Trojan Girl

Even though I didn't completely understand the technical jargon in the story, it wonderfully depicts the importance of empathy and compassion, that these qualities are a source of tremendous strength. Beautifully written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Valedictorian

This is an amazing dystopian story about a very intelligent young Black woman who just wants to be herself and live life to her fullest potential, but the world around her doesn't accept her uniqueness and just wants her to conform. I loved the parallels to our current society where anyone who doesn't conform to the “rules” is discriminated against.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Storyteller's Replacement

I can't really explain what this story was about properly but I absolutely loved it. It has dragons and some very creepy and eerie elements. And the moral that if you destroy someone else to gain power, you will get destroyed someday.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Brides of Heaven

This was a story about two women with varied ideas - one almost fanatic in her faith and the other just trying to be as pragmatic as possible to survive in their harsh environment where only women existed. It was very well written but I wasn't sure how to interpret the ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Evaluators

This sci-fi story had a lot of talk about overpopulation, sustainability of the planet and super predators. It's also written in an epistolary format which made it quite interesting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Walking Awake

Wow just wow. I don't want to give anything away but this is a story about the oppressed finally deciding to revolt against their oppressors. It's such a painful tale but wonderfully written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Elevator Dancer

A world that seemed to have some similarities to Gilead, the women in this story are bound by the rules of the faithful government but this is about a man who starts to feel temptation. I'm not sure I completely understood it though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cuisine des Mémoires

This was a story about getting lost in memories of the past and trying to recreate them rather than living for the present. It felt very profound and deep and featured some great character development.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stone Hunger

Now this is story which eventually led to the writing of The Broken Earth trilogy, so I loved reading it. It has a young girl trying to survive in a cruel world whichever way she can, while also wanting revenge for a past transgression committed against her. And finally realizing she can hope for more. I feel you'll love this story more if you've read the trilogy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On the Banks of the River Lex

Another story which I didn't totally understand but somehow just loved. It's a world which has suffered a lot, but some people are trying to survive. And the existence of the Gods depends on how much they are worshipped by the survivors. This symbiotic relationship between the Gods and mortals reminded me a lot of the stories from Indian mythology, so it was interesting to read it in a New York setting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Narcomancer

This story is set in the author's Dreamblood duology world and it's another tale of people trying to maintain their faith and control their destiny against all odds. It's beautifully written and made me very emotional. I also felt this was one story in this book that had a complete arc and is probably my favorite in this collection.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Henosis

I felt quite sad reading this one, to realize how far the characters in the story are ready to go to preserve their legacy. And I can't help but question if we are already there in our current society.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows

A future with miniverses where every person lives in their own reality and every day is lived all over again - the only communication existing online. It was such a bittersweet story about isolation, trying to find a community and wanting more than what we are allowed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The You Train

I mean I think this was written well enough but I didn't understand much of it. Maybe the point the author was trying to make was that we should grab an opportunity when it presents itself and not wait too long, but I could be wrong too..

⭐️⭐️

Non-Zero Probabilities

This is set in a New York where so many bad things are happening that people have come to believe the end times are coming. And everyone has their own way of coping. But I still didn't understand the point of the story.

⭐️⭐️

Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters

Set during a hurricane, this was a story of survival and trying to not let hate takeover you during harrowing situations, but fight for the good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.77

Everyone talks about how wonderful N.K. Jemisin is at writing brilliant speculative fiction that addresses all too prevalent issues of racism and classism still pervading modern society. Everyone knows she is a goddess of world-building and creates perfectly formed, minutely nuanced cultures and societies. What people don't talk about enough is how well Jemisin writes FOOD. This short story collection features multiple food fantasy stories and guys, they were so vivid I fell right off my diet. The collection also features shorts stories in the worlds of the Dreamblood Duology and the Broken Earth Trilogy which were amazing to revisit. My favorite is probably her response to LeGuin's “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” It's stunning and brilliant and I really wish I'd written it. If you've never read Jemisin before, go ahead and read one of her novel series, but if you're already a fan, these works are bite-sized versions of her usual brilliance.

Four stars, rounding up to five purely for astonishment value. Each story is wildly different: absurd, wistful, powerful, thoughtful. There is decency and dignity and kindness. Pause after each one to savor it. And, most importantly: keep going. She saves some of her best work for last.

I don't read many anthologies and I don't read much speculative fiction, and books like this make me realize I'm missing out.

I haven't read any other Jemisin, but now I need to. Her balance between the “real” and fantasy—and how she uses one to pick apart the other—is precise. You can have no idea what's going on, and still her words hold such significance.

Jemisin doesn't hold back, but she also doesn't spoonfeed. Without getting too heavy-handed, she uses fantastical elements to comment on topics like poverty, parenthood, and authoritarianism.

One way she does this is with ambivalence. A lot of the stories and their characters are both hopeful and bleak—simultaneously defeated and determined. She also has us question (almost perpetually) what signifies cultural advancement. What criteria do we use to evaluate whether an entity or community are civilized, evolved, moral?

I would love to reread this in the future. I'm sure different stories will stand out to different readers at different points in their lives. But generally, this is just a treasure trove. A super weird treasure trove.

Exquisite! This is the first book that I have ever preordered, despite being a lifelong reader, as I have been reading a lot of NK Jemisin this year (2018) and was super excited for her new work. It did not disappoint! Each of these stories was encapsulating and an absolute delight to read. Many were thought-provoking in a way that much scifi/fantasy decidedly is not. Previously, I had considered Jemisin a fantasy author, but these short stories show that she would be a great scifi author as well. As with other Jemisin work, the characters are diverse, face realistic challenges and struggles, and react to them in a very human, relatable way. The plots and themes are imaginative and original. I read one or two stories per sitting, because I felt that each one deserved some time to sink in and be appreciated. Definitely a must-read for scifi/fantasy readers!