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Tor.com Short Fiction, Spring 2023
All the amazing original fiction we’ve published on Tor . com over the last few months in the Tor . com Short Fiction Spring 2023
102 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2023
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 9, 2023
There's a couple of things you look for when picking up a short story collection by a variety of authors. Are there any authors you've heard of/read? Is the collection on a particular topic? Is the collection free? for two of these I could answer "yes". I'd heard of at least one of these authors, and I got it for free off of tor.com's website. And who can say no to free stuff? But anyway, onto something resembling a review.
The other bits you're after when reading a collection are, not only are the stories good, but do they leave you wanting either more of the world imagined, or of the author's work. Short stories should, in my opinion, leave you content in the story given, maybe with one or two minor thoughts on what more you'd like to hear about (not too much desire for the story to be continued though, there needs to be some closure), and also ideally want you to read more of the author's work. So does this collection meet those targets? In my opinon, mostly.
A.C. Wise wrote a story called The Dark House. It's about a photographer and their work, and the story surrounding their last work and someone investigating it. It reminded me of another short by Stephen King I read many years ago. And it's alright. But I think the resemblance to the King story left me with knowing where it was going. Good story though.
E. Lily Yu wrote a story called The River and the World Remade. A bit of a mix between worlds coliding vs pollution/waste and the recycling thereof, vs other bits and pieces. A nice story, the end felt a bit muddled, wouldn't mind reading more of their work though.
Eugenia Triantafyllou wrote a story called Salt Water. A story about a child's desire to fit in with society, essentially. A good story, not sure on some of the imagery but again, I wouldn't mind reading more of their work. Also kids can be jerks.
Yoon Ha Lee wrote a story called Counting Casualties. This is the author I'd heard of but not read, and after this I definitely need to find a stepping on point for their work. The story revolves around a spaceship with some Culture-esque AI minds and human crew trying to stop/find out why some aliens have destroyed some planets, destroying works/cultures held within. The ideas were nice, how a world disappearing would then take away everything that world, trying to work out why. Kind of Rama-esque I guess. Liked it.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa wrote a story caclled The Puppetmaster. A world where a ruler wants to get rid of any potential threats to their amongst some weird demonic portal/realm stuff. Good story, kind of went on a bit long mostly because stuff was heavily foreshadowed. But good regardless. Another author I wouldn't mind reading more of.
Jeffrey Ford wrote a book called Pretty Good Neighbor. Small town shenanigans. People who are pretty rubbish in a short story so it's difficult to really warm to them. Not sure what to make of it. It was alright. Not a time waster, but not the best of the collection.
So to summarise, would I recommend it? I mean, if it's free, sure. If it's a couple of quid, eh, go for it. Then don't forget to check out some of the authors you liked. Because at the end of the day, all six of these peoples deserve at least a coffee/tea/hot beverage.
The other bits you're after when reading a collection are, not only are the stories good, but do they leave you wanting either more of the world imagined, or of the author's work. Short stories should, in my opinion, leave you content in the story given, maybe with one or two minor thoughts on what more you'd like to hear about (not too much desire for the story to be continued though, there needs to be some closure), and also ideally want you to read more of the author's work. So does this collection meet those targets? In my opinon, mostly.
A.C. Wise wrote a story called The Dark House. It's about a photographer and their work, and the story surrounding their last work and someone investigating it. It reminded me of another short by Stephen King I read many years ago. And it's alright. But I think the resemblance to the King story left me with knowing where it was going. Good story though.
E. Lily Yu wrote a story called The River and the World Remade. A bit of a mix between worlds coliding vs pollution/waste and the recycling thereof, vs other bits and pieces. A nice story, the end felt a bit muddled, wouldn't mind reading more of their work though.
Eugenia Triantafyllou wrote a story called Salt Water. A story about a child's desire to fit in with society, essentially. A good story, not sure on some of the imagery but again, I wouldn't mind reading more of their work. Also kids can be jerks.
Yoon Ha Lee wrote a story called Counting Casualties. This is the author I'd heard of but not read, and after this I definitely need to find a stepping on point for their work. The story revolves around a spaceship with some Culture-esque AI minds and human crew trying to stop/find out why some aliens have destroyed some planets, destroying works/cultures held within. The ideas were nice, how a world disappearing would then take away everything that world, trying to work out why. Kind of Rama-esque I guess. Liked it.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa wrote a story caclled The Puppetmaster. A world where a ruler wants to get rid of any potential threats to their amongst some weird demonic portal/realm stuff. Good story, kind of went on a bit long mostly because stuff was heavily foreshadowed. But good regardless. Another author I wouldn't mind reading more of.
Jeffrey Ford wrote a book called Pretty Good Neighbor. Small town shenanigans. People who are pretty rubbish in a short story so it's difficult to really warm to them. Not sure what to make of it. It was alright. Not a time waster, but not the best of the collection.
So to summarise, would I recommend it? I mean, if it's free, sure. If it's a couple of quid, eh, go for it. Then don't forget to check out some of the authors you liked. Because at the end of the day, all six of these peoples deserve at least a coffee/tea/hot beverage.
September 6, 2023
This collection of short stories is widely varied and a little twisted compared to what I usually read. They are all well written and we’re a great enjoyment to me.
I’m not sure where I got this ebook but I hope to read more from Tor.com.
I’m not sure where I got this ebook but I hope to read more from Tor.com.
May 18, 2024
An eclectic but mostly strong sci-fi leaning collection of short stories.
The opener, a horror story called The Dark House, was the weakest by far. So purple and melodramatic it was impossible to take seriously.
Almost all the others were excellent. Salt Water was bizarre but the main character was endearing.
Counting Casualties was my favorite, with its big sci-fi ideas and impressive twist at the end.
And Pretty Good Neighbor, the final story, was again on the weaker side. The framing device made the narration quite confusing - sometimes first person interjections were the narrator, but sometimes they were the person he was speaking with inside the story he was telling. It was a fun premise, though.
The opener, a horror story called The Dark House, was the weakest by far. So purple and melodramatic it was impossible to take seriously.
Almost all the others were excellent. Salt Water was bizarre but the main character was endearing.
Counting Casualties was my favorite, with its big sci-fi ideas and impressive twist at the end.
And Pretty Good Neighbor, the final story, was again on the weaker side. The framing device made the narration quite confusing - sometimes first person interjections were the narrator, but sometimes they were the person he was speaking with inside the story he was telling. It was a fun premise, though.
October 7, 2024
The first story was very unsettling.
December 30, 2024
A collection of short stories from the Tor.com newsletter from Spring 2023. Very diverse set of stories and authors.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews