angelkisses's reviews
195 reviews

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For fans of Becky Chambers, this short story collection is an expansion on the "Dirty Computer" universe, a cross medium sci-fi world created by non-binary music legend Janelle Monáe. It's true that the stories discuss intense and heavy subjects such as policing, institutionalised incarceration, patriarchy and queerphobia sanctioned and enforced by the state, capitalism and the legacy of racial colonialism and slavery. Somehow Monáe and their contributors (each short story cowritten by a different who Monáe personally thanks in their acknowledgements - which I recommend people read as well, it brought a tear to my eye especially as someone who is a big fan of their music) created a collection with a resounding sense of hope in the power of collective action <3 Some of the stories that deal with time travel remind me of the TV show "Dark" which is also quite a unique addition to the SFF/Speculative canon. I think this is a great introductory short story collection for those who have never read one before, as all the stories have a clear narrative "connection" all being from the same narrative universe (some even directly referencing each other - more like Easter eggs than an interweaving narrative however) which can assuage the feeling of disjointedness that arises when moving on from one short story to the next.

Anyway, this is a really wonderful queer, trans and sapphic sci-fi short story collection from a truly imaginative team of people. I am so glad I took the time to experience this pleasure of a book. Big love to the stories "The Memory Librarian," "Timebox" (the only story with a disconcerting/spooky ending) and "Save Changes" (the character growth? the twists? the hopepunk ending?????!!!)

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

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dark funny reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

if you like reading about terrible people then this is the short story collection for you. i enjoyed moshfegh's other work (my year of rest and relaxation) and while the second half of the collection was delightful in its exploration of the neuroses of eratic and insufferable people the first half draaaaags. its similar in nature ofc but moshfegh's almost fetishistic description of fat characters (the language is grotesque & feels very alienating) put me off so much from whatever the central narrative was that i could hardly stomach to continue. not a total miss but not a resounding like either.

The Anatomy of Desire by L.R. Dorn

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

audiobook was excellent with a full cast & sound effects to make it truly sound like you're listening to a true crime docuseries. i liked the experimental style and the performances were certainly believable & impactful. huge ensemble cast & occasionally struggled to distinguish characters from one another on voice alone considering some VAs played multiple people (as is customary i'm sure) -- still overall distinct enough 'voices' (in the sense of distinguishing accents/dialects, speech mannerisms, etc.) that i didn't feel particularly overwhelmed by the large cast of characters. would probably be a knock out hit with people who enjoy true crime stuff but i am not a fan irl hence the rating. still, it sustained my interest for its entire length & there were some genuinely gasp worthy moments revealed particularly in the trial process.

Content Warnings