The discussion in this is so important, and I was honestly in awe while reading this from first to last page. This is such a sad, but honest, look at what could happen if we truly found other life in our galaxy. “The greatest discovery in all of human history and funding held it hostage.” ➽ “The Best We Can” by Carrie Vaughn – ★★★★

But this story is told from an AI ship’s point of view during a space war, and I thought it was pretty unique. I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest military sci-fi fan in general. I sort of appreciate the message of “fate vs actions and the fall out from them” but I just really didn’t like this one. But, like, I really didn’t like some of the cultural references in this, and… I just hated Doug if I’m really being honest here. Yet, Doug and Judy know all the possible outcomes for what is yet to come. It’s about two clairvoyants who are thinking about dating. But I really didn’t like the first story of the collection. ➽ “Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders – ★★ Since this is a massive collection of forty stories, I’m going to try to only do brief breakdowns with my thoughts! Jemisin, Tina Connolly, Marie Brennan, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Wong, and Haralambi Markov! But my absolute favorite of the entire collection was The Devil in America by Kai Ashante Wilson. Many of these stories I have already read throughout the year, but many were completely new to me! My personal favorites were from N. I’m honored to help them celebrate with this beautiful anthology! Not only have they always been amazing to me, they are putting out some of the most diverse, important, world changing literature on the market right now. Tor is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and are coming out with this anthology that showcases some of the best short stories written this decade! Happy birthday, Tor! Tor is my personal favorite publishing house. I do kind of want more, just because I really like the way Brennan interprets the story.Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book DepositoryĪRC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. I can’t pick out a single line or passage: it’s mostly simple, with some of the imagery and phrasing from translations of Homeric verse, maybe a bit of Ovid. The passive woman of the Homeric epic steps aside to reveal a woman who takes her own fate into her hands.

She’s a clever woman, and this puts her in an active role, taking a hand in her own fate and even her husband and son’s fate. Why does Penelope weave and unpick a funeral shroud for her husband to delay the suitors? A clever take on a piece of mythology we often take at face value. I don’t normally review short stories and such, but this one caught my eye and I love the cover, so why not? It’s available to read online, for free, here it’s not a long read, not even really a retelling, but a glimpse behind the scenes.

Daughter of Necessity by Marie Brennan