New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, Edited by Nisi Shawl
/New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color
Edited by Nisi Shawl
I’m late getting to this one, not because I didn’t want to read it, but because I really wanted to take the time and absorb each and every story and every story in this collection is incredible.
Friends, Rebecca Roanhorse has a story in this collection. I mean, that’s all I need to say.
Covering a range of topics, settings, and time periods, there is a short story for everyone in this collection. What do you do when Earth becomes an intergalactic tourist destination? Have you ever considered a Djinn complaint department?
I especially loved the short story The Robots of Eden by Anil Menon. The story opens with a husband reflecting on his wife and her lover, Sollozzo, arriving from Boston so that together, they can inform their young daughter of their divorce. It’s handled so matter of factly and without any anger or resentment that it’s a bit confusing. Why isn’t he upset? He claims that he and Sollozzo both love the same woman. Shouldn’t he be sad? It’s only later that we learn that many in the world are now Enhanced. They are connected to AI through implants that levels off-maybe even takes away-all of their aggressive and negative emotions. After the divorce, the husband and Sollozzo become friends, speaking frequently and enjoying philosophical and literary debates. The divide between the Enhanced and Unenhanced takes a chilling turn when tragedy hits the family and the only upset is Velli, an Unenhanced woman who works for the family. This story was a powerful look at how even the most devastating of emotions are important to the human journey and no matter how badly we want to turn them off, we shouldn’t.
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and I would highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in trying out short stories-they’re a new love of mine.
Reader Friends! Right now, this book is only $5.38 on Kindle. Jump on that.
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