How Long 'til Black Future Month?

Starred review from November 5, 2018
In 22 powerful and mind-expanding stories, several of which appear for the first time here, Hugo winner Jemisin (The Stone Sky) pushes boundaries, experiments with format and theme, and challenges expectations. While her tales span science fiction and fantasy, certain themes of defiance, feminism, and self-acceptance shine through no matter what the setting or premise. A king devours a dragon’s heart to restore his virility in “The Storyteller’s Replacement,” only to experience unexpected consequences. A gifted chef is challenged to test new recipes by a mysterious benefactor in “L’Alchimista.” In “The Effluent Engine,” a Haitian spy meets her match in an American inventor. In “Walking Awake,” a tale inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters, a woman enslaved by parasitic aliens is given a chance to both avenge and free humankind. Throughout these stories, Jemisin’s versatility is on full display, giving her diverse protagonists numerous chances to shine. Though not every story will resonate with every reader, there’s something in this collection for just about everyone, and many of the works are memorable gems. Those who only know Jemisin for her groundbreaking novels will be impressed all over again by her short fiction, and it serves as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with her work. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency.

November 1, 2018
This collection of short stories by Jemisin, the first person to win the Hugo award for best novel three years in a row (most recently for The Stone Sky, 2017), eloquently develops a series of passionately felt themes.Many of these science-fiction and fantasy tales explore the nature of resistance. Some do so on a personal scale: In "The Elevator Dancer," an office worker and a security guard separately search for the tiniest drop of joy in a grim theocratic future, while in "Valedictorian," a high school student fiercely challenges herself to excel while knowing that alien forces outside her community take a specific interest in the best and brightest. Other stories fight back with a wider scope. "Red Dirt Witch" begins with a mother's struggle to protect her children but ends with a family's commitment to the civil rights movement. "The Effluent Engine" takes place in an alternate 19th-century New Orleans where a Haitian spy seeks technological support for her island's resistance to the French. In contrast, "The Trojan Girl" is set in a virtual future where rogue bits of code quest for freedom and enhanced capabilities. "Cloud Dragon Skies" is a cautionary tale about pollution and the dangers of ignoring local culture, while "L'Alchimista" and "Cuisine des Mémoires" celebrate the pleasures and profound power of food. Others are specific and defiant responses to classic sf stories. The collection also includes an early version of the Broken Earth universe and a lovely tragedy set in the lands of the Dreamblood duology.These stories span Jemisin's career; they demonstrate both the growth and active flourishing of one of speculative fiction's most thoughtful and exciting writers.

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November 15, 2018

In this career-spanning collection, Jemisin ("The Broken Earth" trilogy) delivers 22 thrilling stories of black strength in the face of worldly and otherworldly adversity. In "The Ones Who Stay and Fight," guardians of a thriving world parallel to ours watch over humans and toil with ruthless compassion to avoid falling prey to common prejudices or repeating mistakes. In "The Valedictorian," a girl who has always defied convention to pursue greatness in the shadow of war learns the true cost of failure and the terrifying burden of success. In "The Storyteller's Replacement," an unnamed narrator tells of a foolish king who consumes a dragon's heart in the hope of siring sons and the cunning, dragon-hearted daughters he fathers instead. In "The Effluent Engine," a Haitian spy infiltrates slavery-shackled America in search of technology to safeguard free Haiti against threatening French influence. There she meets a beautiful Creole chemist who could secure Haiti's future and steal her heart in the process. VERDICT This robust collection is a worthy introduction to three-time Hugo Award winner Jemisin's powerful work for curious newcomers and is sure to delight the author's many fans.--Idris Grey, Houston

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
The first short story collection from the widely acclaimed Jemisin (The Stone Sky, 2017) showcases a wide range of fantasy and sf united by her particular vision. There are stories where magic bursts into the real world, as in "L'Alchimista," about a chef whose art draws the attention of a man bearing wondrous ingredients, or in "The City, Born Great," where a young man becomes the living, beating heart of New York City. Some stories take place in sf futures, such as "The Evaluators," where transcripts and messages from a first-contact mission reveal a dangerous and seductive threat, or "Walking Awake," which revisits the classic trope of alien parasites and human hosts and the grim requirements of freedom. There are also short visits to worlds familiar to fans of Jemisin's, such as "The Narcomancer" and "Stone Hunger," which return to the worlds of her Dreamblood and Broken Earth series, respectively. Established fans of Jemisin's work and general fantasy and sf readers alike should check out this collection of diverse and exciting new speculative fiction. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Jemisin's news-making three-time Hugo-winning Broken Earth trilogy opened her fan base up to nongenre readers, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)