7/10 There was a lot of time traveling in this story from the Time Travelers Passport collection, although it seems limited to employees of one company7/10 There was a lot of time traveling in this story from the Time Travelers Passport collection, although it seems limited to employees of one company (Oracle)—wouldn’t word get out? It took a while for the personal aspects of the story to take center stage, and that’s where the heart of the story lies. But I still had questions about the specifics of how Russ & Vik managed their “side trips” the get the most out of their limited time with loved ones....more
4/10 Maybe it’s me, but I didn’t get the point of this story. (view spoiler)[The various time traveling “vampires” seemed pretty one-dimensional, and a4/10 Maybe it’s me, but I didn’t get the point of this story. (view spoiler)[The various time traveling “vampires” seemed pretty one-dimensional, and apparently they are content to live the same day endlessly rather than end the time loop. (hide spoiler)]...more
7.5/10 A little dry, but in the wry Scalzi way. Certainly an interesting take on time travel, but I would have liked to have known more about the narra7.5/10 A little dry, but in the wry Scalzi way. Certainly an interesting take on time travel, but I would have liked to have known more about the narrator’s experiences. (Always a problem with short stories & me—I generally want more!)...more
6.25/10 I enjoyed about half those stories in this collection, the final book in the Tales of the Apt. The selections are bookended by Adrian Tchaikovs6.25/10 I enjoyed about half those stories in this collection, the final book in the Tales of the Apt. The selections are bookended by Adrian Tchaikovsky’s own stories, but all the authors wrote convincingly of the world of the Apt and Inapt and the various kinden races. Favorites stories: The Scent of Tears, Wonder, The Unforeseen Path, The Poor Little Earwig Girl, Recipes for Good Living, and The God of Profound Things. Worst stories: Forwards, The Message, The Promise of a Threat....more
6.5/10 The 4 stories in this collection all feature Professor Phinagler (yes, he does finagle things) and his assistant Fosse, following them on advent6.5/10 The 4 stories in this collection all feature Professor Phinagler (yes, he does finagle things) and his assistant Fosse, following them on adventures to parts of the kinden world that are less explored in the main Shadows of the Apt series. The author, in his Afterword, describes how he deliberately made the tales rather “pulpy”—not my favorite styles of writing. And the final story, For Love Distant Shores, is heartbreaking in many ways. (view spoiler)[But I was so happy for Fosse to get her happy ending! (hide spoiler)] Overall, not as strong a collection as the first two Tales of the Apt collections....more
7.5/10 This collection of short stories is a companion to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series. These tales take place throughout the time pe7.5/10 This collection of short stories is a companion to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series. These tales take place throughout the time period from book 4 through book 10 of the novel series, adding insights and more depth to some of the characters, places, and events of the novels.the title story, A Time for Grief, was my favorite, but they were all good....more
6.75/10 The second installment of the House of Crows serial story continues to follow the four “summer” friends, alternating between their current live6.75/10 The second installment of the House of Crows serial story continues to follow the four “summer” friends, alternating between their current lives & their experiences as teens. While I am still frustrated by characters who make obviously poor choices or fail to make obviously better choices, I recognize that the story depends on those decisions. I do plan to finish the last 2 installments, more because I want to see how the author ties up all these threads than because I care about the fate of the characters themselves....more
6.5/10 This first installment of a 4 part serial story captured my interest right away. It’s kind of a dark story & this reader/listener had to refrain6.5/10 This first installment of a 4 part serial story captured my interest right away. It’s kind of a dark story & this reader/listener had to refrain from pointing out to the main characters the obvious decisions they should (or in some cases, shouldn’t) be making. But without those choices, there’d be no story, so I get it....more
6/10 A little predictable but an OK story. (view spoiler)[I wonder how long the main character will be able to live with what she discovered. (hide spo6/10 A little predictable but an OK story. (view spoiler)[I wonder how long the main character will be able to live with what she discovered. (hide spoiler)]...more
8/10 This book is a collection of short stories that are companions to the Shadows of the Apt series. Each story gives us a bit of backstory to a few c8/10 This book is a collection of short stories that are companions to the Shadows of the Apt series. Each story gives us a bit of backstory to a few characters from the main series or an insight into some aspect of the Twelve Year War between the Commonweal and the Wasp Empire. ...more
