Rating: WARTY!
I think this collection has cured me of ever wanting to read any more short story collections. It's also cured me of ever thinking maybe I should contribute a short story to a collection like this. I know authors see this as a chance to get their work out there, but if your story is toward the back of the collection and the earlier stories just bore the pants off people, then no one is going to continue reading through to your story!
I can say without fear of conniption that never was there a more misnamed collection than this one. Not one of these took me to a better place nor did it seem like anyone in the story had gone to such a place, although to be fair, maybe if I hadn't DNF'd most of them, they might have turned around, had I read to the end. The thing is though, that I just got through DNF-ing this collection and I honestly cannot remember even one of the stories I read. Admittedly I skimmed a few, but even the ones I actually read a substantial portion of, I can't recall. There was one I came close to liking and I can't even remember that one, it made so little impression on me, so I can't pretend this was a worthy read, not by a long shot.
All I can do is list the authors and maybe if you know any of them (I didn't) you might find something of interest here (I didn't!): Madeline Ashby, Hannah Lillith Assadi, Calvin Baker, Frank Bill, Selena Goulding , Yoon Ha Lee, Karen Lord, Mike McClelland, Achy Obejas, David A. Robertson, and Martha Wells. That's all folks! Moving on to something better.
