I'm not really sure how to muse over a compilation of short stories, so maybe I'll give my general ideas, as well as a couple of my favorite and least favorite so far.
To begin, I always struggle with the first story in a short story collection. It takes me that first story to adjust to the sudden theme, prose, style, etc. Once I get past that first story, my brain has adjusted to the fast subject matter pace and I can enjoy the rest of the book (even with different authors, oddly enough) but usually after the first one my overall feeling is "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?" So though I enjoyed hearing Feist swear as an 85 year old woman....everything else in that first story is a confusing blur.
Overall, I looove this book! With authors like L'Engle and Orwell being some of my FAVES...the speculation of the future theme is one of my favorites to read. So this has been like candy. The only trouble is that I always want to read more, and short stories are not about more.
Hmm, maybe I'll do it like this:
- Survivors
Favorite: The Aurochs. I loved the methodical style as well as the clear comparison between him disassembling the Auroch and himself. I also liked the things that were different in the future...such as medicine being illegal. I mean I didn't like that, but it was a different idea than I'd heard before and it kind of seemed plausible.
Least Favorite: The Personasts. I feel like I was totally missing the main point of this...the point that it took place in the suburbs. I just did not grasp what that meant and then it seemed to end too abruptly....so basically I just didn't get it. - Lovers
Favorite: I actually liked a lot of these, but I think my favorite was Love in the Pneumatic Tube Era. I just thought it was so cute! Haha
Least Favorite: Notes From the Womb. I almost stopped reading this because it really disturbed me. Maybe I wasn't being open enough to fully grasp the point, but yea, it just bothered me quite a bit. - Outliers
Favorite: Large Garbage. I love the guys quick transition in with the 'homeless' people, and how painless it actually is for him to lose everything he thinks he loves so much. I like. I also want to say that The Dreamlife of Toasters was one I liked but I can't quite figure out entirely why yet so I hope someone else talks about it....
Least Favorite: Crush, just because this was one that I wish was not a short story, but had more detail/expansion.
And now for Warriors! Wahoooo
