Humans Wanted: Quick ‘n’ Dirty Impressions
I just finished Humans Wanted, a sci-fi anthology inspired by those “Humans are Weird” Tumblr posts. If you like those posts, or if you’re interested in stories about weird cultural/biological/psychological differences between aliens and humans, you’ll definitely like this book. Bonus: gender diversity, queer folks, and racially diverse human characters, plus a lot of the narrators are women.
Micro-reviews/unsophisticated opinions of each story:
“Sidekick”: I had a hard time following the POV of this one and I didn’t love the characterization. I did like the hints of beautiful worldbuilding we get, but the plot got bogged down in explanations of the narrator’s biology. I know Jody Lynn Nye is a legend but I just... didn’t like it that much. Sorry!
“WWHD: What Would Humans Do”: Overall this one felt like a Very Special Episode about overcoming racism and embracing the power of friendship, and the ending was super unsatisfying. Did not like.
“Then There Was Ginny”: This was the point where I started getting into the book. It’s charming and bittersweet, depicting a future that is imperfect but hopeful, and the narrator is relatable despite being faceless and alien. Instead of focusing on minute biological differences, it focuses on what’s important for this story: the narrator’s relationship with Ginny and the new perspectives she provides.
“The Dowager”: I didn’t expect to like this one—alien colonization of Earth isn’t a scenario I enjoy, and The Dowager was easy to hate, but that turned out to be the point. Emma also hates The Dowager and has little control over the situation, but it’s human compassion and resilience on display here, and by the end I was really invested in their complex relationship and what Emma chooses to do (and not do). I think this is one of the stories I’ll randomly remember and think about for a while.
“New Union Requirement”: God, this one was funny. Just the absurd premise of “squid alien takes out an insurance policy for its new human employee from a shrimp alien” is great, and their back-and-forth had me chuckling throughout.
“The Sound Of His Footsteps”: had a lot of similarities to “Sidekick,” but I liked this one a lot. Focusing on humans’ physical strength and endurance, the narrator’s mingled admiration and revulsion come through clearly, as does their evolving opinion of the human character. I also liked the worldbuilding descriptions, especially the juxtaposition of the narrator’s homeworld in flashbacks versus the “present” planet setting.
“No Way This Could Go Wrong”: this one had a lot of clever and interesting stuff in it, but I wasn’t wowed. I liked the “sarcasm as a human advantage” thing, and I always like the sheer alien-ness of bug people aliens, but for some reason I had the hardest time figuring out who was who and what was going on. The dialogue was great, though.
“Through The Never”: it was horrifying and I loved it. The mix of intimacy between the characters and psychological implosion as a consequence of comprehending eternity came out really well, and the ambiguous ending was abrupt and unsettling but, in retrospect, well-foreshadowed. The narration was beautiful and I also liked the discussion of “mono-amory” in a psychic species that wants to spread out their emotional needs instead of placing them on a single partner.
“Human Engineering”: in which humans get CALLED THE FUCK OUT. Light and funny with a layer of fond satire, combined with palpable frustration with they way humans just are. Enjoyed it!
“Once Upon a Time There Was a Xurit Named Xcanda”: the plot of this one wasn’t nearly as interesting as Hasan and his relationship with Kella. The resolution of the plot, however, was refreshing and worth the confusion I felt at several points during the story (especially during Xcanda’s bits). So a mixed bag, but overall I liked it.
“A Second Zion”: I can imagine that this story, “New Union Requirement,” and “The Sound Of His Footsteps” all take place in the same continuity. It’s another one that focuses on humans being resourceful and kind of crazy, which is always fun, and the action was easy to follow. I also enjoyed the diversity of aliens in this one, which diverged somewhat from the “cat person, lizard person, robot” model.
“Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn”: beautiful and horrifying. Another story where humanity has been subjugated by an alien force, this one differs from “The Dowager” in that the conquerors are nigh-omnipotent, unknowable, beautiful, and cruel as opposed to being familiar in their pettiness. Also, the horrors implied in Ascending Dawn’s modifications are more powerful in the fact that most of them are implied, leaving more to the dark parts of your imagination. Very good story. Do not want to read again.
