reviewing every story from Gleanings!
my opinions on this collection areā¦variedā¦.so enjoy šØš½āš
āFormidableā 4/10 more like forMIDable. this story feels like mediocre fanfic; itās awkward, surprisingly boring, thereās barely any Faraday, and Curie becomes the character we know her as in the main series too quickly (robe, hair color, nicknames, etc. are contrived). she commits her famous act without us even getting to know her enough to know WHY exactly she feels the need to. it justā¦needed to be longer, with more room to breathe.
āA Death of Many Colorsā 8.4/10 great!! the characters immediately draw us in and Thunderheadās perspective never misses. entertaining, spooky, camp, and each twist is surprising. what, there are people who donāt believe in scythes?! what, she has real wings?! what, sheās a scythe?! kinda weird and insidious sheās allowed to go around gleaning without a robe, though. wonder if sheāll be/become new order because she seems to take joy in gleaning, though she does it for noble causes. I also wish Daxās death wasnāt spoiled in the title.
āUnsavory Rowā 7.5 the characters arenāt crazy engaging, but what it adds to the world building is. it answers an important question (why donāt unsavories go for REAL crime and violence? ā¦because unsavory ācrime lordsā are all secretly agents). also ROWAN MENTION! also the main character is nice tie to Kohlās gleaning in Scythe. and again, twist with Maw isnāt necessarily expected. the unsavory lore with the different levels is recon-y, though, like we shouldāve learned about it with Slayd.
āA Martian Minuteā 9/10 āFormidable,ā take notes because THIS is a prequel. itās shockingly effective at endearing us to Goddard; we even root for him at times knowing heās experienced many setbacks. itās an epic space story that still feels grounded in the same universe yet distinctly alien (Martian?) from the others. the buildup, the pacing, the callbacks, the way the readers get to realize each terrible thing heās about to do seconds before he does itā¦yup.
āThe Mortal Canvasā 5.8/10 itās difficult for me to care about these characters even remotely, divorced as they are from the time and place of everything else in the series. Af Klint is entertaining but Morty is so painfully personalityless that itās difficult to get through. I know itās trying to be anti-ai art, but it ends up seeming weirdly anti-digital art/overly pretentious too? but the end twist is fitting, I guess, and the prose beautiful as ever.
āCirriā 7.5/10 this oneās short and sweet and nothing spectacular. itās another spacey story like Goddardās almost removed from the genre of the main series. Shusterman excels with his AI characters, and the Thunderheadās kid is just as contemplative, fascinating, and lovable as the TH itself. additionally, romantic Thundergrey confirmation made reading this entire collection worth it.
āAnastasiaās Shadowā 7.2/10 Ben, while another impressively bland main character, has a compelling story carried by his romance with Raj. itās fun seeing Constantine again, and seeing a better side of him as he comes to care for his student. plus, itās satisfying that the loose ends of Citraās family are tied up and nice that it ends in an unexpectedly sweet way (I thought Raj was cooked for sure). happy pride month, I guess!
āThe Persistence of Memoryā 6.5/10 Barcelona is a charming, romantic location for a story about a pretty interesting and morally grey scythe. as full and rich as the characters feel, the story drags, the pacing is awkward, and the end is unsatisfying. descriptions of DalĆās Rube Goldberg machine weigh this short down. I feel neutral in a positive way about it. itās less a little less boring than the title would suggest.
āMeet Cute and Dieā 3/10 this one wins the idgaf award, far and away. what is this?? the main couple has negative chemistry and Boudica is a cartoon of herself. itās a like filler episode of a show, except it doesnāt even feature characters we have a prior investment in. the lack of personality here needs to be studied. I guess the flavorlessness is fitting for the only story to take place in Britannia.
āPerchance to Gleanā 8/10 what a cute, weird, whimsical adventure perfect for RossShelf! this was the first story that made me sincerely want a longer follow-up. Iād read an entire novel about this region and the different types of dreamers. Alex and Dayne are a charming pair that kept me on my toes. not sure what the dad appearing in the dream is about or why itās necessary but I donāt entirely care. this was good :)
āA Dark Curtain Risesā 7.3/10 this is a perfectly bittersweet cap on Gleanings. itās uneventful, though, and mostly consists of Susan struggling to recall information that the audience already knows. it hurts; she is the same character yet an entirely different person, so very far from everything sheās ever known or loved. a purple planet suits her just right and so does being a chef. hope she finds happiness (but we couldāve checked in on Citra too, dammitā¦)
ābut Soph, what about āNever Work With Animals??āā well you seeā¦I did not read that one. idk why it but I skipped it and havenāt gone back. but if I have anything particularly innovative to say Iāll update this
prguitarman
izzy806
germansingergirl
amandla
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