reviewing every story from Gleanings!
my opinions on this collection areâŚvariedâŚ.so enjoy đ¨đ˝âđ
âFormidableâ 4/10 more like forMIDable. this story feels like mediocre fanfic; itâs awkward, surprisingly boring, thereâs 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 justâŚneeded to be longer, with more room to breathe.
âA Death of Many Colorsâ 8.4/10 great!! the characters immediately draw us in and Thunderheadâs perspective never misses. entertaining, spooky, camp, and each twist is surprising. what, there are people who donât believe in scythes?! what, she has real wings?! what, sheâs a scythe?! kinda weird and insidious sheâs allowed to go around gleaning without a robe, though. wonder if sheâll be/become new order because she seems to take joy in gleaning, though she does it for noble causes. I also wish Daxâs death wasnât spoiled in the title.
âUnsavory Rowâ 7.5 the characters arenât crazy engaging, but what it adds to the world building is. it answers an important question (why donât unsavories go for REAL crime and violence? âŚbecause unsavory âcrime lordsâ are all secretly agents). also ROWAN MENTION! also the main character is nice tie to Kohlâs gleaning in Scythe. and again, twist with Maw isnât necessarily expected. the unsavory lore with the different levels is recon-y, though, like we shouldâve learned about it with Slayd.
âA Martian Minuteâ 9/10 âFormidable,â take notes because THIS is a prequel. itâs shockingly effective at endearing us to Goddard; we even root for him at times knowing heâs experienced many setbacks. itâs 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 heâs about to do seconds before he does itâŚyup.
âThe Mortal Canvasâ 5.8/10 itâs 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 itâs difficult to get through. I know itâs 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.
âCirriâ 7.5/10 this oneâs short and sweet and nothing spectacular. itâs another spacey story like Goddardâs almost removed from the genre of the main series. Shusterman excels with his AI characters, and the Thunderheadâs kid is just as contemplative, fascinating, and lovable as the TH itself. additionally, romantic Thundergrey confirmation made reading this entire collection worth it.
âAnastasiaâs Shadowâ 7.2/10 Ben, while another impressively bland main character, has a compelling story carried by his romance with Raj. itâs fun seeing Constantine again, and seeing a better side of him as he comes to care for his student. plus, itâs satisfying that the loose ends of Citraâs 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!
âThe Persistence of Memoryâ 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 DalĂâs Rube Goldberg machine weigh this short down. I feel neutral in a positive way about it. itâs less a little less boring than the title would suggest.
âMeet Cute and Dieâ 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. itâs a like filler episode of a show, except it doesnât 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.
âPerchance to Gleanâ 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. Iâd 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 itâs necessary but I donât entirely care. this was good :)
âA Dark Curtain Risesâ 7.3/10 this is a perfectly bittersweet cap on Gleanings. itâs 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 sheâs ever known or loved. a purple planet suits her just right and so does being a chef. hope she finds happiness (but we couldâve checked in on Citra too, dammitâŚ)
âbut Soph, what about âNever Work With Animals??ââ well you seeâŚI did not read that one. idk why it but I skipped it and havenât gone back. but if I have anything particularly innovative to say Iâll update this
titsay
origamiaround
prguitarman
yousharknotpass
stormborns
