Grace L. Dillon

A solid collection and introduction to indigenous sci-fi. It's worth noting that at this stage, this functions maybe more as a kind of potential space for foundations for indigenous sci-fi, rather than necessarily a place to explore new works or authors; there's been a huge amount of work put out after this (especially in the young adult arenas) that might be worth checking out if you're looking to avoid, say, Sherman Alexie's work. Nevertheless, Dillon's analysis and introductions are very solid, and the excerpts are great places to move towards the larger works. I definitely came away from this with many more books and stories to look for. I couldn't necessarily name a "favorite" among these--they were all so different and interesting and good, and I think you get a good taste of the number of different themes and kinds of stories.… (més)

An interesting introduction to spec fic by indigenous authors, mostly North American but also including Maori, Australian Aboriginal and Caribbean voices. Some of it was enthralling, to me, though I don't normally care that much for the slipstream approach in anybody's fiction. Magic realism sometimes works for me, and sometimes doesn't, which is probably more a reflection on me and my addiction to traditional story structure than the works themselves. I was especially impressed with work by Nalo Hopkinson and Andrea Hairston, Simon Ortiz, William Sanders, and Misha. All of the entries come with introductory material of great interest, but most of the entries themselves are not complete stories. They are, instead, chapters selected from longer works, usually novels. If you are looking for a place to start, this book will give you a lot of pointers, but be prepared for frustration when you get into a story and there is no ending available here. So go find the whole book it came from, right? Now that you know it's out there!… (més)