The elegant FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS is powerful and fascinating
Reviews keep filing in for Nalo Hopkinson’s imaginative FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS.
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
The stories all share a common thread of magic, which is often woven, whether subtly or blatantly, into the fabric of everyday reality, allowing characters to react to the strange or the impossible as it crosses into their world. Hopkinson also draws frequently on her Caribbean upbringing and heritage, and her characters’ voices are distinct and authentic, both in their speech patterns and in their ways of looking at their surroundings. Hopkinson’s fans will be delighted by these examples of her wide-ranging imagination.
This is a diverse set of stories written over many years and with different themes. I’d previously encountered one of the stories before, “The Easthound”, in a collection of YA post apocalyptic and dystopian stories. While I knew the twist this time around, I found it just as creepy as before. Then there’s stories like “Emily Breakfast,” a light hearted tale about a gay couple searching for their missing chicken (who happens to be fire breathing). All of these stories are well drawn and imaginative. Most involve contemporary settings with an added element of the fantastic.
I don’t want to go describing each of the eighteen stories, so suffice to say that this is a fantastic collection that I encourage lovers of fantasy and science fiction to pick up. It has certainly convinced me that I need to read some of Hopkinson’s novels.
I think reading them separately would also be a good plan because these stories are thinking stories. You don’t just read and enjoy. You read, you sit and think and get lots of food for thought. Each story needs to be read once, then read again, then sit down and thought about for an hour, then maybe discussed with other readers. There’s such a lot of nuance and thought in each one that makes this whole book a gem, despite my usual dislike of short stories.
What this book REALLY does well is use a story to elegantly consider a scenario and then not expressly explain it – but invite us to explore it. The game starts then Nalo Hopkinson hands the ball to us and invites us to set the final score – I really like that. It doesn’t make for easy reads but it does make for a powerful and fascinating one.
For more information on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.
Cover art by Chuma Hill
Design by Elizabeth Story