Interesting takes on the near future but weak

It's an anthology series so to call it a mixed bag of quality is not surprising. I do think the first story was a poor choice to start off as it's introducing the concepts of the shared world and I think it was the worst of the five. the second, fourth and fifth were all engaging and interesting. presenting different elements of the world concepts in different manners and genres. The third story did not really introduce anything different and to be honest almost nothing happened other than the protagonist being shown a commune, there were so few stakes or interesting ideas as to make it forgettable though nicely written.

Overall: good if you like Sci-Fi concepts and want to see some predictions about the future closer to our current timeline's direction than the classics of the 20th century. It was a slog to get through at times though and that can never be a good sign of a story's quality.

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An amazing audio

I, like so many, am new to sci fi audio books, I like to get reading books that are relevant to me. Also the same is true with audio books. I need something to fill the gaps of my imagination that have been untouched by tv or movies, or need rekindling. The audio book METAtropolis is a great read for the reason that its several smaller stories well spoken and tied together in a very good use of an audible credit.

I personally, specfically chose this audio book, because I was going to London to meet Kandyse McClure ('Dee' in Battlestar Galacticas reimagined series). She ended up being a very nice woman and this is evident in her reading of the character in METAtropolis.

I very much enjoyed the audio book.

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4 people found this helpful

Fascinating ideas skillfully explored

I didn’t love every story in this, but I did love a few. They all stuck with me long after I’d listened… mark of craftsmanship in writing and narration to be sure!
Would definitely recommend this.

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1 person found this helpful

1-3 = very preachy 4 = funny 5 = intriguing

In The Forests of tge Night by Jay Lake
Stochasti-city by Tobias Buckell
The Red in the Sky is Our Blood by Elizabeth Bear
Utere nihil non extra quiritationem suis by John Scalzi
To Hie from Far Cilenia by Karl Schroeder

All of the stories are preachy to a greater or lesser degree, but first 3 are almost bordering on ecoterrorism manifestos. Lake, Buckell & Bear really seem to be using this book as a podium for their agenda. Scalzi beings his usual sense of humour to green issues. Schroeder has the most traditional sci-fi contribution.

The narration wasn't bad, the performances were all solid. Like I say, it's not that they were bad, Michael Hogan & Kandyse McClure are talented but not quite right for these tales.

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Mix of stories

I loved a couple of the stories. Not all. But as a group they mostly worked well. I loved the collaboration.
Didn't like all the readers but mostly good. What I really liked was the combined feel of the whole thing. A possible future.

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2 people found this helpful

Almost perfect

This is a brilliant piece of work with several authors in different ways writing about a shared earth of the future.

As each story is about 2 hours and independently set in the same world as the other stories, I have listened to all but one twice. It means a journey in the car can be a whole story and not leave you wanting more commuting ;-)

I love this take on our future and how given this ground rules it can be seen in such different ways - from technology altering lives for the better to harsh realities of post oil survival.
Great book.

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3 people found this helpful

An interesting collection

The nature of a short story collection is always that some are better than others. In less than ideal fashion, I felt that the first and last stories in this anthology were the weakest, while the stories in between (most notably by Elizabeth Bear and John Scalzi himself) were stronger. The uniting concept was interesting and even the stories which didn't resonate with me so well were undeniably well written. I was glad that the narrator changed for each short story, and John Scalzi giving his own introductions to each one was a nice touch too.

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OK But not Brilliant

5 Novellas, all a little boring tho. The stories are based on the same world but range from OK to why bother. You need a far more interesting basis to do this well if the Cities an world is drab and depressed then you get drab and depressed no matter how good the author is. Not my scene but some may like this.

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A mixed bag

Two stories unreadable, two okay and one really good. Depends whether you prefer Edgar Rice Burroughs or William Gibson

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5 interesting stories

A loose shared world of the near-ish future. Generally dystopian, but not without a fair bit of hope that people want to improve the world for themselves and others.

My favorite was the one by Elizabeth Bear.

See my reviews of the individual stories.

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