The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

I think this may be my favourite short story collection I've ever read and reminded me about my love of science fiction after going on a long fantasy binge. A good science fiction story for me should explore the questions of “What makes us human?” and “What is the human experience?” and every story in this book does just that, and does so beautifully.

I did a short one sentence review on each short story as I finished reading them but my top 5 (in order) would be:

1. Ghost Days: the opening story genuinely gripped me and brought tears to my eyes.
2. Memories of My Mother: also made me tear up.
3. The entire series with Maddie that started with The Gods Will Not Be Chained and “ended” with The Gods Did Have Not Died In Vain: when I read the first one I thought it was a great standalone and when I saw that there was more peppered in throughout the book I got so excited.
4. Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer: it was just gorgeous
5. Real Artists: genuinely very cool, kinda sinister.

HONOURABLE MENTION TO: Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard. I needed more. This was clearly just the beginning. Give me a series. Give me that fantasy epic. I want it. I need it.

There were weaker stories but I didn't find myself disliking any of them. Definitely a book I'd recommend to all my friends but also I would not let my friends borrow from me because I don't want anything happening to my copy.