Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep

Fiction / Science Fiction

328 pages / 1229 KB

5 Stars

Let's get the legalities over with right up front—I was furnished a copy of this book for an honest review.

I love short stories, especially SF/F and when asked to read and review this collection, I jumped at the offer. The anthology contains 26 short stories, of which I enjoyed all but two — which is really pretty good. And, no, I'm not going to tell you which two I didn't care for, because they might turn out to be your favorites.

Totally unfamiliar with the authors, I wasn't sure what to expect, but thought the adventure would be fun. It was. By the time I was half-way through the second story, The Rats, I was hooked. If they could keep the momentum up, it would be a 5 Star book. They could, and they did. And I was already telling friends to buy the book.

A few of the stories were predictable, all of the stories were well written, and worth the read. Some stories had a poignancy to them, some made me chuckle out loud. I absolutely love Keep Fighting Until the Machines Fall Asleep, and The Rats.

If you like Science Fiction, and want to read some of the 'new, up and coming authors' out of Sweden, I think you will enjoy this collection. As has been said, Science Fiction and Fantasy play well together. Often, they allow Horror to come in and play, too, but not for long, just enough to add some peppery influence to the spicy mixture.

The only things these stories have in common is they are all well written and they reside between the covers of the same book. This is not a themed book, so I can guarantee you won't get bored. Also, there are no dragons, no were wolves, and no vampires. There are just 26 well-written stories, some of which take place on other planets, some in other times, and all in your imagination.

I won't compare these authors to American authors, because, frankly, there is no comparison. Different styles, different cultures, and very different stories. I don't think any of the stories will give you nightmares should you read in bed before turning out the light, but they may give you food for thought as you cross that precipice into the little death.

Buy this book. Read this book. Review this book. You'll be glad you did.