I'll be posting short reviews of the stories in this collection as part of my ongoing Sunday Shorts series on my blog (click that link and they'll all pop up as they show up on the blog."Empire Star" by Samuel R. Delaney probably hit the highest point for me, a novella-length that was just sheer perfection, but there were so many freaking excellent stories in this.

I really loved this anthology. I tend to have trouble with groups of short stories--there will always be something that leaves a bad taste, or just isn't very good. Not so with People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction. Though I definitely had preferences among the stories, there were no duds, here. I often have trouble with Science Fiction because it's so bleak, as if needing to paint a dire portrait of humanity. In this compilation, there's a lot of hope. I did live ratings as I read the stor...

Probably the best of the Destroy series that I've read so far.Notes on favorite stories, authors to check out, etc.Original Short Fiction"A Good Home" by Karin Lowachee"Salto Mortal" by Nick T. Chan"Digital Medicine" by Brian K. HudsonAlready reading Terence Taylor"Fifty Shades of Grays" by Stephen Barnes"Omoshango" by Dayo Ntwari"Firebird by IshaIsha Karki"As Long As It Takes To Make The World" by Gabriela Santiago (https://twitter.com/lifeonearth89) (http://writing-relatedactivities.tumb...)Or...

This was fantastic. It's an anthology of sci-fi stories, all made people people of colour. A variety of people from around the world, bringing their experiences and perspectives to the genre. And a lot of them are truly fascinating. All the stories are, at the very least, enjoyable. But most are excellent, interesting and insightful and poignant. Some are simple, some have very complex ideas. One (which is a reprint) will make your head hurt trying to wrap your mind around it - time travel is al...

**** A Good Home - Karin LowacheeSensitive and relevant story about a disabled vet who agrees to take in another disabled, traumatized vet for home care. It's part of a new program to try to relieve severe overcrowding at the VA. After all, who's more suited to understanding the traumas and challenges than another vet? The catch here is that the vet needing care is actually an android. However, that doesn't really make a difference to the story, in that it still captures the very real issues wit...

I don't usually do magazine reviews but I enjoyed this edition so much I wanted to highlight it. A great collection of original fiction and essays from some writers I already love and some I am discovering.Surprisingly to me (and Contrary to my usual bookish instincts) many of my favourites were those that only touched on the science fictional and were really just amazing character pieces.So I am once again looking forward to the next destroy series, for everyone else, pick this up. Great value

Lightspeed destroy is an annual initiative focusing on the writings of traditionally underrepresented minorities. The People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction special issue exists to relieve a brokenness in the genre that's been enabled time and time again by favoring certain voices and portrayals of particular characters. It brings forth a very diverse set of talented authors, some very well-established, and other very newm from around the globe to present science fiction that explores the nu...

This is a tight, delicious, dense package of delights. And it's big. I thought "special magazine issue" and the price wasn't bad. I got this BIG FAT ANTHOLOGY WITH COLOR ART GALLERY... and I thought "DANG THAT WAS A DEAL!"And the content is exquisite. I stopped after the first four stories and thought, "Wait, doesn't every anthology have at least one dud story?" Well, there was one that didn't quite work for me, but it was just one in a cornucopia of the best dang stuff. Gabriela Santiago's "As

An inspiring, beautiful, and expansive volume that delivers in all the best ways and will have you coming back.

I'm consciously challenging myself to read more diversely, and I have been much more successful with this goal in short fiction than in novels, probably because of A) volume and B) economics. It's very hard to get hold of a variety of diverse SFF novels here in the U.S. Midwest. But a few magazines are doing great work - Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Uncanny, Strange Horizons - that bring me a few diverse stories every month.I'm so lily-white it hurts. I've already had the lifelong privilege of seei...

Fantastic stories, brilliant essays, this issue has it all. Thank you Lightspeed, my reading list will now be more diverse than before.

This is an awesome collection of stories and essays; it’s another fantastic achievement by Lightspeed. I’m giving this collection 5 stars because of the strength of the collection, the poignancy and relevance of the essays, and the great production values. Not all stories were 5 stars for me, but quite a few were. My individual ratings are below for those who are interested.Intros - 3 stars Kind of a weak beginning I thought, but maybe I was just eager to get to the stories this time. The essays...

A very, very high four stars. As with every short story collection, some good, some not for me (not bad, just not grabbed me as hard), together with a few short interviews with featured authors as well as a goodly collection of personal essays - written by not only a selection of the authors, but also many other POC voices within the SF/F community. My first foray into the Destroy series, and far from my last.

I received my copies of this book as a result of backing the Kickstarter project.Lightspeed delivers an amazing anthology from a great selection of diverse authors from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences. Each story was a wonderful delight to read each and every story and then to read the author interviews to learn more about them. The nonfiction articles and book reviews were an excellent addition as were the book reprints. All of the essays were incredibly touching looks at the author...

Another great anthology by Lightspeed Magazine! I first read Women Destroy Science Fiction! a while ago and was very impressed, so I put this on my wishlist and got it for Christmas.I quite enjoyed the whole collection, though since this anthology includes 26 separate pieces of fiction, I figure it would be tedious or superficial to review all of them. Instead, I'll highlight a few of my favourites; as for the rest, I can say confidently that none of the stories were bad, and they're all worth r...

I loved this collection. A lot of really strong, interesting work and thoughtful essays. I've now got a huge list of new authors (and things referenced in their essays and bios) to track down and enjoy.(I donated to the Kickstarter for this.)

Some good stuff in here, some not-as-good stuff. Honestly? I would have been happy with an issue that was half this size. Far too many of the stories I found myself skimming. I did enjoy the collection of classics, especially Octavia Butler and Sam Delaney. The flash was great--Caroline Yoachim's story about milkshakes was lovely, as were many of the others. Lightspeed is very uneven for me, which eventually led me to cancel my subscription. Still, for those who are looking to have the most "ban...

What an amazing collection this is! Isha Karki's "Firebird" was my favorite of these stories and it is her first published piece, which I found shocking--her exploration of social castes, scientific research in the name of academia, and an individual's often juxtaposed desires to be accepted and be oneself are seamless and emotional without being too forthright. Karin Lowachee's "A Good Home" is simple, beautiful, and compelling as it explores the sentience of androids used as replacement soldie...

This is an outstanding collection of works by people of color and Native/Indigenous peoples centering original sci-fi works and personal ties to sci-fi. This issue has it all - new fiction, reprints of classics (including Octavia E. Butler!), interviews, personal and academic essays, gorgeous artwork, and book reviews. There is something for everyone here.Highlights for me among the new fiction included:- Nick T. Chan's "Salto Mortal"- Brian K. Hudson's "Digital Medicine"- Terence Taylor's "Wils...

So so good. Fresh, creative, not the same-old same-old that after a few decades of reading SFF gets so boring--of course a lot of that is that these voices have been kept out of SFF and really just screw the gatekeepers who think readers don't want stories by diverse voices.Some of my favorites:A Good Home, Karen LowacheeSalto Mortal, Nick T ChanFirebird, Isha KarkiThe Peacemaker, TS BazelliA Handful of Dal, Naru Dames Sundar -- This one made me cry and sigh with envy that I hadn't thought of wr...