A really strong collection of short stories blending fantasy and science fiction, sometimes inside the same story. Most of them revolve around themes of family and bodily autonomy. The writing is easy to follow even if she likes to jump around time a lot in a few of the stories, I still found myself pretty grounded and never lost.

It's hard to choose a favourite one because I truly believe they were all very good. I think I have a soft spot for Strange Waters, the story about the time lost fisherwoman.
But honestly they all have their qualities : The Death of the God-King is great fantasy and made me want to read a whole book about it, I loved how the timelines were intertwined in Rabbit Test, 10 Visions of the Future has such an compelling argument, Four of Seven is such a personal and relatable story and you really feel for the main character, Laugh Lines is flash fiction and yet its impact is impeccable, Kiki Hernandez is for the ones who want a bit of fun and punk rock (definitely a different tone than the other stories), and Anchorage was fascinating and I could once more read a whole book about the world and crew (reminded me a bit of the Wayfarers series).

It's always hard for me to write a long positive review because I just enjoyed myself and loved the concepts explored here and I don't really know how to delve into that. So just know it's good, it covers different genre of SFF, and it's not that long. You should check it out.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this collection.

Find my reviews on Goodreads, The StoryGraph, and Fable

Copy of my review on Goodreads

Strong women, revolting against their fate.
Magic and witchcraft.
SF and fantasy, sometimes woven together in the same story.
Circular time, blurred timelines.
Characters getting lost at sea to find themselves.

Samantha Mills knows how to pack a punch. <i>The Rabbit Test and Other Stories</i> is an enjoyable collection of very different stories. The author experiments with different genres and styles, which can be disconcerting. Careful sense of detail is infused in every story, painting rich universes and providing universal lessons.

The star of the collection, award-winning story <i>The Rabbit Test</i>, left me completely out of breath. I had to pause, stop reading, and do something else. Wow. The collection is worth five stars, for that story alone. It's no wonder that it won the Hugo award.

But that's not all. Samantha Mills describes advanced chips forcing pregnancy tests on teenagers, and in the next story, we explore towers with child sized cages and witchcraft. As you start each story, you have no idea what you will find. Style, time, pace, ambiance - this is an exhilarating mix and match. It almost feels like Samantha Mills, following the power she grants her characters, loudly claims "I am the author, I call the shots, I make the rules". And it works.

In a totally different medium, there are parallels between this collection and the video games series <i>The Longest Journey</i>. Fantasy / magic and SF / high text can totally coexist in the same works of fiction. Below the surface, it is about tools. What they can and can't do. How they transform the world, and the lives of the characters. What leverage looks like when placed in the wrong hands. Magic, tech, witchcraft - just a different toolbox. Enjoy the ride, this one is a rollercoaster.

Thank you NetGalley and Tachyon publishing for an excellent collection of stories. Thank you Samantha Mills for opening the Pandora's box so many times, I feel like most of those stories could lead to novels I would read. Beautiful work.

I must say, I enjoyed the variety of short stories tucked into this collection, it really kept things fresh from start to finish. If I were to nitpick, there were a handful of tales that felt cut a bit short, leaving me desperate for just a little bit more backstory. However, that’s hardly a bad complaint to have! It served as a brilliant 'palate cleanser' for me, especially as I’ve been needing something lighter to sandwich between the heavy, complex chapters of classics like Dostoevsky. It was exactly the sort of breezy, engaging read I needed. Absolutely spot on for my current mood!

The art of short story writing is to make the reader feel as connected to the character, place, and plot as if they were reading a novel length story. Samantha Mills exceeds expectations in this area, and I will be on the lookout for everything and anything written by her in the future.

From stories about a time-traveling fisherwoman, a love story involving Death, bodily autonomy, to a rock-and-roll legend squaring off against a town full of devils, Mills transports you to another world, or another version of our world, in which you find yourself right at home. Each story drew me in, no matter how outlandish the story might seem, it is grounded in reality and compassion for the characters. I highly recommend this to fans of science fiction, short stories, or moral dilemmas.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Brilliant, bold, sharp, and original. All these stories are amazing. I've loved Mills's short fiction for years, and having all these stories gathered in one place is a blessing.

4.5 stars

A collection of thought provoking short stories that I am currently obsessed with! Some stories were just okay, but others were absolutely mesmerizing. My favorites are "Strange Waters", "Spindles", The Death of the God-King", "Anchorage", and "A Shadow Is a Memory of a Ghost". (I would absolutely read a full length novel on these!)

Quiet devastation. Maximum impact. No notes.

Thank you NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for this ARC.