Falling in Love with Hominids

Written by Nalo Hopkinson

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

Nalo Hopkinson, author of Brown Girl in the Ring, The Salt Roads, and Sister Mine, is an internationally-beloved storyteller. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as having "an imagination that most of us would kill for," her Afro-Caribbean, Canadian, and American influences shine in truly unique stories that are filled with striking imagery, unlikely beauty, and delightful strangeness.

In this long-awaited collection, Hopkinson continues to expand the boundaries of culture and imagination. Whether she is retelling The Tempest as a new Caribbean myth, filling a shopping mall with unfulfilled ghosts, or herding chickens that occasionally breathe fire, Hopkinson continues to create bold fiction that transcends boundaries and borders.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781515942634

Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson, born in Jamaica and now living in Toronto, is a superstar of modern fantasy. Her award winning novels include Brown Girl in the Ring (1998), Midnight Robber (2000), The Salt Roads (2003), and The New Moons Arms (2007). Her short story collection, Skin Folk (2001), was the winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Sunburst Award. She has edited and coedited a number of fantasy anthologies and taught at the Clarion workshops and other venues. She is a founding member and currently on the advisory committee of the Carl Brandon Society, which exists to further the conversation on race and ethnicity in SF and fantasy.

Reviews for Falling in Love with Hominids

[cuentosalgernon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love short fiction, but this varied collection was a bit of a disappointment, because I had read great things about it and because in the first half of the book there were a couple of stories I liked well enough and another one I loved (“Message in a Bottle”, my absolute favorite), but as I went on reading, I found more and more difficult to connect with most of the stories, especially with some of the shortest ones.

[burritapal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was not what I expected from the publisher's blurb. Imo, the stories didn't have much depth to them. It was disappointing.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories, and Nalo Hopkinson, as the writer, and Bahni Turpin, as the narrator, kept me listening to stories that were just straight up horror that I would ordinarily just skip right over. Along with the horror, there's dark fantasy, lighter, happier fantasy, and even a couple of stories that can fairly be called science fiction. There's a reworking of the story of Caliban, and a new Bordertown story. It's an impressive range.What sets this collection apart, aside from the fact that Hopkinson is just a really excellent writer, is that she writes from her own Afro-Caribbean heritage, giving us stories that are new to me, and bringing an entirely different perspective to stories grounded in more familiar material.Highly recommended.I bought this audiobook.

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent collection of stories by Nalo Hopkinson. Most have been previously published. "Flying Lessons" is new to the anthology, and “Men Sell Not Such in Any Town” first appeared in the September 2015 issue of Nature. Lovely stories, as usual for Hopkinson.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]

[andreablythe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic collection of stories from Hopkinson, showing the depth and range in her skill as a writer. The stories in this collection are strange, beautiful, and often unsettling. The opening story, “The Easthound,” begins with kids playing word games against an apocalyptic backdrop (a sweetspot for me). Beginning with this playful banter, the story grows more and more tense as we learn what the source of the apocalypse is. Meanwhile, “Emily Breakfast,” presents a lovely domestic normalcy, involving picking homegrown spinach, tending to the chickens — although it's a normalcy that includes cats with wings and other animal deviations. “Blushing” is a completely terrifying Bluebeard retelling. And there are many more tales in this collection that are equally worth exploring.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was pretty solidly great - my favorites were "Left Foot, Right," and "Emily Breakfast," but "The Easthound" and "Message in a Bottle" are close runners-up. I feel like I would like the Bordertown story if I ever liked Bordertown stories, but they all seem so obsessed with tangling up with other Bordertown stories that there isn't enough story there.

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*****"The Easthound" – Nalo Hopkinson
Previously read in Strahan's 'Best Science Fiction...' anthology. Was happy to re-read!
'OK, I previously said the Hopkinson selection in the previous volume of this anthology was my favorite. But this story is now my favorite Hopkinson. I wholeheartedly loved it. It is quite similar to the Star Trek episode, ‘Miri’ (also one of my favorites). However, it’s a lot bleaker – and there are werewolves.'

**** “Soul Case”
Victory comes with grief - and with a price. But freedom for the next generation is a thing of great value. Set in a defiant community of Caribbean 'maroons', this brief story packs a lot into a small amount of space.

***** “Message in a Bottle”
A wry commentary on art and how we invest it with meaning.
A young man, an artist, sometimes babysits his neighbor's child. He's a bit uncomfortable with the girl, but is it simply because he's unused to children - or does it have something to do with the child's rare disorder?
Time goes on, and he's the one she turns to when there's something that needs to be said.
Unexpected twists keep on coming, in this great sci-fi story.

** “The Smile on the Face”
Previously read in Neil Gaiman's 'Unnatural Creatures.' Then, I said: "Teenage girls should be happy with their bodies and stick up for themselves against attempted date rape. Yes, fine, I agree. But I didn’t love the story."
This time, I felt slightly more charitable toward it (I did re-read). It's very well-written, and you do feel for the main character. But the Message For Teenage Girls definitely overwhelms anything else about the story.

*** “Left Foot, Right”
Previously read in Kelly Link's 'Monstrous Affections.'
A young woman enters a store to buy a very specific pair of cheap shoes... Clearly, something dire has occurred, but we are not yet sure what... The gradual reveal is well-done, but this would have been rated higher, except for when it gets to the point where, in addition to the death of her sister, the story adds in her miscarriage. Maybe it's just that I'm not much for the ghosts of fetuses, politically, but I really feel that the story would have been stronger if it focused on the single tragedy instead of making it a double. The Caribbean setting and the elements of folklore are vivid and nicely-done.

*** “Old Habits”
Previously read in Strahan's 'Best Science Fiction..." anthology.
"Ghosts haunt the mall where they died. (Knowing someone who worked in a mall for a while, you might be surprised how many people DO die in malls.) Not bad; probably my favorite thing I’ve read by Hopkinson." (I've since read even better stories by her, but this one is still quite good!)

*** “Emily Breakfast”
What a weird piece. Not weird fiction, just odd. OK... it's like... one of those food-obsessed cozy mysteries meets m/m romance, with a bunch of stuff thrown in for the pet lovers, and a dash of the fantastic. Strangely charming.

*** “Herbal”
I suppose it's uncharitable to say this reminded me of Dumbo. Especially since I've never seen that movie, and this story is not at all cartoonish. But it does feature a magical flying elephant.

*** “A Young Candy Daughter”
Overly sentimental, but emotionally appealing. This story of the Second Coming is a reminder to Christians of the core values of their religion.

**** “A Raggy Dog, a Shaggy Dog”
The author says this was inspired by the difficulties of 'dating while geeky' - but it takes it a step beyond. OK, a whole staircase beyond.
Our narrator is a very peculiar woman with detailed - one might even say obsessive - knowledge of botany. This is what happens when she encounters one very unusual vermin.

*** “Shift”
A jazz riff on 'The Tempest,' mixed with elements of 'The Frog Prince,' which flips from one perspective to another, touching on the subjects of race and relationships.

**** “Delicious Monster”
It's always hard to come to terms with your divorced dad's new relationship, even when you're an adult. But this story introduces a whole pantheon of unexpected issues, from 'monster' plants to the divine.

*** “Snow Day”
While out shoveling snow, a woman encounters a talking raccoon. That's only the first odd occurrence in what turns out to be a truly singular day. I found this a bit reminiscent of Sheri Tepper, in a good way. it's a topic I find intrinsically appealing: Oh Hell, yeah, I'd be an 'Adventurer!'

** “Flying Lessons”
Short, metaphorical piece about child abuse. I can't honestly say I liked it, but I wasn't really supposed to.

*** “Whose Upward Flight I Love”
In the midst of a storm, it can seem not as if the wind is striving to knock down the tossing trees, but as if the trees are flapping themselves, eager to take flight.

**** “Blushing”
A contemporary, not-even-one-tiny-bit-politically-correct re-telling of the story of Bluebeard, and his secret room.

**** “Ours Is the Prettiest”
Previously read in 'Welcome to Bordertown.' At that time, I said:
"Just because you make it to the Border, doesn’t mean your life isn’t a mess. In the midst of Carnival celebrations, a group of lesbians negotiate a complex web of love, jealousy, violence and resentments. And get blindsided by some unexpected magic. Probably the best thing I’ve read from Hopkinson."

*** “Men Sell Not Such in Any Town”
Inspired by Christina Rosetti's 'Goblin Market,' this short piece gives 'forbidden fruit' a science-fiction edge.

Many thanks to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this excellent collection. As always, my opinions are solely my own.

[marysneedle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The stories I loved the best out of this collection was "The Easthound" and "Message in a Bottle" but all of them are good. I think this author did a wonderful job of weaving in culture to the stories.

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Falling in Love with Hominids is a collection of short stories by award winning Jamaican-born Canadian science fiction and fantasy author Nalo Hopkinson. Usually, I find short story collections a mixed bag – there’ll be some I like and some I dislike. However, in the case of Falling in Love with Hominids I enjoyed every single story in the collection.This is a diverse set of stories written over many years and with different themes. I’d previously encountered one of the stories before, “The Easthound”, in a collection of YA post apocalyptic and dystopian stories. While I knew the twist this time around, I found it just as creepy as before. Then there’s stories like “Emily Breakfast,” a light hearted tale about a gay couple searching for their missing chicken (who happens to be fire breathing). All of these stories are well drawn and imaginative. Most involve contemporary settings with an added element of the fantastic.I don’t want to go describing each of the eighteen stories, so suffice to say that this is a fantastic collection that I encourage lovers of fantasy and science fiction to pick up. It has certainly convinced me that I need to read some of Hopkinson’s novels.ARC provided by Netgalley.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

[frankerrington · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review copyNalo Hopkinson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and also spent her childhood in Trinidad and Guyana before her family moved to Toronto, Canada, when she was sixteen.You may be wondering, "What is a Hominid?" Dictionary.com defines Hominid as "any primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern man ( Homo sapiens) and the extinct precursors of man."In the forward to Falling In Love With Hominids, Nalo Hopkinson says, "I love and am fascinated by human beings. We are, all of us, capable simultaneously of such great good and such horrifying evil."There are eighteen stories in this collection covering a variety of genres and writing styles. Occasionally I was left in the dark by the author's writing and at other times I found myself totally enamored. I hope this makes sense, but to me it seems as if some of the stories were written for the reader, while others were more for the writer herself and those seemed to be rather self-indulgent.There were a number of really good reads in Falling In Love With Hominids.I enjoyed "The Easthound" - A story of death and survival in an apocalyptic world."Message In a Bottle" was fanciful, wonderfully told, and very imaginative.I also liked, "The Smile On the Face" - Teenage angst mixed with an ancient legend and Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello on the TV. I really like the use of the limerick to move this story along.There were only a handful of stories that didn't hit the mark for me, but it was enough to just give this collection four stars.Falling In Love With Hominids is now available in both paperback and ebook formats from Tachyon Publications.Somewhat recommended.