If you like one, you may end up reading them all
934956
Aunt Dimity books are quite entertaining.  If you like one, you may end up reading them all. Light entertainment.
2208444
There are thirteen stories in this book, all very different some I really liked and a few I didn't like as well but all and all a book worth reading.
464772
It takes a while to understand this series because you get a whole bunch of characters all at once. However, when you do, you begin to care about what happens to them. Then you're hooked, but the good news is that there are plenty more. Many of us spent the early 21st century wishing it was real.
4837161
I am now re-reading some of these.  Can't put them down.
278168
I've read these stories several times. And it was worth rereading.
2498321
While some of the individual stories required more detailed knowledge of the setting, over all even for someone just getting interested in these stories, this is a great collection.  The various authors do an excellent job bringing out each characters motivations and can make even the most unsympathetic of characters understandable and realistic in their actions.
3953223
I enjoyed all these stories but one. It is fascinating to read the wide variety of stories based on this this one theme.
1606519
This book has a little something for everyone here. I don't much care for short stories because so many of them leave me wondering what happens next. They just don't seem finished to me. There might have been one or two like that here, but for the most part, you finish the story and pretty much know how things turned out, just like I like it. Unless I know it's a series and I'll find out more later, I want to know the outcome when I'm finished.
These are all pretty popular authors, but I hadn't read anything from some of them, while some I was familiar with and it was nice to read more from them too. An overall good book.
1774844
Many of the stories are continuations of "The End Is High", so reading that is a must. Some of these are great, and valuable additions to their stories, such as Seanan McGuire's "Fruiting Bodies," which added an emotional afterword to an already good apocalypse tale, with the exploration of whether it is better to live for yourself, or to make the ultimate sacrifice when the ones you love are gone. Having lost a child, I can say the way the mother is portrayed is spot-on, and the lesbian relationship is believable, understated, and tasteful. Others feel like unnecessary additions, one such, Wasserman's "Dear John," is simply a series of bitter letters to evil mysoginists and weak mumma's boys, with far too little about the actual plot in the bunker that was carried over from the first story. It may have been an interesting story, but it was sandwiched between too much Goldilocks-style "this man was too hard, this man was too soft," for me. There ate one or two standout stories, but unless you read the first of the series, and wanted more of that, maybe give this one a pass.
593070
These short stories are like snapshots in time, the way things were in passing, not stories that conclude, but rather flashes of action that are left to run on in our own imaginations. There is a good diversity of main characters each with their own stories, stories painted with good supporting casts. There is a partial end point to a couple of the stories that strongly determines direction, but basically the reader is left with a great deal of adventure. These glimpses into other's lives are set in French, English and Spanish speaking environments. I'm sure that they reflect by degrees not only Rogers observations and also his own experiences across the world.
As with all collected works, some will interest any individual reader more than they will another. All though are enjoyable and encouraging of thought long after the book reading device has dropped into stand-by mode.
This is a short book, quality rather than quantity, and well worth the little it costs. I only ever read e books, so that is all I base value for money on. There are some really novel backdrops that give life to the stories; moments in interesting lives that are given penetrating depth by very good quality writing. I found enough variety that I could read the whole book as a one off. Actually I read in two or three sessions as I travelled. These are each fifteen minute reads for those that are fairly slow page flickers, just right for so many moments when it is we, ourselves, on standby.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rogers picks up a lot of readers for his novels from the thought waves generated by this collection.
306077
Amazon has prompted me to describe the plot of this book with multiple-choice options. I can't do that, because this is an anthology of short stories, each of which stands on its own.

The stories do all share one imagined universe, which the author describes briefly in the "Welcome" sectiona sort of preface. There's a detailed timeline at the back, in a section called "A Short History of the Planet Bethdish."

The main setting for each of these stories is the Mare Inebrium Spaceport Bar, and a lot of the stories are structured as descriptions of one of the characters simply recounting some tale. I characterize those as light entertainment; the reader is an observer of someone else's retelling of events, and thus insulated from deep involvement with the action.

The heavier stuff is in the longer pieces, and I consider those the best. Mr. Hollifield has given us a Sherlock Holmes story, "A Study in Alizarin Crimson." In my estimation, that one is tied for first place with "Came the Dawn," and those two together make the whole book worth having.

What makes this collection so much fun is the scope of Mr. Hollifield's universe: it takes in enormous spans of time and space, and a great variety of colorful and peculiar characters. There are deities (mostly) lurking in the background, and some protagonists and antagonists that even the gods are afraid to mess with. There's a larger-than-life feel about so much of it. I won't drop any spoilers here; get the thing and read it for yourself.

I bought the paperback version, and the printers did a pretty nice job with it. I wasn't much taken with the cover art, though. I favor cover art that looks like it was painted; this is obviously a computer-generated image. I also noticed a number of typos in the manuscript; that disappointed me, but the book is still enjoyable.
137971
You can finish this set of stories in one sitting because that's how much you keep wanting to hear from these little bizarre worlds that Pappas creates, or you can let the characters of each story sit and fester with you, like I did over the course of a month.  In just a few sentences each new story had me immediately transported and all at once shaming or celebrating the next protagonist.  And I say fester in the best way. Even with short glimpses into their realities - like in The Will, my favorite story - you know that there is a whole back story, upbringing, or world calamity that has caused a particular turn of phrase used specifically at the moment by that character.  The intentionality of this writing is wonderful and will keep you reading.
933133
Whatever she writes I read; sometimes I read her books more than once. This is one of those to go back to.
2779488
They are all great even if I do like some better than the others. However I always try to read them in order - it makes the last one-'Slightly Dangerous' best of all!
4512221
I spent an entire weekend reading these books, and admit to enjoying it for the most part.
Since there are thousands of reviews already, I will just say this is worthy of  3 and 1/2 to 4 stars.
Read the first few chapters and decide if you want to invest your time. Personally, I feel my time was well spent.

Again, read the 5 and 1 star reviews, but most importantly read the sample. Each readers prefers specific genres, so if the writing and story are not to your liking don't bother. And if it is, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
2844831
Can't get enough of these trail stories. If you like them, you'll most likely enjoy this one.
2788929
You haven't heard of most of these films.  You probably won't like all of these films, as I suspect the author's taste is suspect.

But man, he makes it fun to read about them.