5 out of 5 gnomes
This anthology was extremely well done. If you're looking for something positive to read and want to feel good about what humans are capable of then check this book out ASAP. It's full of strong stories that will make you laugh, cry and almost everything in between. There's something to like about each story as they show how weird yet vital humans can be to the world.
These are my favorite quotes and I think they encapsulate the whole anthology very well.
“Sure it's weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic.”
“Oh, well, a sidekick’s job is to keep the hero amused, carry the bags, and express admiration when the hero does something very clever and saves the day.”
“We all got the directive.”
“Humans bond with their machines emotionally. When the machines stop working, Humans will pet the machine and feel sad for it.”
“This is the most vital lesson of all: the hug. It is said that Humans hug frequently. It may even be necessary for their survival as a species. For certain, it is how they seal their pack bonds.”
“They’re so curious, some of them dedicate their lives trying to learn what happened to people dead for centuries.”
“It’s odd, I’ll admit. But if a human gets attached to you? There is no companion who will do more or care more for you, than a human who considers you their friend. Even a human who considers you an acquaintance is a powerful ally.”
“Humans grow attached, and so did I.”
“Irrelevant, Captain. Humans have been observed to name their toasters.”
“And by the sound of it, it’ll proceed to hug it to death,” the captain growled.”
“I closed my eyes. It was too much. I was injured, probably delirious, and the human got more and more bizarre the more time I spent with him.”
“Maybe it was a normal human reaction, though. The universe’s orphans, that’s what they called them in school, remember? Always so willing to adopt anyone into their “family.”
“Please don’t leave me alone.”
“How very strange, that he could hold me so gently after being so brutal.”
“I don’t know if I learned a lesson or not, but I did gain a friend.”
“Racism is literally losing a war for them.”
“What an unlikely gift. In a mad world, only the insane could thrive.”
“Oh, humans always find time for the things they enjoy. They will gain great satisfaction from squeezing in such an altruistic project, as it were, in the margins.”
“Amity is not a concern. Humans are capable of competing with one another and cheering each other on at the same time.”
“Five moonstrobes might as well be five hundred, for humans are simply ill equipped to feel the immediacy of an event until it is staring them in the face.”
“The humans pulled, what I believe is called, an all-nighter.”
“Procrastination. The ultimate human trademark.”
“Does your culture consider your excrement holy?” Valeri questioned politely. “I’d never heard that before.”
“Always remember your heart, my dearest.”
