Book Review: Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi

Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi by John Scalzi
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: January 3, 2017
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

The ex-planet Pluto has a few choice words about being thrown out of the solar system. A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain, in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity.

Welcome to Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi.

These four stories, along with fourteen other pieces, have one thing in common: They’re short, sharp, and to the point—science fiction in miniature, with none of the stories longer than 2,300 words. But in that short space exist entire universes, absurd situations, and the sort of futuristic humor that propelled Scalzi to a Hugo with his novel Redshirts. Not to mention yogurt taking over the world (as it would).

Spanning the years from 1991 to 2016, this collection is a quarter century of Scalzi at his briefest and best, and features four never-before-printed stories, exclusive to this collection: “Morning Announcements at the Lucas Interspecies School for Troubled Youth,” “Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back,” “Important Holidays on Gronghu” and “The AI Are Absolutely Positively Without a Doubt Not Here to End Humanity, Honest.”

Miniatures is a collection of science fiction short stories. Some are very short – just a few minutes long. They’re all humorous. I think my favorite was the one about smart appliances talking about their owners behind their owners’ backs. If you’ve ever wondered if your smart appliances are judging you, well, guess what – they are! Another story that stood out to me was the interview with the agent for superheroes. Who knew hiring a superhero to save your city was so complicated? They never show the contracts and negotiation side of it in the movies!

Miniatures has several narrators, with each character within a story having a different one. This makes the stories sound more like short radio plays than someone reading a book. This method made for a fun listen.

If you’re in the mood for a light-hearted read/listen (and given the general mood of the world lately, you probably are) then this book is a great choice.

(I received a complementary copy of this audio book for review.)