An incredible book filled with amazing short stories that take place in various fantasy and sci fi worlds. From Wonderland to a land where wars are fought my poisons at a dinner party, Valente’s signature writing absolutely shines through. Like most works of short fiction not all stories are going to be slam dunks but the good outweigh the bad in this book.

I'm not much of a short story reader but I was drawn to this book's cover and had heard fabulous things about the author. As with most short story collections, not all the stories really spoke to me, but I loved the cohesiveness that all the stories conveyed since they were by the same author (although not set in the same world). Definitely something to check out if you find you can't focus on longer narratives at this time.

Reviewing a short story collection is not easy at all. It would be far too easy to fall into the trap of reviewing each and every story.

One of the standouts for me is the titular story, "The Future is Blue." I'm also going to focus a bit more on this story than some of the others because, joy of joys, a sequel is coming out next year! This was easily one of my favorite stories. Tetley, the heroine, is so lovable and optimistic, despite the trials that she faces in her everyday life. The story itself is a class in the "show don't tell" rule of fiction. Valente opens up Tetley's world just enough to intrigue the reader. Garbagetown, the setting, isn't ever fully explained or explored; the reader sees and experiences what Tetley decides to reveal in her narrative.

I'm also very fond of "Down and Out in R'lyeh." Lovecraftian stories are becoming some of my favorites. This story, from the point of view of Moloch, an eldritch youth (I can't say "teenager," as Moloch is "only 5,000" years old), who resides in (you guessed it) the city of R'lyeh. Recent reviews of Valente's newest novel, Space Opera focus on the humor. I am here to tell you that Valente's always been humorous, and this story (originally published in Uncanny Magazine in 2017) is a prime example. Imagine descriptions that you may have read of this famed, watery metropolis. Do any of them include phrases like "the tacky interdimensional shopfronts selling rubbish nobody wants," or "the ugly, kitschy non-Euclidean central business district brooding and moping up in your face"? Perhaps they should. Moloch is almost the polar opposite of Tetley, and that's a great thing. They're each shockingly realistic in their own way, and that's what makes this (and all of the other stories in the volume) more than worth your time. Another quote from this story, because I can't resist: "[Moloch's sister] works her cloacas off downtown for some effulgy gloon on the Planning Committee—to which I say, how the fuck do you plan the descent of the known universe into bloody infinite shrieking madness? If you have to have a board meeting about it, what’s the fhatgn point?" (All quotes from the online edition of the story, because I don't have my copy of the book handy to give you accurate page numbers or ebook locations).

I found all of the stories to be winners in their own way. My favorite stories involve complicated characters, those who have their own internal world and agendas. We aren't always privy to them, and many of these narrators are unreliable, but that's what makes reading this collection so fascinating. Each character is their own person, and no two of them are the same. I would advise reading only one of these stories per sitting; otherwise the POV shifts could be a little dizzying on one's brain.

It is difficult to talk about Valente's fiction without talking about the language itself. Valente's writing is not for those looking for something to casual to peruse. This collection, as with all of her other works that I've read, requires your attention. The wordplay is strong with this one, and you don't want to miss a single trick. I am in awe of Valente's verbal acrobatics. I cannot describe them properly; you're just going to have to experience them for yourself.

In Conclusion: If you haven't read much of Valente's fiction before, this is an excellent way to see if her work might be to your liking. This collection is a very good sampler of her writing and gives you an idea of what you might be getting yourself into if you decide to pick up one of her novels (either the Fairyland series, or Space Opera would be great places to start). Happily, you can acquire this collection for your very own. It's available in electronic formats in several places (for an extremely reasonable price). I've also done some digging and you can acquire a physical copy from a few retailers. I'm glad that I read this, and I look forward to reading it again in the future. (review to be published at speculativechic.com)

As with any short story collection some stories are better than others but this is overall a really strong collection. Catherynne M. Valente writes such wonderfully imaginative speculative fiction and I enjoyed myself through the whole thing.

For now, this book is on hold. Catherynne M. Valente has beautiful writing, but sometimes it is a bit hard to get through when you are not in the right mood. I was able to finish The Future Is Blue and thought it was an amazing read. I'm not sure how someone can make trash sound pretty, but Valente did!

Thank you to Catherynne M. Valente, Subterranean Press, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “The Future Is Blue” for an honest review.

Catherynne is one of my all time favorite authors, who I met as a teenager and can never leave, again, never could, would never want to. My heart and soul are entangled in between the words of her writings and the new lines, loves, worlds she spills out from her lips and fingertips every single time. This, again, was no surprise and no disappointment.

Everything was gorgeous and new in this collection. It was raw, rough, glorious, gorgeous in every direction as we spawned into futuristics worlds as of yet untouched and untapped. I loved see her turn her hand toward science-fiction, hard science, the blueing lines of emotions and connections between beings, again.

These science fiction stories are extraordinarily well-done, like stepping into another universe or wondering whether it is a realistic yet bizarre dream. I was enchanted from the very first sentences of the first story; I look forward to reading lots more from this author! Plus that first story made me look at garbage a bit differently!

I had completely forgotten what this was about to be honest. So I went into this thinking it was 1 story. Turns out this is a book with multiple little stories in it. This is the first thing I have read by Catherynne M. Valente and I can say that I liked some of the stories in the book but did DNF other stories. Some stories I felt were really awesome while others I couldn't read past the first couple pages because it was just... I don't even know what word to use to describe it. So I am gonna give this book a 3.5 stars our of 5.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC for review.

Valente is one of those authors who doesn’t tell you a story, she doesn’t even show you so much as she takes you on a journey. Chronology, perspective and language bend to her will, endowing her tales with a sense of playful wonder and knowing dread. The tones of the stories within differ widely, and genre is fluid both within and between tales, and something nearly laughed at in some cases. The underlying theme of the book (the future and our regard, or disregard for the consequences of our actions and their costs, or at least that’s what I saw) unifies the tales, without ever growing tired or overwrought. Not every tale in this collection worked for me, struck a note with me, but the ones that did hit me hard. No One Dies in Nowhere, The Limitless Perspective of Master Peek, and The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild each stopped me in my tracks, bade me put the book down for a big and just digest the glory of the story before moving on. I found myself going back and re-reading passages out loud to my cat, just to share with her some delightful turn of phrase, because that’s only polite to share good things with your cat. Also my roommate, whom I hoping will read this too so we can chat about it. There’s also a brilliant contrast between the tone of the first story, and the tone of the final story, which leaves the reader in a very different place indeed, than where we started. These stories were one hell of a journey.

Also, that cover art, shout out to the artist (Galen Dara), it's perfect! This is a book I want on my shelf from cover to final page.

For me, reading Cat Valente's work has always been a wonderous submersion into language, one in which she allows you to revel in lush, excited prose and then socks you a punch with some point she wished to make that is poignant or powerful and, while not unexpected, she always catches you slightly off-guard. This is a collection of short stories largely dedicated to that experience. A gathering of some of her recent shorter work packaged in a stunning hardcover with a beautiful cover illustration by Galen Dara and paper of a quality that you are drawn to touch. This is the first collection of Cat Valente's short work in about five years if I have my dates right. I previously bought another volume of her collected stories from SubPress, The Bread We Eat in Dreams and love that book still.

I have not read all of the stories in this collection as of yet. A few have been published previously on Cat's blog. The short story that gives this book its title, The Future is Blue is a searing story of a post-apocalyptic future in which oceans have overtaken land and the central character Tetley struggles to survive in Garbagetown. Down and Out in R'lyeh is set in a Lovecraftian world unlike any you've seen (trust me on this one) and, as an aside, slyly takes a slap at racism with the author's characteristic humor, ("A goatsnake, a Yith, and a Ghast walk into a bar. Stop me if you've heard this one.") while a dead and dreaming Cthulhu is 0ff-center stage during all the action. The rumor is that humans (gasp) are afoot. The Limitless Perspective of Master Peek, or, The Luminescence of Debauchery gives us a central character who makes wonderous glass eyes but in secret makes a paired eye that allows him to see the lives of his clients. The Beasts Who fought for Fairyland Until the Very End and Further Still is a short story that Cat wrote right after the 2016 election. It was, and remains, a cathartic metaphor for resistance. The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild is a longer story that is a synesthetic death adventure.

Three stories in this collection have never been printed before. Major Tom, Two and Two is Seven, and the novelette Flame, Pearl, Mother, Autumn, Virgin, Sword, Kiss, Blood, Heart, and Grave can only be found in this volume.

I'm looking forward to wending my way through this collection, savoring it. This is another beautiful volume from Subterranean Press and Cat Valente.

Catherynne Valente has never disappointed me with her lush, stunning prose, and The Future is Blue is no exception. These stories are beyond creative, full of fascinating themes, and endlessly entertaining. It is impossible to put down any of these stories.

Full review to be added closer to publication date!

Valente is one of the authors that tops my list for most pleasurable reading and The Future is Blue did not disappoint. This collection of short stories ranges from complex fairy tales to strange and twisty post-apocalyptic stories that will have your mind spinning for days as you ponder everything within. Lovecraft devotees will adore "Down and Out in R'lyeh" and if you love books about the strangeness of a war-torn tale of what might be, then the book's namesake, "The Future is Blue" about people who live on floating islands of garbage, will be up your alley. Some of my favorite books in the world are Valente's and her stories "The Lily and the Horn" and "The Long Goodbye of Violet Wild" are in the same vein, much to my delight. I didn't think it was possible, but Valente has even further cemented herself in my mind as one of my biggest inspirations in the world of writing. Every turn of phrase is masterful, her descriptions are second to none and I wish I could live forever in a fairy tale of her making. Thanks NetGalley, for the early read.

Writing: 4 World Building: 5 Characters: 3 Story plots: 4

Wildly imaginative short stories from the author of “Space Opera.” Valente has a love for language, adopting a highly mutated vocabulary (with strong English roots!). Each story takes place in a differently bizarre setting with perfect internal coherence. The story evolution is excellent — most start right in the middle with characters going about their business in what to them is a perfectly normal environment and only slowly do you realize how things got to be the way they are. All very strange with utterly unpredictable twists and plenty of sensory candy on the way. Warning — many are quite raunchy. For example, the first line of one story is “In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu farts in his sleep.” That is the “cleanest” line in the story!

My favorites: The Future is Blue where the garbage dwellers try to make there way in a world utterly destroyed by the Fuckwits (I can’t say any more without giving it completely away) and No one dies in nowhere — a wild “mystery” ride centered on a murdered body found in a place where everyone is already dead managed by the “Strigils” — bird headed beings who keep the dead population under control.

I liked some stories better than others, but with short stories its easy to just skip the ones you don’t care for. I’m now planning to go back and read Space Opera — a full length novel. My kindle review copy did not include any illustrations, but the cover picture on Amazon looks awesome.

Top-notch collection of long stories from another author who I usually associate with longer works. My favorite is the opener, which could be YA except for the language. It's 100 years in the future, global warming caused sea levels to rise catastrophically, and we follow the story of a young woman and a boy she likes as they live out their lives on the floating island of garbage out in the Pacific. Funny thing, I had forgotten this was a collection and got so caught up in the first story that I was really shocked (and disappointed) when it ended!

As with most collections, I'm not a fan of every story but even a couple that started off in a direction I didn't care for ended well. Good stuff, and I'm off to check out her novels again.

Catherynne Valente is ALWAYS a delight, and this collection is no exception. It is nearly impossible to guess at her literary influences (other than fairy tales, of course, and one story is a reimagined Lovecraft), but when I read the stories, I felt warm nostalgia for the books I loved as a child. She manages to distill my favorite stories and use their essence to create something new and different. I can’t wait to read more by her.

I love Valente's work because it's always full of strangeness and wonder. She experiments with weird worlds and takes classic stories in odd directions. Her prose is magical; she is a master of style and colorful descriptions.

There were a couple of stories in this volume that didn't much appeal to me, but I enjoyed the rest and loved many of them. This is an excellent collection and it has some of the best cover art I've ever seen. I highly recommend this collection if you enjoy thoughtful, weird stories that inspire the imagination.

I loved this. There were parts of some stories I didn't quite care for, such as the Cthulhu one. However, overall this collection has everything I've come to expect with Valente's works: wit, weirdness, and whatever else begins with W. Words. Yes, these stories have words so powerful they ripped me up like paper out of a notebook. I won't say too much here, as the review that will be posted on my blog will be more thorough.

I will say that to me this is a collection that's best read after you've dipped your toes in the pool of Valente's other works. This is the, "I can still stand comfortably with my torso above the water," book. But more simply, in another W word, it is wonderful.

(Thank you to Sub Press for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

One sentence review: A compilation of futuristic worlds leaving you haunted, wondering, and grasping for more.

I read The Future is Blue between other books, reading a story a day until I finished the collection. Each story dug into my mind, lingering, and sparking conversations with my spouse as the stories demanded more attention. I love stories, like those in this book, that demand to be discussed. While some are more fantastical than others, each story brought itself up over dinner, before bed, or in the quiet moments between daydreams and required prolonged rumination in the "real world." 

These stories are the most thought-provoking (well, invading) bits of science-fiction I have engaged with in a long while. The characters, the worlds, and the nature of these stories are so incredible that you cannot leave them behind. 

Subterranean Press, Catherynne M Valente, and NetGalley made it possible for me to review this book by providing an eARC of The Future is Blue.