Excellent and enormous collection of alien fiction from famous and less so authors. Over 600 pages of extraterrestrial goodness. The stories are enjoyably diverse in themes and subjects. Great book to dip in and out of instead of binging. Unless, of course, you're into binging. Close encounters of every kind. The content quality is uniformly above average, though obviously different stories will work differently for different readers, it still stands to reason most science fiction fans will find something to enjoy within these pages. And everybody can enjoy this awesome cover. .Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I love books about extraterrestrials and First Contact between humans and aliens, and this book was a lot of fun for me, and has something in it for everyone. There's some mystery, some horror, and a couple of sad and funny ones. I didn't get to read all of them, but I read a good sample across the book, and very much enjoyed the ones I read.
One of the most affecting stories was one of an alien on whom humanity keeps a very tight leash, who just wants to know what its like to actually touch Earth, but the human who helps them do this must reckon with the idea that this may begin an invasion. This was one of the sadder stories, but I liked it anyway.

At least a couple of stories had unexpected endings. I had no idea where the stories were going, and I liked that. This is well worth the read, even though not every story I read was a hit. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

2.5 stars
TW: Rape, suicide, PTSD, a lot of blood

Not One of Us had a couple of amazing stories that even after finishing this book a couple of days ago I can still remember vividly what happened and the important messages those stories tried to portrait and succeeded at it. But unfortunately those stories weren't enough for me to love this anthology as a whole because there were a lot more stories that I didn't like, whether it was because of the characters or the pacing.

A lot of the stories I didn't like weren't unique enough for me to distinguish between them and that's not a good sign. Moreover, there were a few stories that I had to DNF because they were too gory for me, I just can't deal with people cutting open dead bodies even if those bodies aren't human.

On the other hand, I did like how the majority of the stories were amazingly diverse. These stories are written by a lot of different authors and that really showed in the stories, we got main characters from all over the world and with different sexualities. I adored to see diverse characters in a story where that diversity wasn't the main focus, it was just another characteristic of the person.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who love reading about aliens but not so much to people who are only starting to get into this genre because, from my experience being used to reading contemporary or low fantasy, starting with this book can be quite shocking and confusing at times.

---- RATINGS FOR EACH STORY ----

*Touring with the Alien - Carolyn Ives Gilman: 2 stars
*Laws of Survival - Nancy Kress: 3 stars
*At Play in the Fields - Steve Rasnic Tem: 3.5 stars
*The Ants of Flanders - Robert Reed: 2 stars
*Taking Care of God - Cixin Liu: 4 stars
*Water Scorpions - Rich Larson: DNF
*The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill - Kelly Robson: 5 stars (TW: Sexual assault, PTSD, suicide)
*Men Are Trouble - James Patrick Kelly: 1 stars (TW: Suicide)
*They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass - Alaya Dawn Johnson: 3 stars
*Bits - Naomi Kritzer: 5 stars
*And Never Mind the Watching Ones - Keffy R. M. Kehrli: DNF
*Dark Heaven - Gregory Benford: 2 stars
*Nine-Tenths of the Law - Molly Tanzer: 2.5 stars
*Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion: 3.5 stars
*Time of the Snake - A. M. Dellamonica: 4 stars
*The Fear Gun - Judith Berman: 3 stars
*Tendeléo's Story - Ian McDonald: 2 stars
*The Choice - Paul Mcauley: 3 stars
*Passage of Earth - Michael Swanwick: DNF
*Reborn - Ken Liu: 3.5 stars
*Story of Your Life - Ted Chiang: 3 stars

As is the case with most anthologies, not all the stories were good but most were decent. A couple stood out as amazing. There are some really great quotes/snippets in these stories that I've shared below.
Consistent throughout each story in Not One of Us anthology is that there are no green men, humanoids or aliens like we traditionally think of. These are truly 'alien' beings from the dark creatives minds of each writer (and lets face it way more likely to be what we might encounter in real life!). Some are bug-like, others are monstrous, more blob-esque or didn't even have a physical or perceivable tangible form! My imagination was pushed to its limit by these alien forms, societal beliefs, and even their methods of communication.

Story 1: Touring with the Alien by Carolyn Ives Gilman
If only I were half as creative as this writer! What an odd, yet meaningful story. A solid way to kick-off what becomes a very mind-bending anthology.

Story 2: Laws of Survival by Nancy Kress
An odd story. We are solidly in the territory now that 'alien' is not an archetype or in any way typical for this anthology.

Story 3: At Play in the Fields by Steve Rasnic Tem
”Sometimes the best thing is just doing the only thing that’s left.”
What you do when you appear to be at the end of civilization. Not bad but was missing some substance.

Story 4: Ants of Flanders by Robert Reed
A very engaging story; even though it has some large, difficult to digest concepts in it.
"Adventure is the story you tell afterwards. It’s those moments you pick out of everything that was boring and ordinary, and then put them on a string and give to another person as a gift. Your story.”

Story 5: Taking Care of God (translated) by Liu Cixin
This is not what you might expect based on the title. I really enjoyed this story about aliens that 'created us' returning to Earth thousands of years later. It has lovely language and style. A wonderful translation!
"In this universe, as long as you’re patient, you can make any wish come true. Even though the possibility is minuscule, it is not nonexistent."

Story 6: Water Scorpions by Rich Larson
Written by a fellow Canadian whom I'm familiar with! Sadly I didn’t really get this one. But there was a bit of a creepy-crawling ick factor that might have been most of my problem. Sometimes my brain just won't cooperate or allow me to imagine something.

Story 7: The Three Confessions of Jessica Churchill by Kelly Robson
Robson, another fellow Canadian, is a sci-fi author I’ve been meaning to read for some time now. If this story is any demonstration of her writing she is well worth reading! I loved the legit Canadian tidbits and settings in this one. Alongside the contrast of real catastrophic events against that of the events our lead gal is experiencing. Very clever and well done!

Story 8: Men Are Trouble by James Patrick Kelly
There is a great irony, given the title, that there is not a single man in this story. It was okay. I didn’t love it or hate it. Mostly meh on this one. Part of me can't help but wonder if perhaps the author doesn't really get how women feel and made too many presumptions?

Story 9: They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass by Alaya Dawn Johnson
*yawn* this one was sooo boring. Also it’s a poor editorial choice to put two stories where pregnancy/conception are the main topics. Neil Clarke should know better.

Story 10: Bits by Naomi Kritzer
Best story yet! Well only because it’s the most amusing and yet makes perfect sense when you really think about it. Bits is about a squid-like alien that comes to Earth and integrates with us. Including having relations (a.k.a. sex) with humans. Now (of course) our 'bits' don't match-up quite right. So a company starts making silicone-like sex organs that are compatible for the aliens and humans to enjoy one another. Seriously hilarious but also genuinely truthful in the necessity that pleasure plays in happiness and general existence of humans (and maybe aliens too).

Story 11: And Never Mind the Watching by Keffy R. M. Kehrli
Alien or covert way to gain knowledge of everyone’s life? Either way these glitter frogs gain access to everywhere, literally. This is a story that I could actually see being true. At its core it’s about teenagers wanting to get away from it all. And let's face it, if we had aliens (in any form on Earth) I can definitely see many teens wanting to run away with them. No questions asked. Adolescence is a tough, tough time and a ride in a spaceship could easily seem like the answer; especially when you feel you have no other options. This is also a statement on societies inability to really help those in abusive situations or whom become homeless just to stay alive. A sad, yet kind of bittersweet story in the end. I really liked this one and it stuck with me long after I read it.

Story 12: Dark Heaven by Gregory Benford
This is the longest story so far; as well as the most boring. There is so little alien involvement in this story that it's a stretch to even consider it remotely appropriate for this anthology. While the major (eventual) plot point involves aliens; the first 70% of the story is just a detective investigating a homicide. A murder mystery is not my cup of tea on a good day; and certainly not when what I'm expecting (and frankly hoping for) is odd alien-esque stories. Give our annoyingly broody detective an alien sidekick and maybe we can talk...

Story 13: Nine-Tenths of the Law by Molly Tanzer
This is an interesting little story of a married couple who are having problems; and one night the husband spices things up. Except the husband may not really be the husband anymore. Talk about alien's learning how humans interact! A very good (and very adult) short story about trust, relationships and marriage.

Story 14: Five Stages of Grief after the Alien Invasion by Caroline M. Yoachim
This is an okay one. It's not really about aliens; so much as it is about a result of their arrival and unintended consequences on humans. I'm not really sure there is a lot here that stands out to me but I did enjoy this quick read well enough.

Story 15: Time of the Snake by AM Dellamonica
Great, quick, action packed story. And love to see a lesbian writer included in here! LGBTQ+ rep has been really good all around in this anthology in fact. Kudos to Neil Clarke for finding some ensuring good diversity.

Story 16: The Fear Gun by Judith Bergman
This story could easily be adapted into a book or even series. So much potential! It reminded me a bit of Wayward Pines. I don't want to give anything away as this one is so good. I just wish there was more of it!

Story 17: Tendeleo’s Story by Ian McDonald
Any avid follower of sci-fi stories (especially novellas, shorts, etc) will have heard of Ian McDonald and be familiar with his genius sci-fi writing. McDonald is skilled at taking a basic, seemingly everyday concept, and twisting it on its head. Here he tells the story of refugees and their plight. However unlike so many refugee stories this one has an ending/twist I absolutely did not expect! McDonald is a master at giving new perspectives. Suddenly you find yourself really thinking differently about a situation without even realizing you might have felt otherwise before the story was laid out for you. Honestly brilliant.

Story 18: The Choice by Paul McAuley
I’m clearly missing something on this one as I didn’t get the point at all. Maybe following McDonald hurt this stories chances. I dunno just wasn't there for me.

Story 19: Passage of Earth by Michael Swanwick
I had to look up words, how fun! They were medical/scientific terminology related to worm anatomy, so everyday practicality is low, but still exciting to learn new words. :)
This story is beyond shiver worthy if you don’t like insects, mud or worms. I read it at home and halfway through retrieved my boa constrictor (Bowie) to sit with me to make me feel safe (he'd eat those icky worms!). If you can get past the possible ick factor, this is a very original and well written story. I’m definitely going to keep Swanwick on my list to read again; even if I have nightmares of giant sentient worms that devour me and my pet snake.

Story 20: Reborn by Ken Liu
”Just because something is true doesn’t mean you stop struggling.”
A very deep story about how humans are more than the sum of their history. For example, a murderer can still be a good husband or father irregardless of his murdering past. In Reborn, an alien race comes to Earth to assimilate with us and yet we fight back (as that is what humans do it seems...). We fight even in the face of a truth we don’t want to believe or hear. This is a weird story but has something unique to it. It reminded me a little of Altered Carbon in that it's about our humanity and willingness to accept what may seem counter intuitive.

Story 21: Story of your Life by Ted Chiang
This reminded me of the movie Arrival (I have not read the book). It’s entirely focused on learning an alien language. It has some really cool linguistic science in it but sadly doesn't deliver at the end. Any drawn out, slow story like this (with a lot of fancy words) needs to have a punch of an ending or some sort of twist. This one missed that for me. It's too bad as I would have loved to see the final story really grab me.
Were I putting the anthology together I'd put McDonald's or Swanwick's story last. Each left a lasting and punchy impression on me. I like to have an anthology end strong so I don't immediately forget all the stories in it.

Overall
I really enjoyed the majority of these stories. The best part of all of them was the lack of defined gender roles put onto our aliens. Because to assume aliens would be female or male would be very arrogant of humans. It was clear that there were no rules given to these writers in advance to keep things within a certain societal context; sexually, physically or emotionally. This gave a lot of depth to the stories that you don't always get in collected anthologies. I would definitely recommend this set of stories for anyone into sci-fi and for those wanting to dabble in true alien fiction (not just little green men stories).

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

A solid collection of stories. As with any short story anthology, some stories will appeal to the reader more than others- this will, of course, depend on the tastes of the reader. Having said that, I didn't find a stinker in the bunch. I won't list which stories I liked best or least- I personally prefer not to be influenced ahead of time, I won't do it to others, but I found no stories lower than 3.5 stars, most were 4 or 5 stars.

This novel was a good collection of short stories. I liked all of the stories with some being downright amazing. Most of the stories can be found in either other anthologies or online websites. None of the stories were the same with different alien types, and different plots with some featuring an alien invasion, some about first contact and some about life after the aliens have arrived on Earth (either as humanity is enslaved or after humanity has driven the aliens away). My favorite stories were The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill by Kelly Robson, Bits by Naomi Kritzer, Time of the Snake by A. M. Dellamonica, and Reborn by Ken Liu.

Introduction by Neil Clarke
The introduction briefly talks about previous pieces of written/visual literature featuring aliens on/visiting Earth. Interesting and short, I liked how Neil Clarke used old (1960's) and new (2015) examples.

Touring with the Alien by Carolyn Ives Gilman - ★★★★
This story follows two people and an alien as the alien tries to learn more about humanity. Great story with an even better ending. As much as I liked the main character I liked the secondary character Henry better.

Law of Survival by Nancy Kress - ★★★★
This was one of the saddest stories in the anthology. It features aliens, dogs, and humanity on the brink of death. I think the saddest part was the MC's connection to the unwanted dogs.

At Play in the Fields by Steve Rasnic Tem - ★★★.5
This wasn't one of the best stories in the anthology. Instead of focusing on the aliens or why they came to Earth it focuses on the main character remembering his past. The author was trying to talk deeply about home and what it means to have a safe place but I wasn't interested.

The Ants of Flanders by Robert Reed - ★★★
This story reminded me of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, only serious without any humorous elements. I didn't like the plot premise, I found it too unrealistic (funny, coming from a novel featuring aliens). Characters were interesting and well written.

Taking Care of God by Cixin Liu - ★★★★
This was such a unique and well written story. I was a little confused in the beginning with the references to God but that quickly cleared up. I loved the plot and story idea.

Water Scorpions by Rich Larson - ★★★
Alright story about a genetically altered alien boy who lives with a human family. Story focuses on the human brother as he trips to come to terms with his feelings towards the alien: anger, jealously and guilt.

The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill by Kelly Robson - ★★★★★
Wow, just wow. That is one intense way to end a story. I loved the Canadian location too.

Men Are Trouble by James Patrick Kelly - ★★★.5
Story follows a PI who is trying to find a missing girl and solve a suicide. I liked the background to the story, aliens invaded and removed/killed all men so only women are left. I just wish we could have found out why the aliens fear men so much. Felt like there was too many elements to the story so it was a little jumbled.

They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass by Alaya Dawn Johnson - ★★★.5
Story follows two sisters who have to leave their small town to see a doctor. This was a good story, exactly what I expected to read in this anthology. The aliens and their motives are mainly unknown as humanity tries to survive with their presence on Earth.

Bits by Naomi Kritzer - ★★★★.5
Not sure if this story was supposed to be funny or not but I still got a few good laughs from it. It is the most liberal and sexual explicit story in the novel. One of my favorites.

And Nevermind the Watching Ones by Keffy R. M. Kehrli - ★★★.5
This story is told from numerous teenagers POV. Some don't feel like they fit in on Earth so they want to visit the alien's ship/planet. Great main character and character development. Plot was okay but a bit dry.

Dark Heaven by Gregory Berford - ★★★.5
Story is about a homicide detective trying to solve a double murder. It was one of the longer stories in the anthology so it felt like it dragged in parts. Great ending.

Nine-Tenths of the Law by Molly Tanzer - ★★★.5
Story follows a woman who is in an unhappy marriage when her husband agrees to allow an alien cohabit in his body. I found I couldn't relate to the main character, she is willing to accept too many unknowns with the aliens for potential happiness.

Five Stages of Grief After the Alien Invasion by Caroline M. Toachim - ★★★★
This story follows a married couple as they grieve for their dead daughter. It was a sad story with a sad, but realistic ending. The death of a child can destroy a marriage.

Time of the Snake by A. M. Dellamonica - ★★★★.5
Great story about an alien and a human collaborator squad. It made me think of the french/polish/etc citizens who helped the Nazis. Ending was amazing.

The Fear Gun by Judith Berman - ★★★★
Story features a town that has survived out of from the government support for a year. The story was alright. I found it left too many questions unanswered, and I dislike the anti-government mentally the town had.

Tendeleo's Story by Ian McDonald - ★★★★
Long but great story about an alien invasion that is terraforming part of the planet. I loved the plot and the discussion of power, refugee camps and the UN. Main characters were great, Tendeleo was interesting to read. The alien terraforming was beautiful, I could visualize it.

The Choice by Paul McAuley - ★★★.5
Aliens have made a peace agreement with humanity and then disappeared from everyday life. As such alien technology or artifacts are highly sought after. This story is part of a coming of age story and part adventure. The story contains an in depth look at the choices people make and their unattended circumstances.

Passage of Earth by Michael Swanwick- ★★★★
Story is abut an alien civilization that wants to understand humanity better. Main character is a divorcee who has to work with is ex-wife again. I loved the interaction between the two, the hidden anger and bitterness there. Interesting concept of how aliens learn.

Reborn by Ken Liu - ★★★★.5
Another great story in the anthology. It focuses on a detective who is hunting down a group of xenophobes. I loved how the story resolved around memories and personality and the past.

Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang - ★★★.5
Story is about a woman who tries to understand an alien language so she/the world can communicate with it. The story also has flashbacks to her past. This story had the most technical details in it, as such it should have been places closer to the beginning of the novel as my mind had started to wander at this point of the long novel. Okay story overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC.

This is a very long book filled with stories that give some intriguing possibilities for contact with aliens. am not a fan of short stories that are given no end and the reader must imagine what happens next. Many stories like that. More than one story utilized aliens that had some relationship to earthly amphibians. Why do these types of stories have to include sex and porn? On the whole, my preferences go towards space opera sf stories and the stoies in 'Not One of Us' did not satisfy.

In Not One of Us, Neil Clarke collects reprints of some of the most impactful stories concerning aliens and humanity published in recent years. For the alien lover, it’s a great collection, and I’d recommend it even for those who are simply alien-curious as well.

Covering a broad spectrum of authors, from Chinese tour-de-force Cixin Liu to the incredible Kelly Robson, Not One of Us has an astounding amount of depth to it that make it feel comprehensive and well researched.

Particular standout stories include “The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill” by Kelly Robson, a story of alien parasites set against the backdrop of the looming 9/11, among others. “Bits” by Naomi Kritzer is also well worth checking out, for its humorous portrayal of selling sex toys and marital aids to human/alien couples who aren’t biologically compatible. And, of course, I would be wrong not to mention “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, the short story that was later adapted in the feature film Arrival.

As with most collections, the stories vary in tone from the tragic to the comic, and every other spectrum in between. They also vary in length a great deal, with some that could more easily be classified as novellas or novelletes thrown into the mix. The variation in lengths can be somewhat jarring- going from a story that’s only a few pages long into something much longer can jolt you out of your reading groove. More uniformity in word count may have helped to hold the cohesion, but also would have left some pivotal stories out.

Underscoring every tale is the theme of how humanity shows itself in the face of alien invasions. Even the most benign tells us something about ourselves, and every author takes pains to scrape away the layers to show that.

Because it’s a reprint anthology, it’s likely you’ve read some of the stories before, if not most of them. If you’re someone who follows sci-fi voraciously, this may come as a disappointment, though I guarantee there’s at least one or two you haven’t read before. For everyone else, it’s going to be an entirely fresh dive into the face of the weird.

This was a pretty solid read! I really love books about aliens, and these short stories were for the most part, very imaginative and well written. I enjoy the high science fiction aspect of this book and the fact that it seemed to take itself seriously and not turn all of the stories into campy horror stories.

This is good old-fashioned science fiction the way it was meant to be. No near-future noir, no post-apocalypse British Isles, no urban fantasy. This is what made science fiction appealing to me when I was a kid. We need more like this.

For those who think that imagination has reached its limits and those who believe every story has been told before, here’s a terrific volume of 21 creative stories about aliens 👽 coming to earth 🌍. All these different authors have given us their unique tales about HG Wells War of the World’s type invasions. But, what’s remarkable is that not all the stories are about catastrophic destruction and refugees living in the mountains. Some posit symbiotic cooperative futures where we are connected to aliens 👽 by telepathy, by rock star like bus tours, by bearing the burdens of caring for those who were last here thousands of years earlier. And, believe it or not there are even stories about sex with aliens 👽 even when their parts are not exactly compatible. And, the aliens are quite diverse from 🦑 squidlike creatures to croaking glowing frogs 🐸 to mindmelding body stealers. A truly awesome collection. But, be forewarned, it is lengthy and cannot be consumed in just one sitting.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.