Humans Wanted

Vivian Caethe
Dec 29, 2017

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a viral Tumblr post fell across the dashboard of an established author. This inspired a search for stories written around the theme: as far as alien species go, humans are strange and weird and wonderful. The result is this collection.

I only rate this three stars (really, three and a half) because the stories don't all resonate with me. There are some exciting adventures: "Sidekick," featuring a kidnaped child and their view of the human that's rescuing them and "The Sound of His Footsteps," which exemplifies why you really want a human if you crash on a planet. There are some insightful stories: "Then There Was Ginny," about human enthusiasm and "The Dowager," about the reaches of human compassion. There are also some very funny ones:  "New Union Requirement," featuring the vagaries of bureaucracy in acquiring a mandated human crew member and "Human Engineering," all about ingenuity and the importance of deadlines. But a number of others felt lackluster to me.

If you, too, find Humans As Aliens a favorite trope, give this a read. I'll happily discuss favorite stories in the comments. If you're interested in more, there's an ever-growing collection of variations on the theme available for your delight.

Reviewed by Library Staff