A dark and magical collection of stories, not a bad one in the bunch. Disturbing, sometimes ugly, but always making you rethink reality, Unwelcome Bodies is one of the best short story collections I've ever read. ( )

I love the unifying thread of this anthology which is summed up beautifully in the title: Unwelcome Bodies. Bodies that are changed or uncomfortable or deformed or manipulated; each story concerns itself with the body and self in a speculative environment. I am fascinated and captivated by each and every one of these stories. ( )

Jennifer Pelland's short story collection has been number one on my wishlist for some time now, so of course I started reading it as soon as I picked it up at last weekends readercon. I was not disappointed either. Jenn deserves the rave reviews I first read on Amazon. Her stories cover a broad range of topics as varied as speculative fiction itself, ranging from dystopian societies to environmental issues to flat out abuse. The ability to write across such a wide range while keeping one's voice as a writer intact is the mark of a natural talent. And I admire her unflinching willingness to write about things that disturb her. Often these are the subjects others aren't willing to discuss, and beyond the tragedy or horror of the individual story is a warning or a philosophical musing. I cringed, I laughed, and at one point I had to take a deep breath and put the book down, I was so engrossed. Jenn is a voice for those of us who like our speculative fiction broiling over with grit and dark things that go bump in the night. ( )

It took me a while to finish Unwelcome Bodies: I discovered that after reading each story I needed recovery time, the same way I did when I first read Harlan Ellison (his stories from the 60s-70s, before he disappeared up his own enfant terrible legend), because however fantastic or futuristic the settings, the people and emotions are true and the stories cut deep.
I read "Big Sister/Little Sister" in the evening, and it seriously interfered with my sleep, so consider yourself warned. On the other hand, there are pieces like "When Science Fiction Cliches Go Bad" which are just plain fun, almost guaranteed to leave you unscarred. ( )

Phenomenal!!

I couldn't put this book down. Normally, I don't read a lot of sci-fi, but after reading this collection of terrifying sci-fi stories, I can't wait to pick up more. I wonder what took me so long. Other than one story that really wasn't my taste, every single story was exciting and new and just a great read. I really liked that Pelland wrote about a lot of female protagonists, which seems to be missing in a lot of speculative fiction. It was refreshing. The writing was top notch. Loved it. ( )