Robots vs. Fairies

I was provided an ARC of this anthology for review by Saga press.
First, lovely cover art. Not that it matters to the reader per se, but in terms of shelf appeal its nice.
As the title implies, this anthology of short fiction consists of stories about fairies and robots of various kinds, sometimes both being incorporated into single stories. While at times it seems the editors possibly intended to alternate between perspectives (deemed, 'team robot' and 'team fairie') this breaks down at some point.
Like any anthology, this collection had its high points and low points. Honestly, and unfortunately, the introduction was one of those low points. Especially in an anthology of disparate authors, the introduction can be a place for the editor to share their overall vision for the collection, thoughts on the process and final product, or even explain why particular authors or pieces may have been chosen. It needs to be either informative or entertaining, and I don't think that was adequately achieved here. That being said, the editor did a good job of selecting pieces for the collection. In terms of thematic consistency, beyond the obvious from the title, I can't say there's a definite through line though. The closest we come is a the pretty consistent, and expected given the genre, of warnings of the potential dangers as well as benefits of technology and artificial intelligence/robots. The fairy stories are a lot more all over the map in terms of theme, and a few of the authors of both do seem to be trying to make a connection between the two as an expression of inhumanity (both man-made and organic), though I don't know that its consistent enough to shine through.
If I am honest, a big point of attraction for me to this collection was the inclusion of John Scalzi, as I am a big fan of the Old Man's War series. I was pretty unfamiliar with the rest of the authors prior to reading this. Scalzi's contribution, while a highly entertaining welcome breath of lighthearted silliness between much heavier fair, was disappointingly brief for me as a fan.
A few of the stories did struggle a bit to hold my attention, and unfortunately after the introduction the first story was one of those. However, other than a few speedbumps the collection as a whole holds up well, and there are definitely a few standout stories that have energized to seek out their authors other works.
Quality Time by Ken Lieu was really helped pull me back into the collection after the intro and first story, thankfully. If you're a Star Trek fan, you're going to love all the Darmok and Gilad deliciousness here, and Ken does a great job of playing with that metaphorical communication style in the real world.
The Blue Fairies Manifesto by Annalee Newitz gives an interesting re-interpretation of Pinnochio to apply to robots, and contains a lot of topical themes dealing with current political and social thought, as well as internet culture and how it disseminates and manipulates ideas.
Bread and Milk and Salt by Sarah Gailey could easily have been included in a horror anthology, and as such is pretty memorable here. Its use of point of view while leaving us no sympathetic characters but still a 'happy ending' of sorts is great.
Ironheart by Johnathan Mayberry again deals with some modern day issues in the form of health care, the economy, and the treatment of veterans. Certainly meant to pull at our heartstrings, I think it may have benefited if the author had a little more length play with in telling his story.
Sound and Fury by Mary Kowal incorporating themes of being an implicit collaborator by working for an imperialistic regime, and the suppression/destruction of indigenous cultures and ways of life as part and parcel of that.
Workshadow/Shadow work by Madeline Ashby is a heartwarming tale straddling the fairy and robot worlds.
Ostentation of Peacocks by Delilah Dawson/Lila Bowen. I'm a sucker for good genre fiction/movies set in historic time periods. The author took a world and character from an ongoing series they're already working on and dropped in the fae. It'd come across as a bit of a cop-out, save that its a really fun inclusion of western iconography and tropes into a collection that is overwhelmingly high tech.
All the Time We've Left To Spend is a great, heart-wrenching, lgbtqia, psuedo-cyberpunk piece incorporating a lot of Korean pop/cultural elements.
Adriftica by Mariah Dahvana Headley was one of one of my favourites here, and one of two that are spins on Shakespearean plays. Shakespeare is a cornerstone of modern literature, and I love to see his ideas played with in new ways. Even better, this is an interpretation of my favourite of his plays (much to my undergraduate advisor's chagrin back in the day), Midsummer Night's Dream. Beyond Shakespeare fans, I think fans of music and music journalism will find a lot of interest here. The story is told through the eyes of a slightly past his prime music journalist, and I think Mariah does a great job of emulating that style of writing to really give him unique voice here. If I had to pick only one story from the collection to read, this would be it.
To a Cloven Pine by Max Gladstone is the other story here playing with Shakespearean themes, this time The Tempest which also ranks in my top five. I can only assume the editor placed these back to back on purpose. Thematically, its almost the Tempest meets Inception (though obviously a number of Shakespeare's pieces play with that same idea of layered reality and what is real vs. what is a dream). Let yourself get carried along in this really interesting robot/a.i. framed spin on a classic tale. Definitely my number two pick here.
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherine Valente (any relation to zach valente of some podcast fame?) is, like Scalzi's contribution, a no holds barred (it is WWE themed, after all) fun romp through the ideas they've been given to play with. A great, funny way to end the collection.