I have read all these now (I hadn't read any of them before, I have become so lazy about short fiction) and mostly I want to say OMG THE PINSKER it is SO GREAT :D I actually mostly feel about Pinsker like she didn't write the story I wanted to read, but here it was absolutely the story I wanted to read and it's really good! :D
I also liked Unknown Number a lot although sort of not as much as the Pinsker because I feel like the format meant it got to elide some of the hard parts of writing, if that makes any sense? But it does what it does really well!
I liked the Induction story rather better than you -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for math stories, and also I am sort of in love with the concept of doing math research with a recorded person, it's probably in second place for me. And also the Harrow (I agree it's a facile story, but I liked it mostly because it was a feel-good story and I needed one right now). And the Valente, which surprises me because I hated the last thing I read by her so much, but it worked for me. I can see how it might not have worked for you, though.
I disliked the McGuire because for me it was this weird mix of "look at how woke I am" (I am all about interesting gender stories, but not into stopping the action of your story to explain how your dryad has picked his gender) and "plot that isn't actually all that interesting."
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I also liked Unknown Number a lot although sort of not as much as the Pinsker because I feel like the format meant it got to elide some of the hard parts of writing, if that makes any sense? But it does what it does really well!
I liked the Induction story rather better than you -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for math stories, and also I am sort of in love with the concept of doing math research with a recorded person, it's probably in second place for me. And also the Harrow (I agree it's a facile story, but I liked it mostly because it was a feel-good story and I needed one right now). And the Valente, which surprises me because I hated the last thing I read by her so much, but it worked for me. I can see how it might not have worked for you, though.
I disliked the McGuire because for me it was this weird mix of "look at how woke I am" (I am all about interesting gender stories, but not into stopping the action of your story to explain how your dryad has picked his gender) and "plot that isn't actually all that interesting."
(agh, will write these up better at some point)