This was a difficult book to rate since it's essentially a book of short stories. I was prepared to give this a low rating when I started, but I ended up enjoying the later stories far more. It starts off with alien sex and performative death, but later we get stories like people trying to escape earth undetected. I actually had to put the book down for a while after Performing Death - by far the most disturbing story in this collection (think a man disassembling himself with nanobots, starting in a weirdly sexual way) because I hated what happened in it. I'm glad I picked it after again because I enjoyed the later stories so much more. (If you hate often misogynistic inter-species alien sex and performative death I would honestly skip to the first story after this one because that's where I actually started enjoying this collection). Both my favourite stories were very close to the end, so it might worth pushing on a bit if you like the concept (maybe skipping chapters since it's not exactly a cohesive story) if you aren't enjoying yourself at the start - the plots becomes more diverse as the book continues (including a sports game that involves spine repair for the constant injuries, people who search through trash to find usable items and building a disguised ship to try leave earth).

While I may be critical of some of the stories Yoss decided to write, I did love the earth he wrote about. I know some other readers have been critical of it, but I can see this kind of scenario being all too believable should an advanced race find us. While I am not all that familiar with it, it is apparently based on Cuba's history. I can definitely recognise elements of how first world countries colonised poorer nations in general and the current dynamics between rich and poor countries in how the xenoids treat humans - basically cheap entertainment while making sure not to lose their power/wealth privilege (please note that this is not talking about individual people but rather the system in this comparison). As to whether I'd recommend this book? I honestly have no idea... I guess if someone asked if they should read it I'd suggest they just move onto the next chapter whenever things get too disturbing and see how it goes from there. While I'm definitely glad that I read this, there are certain parts I could really have done without. ( )

Cuban Science Fiction Short Stories...an interesting combination that turned out to be one of my favorite books I read in 2015. I first heard of A Planet for Rent on the Unshelved Book Club list from September 18th and decided to check it out from the library. Oh, man, am I glad I did. Each short story, which is not only great science fiction, but also gives great insight into Cuban politics and culture from about 20 years ago (which is how old most of the stories are), but each short story ties together. The characters in many of the stories know each other, and some story threads are connected, too. The stories have a wide range of emotions, and legitimately kept me guessing about what would happen next. I looked forward to seeing what character would pop up in the next story, and also was excited to see where the stories were heading. If you like short stories, science fiction, international fiction, interconnected stories, and want to stay on your toes with your next story, I would definitely recommend A Planet for Rent. I look forward to more of Yoss' work to be translated into English. ( )

My first Cuban sci fi, and definitely not my last with this author. I saw the Cuban element in the depiction of Earth as a third world planet whose economy is based on tourism from other worlds and galaxies, and all the social, political and economic corruptions and distortions it brings. We learn all about these worlds through a series of loosely interlinked stories of characters from all ends of this huge spectrum, including a 'social worker' (the official term for prostitutes), a human artist working off-world, an athlete in an intergalactic competition, and a slum child, among others. Although the stories are separate, this book felt very much like novel to me, not a book of short stories. The author has a kind of satiric, breezy voice that keeps the novel from feeling heavy, even when it is serious. Since I read it in English, my admiration goes out to the translator. I hope he translates all Yoss' books into English. ( )

I didn't like how much jargon the author made up to describe the new technology in this post-alien invaded world, and some of it even sounded silly. It may be just because I normally don't read sci-fi. However, I also didn't like how quickly each character's complete backstories were divulged. This is all according to my own personal taste, though. ( )

A set of loosely connected stories set in a bleak future in which Earth's resources, including humans, can be bought or rented by any interested alien. Despite the overall dark tone, this a compelling read with an array of interesting, well-drawn human and non-human characters and poignant moments of the human spirit triumphing over despair. Recommended.

Note: this review is based on an ARC received from the publisher ( )