A collection of short stories that reminded me more and more strongly as the collection progressed of why I don't read Kelly Link short stories. The pA collection of short stories that reminded me more and more strongly as the collection progressed of why I don't read Kelly Link short stories. The premise for each was thin but made to seem weightier by telling it in obscuring ways and then ending most of them before a resolution.
The White Cat's Divorce: the youngest son of a rich man is sent on three quests, each of which he wins after being provided the answer by a white cat. (The white cat works growing, designing, and selling weed, as do the other cats who live with her.) For the third quest,(view spoiler)[the white cat transforms herself into a beautiful woman and marries the son's rich dad. She convinces the dad to cut off her head any time he grows bored, which he does frequently. Eventually he decides he wants to be reborn as she is, and asks her to cut off his head. She does, killing him. Then she transforms back into a white cat and lives with the youngest son as a normal cat for the rest of her days. As for the murder investigation and the rich man's vast estate which was left to his wife/white cat, nothing is said.(hide spoiler)]Also, throughout the youngest son is the dimmest and most tractable bulb in the world, such that it beggars belief. wtf?
Prince Hat Underground: a man goes in search of his husband, who has seemingly left him for his long-lost fiancee. I liked this the best in the collection. I had a feel for the personalities of the characters, the main character didn't just passively let weird shit happen to him (as is the case in most of these stories), and there's actually a resolution.
The White Road: a group of players in a fantasy post-apocalypse is trapped with no way to fight off the monsters who come at night. They hit upon the idea of holding a fake funeral, which only works for a time. I have always liked the original tale this is based on, The Musicians of Bremen, and so had hopes for this one. Alas, it has none of the cleverness of that tale. The only common thread I could think of (and this is me really reaching) is that the players attempt to fool monsters, and in the original the animals fooled a group of robbers.
The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear: a professor's flight is delayed repeatedly. At home, her young daughter has a repeating nightmare of a clogged toilet. At last the professor gets on a plane and discovers in quick succession that her seatmate knew her wife, she's just gotten her period, and that the airplane toilet is clogged. Then the story ends. It feels like something bad is about to happen, caused by the professor who might have some sort of supernatural genetic thing going on? I have no idea, and I have no idea how this is connected to the tale that supposedly inspired it.
The Game of Smash and Recovery: Oscar has raised Anat almost all her life on an otherwise abandoned moon. They spend their time playing and inventorying a vast warehouse. At last, Anat is almost grown up and Oscar tells her that their parents are on their way home.(view spoiler)[ Anat connects to a buried space ship, realizes she is a space ship consciousness that was saved into a human body, and reconnects her consciousness back into the space ship. As for Anat and Oscar, Anat the human apparently has no memories or even intelligence of her own and spends her time working in the ship's botany bay, while the space ship de- and re-constructs Oscar to be useful to it, although he still sometimes calls out for Anat.(hide spoiler)]As before, how is this connected to the Hansel and Gretel, which supposedly inspired it?
The Lady and the Fox: a retelling of Tam Lin which is actually too close to the original to be any fun. I did like(view spoiler)[the main character crafting a dress that would help bind Tam Lin to her and the aging actress godmother challenging the fairy queen.(hide spoiler)]
Skinder's Veil: A man having trouble with his dissertation is offered a house-sitting job and meets a variety of creatures and odd people who enter the house as guests. As with The White Cat's Divorce, the main character is implausibly passive and incurious.(view spoiler)[Also, did Bronwen give Lester her "ghost"? If so, how? Did she do it on purpose?(hide spoiler)]
If you have any thoughts or speculations on my areas of confusion, I'd love to hear them!...more
In a kingdom filled with poisons and necromancy, Lore is a young woman with more death magic than most. After accidentally revealing too much of her pIn a kingdom filled with poisons and necromancy, Lore is a young woman with more death magic than most. After accidentally revealing too much of her power in front of the city guards, Lore is captured by the Church. She and Gabe, a guard devoted to the Church, are tasked with discovering proof of the crown prince's treachery.
About 60 pages in I knew way too much about how this book was going to go. The next 400 proceeded about as I expected, with a few differences in terms of who was in on which plot:(view spoiler)[I expected sprightly Alie to have her own schemes(hide spoiler)],for example. Lore, Gabe, and Bastian actually spend very little time at Court politics and most of their time experiencing their love triangle. And then it ends with a ten page villain monologue/dastardly explanation.
Besides the obviousness of the plot, I was annoyed at the obviousness of Bastian the Sun Prince. He's great at everything (historical research! Boxing! Pretending to be a commoner! Charming under every circumstance! Has special golden magic!) and very obviously putting on a facade of jaded nonchalance. He's a much less interesting version of princes like Laurent (fromThe captive Prince), Cardan fromthe cruel prince), etc. Please write your royal love interests with a little more ambiguity and fallibility....more
A collection of short stories, most with a sff or horror tinge. My favorites were the ones set in not-far futures where humans lived in collectives inA collection of short stories, most with a sff or horror tinge. My favorites were the ones set in not-far futures where humans lived in collectives in the woods. Most stories have a main character who is all too aware of how awful humans and human systems can be, but not in a nihilistic way. Despite portraying horrors like eldritch forest gods, satanic cults, and tech-driven panopticons, the stories by and large felt positively energizing because people in them were so determined to live as their true selves making their own choices....more
This book was written for a much younger audience than I. Middle-gradeish, I'd estimate. But I've enjoyed a number of books written for younger readerThis book was written for a much younger audience than I. Middle-gradeish, I'd estimate. But I've enjoyed a number of books written for younger readers, so I think the issue I had with this book was that it was badly written and thoughtless....more
A lot of outfit descriptions, not much plot in the first 20%. I didn't care about the main character so I stopped reading.A lot of outfit descriptions, not much plot in the first 20%. I didn't care about the main character so I stopped reading....more
Maika Halfwolf has just enough magic to be a danger to herself and her enemies. Desperate to discover what led to her mother's death and Constatine'sMaika Halfwolf has just enough magic to be a danger to herself and her enemies. Desperate to discover what led to her mother's death and Constatine's destruction, Maika allows herself to be sold into slavery in the heart of enemy territory. She fights her way free, but now even her former allies are in hot pursuit of what she may have discovered.
Beautiful art, with loads of color, shading, and movement to it. Loads of complex female characters, varieties of gender, sexuality, and color go unremarked, and there's a great cat species (I'm a sucker for morally ambiguous cat warriors). I liked what I understood of the worldbuilding and the setting (steampunky fantasy in the midst of a generation-long war), but felt confused for the entirety of the comic. Too little is explained, and there are too many titles, factions, and secrets all thrown at the reader at once. I need to be eased in just a little bit.
Merged review:
Maika Halfwolf has just enough magic to be a danger to herself and her enemies. Desperate to discover what led to her mother's death and Constatine's destruction, Maika allows herself to be sold into slavery in the heart of enemy territory. She fights her way free, but now even her former allies are in hot pursuit of what she may have discovered.
Beautiful art, with loads of color, shading, and movement to it. Loads of complex female characters, varieties of gender, sexuality, and color go unremarked, and there's a great cat species (I'm a sucker for morally ambiguous cat warriors). I liked what I understood of the worldbuilding and the setting (steampunky fantasy in the midst of a generation-long war), but felt confused for the entirety of the comic. Too little is explained, and there are too many titles, factions, and secrets all thrown at the reader at once. I need to be eased in just a little bit....more
Beltur is a bad apprentice to his uncle, a chaos mage. After Beltur is forced to flee their city, he rapidly realizes that he was bad at chaos, very gBeltur is a bad apprentice to his uncle, a chaos mage. After Beltur is forced to flee their city, he rapidly realizes that he was bad at chaos, very good at order, and even better at occasionally weaving them together. He tries various professions and has just settled on helping a blacksmith when war breaks out and Beltur is forced to serve.
550+ pages pass in which Beltur and whatever random character he's talking to ask each other questions and answer in dry factual monologues. I found this book incredibly dull. Once in a while Beltur is mildly sad, worried, or happy, but the majority of the time he's completely dispassionate. Beltur has a very low key romance with a healer, and by low key I mean despite knowing each other for most of the book neither says a single romantic thing to the other. They just meet occasionally and compliment each other on how useful and selfless they are. I enjoy a slow-burn romance, but there was no burn! No romance! The war itself is mostly Beltur telling his commander how far away the enemy is, asking a question about strategy, and then using his shields and concealment to win the skirmish. At no point was I worried about Beltur and at no point did I care about the city he was protecting or who won the war.
Frankly it felt like someone fed the first 18 books in the Recluse series to an AI and it generated this book....more
Abigail Wilder was adopted by the Lord Sorcier of England after a terrifying adventure in Fairy. Her workhouse origins and whiff of magic render her uAbigail Wilder was adopted by the Lord Sorcier of England after a terrifying adventure in Fairy. Her workhouse origins and whiff of magic render her unpalatable to the Ton. Instead of further participating in the social whirl of the upper class, Abigail instead throws herself into investigating the recent and unexpected deaths of three young ladies. For allies she has her younger brother Hugh and Mercy, a beautiful and strange woman who is also investigating the deaths.
I disliked the first two thirds and only plodded through because I like the world and author. I didn't warm to Abigail or Hugh, and I was annoyed that all three of them talk in a lower class accent that's hard to read. Luckily Mercy and her magic are very cool, so once that was in play I raced through the last third.
The book ends with a chapter that just outright tells Abigail and Hugh's futures, which I thought entirely unnecessary....more
Kai is a demon who possesses bodies, is nigh immortal, and casts magic through pain and intention. Sixty years ago he was a leader in the fight againsKai is a demon who possesses bodies, is nigh immortal, and casts magic through pain and intention. Sixty years ago he was a leader in the fight against the Hierarchs. They were defeated and some of the surviving lands banded together to create a long lasting alliance. Slowly societies began to rebuild. But treachery rose during this peace, and the book begins with a poisoned Kai waking up in a tomb meant to imprison him forever. He fights his way across the seas and lands, revisiting old battlefields, while trying to find one of his fellow comrades who is also missing and presumably betrayed.
I like Kai and the other characters so much. Especially Bashasa, who manages in very few pages to really come across as a charismatic genius who could reshape the world. And the world building is so cool--but there is way way too much of it, too constantly. There are too many completely different magic systems. There are too many social rules and taboos. There are too many political factions. The relationships between some of these characters needed far more page time. This was way too much book in too few pages....more
Ellie is the latest in a long line of women who can communicate with the dead. Her cousin's murder brings her to investigate a strange town where miraEllie is the latest in a long line of women who can communicate with the dead. Her cousin's murder brings her to investigate a strange town where miracle cures happen.
I liked some of the concepts here, like how fairies travel and the rules vampires live by. But the writing was rough. The dialogue seemed unnatural to my ear, the characters had very little personality, and the climax was an unorganized, poorly paced mess....more
A collection of recent short sff stories by writers of color. There isn't an organizing principle beyond that, so one never knows what style or themeA collection of recent short sff stories by writers of color. There isn't an organizing principle beyond that, so one never knows what style or theme one will get from a story.
I liked: "The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex" by Tobias Buckell. Set in the future, when Earth is a tourist attraction for much-more-advanced alien civilizations. Told from the point of view of a human trying to survive by catering to galactic customers. The world is detailed, the pov character believable, and the use of sf as a tool to look at colonialism feels right rather than clunky.
"The Virtue of Unfaithful Translations" by Minsoo Kang. Centuries after the fact, historians begin to uncover clues that a famous peace treaty between an emperor and a piratical sea king was actually manipulated into place by their translators. I always like historical revision, and the worldbuilding here is rich. Parts of this, especially near the end, felt a little too obvious.
"Give Me Your Black Wings Oh Sister" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Told from the point of view of a vampire. Creepy and just the right length.
"Harvest" by Rebecca Roanhorse. A chef is lured into serial killing by a deer woman who wants to recreate America before it was colonized. This just felt very well written to me.
Apathetic toward: "Come Home to Atropos," by Steven Barnes. Commercials for a Caribbean "paradise" where tourists can be euthanized. I like the late-capitalism cynicism of the first few pages, but as it gets longer it gets heavier handed and less and less believable as a commercial. Personally I'd have liked this shorter and snappier, or at least with more of the funny&terrible interjections from the marketing team.
"unkind of mercy" by Alex Jennings. An unnamed main character chatters incessantly on about her awful boyfriend before finally revealing that strange empty entities killed him horrifically in front of her. The bits where the narrator talks about the empty entities are super creepy; well done there. But the main character's voice is really uneven, and at the end of the story I felt like there maybe was a connection between humans being apathetic and the entities that I didn't get. If not that, I don't even know what the point of this was.
"The Freedom of the Shifting Sea" by Jaymee Goh. A girl and a mermaid fall in love. Years later her daughter returns to Malaysia and this time, perhaps she will not leave...The way the mermaids work is really cool. I just didn't connect with the characters and was annoyed that Salmah seems to age out of her chance to become a mermaid.
"Kelsey and the Burdened Breath" by Darcie Little Badger. Kelsey and the ghost of her dog Pal herd the final breaths of the dead into the afterlife. She's tasked with tracking down a serial killing breath. I liked the way last breaths had their own specific gravity, and the explanation/reveal of the killer breath. But for whatever reason I didn't feel any particular way about this story.
Did not like: "Three Variations on a Theme of Imperial Attire" by E. Lily Yu, a remake of the Emperor's New Clothes. No part of this worked for me.
"Blood and Bells" by Karin Lowachee. I was too confused and overwhelmed in the first few pages to continue.
"Dumb House" by Andrea Hairston. Cinnamon is an older woman trying to avoid corporate products. 19 pages in it was still getting more confusing and I gave up.
"One Easy Trick" by Hiromi Goto. A woman's belly fat leaves her on a hike to find someone that will appreciate and love it. Too late, the woman realizes she misses it. This is not my kind of sff.
I really liked: "Deer Dancer" by Kathleen Alcala. Set after cataclysmic climate change and the collapse of human civilizations recognizable to us, Tater and her community work closely together to create a space of health and safety. The main character is a plumber and sometimes a prophet, which is a combination I've definitely never seen before. I really like the details here, which don't feel infodumped but do paint the world for the viewer.
"The Fine Print" by Chinelo Onwualu. Nuhu is part of a village where every year a djinn answers one wish per man. Nuhu has recognized the emptiness of his wish for a perfect wife, and tries to convince the Djinn to let him give up his wishes. Again, great worldbuilding; I love the combo of modern Nigeria with folk tales from around the world.
"Burn the Ships" by Alberto Yañez. An alternate history fantasy, where the Aztecs really can do magic through their gods but choose not to...until a group of women have suffered so much that they commit to a profane but powerful ritual. The Tzitzimimeh are terrifying, and I really liked the conversation in here about what the gods want or what they can demand.
"The Shadow We Cast Through Time" by Indrapramit Das. An old woman approaching her death talks about the myths, customs, and actions of her people. They are human colonists on a remote alien planet inhabited by an infectious colony lifeform that manifests as spires and buildings. I am truly fascinated by the worldbuilding here. The alien life and how the humans talk about it are just on the edge of too weird/obfuscatory/purple, which really kept my attention.
"The Robots of Eden" by Anil Menon. At first I didn't like this; the main character didn't make sense to me. As I read further I realized why: he's one of the Enhanced, the elite who everyone views as superior because their implants help them maintain serenity and happiness no matter their difficulties. Actually the main character felt totally fleshed out. As the story went on I realized I was putting together things he didn't remember or understand thanks to his implant, which was a great way to deliver this tale....more
One day Baba Yaga grants 12 year old Summer her hearts desire. Summer loves fantasy books and is understandably both thrilled and very worried to be sOne day Baba Yaga grants 12 year old Summer her hearts desire. Summer loves fantasy books and is understandably both thrilled and very worried to be sent into a magical land with a quest and no over-protective mother. Orcus is a very cool land, an odd mixture of charming (Reginald the foppish bird who's waited upon by a valet flock), corny (a wolf who's cursed to turn into a cottage at night, making him sort of a were-house ), and the deeply weird and disturbing. The start was a little slow for me, but Summer picks up tactics and allies in a natural way and by the end I was really enjoying her little band of adventurers....more
Addie Cox is a literature professor tasked with entering the fantasy world created by a bunch of magic-loving engineers and scientists. The island wasAddie Cox is a literature professor tasked with entering the fantasy world created by a bunch of magic-loving engineers and scientists. The island was intended to be a tourist attraction and revenue source, but now it has an energy field around it and no one has gone in or out for months.
I've seen other reviews complaining that Addie's reactions to the fantasy creatures, vistas, and experiences were over the top, but I have to disagree. I also completely understand why so many geeks contentedly abandoned the outside world. If I could legit play with a dragon I would 100% betray my boss and forgo any paycheck. The descriptions of the immersive environment that sold me on this book. The plot is bare and doesn't make a lot of sense, the characters are thinly sketched, but by god I believe in the reaction to walking into a real Rivendell....more
Beneath Ceaseless Skiesby Rowenna Miller. Thumbelina (called Floret here) flees marriage with a mole to instead marry a flower fairy king. She struggBeneath Ceaseless Skiesby Rowenna Miller. Thumbelina (called Floret here) flees marriage with a mole to instead marry a flower fairy king. She struggles at court, but doesn't have much of a personality and there's no plot. The draw here to me were the descriptions of life as a teensy fairy, ex: "honey wine, and lavender cakes, and liqueurs of brambleberry and dandelion and pear, and tarts, each made of a whole cherry, were brought out in a grand feast."
The Petals of the Godfatherby Kyle Kirrin. A nameless girl struggles against the suicidal certainty of her community. This hooked me from sentence 1. The narrator's sardonic internal monolog and the mystery of how and why this society works are engrossing.
The Sweetness of Honey and Rot "by A. Merc Rustad. Like Kirrin's story, this one features a girl living in a village that sacrifices their lives for a plant. Jiteh refuses to let the sacrifices continue and fights back with her one skill: beekeeping. Cool worldbuilding!...more
Essarala is a mermaid enchanted with the stars. When a spaceship visits her planet, she makes a deal with the sea witch to gain legs and join the crewEssarala is a mermaid enchanted with the stars. When a spaceship visits her planet, she makes a deal with the sea witch to gain legs and join the crew. What I foremost loved about this story was that I kept expecting some awful, Little Mermaid-esque twist to happen, and it never did. People were just gently kind to each other and in the end everyone experienced or achieved something wonderful. I also need to compliment this story on the beautiful, unobtrusive worldbuilding (ex, when the starship offers "curious tools for capturing fish more efficiently." and the merfolk "smilingly declined the latter. After all, they had treaties with the fish nations and no desire to overstep them." Or the reference to the "whale-sages’ vast chorales as they deliberated upon matters judicial" ).
Essarala is a mermaid enchanted with the stars. When a spaceship visits her planet, she makes a deal with the sea witch to gain legs and join the crew. What I foremost loved about this story was that I kept expecting some awful, Little Mermaid-esque twist to happen, and it never did. People were just gently kind to each other and in the end everyone experienced or achieved something wonderful. I also need to compliment this story on the beautiful, unobtrusive worldbuilding (ex, when the starship offers "curious tools for capturing fish more efficiently." and the merfolk "smilingly declined the latter. After all, they had treaties with the fish nations and no desire to overstep them." Or the reference to the "whale-sages’ vast chorales as they deliberated upon matters judicial" ).
This chronicles Morrigan's first year at the Wunderous Society's school. The city is as magnificently zany, weird, magical, and dangerous as ever, andThis chronicles Morrigan's first year at the Wunderous Society's school. The city is as magnificently zany, weird, magical, and dangerous as ever, and Morrigan herself has a personality I enjoy reading about. Lots of fun!...more
Main character is a Hunter, one of the rare few who can use magic to fight the supernatural beings that threaten the few remaining clusters of humanitMain character is a Hunter, one of the rare few who can use magic to fight the supernatural beings that threaten the few remaining clusters of humanity. She is the best Hunter ever, is superlatively sensible in every situation, never does anything wrong, is completely unbelievable as a teenager, and is the worst part of this book. Sometimes Mercedes Lackey's super special main characters are great fun (Vanyel!) but sometimes they tip a little too far for me. Personal tastes may vary....more
A homeless violin prodigy, an immortal agent of Hell seeking her last victim, and an alien refugee collide and find fellowship and support. Frankly IA homeless violin prodigy, an immortal agent of Hell seeking her last victim, and an alien refugee collide and find fellowship and support. Frankly I think the aliens using a donut to create a stargate subplot should've been used in a different book. I liked the aliens' unique fears and exploration fo human food, but they didn't actually seem as alien as they should have, not least because their descriptions of Earth food were just like a human's. Separating the aliens from the trans violinist bound from hell storylines would've given each of those narratives the space they actually needed. Shizuki and Katrina have so much to deal with, and it was passed over too quickly....more
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