The thing about anthologies is that you (or I) will not love – or even like – everything within its pages so I never feel too bad about flipping pagesThe thing about anthologies is that you (or I) will not love – or even like – everything within its pages so I never feel too bad about flipping pages to the next short story. This is definitely the case here and there were definitely stories that were glossed over. Every story has an audience just not always with me. With that said, on to the long review:
“Some Desperado” – Joe Abercrombie
A nitty-gritty Western story as told by a female bank robber being chased by her former comrades. I admit that I’ve never read anything by Joe Abercrombie though I’ve heard the name before but this story solidifies my belief that I need to find a book of his to start on. It was well written and left me wanting to know more. I wanted to keep reading and there’s no higher compliment than that.
“My Heart is Either Broken” – Megan Abbott
An uncomfortable narrative about a missing toddler and the aftermath it wreaked on her parents. It was very well written but I’m not personally a fan of stories that revolve around young children so well-written or not I ended up skipping out on finishing the story. Pass.
“Nora’s Song” – Cecelia Holland
We glimpse a brief moment of Nora of Aquitaine, Eleanor’s daughter, as a young girl who begins to learn some of life’s hard lessons that life is not always fair or just. A good, solid story but I’m not sure one that would make me deviate to strict historical fiction.
“The Hands that are Not There” – Melinda Snodgrass
I was initially wary of beginning this story because I am not a huge fan of sci-fi stories and this definitely had elements of it. However, the sci-fi aspects of this slice-of-space-opera-life were toned considerably down and the “humanity” was in the forefront of the plot. We are treated to problems with the aristocracy when one is not aristocratic – at least in the present moment – but flashback scenes follow a different character with the reverse problem. He is rather enamored of a dancing girl from a high-end strip club and not human enough at that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from beginning to end. Definitely recommended.
“Bombshells” – Jim Butcher
(SPOLIER ALERT: if you have not read up to Dresden Files’ “Changes”, which I haven’t, you might not want to read this story due to huge spoilers. But too late for me and now you have been warned in advance)
Harry Dresden’s protégé finds herself in a sticky situation without Harry around and has to manage it using her own magic and brains. All in all I found it to be a pretty solid urban paranormal story but ultimately a forgettable one. Having only read the first two Dresden novels before giving up I didn’t have the fan perspective that is needed when reading this and there was barely enough knowledge of the side characters for me to sort out. It also felt a bit off reading Molly’s POV because I could sort of tell that it wasn’t written by a female author. I rolled my eyes at The Rack comments and what girl calls another girl “smoking hot”? I’ve only ever heard that said by guys. But then again I can only pull from my own POV so it might resonate a bit better with others out there. Meh, not bad but nothing to write home about.
“Raisa Stepanova” – Carrie Vaughn
A bittersweet story starring a WWII-era woman fighter pilot in Russia who wants desperately to make five kills so she can become an ace pilot or die trying. But she must never, ever go missing in action because MIA means becoming a traitor to her country. I’ve got to admit that I was expecting some sort of faint whiff of magic to flow up into the plot somewhere but, nope, not so much. It was still a great read and if this were a novel and not just a short story I think I’d still be interested in picking it up. I want to know how Raisa became a pilot!
“Wrestling Jesus” – Joe R. Lansdale
Language warning for anyone who might need it.
Opening up to a gawky high school kid getting beaten up by some older bullies and saved by a very spry old boxing champ we follow the kid along as he trains to beat his bullies and the old man continues his training for a once-every-five-year boxing match to win back his woman who left when he lost a match. I found it to be a well-written, if crude, story that flowed pretty well. It wasn’t particularly my cup of tea but I don’t fault anyone for liking the style.
“Neighbors” – Megan Lindholm
Sarah is getting on in age, living alone in her run-down house with a dog to keep her company and two grown children worried about her becoming senile – like the woman across the way, Linda, who just up and disappeared one day. I really quite enjoyed this story and I loved the hint of magic that created the right mood. Also, I did not know this was the same person as Robin Hobb, whose name I do know. Cool. Anyway, worth the read, I think.
“I Know How to Pick ‘Em” – Lawrence Block
A messed up story on so many levels that I won’t go into but written in such a way that it was so very believable. I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed it but I could believe it was true which is a compliment of sorts.
“Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” – Brandon Sanderson
A dark forest full of shades and a wayside tavern is where we set our tale. The White Fox roams these woods hunting heads for bounty without spilling a drop of blood because even one drop could set the shades to murderous intent. I admit I was excited to get to this story because I am definitely a fan of Brandon Sanderson. His Mistborn series are one of my favorites. Alas, while I liked this story and it filled the role of a short story rather well it was more of a good, solid read than an amazing one. Still worth the time if you had it and I tend to for Brandon Sanderson.
“A Queen in Exile” – Sharon Kay Penman
Historical fiction taking place in twelfth century Sicily, following Constance and her German husband, Heinrich. It read like an interesting excerpt from a text book with lots of places fast forwarded, sometimes years, to make the story move. Not interesting enough for me to want to read more. Not bad at all, just not for me.
“The Girl in the Mirror” – Lev Grossman
You know, I’ve got to admit that I thought I wouldn’t like this story. I started on Lev Grossman’s “The Magician” and lost interest early on. But this story I actually quite liked. You find yourself in a variant of the Hogwarts School of Witches and Wizardy persuasion in a room full of high school-aged girls late at night thinking of ways to prank a younger classman who wasn’t pouring the right amount of wine and they wanted to know what he was doing with the rest of it. A fun little story about the back rooms one can find when one is looking for mischief. Recommended!
“Second Arabesque, Very Slowly” – Nancy Kress
An unknown future sometime after 2016, an Infertility Plague that rendered 99% of all women infertile, and bands of wandering young people trying to stay alive is where we set our story. They find themselves inside a theater where a “teevee” is found giving a glimpse of what ballet was in the olden days. One boy is enchanted and wants desperately to learn how to do ballet with one of the pack, a girl who is not yet a woman, but they risk their lives trying to do just that. I found this to be solidly written but I’m just not a fan of post-apocalyptic stories. All I could think of was “A Wind Named Amnesia”, an old anime I watched back in the late 90’s that had a similar feeling.
“City Lazarus” – Diana Rowland
A gritty noir story, this time set in New Orleans, about a powerful rich man, a crooked cop, and a stripper who got between them. The story wasn’t completely fleshed out and I’m not sure what exactly happened to New Orleans after Katrina that made it into such a crooked, unhappy city. It wasn’t a bad story by any means but just not my particular flavor of tea. If you like noir then you might like this.
"Virgins" – Diana Gabaldon
I admit, I was really looking forward to something new from Diana Gabaldon – and with the protagonist as Jamie Frasier was a very happy surprise! We find young Jamie in France, having been dropped off by Murtagh to Ian’s side, after a savage lashing wherein Jamie’s father dies during said lashing by yon Captain Randall. They get into all sorts of adventures in Paris and while there is a main female lead who is strong in her own right I found the story somewhat lacking in dangerous women. I suppose that was because the main focus was on Jaime and Ian, and the woman was somewhat more of a secondary character. Still, I can’t complain because Outlander was such a pivotal book for me back in high school and I remain extremely fond of the first couple books in the series. Later on less so which is why I really appreciate a young Jaime story before he meets Claire. Highly recommended!
“Hell Hath No Fury” – Sherrilyn Kenyon
I don't know much about Sherrilyn Kenyon for all that she has written a lot of books. What I got out of this story is that it read somewhat simplistically, like it was written for a younger teen or pre-teen audience. We follow a couple of teenagers into a haunted forest as they come face-to-face with a vengeful ghost. Not one of my favorite stories, it didn't feel real to me and I wasn't drawn in at all. I left the last page feeling very 'meh' about the whole thing. Pass.
"Pronouncing Doom" - S.M. Sterling
I would suspect that this story would appeal to the more literary of the post-apocalyptic dystopian readers out there but I found myself yawning early on. Not for me. Pass.
“Name the Beast” – Samuel Sykes
An interesting story that I am at odds trying to think of how to describe. I suppose in the most basic terms nature versus civilization as seen from the eyes of those that live in each., but predominantly from the people of the forest. Anyway, it took me a while to warm up to this story but I did eventually and while I liked it well enough I don’t think I could manage an entire book’s worth of this type of story.
“Caretakers” – Pat Cadigan
A sister story with a noticeable gap in age and an elderly mother lapsing deeper into Alzheimer’s while at a senior home. What I found good about the story was how well it flowed and how realistic it felt. What I was less keen on was that I found it to be a bit boring in the end.
“Lies My Mother Told Me” – Caroline Spector
Ugh, a zombie story. I’m only a couple of pages in and already I’m not interested. Sorry, not for me. Pass.
“The Princess and the Queen, or the Blacks and the Greens” – George R.R. Martin
Like Game of Thrones? Like dragons? Well, you’re in for a good ol’ joyride, then. A story of the Targaryen struggle for the Iron Throne in the year 129 AC that divided the House in half. However, it was a bit of a dry tale that told of what was said and done but kept the reader at bay always. Honestly, I found it kind of boring, much as I like Danerys of Targaryen. I’ve read the first couple of books and lost interest in them, too, so I guess George R.R. Martin is just not quite to my liking. Alas.
And thus we come to the end of this ridiculously long review. Some stories I found quite enthralling and others far less so, like any anthology. All in all a pretty good read but worth skipping the stories that don't speak to you. ...more
I want to savor these stories little by little because they are so darn good but I find myself rushing through them needing to know what happened nextI want to savor these stories little by little because they are so darn good but I find myself rushing through them needing to know what happened next!! I find this anthology so far to be quite fascinating and I am enjoying myself immensely reading through the creative and varied voices within these 'songs'.
JACQUELINE CAREY: this was the first story that I chose - and quite purposefully, at that. It was of Anafiel Delunay, who was once known as Anafiel de Montreve, a poet that was good enough to become the King's Poet and perhaps more but such events were not meant to be for himself and his star-crossed lover. This story about Phedre's mentor fills in a small chink of his life before he became known as the Whoremaster of Spies and the compass by which Phedre lived her life using knowledge he ingrained within her towards the one promise he made to his star-crossed lover and one that Phedre will see fulfilled. I cannot tell you how excited I was to read this story. It was brilliant, poignant, and heart-wrenching. The first Kushiel trilogy is still to this day my all-time favorite trilogy that I have ever read and I will always have copies of the Kushiel series in my bookshelf. THIS story was the reason that I had to have this book so quickly after coming out. When I heard that Ms. Carey had a new Kushiel story for us set in Phedre's time I was already sold - and I don't regret it one bit.
NEIL GAIMAN: This was my second stop in this collection as Neil is probably second on my list of authors due to his wit, versatility, and charm and it was very much... unexpected, actually, but in a good way. There is a fun twist at the end of this story that I won't spoil for you. It's a fun read about a mythical past and what happens when that path has never been or perhaps has outlived its usefulness? I'm not sure. Either way I quite liked it. Not my favorite of Neil's short stories but a good solid read nonetheless.
JIM BUTCHER: I admit that I've only read the first two Harry Dresden books as pushed onto me from a guy friend numerous years back. I felt that the writing was tight, the story was well-written and interesting, I liked the main character, but... it just never stuck with me. However, reading a new mini-chapter in Mr. Dresden's life was kind of fun even if I missed out on some of the obvious references to character stories that I would have easily gotten if I had continued with the story - the selfsame references that I relished with glee while reading Ms. Carey's story above. A good little peek into Harry's life though it still hasn't convinced me to pick up the third Dresden File.
JO BEVERLY: I can't say that I have read any of her books before so this was my first foray into her writing style which seems to read like a tame Regency Romance. While I liked the idea of an unwilling bride (a "marrying maid") that must be wed and bed before a certain young viscount's birthday or his whole family would die due to the machinations of certain faery royals it fell a bit flat and forced for me near the end as if there was a page-limit that needed to be - and was - enforced strictly. The ending seemed far too rushed and I felt it needed at least a couple more pages to be fleshed out with far more arguments and 'accidental' encounters in true Regency fashion.
CARRIE VAUGHN: I wasn't quite sure about this story. I felt thrown into a world where superheroes seem to be a thing of them norm (very Watchmen-like) as it followed a brief glimpse into Charlotte's hectic playwright lifestyle as she gets ready for her play's opening night. The night before the show opens she gets taken hostage for a brief moment, gets rescued by a masked man - a "blue collared" superhero - and the consequences of that moment which change her life. A good idea but ultimately forgettable.
M. L. N. HANOVER - A dark and gritty ghost story. It was a quick read with a small twist at the end that was not altogether very surprising. It was definitely a different take on the death and love theme which was a nice change of pace.
CECELIA HOLLAND - A new spin on a classical fairytale idea: a once-pretty girl becomes disfigured in a fire but is given a chance to become beautiful once more as the companion queen to a wizard king but all is not as it seems in his land and she wakes every night from incubus dreams. She must make the decision to stay with the wizard or find a way to return home to a plain boy that seems to love her. The moral of this story is a common one - that nothing comes for free. This was another short story that seemed to jump around rather quickly and I would also have liked to see it fleshed out a bit more as it felt far too short because events were happening far too quickly for my liking. I could definitely see this as idea for a novel-sized book but with that said I'm not sure I'd pick it up if I saw it at a bookstore.
MELINDA M. SNODGRASS - A slice-of-like space story with the rescue and reunion of a disgraced tailor's son who is currently captain of a small merchant vessel and the heiress of an empire who also happens to be his former love. I am an avid fan of Firefly and somehow I could sort of see this story in that world, just a bit, when thinking of Capn. Reynolds and Inara. While I don't tend to like sci-fi stories I was quite pleased that this one used far less technical jargon and focused on the emotional rollercoaster of the two main characters. If there were more sci-fi stories written by Ms. Snodgrass I'd consider giving them a whirl.
ROBIN HOBB - Awww, I really liked this story. It was a typical, sweet, fairytale and one that flowed well and fit well as a short story. It starts in the middle of a 17 year old girl's life after her father's death as a helpmaid at a Keep. She spies black-haired minstrel there and... well... I'm sure you can figure out the gist. A well-written and fun little story that made me smile at the end of it. One of my new favorites of this anthology, even if it was saccharine sweet (and rather unrealistic).
MARJORIE M. LIU - This was probably one of my least favorite stories in this collection. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic future following a brief glimpse into a woman's life as she deals with darker creatures. It reminded me a bit of Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" and just didn't appeal to me at all. I ended up skimming large swaths of it to get through this story.
LISA TUTTLE - A short story about a woman and a wolf and the problems that the wolf's owner faces as he tries to get out of his drug dealing ways so that way he can be respectable - with a slight twist at the end. It was well-written and I enjoyed it but was not enthralled.
LINNEA SINCLAIR - Another story that takes place in the future but a technologically advanced one at that meaning that I'm already inclined to be less interested because it is sci-fi in nature. So it was not a surprise that I found this story rather boring and I skimmed through most of it.
MARY JO PUTNEY - I'm hesitant to say if I liked this story or not. It flowed and I liked the characters - with a hardened and handsome magically inclined detective and his favorite person, an elderly lady of the same magical persuasion he fondly calls "Lady Beth" - but the ending had an odd twist that I wasn't exactly expecting. Still, not a bad read.
TANITH LEE- I am an avid Tanith Lee fan so I very much looked forward to reading her story - and I was not disappointed. It took place in the future - and in the past. It was about a man and one woman - but then a different man and a different woman. Stories that became entwined, chance encounters that never happened but perhaps should have, and star-crossed lovers that missed many lifetimes before they could find one another. A fun and imaginative read. I was impressed and pleased by this story.
PETER S. BEAGLE - An alien encounter through a bizarre computer using 'The One Key' to communicate. Not what I expected from the man who wrote "The Last Unicorn" but it wasn't bad just different. And a different take on what 'love' means. It was written strictly from the protagonists' perspective whom I didn't garner great feelings for so ultimately the story fell a little flat for me.
YASMINE GALENORN - A sad, sweet ghost story that drifts softly, silently on tiny cat paws through the pages swiftly read and enjoyed. A woman with a traumatic past moves into her ex's family house and gets to know his aunt - and the cousin that died years before. It was prettily written and kept me interested so that I finished this story in record time. Recommended.
DIANA GABALDON - Another time-traveling story from the the horrors of WWII back through the standing stones and back again. It was nice to get a side-story from the Outlander series (one of my all-time favorite series behind Jacqueline Carey's Kuhiel trilogies) but I was very much not a fan of "Echo in the Bone" - I couldn't even finish it because I just stopped caring about the characters that were not Jaime and Claire - so the reference to that book and the mysterious men Jerry meet in the past was frustrating because I had stopped reading "Echo" before that point. All in all an ok side-story but not an amazing one. Mrs. Gabaldon still writes well-researched tightly written stories but I'm having a hard time with her work as of recently because I'm not really getting into anything she has written after "Drums of Autumn". I was really looking forward to this story as well but was a bit disappointed in the end. Ah well. These things happen.
I can't believe I took the time to write little blurbs for each story in this anthology. More often than not I felt ho-hum about what was written but I am leaving my 4-stars up (rather than pushing back to 3) because the stories that stood out really stood out. While these stories seemed far from new and illuminating they were still good fun to skip through and I generally enjoyed them all. I don't feel as if I wasted time in reading them which is always a good thing. I suppose the strength that comes with anthologies is that if you don't like a story much you can always skip it and find a new author and a new voice to continue your journey along with....more
While I love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and I can't even tell you how many times I've read and re-read the first four in the series (Outlander,While I love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and I can't even tell you how many times I've read and re-read the first four in the series (Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn) I just... sort of lost interest in the story after that. I don't really have an interest in Briana and Roger's tale nor do I care about what William is doing or most any of the other side-stories (similar to reasons why I have troubles reading George R. R. Martin and his vast array of character). With that said I have read everything up until An Echo in the Bone (including the fun side-stories of Lord John Grey) but only 100 pages into this tome and I found myself skipping huge swaths of the story for lack of interest. I finally - oh so sadly - gave up and set this book down with a sigh unfinished.
An Echo in the Bone was not speaking to me and that hurt because of how much I love the beginning of the story and the memories attached to those first four books. Whenever I moved - whether it was from Japan to Australia to anywhere else - those were the books I brought (along with Jacqueline Carey's first Kushiel trilogy). They were that good! But this book lacked something for me. It is still written in the beautiful and detail-oriented prose that Gabaldon is known for but I can't find myself caring about the fates of the characters that are not Jaime and Claire. That certain 'je ne sais quoi' is no longer there for me.
I don't think I'll be picking up any new Outlander books but I'll continue to re-read my favorite of the bunch and the fateful beginning of Jaime and Claire's relationship. Ah well. It was a good run while it lasted....more
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