Title: Soulfinger Author: Rio Youers In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Vampires Dates read: 15th March 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Edge Year: 2010 5th sentence, 74th page: Blind Willie McTell.
A journalist is on the trail of Soulfinger, a talented musician. But what he ends up finding may be far more than he anticipated.
I’ve been really enjoying short stories that jump around.
There is something about the movement through time and quickly changing
perceptions which I find enjoyable. The ability of the storyline to whisk you
from one story to another completely draws you in. It also makes it a little
confusing and difficult to keep track of what is really happening, but it is
still incredibly fun.
This story had a great seedy underbelly feel. The
partnership of what is (I’m fairly certain) a vampire, clubs and musicians works
really nicely. And the discussion interspersed throughout of souls matches
really well with the themes and naming of this short story.
As much as I enjoyed this story, it was completely
forgettable. I found it fun in the moment, but as soon as I turned the last
page, I wasn’t really sure of what I had just read.
Title: Paris After Dark Author: Jordan Summers In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Cops, Easy reading, Vampires Dates read: 22nd March 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: She gagged as his coppery breath fanned out over her face.
Rachel stops an attack on a woman late one night in Paris, only to become the victim herself. As things go from bad to worse, she finds more than a quest for justice, but a reason to stay alive.
I’ve been reading a lot of vampire stories lately, and I really wasn’t sure how over them I was feeling. So I’m not even sure why I picked up The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2. But I did, and I absolutely loved the opening story of this collection. It was everything I like in a short story, a bit of action, a bit of intrigue and a bit of romance. But, unlike a lot of vampire tales that I’ve been reading lately, this wasn’t as… well… annoyingly sappy as others. There was just too much of a cop / crime vibe to it.
Rachel was one of those characters that you can immediately relate
to. She is vulnerable and kind of innocent, but at the same time completely
kick ass and independent. Something that I think most women aspire to be. Or at
least, it’s something that I always aim to be like in my own personal life. The
fact that she’s suffering a loss and grieving whilst on the streets of Paris
somehow just managed to make her all the more beautiful. I’m not entirely sure
why… but it worked perfectly.
I really liked that although there is an instantaneous
attraction between the two leads, it isn’t really about that. This story is
about justice and finding a link to Rachel’s past. It is also a really
fast-paced tale that makes it impossible to pull your nose out of the book,
because, damn it, you want Rachel to get her revenge!
Title: The Cinderella Game Author: Kelly Link In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Family Dates read: 2nd March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: He opened his mouth to explain everything, but Darcy got there first.
Two step-siblings decide to play the cinderella game… with some interesting consequences.
My mother always taught me that it takes two to tango… and
that idea carried through in her rearing of us, every time my sister and I got
into a huge fight, we’d generally both get in trouble. So I kind of liked the
fact that this story was about two (step) siblings who are playing a slightly
sinister game and arguing. There are no good guys and bad guys in this story. But
rather, a mix of motives that inform one another.
From the name of this story, I thought that the child who
played the evil stepsister was going to do something kind of horrible. Then they
started talking about evil Cinderella and I was expecting some seriously weird
things to start happening. But it didn’t. I wasn’t uncomfortable at this tale, and
I actually thought it was kind of cute. A promise for a future in which they
could all live together happily, or one in which they would have a not-so-happily
ever after. It could go either way.
This was a great story to end the Troll’s-Eye View collection on. It didn’t have a villain or a hero. There was no right or wrong. Instead, it had a vagueness in which everyone had a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in it…
Title: Through the Tiger’s Eye Author: Kerrie O’Connor Series: Telares Trilogy #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Adventure, Australian authors, Fantasy Dates read: 11th – 17th March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Allen & Unwin Year: 2005 5th sentence, 74th page: ‘We’ll cook dinner, Grandma,’ said Lucy.
Just then T-tongue decided to take matters into his own paws. He sniffed the air, barked, shot across the floor of the pit – and disappeared.
Lucy and her little brother Ricardo follow their puppy and the mysterious, golden-eyed Tiger-cat into a secret tunnel leading to a foreign country – a country where children are held prisoner in the jungle.
Lucy still didn’t understand anything and it still felt crazy, but suddenly it was also simple; if Rahel was going to risk rescuing the little girl and the other kids, then Lucy had to help, even if she didn’t have a clue how.
This was the second time that I read this book. But, the
first time was when I was in early high school, and it has honestly been boxed
up ever since. Which is sad, because this reread reminded me how much I truly
love this story. It is fun, interesting and powerful. It is based around
Australia (which is always a bonus in my book) and centres on siblings that aren’t
all love and roses towards one another. Because let’s be honest, there are no
siblings who always get along and never fight…
I love the idea that Lucy and Ricardo are able to travel to
another reality / country on a regular basis and meet other children their age.
But, they are experiencing entirely different things. The children in Telares are
victims of war who don’t act like victims. It drives home how truly lucky we
are to live in Australia and to have grown up here. Not only does this make the
story fantastic with a great message, but it also highlights the differences between
peoples’ experiences across the world. We should be grateful for our good
fortune a little more often, and this story is a poignant reminder of that.
This story is a great mix of young adventure, the ties of
family and reminders of how we should never take for granted what we have. It
is a great way to reconsider what people in war-torn countries are truly
experiencing. Without the brutality that some adult-orientated books highlight.
This still has that beautiful innocence that can carry a message, but not use
shock and horror tactics.
Title: The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome Author: Jeffrey Ford In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves: Crime, Horror Dates read: 7th March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd. Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: “Good lord,” I said, “by this time he could have eaten a half dozen spleens.”
The Beast has been preying upon a small American town for years, and the local Sheriff knows that it has something to do with Vienna Von Drome. But even with all of his suspicions, he won’t know who the villain truly is until the end.
I actually found this short story a lot more difficult to put down than the other stories which preceded it in Black Feathers. It still had that slightly dark horror feel to it, but the storyline was a lot more linear than I had expected. Where many other horror stories have an incredibly jumpy and disjointed feel to them, this followed a chronological path and one that made a lot more sense to me. It was a nice change from the more abstract horror short stories I have been reading lately.
I spent the entire story line of this tale trying to figure
out who the Beast was. It seemed too easy to be Vienna, but I couldn’t figure
out who it would be if it wasn’t her. This sense of mystery and intrigue meant
that I kind of walked into a wall when I was reading this (bad habit of mine to
get so absorbed into a story that I forget to concentrate on anything around
me).
Although this was kind of a straight-laced story of crime
and horror, it had the recurring theme of sparrows throughout. Not birds that I
have ever associated with horror, but the haunting flight patterns that are
shown throughout are quite eerie and intense. They added a feeling of horror to
the atmosphere that it would have otherwise lacked.
Title: The Diary of a Young Girl Author: Anne Frank Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Biographies, Classics, History, War Dates read: 4th – 11th March 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Novel Publisher: Bantam Books Year: 1947 5th sentence, 74th page: Number Two was that, Mr. Vossen having left earlier than usual the previous evening, we didn’t know definitely whether Elli had been able to get hold of the key, and had perhaps forgotten to shut the door.
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic – a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.
In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
I can’t believe that I’ve waited so long to read this book!
It’s been on my shelf for so long and I’ve always wanted to read it (even
before I bought it), but I just never seemed to have the time… or the
inclination. And now I really, really, really don’t know why I took so long. This
story was amazing, and heart-wrenching and just so damn knock-your-socks-off that
I can’t stop thinking about it.
This book was both impossible to put down, and heart-wrenching
to pick up. Not because it was overly sad, but the knowledge of Anne’s death throughout was haunting. There
is so much hope and optimism, even in her darkest moments that it is hard to
realise that she doesn’t have that happily ever after. Although, I suppose that
is why we read non-fiction – there isn’t the happily ever after for everyone,
just a very real and very tragic ending.
What haunts me the most about The Diary of a Young Girl is how similar Anne Frank is. A lot of
what she writes in her diary is exactly what I would have written as a stubborn,
opinionated teenager. The holocaust and World War II have never really been moments
in history that I can relate to. After all, I’ve lived an incredibly privileged
and happy life. So reading the words of a young girl who was going through
exactly the same things as me, and hearing my own voice reaching out over the
passage of time… it was just… haunting. There is no other word for it.
Title: To Seek Her Fortune Author: Nicole Kornher-Stace In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Steampunk Dates read: 6th March 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: The dice had earned him a week free of maintenance duties and a tidy heap of coins – round, ringed, hexagonal, octagonal, brass, copper, silver, lead – by the time his mother emerged from the laboratory, flushed with agitation and worrying at a sleeve.
Lady Explorer has managed to rise in the ranks and overcome her past. But she keeps searching for something, some sign of the future.
I really liked this short story. I wasn’t entirely sure what
to expect with it… but the idea of a woman in a position of power constantly
trying to protect her son drew me in immediately. Especially when it was
obvious that she is exhausted and almost just existing for her child.
The flashbacks as to how Lady Explorer rose in power work
really well with the storyline. As does the quick passages of time. The
jumpiness of the timeline gave the story a far more surreal edge and one that I
think worked well with the theme and protectiveness of an exhausted mother.
Title: Masques Author: Patricia Briggs Series: Sianim #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves: Magic, Medieval fantasy, Strong women Dates read: 12th January – 5th March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Ace Fantasy Year: 1993 5th sentence, 74th page: She can fight, and the gods know we have need of fighters.
After an upbringing of proper behavior and oppressive expectations, Aralorn fled her noble birthright for a life of adventure as a mercenary spy. But her latest mission involves more peril than she ever imagined.
Agents of Sianim have asked her to gether intelligence on the increasingly popular and powerful sorcerer Geoffrey ae’Magi. Soon Aralorn comes to see past the man’s striking charisma – and into a soul as corrupt and black as endless night. And few have the will to resist the sinister might of the ae’Magi and his minions.
So Aralorn, aided by her enigmatic companion, Wolf, joins the rebellion against the ae’Magi. But in a war against a foe armed with the power of illusion, how do you know who the true enemy is – or where he will strike next?
I read this book for the first time years ago. But, I thought
I’d reread it to see if it was as good as I remembered… and it was. It was kind
of amazing, incredibly interesting and very difficult to put down. I did…
because I have to be an adult, but it was still quite difficult.
Aralorn is a wonderfully strong and independent woman. She is everything I tend to love in a female lead, and the trope that made me fall in love with Patricia Briggs’ writing. I love that she shrugs off the common upbringing of women and finds herself a way to be herself, no matter what the consequences and what other people think of her. I love this independence, and the fact that although there is a love interest, in takes backstage in a major way. Actually, it took me this second read through to realise that the love interest is quite intense from the very beginning, rather than a random development later on in the story (as I originally thought).
This story reminds me a little of the Graceling series in that the villain doesn’t seem all that evil.
Until you start to add up what is happening behind the scenes. Yet, there is
something far more terrifying about such a bad guy. After all, everyone else
loves him, bringing him down will probably mean that everyone decides to kill Aralorn
and Wolf, and even they constantly question their motives and sanity. There is
something that is just… kind of sinister about such a charismatic evil being.
And it makes the ae’Magi all the more evil because he does so many things with
a beautiful, kind smile on his face…
Title: The Queen of Hats Author: Ysabeau S. Wilce In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Dates read: 7th March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: Where am I going to find actors out here?
The little tamale girl seems to be going on the adventure of a lifetime. And performing in a play to boot.
I loved the jumpiness of this story. Each mini chapter (about a page each) a completely new and different adventure. Each almost its own story. Something that is really reminiscent of the original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
This short story takes you on a kind of whirlwind adventure
that culminates in that famous moment of “off with your head”. I’m not entirely
sure if the off with your head bit gets followed through with… but I kind of
like to imagine that it does. Because that’s where my head is at at the moment…
that, and it just feels a fitting end to a jumpy story. It seems entirely like
fantasy, until the moment that somebody’s head gets taken off… it seems like a
great ending.
A Jack the Ripper conference is faced with a horrible tragedy. Has Jack the Ripper returned? And with a vengeance?
This story was intense. I thought that the lead female was
going to get offed pretty quickly. After all, it starts with her having an
affair. And Jack the Ripper went after promiscuous women… it seemed like a
pretty potent parallel. But that really wasn’t the case.
This short story bought the shock and horror aspect of Jack
the Ripper into a more modern day context. After all, the Butcher of Baker
Street has always seemed terrifying, but it happened so long ago and the villain
is definitely dead, so it’s not all that scary except as an indication of the
depravities of humanity. Yet, creating a modern-day massacre and having a group
obsessed with the Ripper involved in this… it made me understand a little more
what the people of Whitechapel must have felt when their halls were being
stalked.
I always enjoy a contemporary telling of a tale that is
familiar. Whether it is through history or fairy tales, the themes and ideas
that are displayed in the original come to the forefront and take over. In an
amazingly beautiful and, in this case, incredibly terrifying way.
