Tag Archives: Caitlin R. Kiernan

Flotsam by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Flotsam
Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Oceans, Romance
Dates read: 5th May 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: But it’s all the same, really, as I am hers to do with as she will, no strings attached, no farthest limits to my devotion; I made that promise the first night and have not yet regretted it.

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Synopsis

Sometimes we make promises that are hard to keep. Other times, it’s the easiest decision we’ve ever made.

Thoughts

I found this tale a little hard to get through. Which was a little weird when I considered that so far, I have loved every Kiernan short story that I’ve read. And then I realised that this entire story was a single block of text. No paragraphs or breaks of any kind. Just a big wall of sentences and text that reflected the vastness and overwhelming sense that the ocean provides.

There are so many ways in which the ocean is idolised and picturesque. Yet this story doesn’t really highlight that aspect of the vast horizon, rather it shows the idea that the ocean likes to take. As well as give. But, in the case of this story and partnership, it takes and hurts, and in some, weird, roundabout way, manages to make the giver feel more alive and vibrant. Makes them feel that they’re vital in ways they weren’t before.

 <- Love Bites ReviewThe Murder King’s Woman Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Mammoth Book of Steampunk edited by Sean Wallace

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Overview
The Mammoth Book of Steampunk

Title: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk
Author: Sean Wallace, Ekaterina Sedia, Jeff VanderMeer, Caitlin R. Kiernan, E. Catherine Tobler, Jay Lake, Genevieve Valentine, Cat Rambo, Shweta Narayan, Aliette de Bodard, N.K. Jemisin, Peter M. Ball, Sharon Mock, Catherynne M. Valente, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Eileen Gunn, Michael Swanwick, Tobias S. Buckell, Matthew Kressel, Margo Lanagan, Amal El-Mohtar, Barth Anderson, Jeffrey Ford, James Morrow, Cherie Priest, Margaret Ronald, Megan Arkenberg, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Mary Robinette Kowal, Samantha Henderson, Nick Mamatas, Nicole Kornher-Stace & Lavie Tidhar
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Short story collections, Steampunk
Dates read: 3rd October 2018 – 6th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He was in his library, or so he called it, a small room that smelled of pipe tobacco and old leather, so close that one could barely breathe.

Synopsis

30 anarchic mash-ups of past and future that push the boundaries of steampunk.

Great steampunk stories confront an uneasy history of oppression – of women, other ‘races’ and classes – and the abuse of science, by reimagining the past. The writers represented in this outsatnding collection look to the future through the lens of the past, imagining worlds in which technology is used to uplift rather than to oppress.

Thoughts

I’ve only recently gotten involved in steampunk. It’s a genre that I only started reading late last year and one that I kind of love. Although, as I discovered with this collection of short stories, it is also a genre that I have to concentrate a little more to read (unlike genre such as romance).

This anthology runs the gambit of steampunk stories and brings a number of themes, styles and settings to life. It is a perfect way to completely disappear from the world after a long day. Although, with many of the themes, once you have finished the story you are thrown back into reality ten times more heavily than you were before. After all, most of these stories have a great commentary about the world that we live in today.

From capitalism to feminist movements, every major issue and discussion that seems to be occurring in modern society is touched upon in this collection. Yet, these aren’t all serious commentaries on the world. Some of the stories are kind of hilarious, and some are downright weird. The one thing that they all have in common is that they are thoroughly enjoyable and have helped to give me a new addiction.

<- The TraitorSteampunk: Looking to the Future Through the Lens of the Past ->

Image source: Amazon

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance edited by Trisha Telep

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Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Sherri Erwin, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jenna Black, Jenna Maclaine, Raven Hart, Delilah Devlin, Keri Arthur, Kimberly Raye, Alexis Morgan, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams, Cathy Clamp, Susan Sizemore, Dina James, Colleen Gleason, Barbara Emrys, Savannah Russe, Shiloh Walker, Vicki Pettersson, Rebecca York, Rachel Vincent, Amanda Ashley, Karen Chance & Nancy Holder
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I have travelled the world in search of knowledge, studied with every important intellectual from da Vinci to Hawking.

Synopsis

Love is a weapon in the face of evil.

From the biggest names in paranormal romance, here are over 25 tales of a hunger like no other…

Let Karen Chance, Keri Arthur, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Amanda Ashley, Vicki Pettersson and Susan Sizemore and others take you hot-blooded on the trail of the sexiest creatures of the night.

In the world of the Undead there are strange codes of conduct, dark rituals and dating games, as they seduce the locals and engage in the most sensual encounters you’ll sink your teeth into this side of the grave.

These ain’t your mother’s vampires!

Thoughts

I kind of loved this collection. It definitely isn’t one that you can read cover to cover in one sitting – there’s only so many vampire romances that I can happily read before they start to blend into one. But as a slow read that I just picked up every now and again… it was really, really good.

The short stories in this collection ranged from the classical and predictable vampire stories to ones that took a whole new spin on the ideal. Some were just sweet and some just downright disturbing. And although they all follow a similar theme, not one is the same. I now have a very long list of new authors and series that I want to sink my teeth into…

<- Red Letter DayFade to Black ->

Image source: Goodreads

Untitled 12 by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Book Review, , ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: Untitled 12
Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: “It’s not a game,” she said and licked at her lips.

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Synopsis

Sometimes what you call to you isn’t quite what you wanted. But this girl is stuck with it anyway.

Thoughts

This story was kind of disturbing. And by kind of. I mean seriously. And confusing. Really, really confusing. There was a hermaphroditic vampire thing that beat the crap out of her convert. There was blood puke on the floor and there was a lot of weirdness that was super uncomfortable.

Although, if you read this story, there is no way in hell that you are going to want to become a vampire. Or really think that they are dreamy and sexy. So I kind of liked it. It was so sick and disturbing. Yet fun and interesting. Also impossible to put down or look away from. Kind of like a really horrific car crash… or gory and horrible horror movie…

 <- A Stand-up Dame ReviewThe Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Steamdancer (1896) by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of SteampunkTitle: The Steamdancer (1896)
Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan
In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Romance, Steampunk
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: It was not an uncommon fate for the likes of Missouri Banks, those caught out in the open during the spring swarms, those without safe houses to hide inside until the voracious flies had come and gone, moving on to bedevil other towns and cities and farms.

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Synopsis

A young girl is found by the mechanic. After helping to turn her into a cyborg, they get married and live happily ever after.

Thoughts

This story kind of completely melted my heart. It was so cute and sweet. Almost a little window into the daily life of a gorgeous cyborg woman. I was expecting something much darker in the first mini chapter, but it was quickly a very smooth and easy read. One that set the tone for a loving relationship, a woman who loved to dance, and a body that was constructed of metal as well as flesh.

This short story incorporates everything that I have come to love about the steampunk genre. Namely the great way of writing that feels a lot more classical and Victorian in its construction. The ways in which it is so incredibly descriptive. And, of course, the great settings and themes which combine the romance of the past (although maggots eating away flesh may not be able to be classed as super romantic) and the hope of the future.

 <- Fixing Hanover Review Icebreaker Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Ode to Edvard Munch by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: Ode to Edvard Munch
Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: But if she is Indian, the girl on Cherry Hill, she has no trace of an accent when she talks to me about the fountain or her favourite paintings in the Met or the exhibits she likes best at the Museum of Natural History.

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Synopsis

A lyrical waxing and waning of a man’s relationship with his vampire and the dreams that she brings with her.

Thoughts

I loved the lyricism in this short story. It gave the tale a sense of the old classics, written in the times when you didn’t just use one word to describe “tired” but an entire paragraph. And there was the same sense of multi-layered meanings. The idea that if I read this a hundred more times, I would find something else hidden amongst the intense symbolism.

Whilst the storyline is convoluted and dark, I love the symbolism and the descriptive language used throughout this story. It made every moment of convoluted story telling so much more vivid and intense. Something that makes me want to find more of Kiernan’s tales.

 <- Fade to Black ReviewFangs for Hire Review ->
Image source: Goodreads