I don’t know what I was expecting to start this collection, but a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princes wasn’t quite what I had in mind. And I loved it! Plus, there was a bit of a glam dance theme going on that I dug. And the father as the villain? A fantastic spin on the already eerily beautiful fairy tale.
The narrator of this is the quintessential stereotype of a youngest sibling – impulsive and just a little bit selfish. All she wants throughout this is her freedom and independence, which i can understand. However, there was also something painfully naive and selfish.
I’m not 100% about the choices made at the end of this story. I mean, she runs away to a world of dancing and independence. There’s also drugs and ambiguity, and living in a not quite there realm. It’s maybe better than being forced into a marriage with a gross old man, but I’m not entirely sure by how much…
This is one of those collections that I’ve stopped and started multiple times. Because sometimes that’s what I do with a short story collection. And yet, I have enjoyed reading it almost every step of the way. There’s always something fun and interesting about a collection edited by Ellen Datlow.
Vampire stories are one of those things that I’m very much on the fence about. I mean, I often enjoy them. But because of the naughties, they became something that was slightly overdone. Probably one of the reasons this book came in and out of my shelves so much – I enjoyed it but didn’t want to overdo it either.
The stories in this run the gambit of vampire characterisation. Some are classical. Some are romantic. Some are just a little bit bizarre. But every story was fun and worth reading again.
There’s a vampire at the school assembly. And something about him makes Retta want to break the chains of her life and live… more. Maybe she should just join the vampires on her own Gap Year.
This was a wonderfully different premise for a vampire story – vampires that consume feelings instead of blood. I’ve kind of thought something similar in the past, but actually reading a story about it… well, I seriously enjoyed this.
I thought that Gap Year was a brilliant Coming of Age story. One that highlights the need to grow into your own skin and find your own future and reality – it’s also a great beginning of a Gap Year. I didn’t take one myself, but I know a lot of people who did, and I thought that this was the best beginning for one ever.
The aspect of this story that I loved the most, unique vampires, etc. aside – was the fact that Retta is able to leave behind a toxic situation. There can be that moment with childhood friends when you kind of have to break free because it’s just not quite healthy for you anymore. And Retta most certainly does this. But in the most calm and respectful manner possible.
Coyote. Anansi. Brer Rabbit. Trickster characters have long been a staple of folk literature – and are a natural choice for the subject of the acclaimed Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s third “mythic” anthology. Twenty-six authors, including Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Charles de Lint (Little (Grrl) Lost), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Kelly Link (Pretty Monsters), Patricia A. McKillip (Ombria in Shadow) and Jane Yolen, have crafted stories and poems drawing from cultures and traditions all over the world – each surprising, engrossing, and thought provoking. Terri Windling provides a comprehensive introduction to the trickster myths of the world, and the entire book is highlighted by the remarkable decorations of Charles Vess.
The Coyote Road, like its companions The Green Man (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Faery Reel (a World Fantasy Award Finalist), is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary fantastic fiction.
This collection took a long time to read. Yet, I absolutely
adored it. Mostly it took a while to read because there were so many short
stories filling the pages, and whenever I finished one, I often went searching
for more stories by the authors I was discovering. My wishlist has grown by
leaps and bounds since starting this collection.
Like many of the Ellen Datlow collections lining my shelves, the theme and collected authors in this are brilliant. Each and every story is perfectly curated to match into the theme of Tricksters. Often in surprising and confusing ways. After all, the prefect trickster never does what is expected, and many of the stories in this managed to take me by surprise.
I would suggest this collection to anybody who loves short
stories, fantasy, mythology, tricksters… really I would just suggest it to almost
anyone. There are sad stories and happy ones. Insanely complex tales and ones
that are so beautifully simplistic. Definitely one of those collections that
I’m going to read again and again.
Title: Realer Than You Author: Christopher Barzak In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Japanese mythology, Tricksters Dates read: 23rd March 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: My dad’s boss, Mr. Fujita, got my dad acclimated to the area quickly, so I don’t think he ever felt that vertigo.
It’s hard to find yourself, but when you’ve moved across the world to a country you don’t understand, it can be even more difficult. But a visit from a trickster spirit could help this young boy figure out what his new path to happiness will be.
We all know the feeling of not belonging. Of being a fish
out of water, so to say. Sadly, not many of us necessarily know how to get rid
of this feeling. And, sometimes when people are teenagers, they never move
beyond this. Which is all the kinds of feelings that this short story reminded
me of. The feeling of not belonging and loss. And, quite honestly, the suicide
forest that I’ve heard of in Japan. It just had that beautifully and tragically
eerie feeling to the tale that I just didn’t quite know what to do with.
I really like the idea of kitsune in the Japanese folklore,
but I don’t know much about it. Nor have I read much based on this (as I am
writing this review, I’m also ordering some novels to fix this gap in my
reading). This didn’t give me much more information than I already have, but it
did help to fill my need to find out more. After all, this is a mythology I’m
not familiar with, in a culture that I think is fascinating and beautiful. And
I’m especially obsessed with tricksters, so it just makes the book nerd in my
salivate all the more.
I was kind of expecting a bit of a sad ending in this short
story. After all, it immediately reminded me of suicide forests and tragedy.
Luckily, it didn’t end in this way. And I had the privilege of closing the
final page with a smile on my face.
Earth and Skye 