Tag Archives: Delia Sherman

Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: Mad Hatters and March Hares
Author: Ellen Datlow, Kris Dikeman, Delia Sherman, C. S. E. Cooney, Jane Yolen, Priya Sharma, Richard Bowes, Stephen Graham Jones, Jeffrey Ford, Angela Slatter, Matthew Kressel, Seanan McGuire, Andy Duncan, Kaaron Warren, Ysabeau S. Wilce, Genevieve Valentine, Catherynne M. Valente & Katherine Vaz
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Retellings, Short story collections, Wordplay
Dates read: 22nd December 2018 – 29th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Beyond it were the cells.

Synopsis

From Master Anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original book of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been read, enjoyed, and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked seventeen of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

Thoughts

I began my obsession with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in childhood, but kind of forgot about it until the last year – when I finally got around to reading the original story! And then my obsession began to take a bit of a turn for the… well, obsessive… so I bought this collection as soon as I found it. And opened the page within days of receiving it.

This collection takes all of the many aspects of Alice in Wonderland and turns them around and around until your dizzy. From cute poems, to horrific ideals about Alis and retellings of particular aspects of the original. This collection of short stories and poems has it all. And it is just impossible to put down!

My only piece of advice with this amazing collection is to maybe not read these tales when you’ve been drinking. I tried a few times and it just makes you feel incredibly tripped out. And confused. And just not really sure where reality is situated… kind of like the original.

<- Children of the FangGentle Alice ->

Image source: Bookdepository

The Fiddler of Bayou Teche by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for coyote road book cover

Title: The Fiddler of Bayou Teche
Author: Delia Sherman
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, Music, Tricksters
Dates read: 24th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Another man turns up with a washboard and a spoon, and he and Ulysse jump up on the table as ‘Dres Petitpas climbs down.

Synopsis

Cadence was bought up in the depths of the bayou, dancing her way through life happily. But, when her Tante passes away and she is accidentally spotted by ‘Dres Petitpas, her life of blissful peace is ended and a new one is about to begin.

Thoughts

I have a slight obsession with bayous and creole culture. Every time I read stories surrounded by this, I’m unable to look away. They’re beautiful and fun and there is just… something about them that makes me deliriously happy. Which is why I loved this story so much. It had the feeling of a fairy tale but was filled with a cultural backdrop that I know next to nothing about, and always want to know more of.

This had such a beautiful fairy tale and folklore feel to it. There wasn’t a trickster in it specifically (like other stories in The Coyote Road), but the spirit of the trickster ran through.  Not only in the setting of Bayou Teche, but also in the idea of a fiddler making a deal with the devil and a small swamp sprite gaining the upper hand.

I’m more than a little disappointed that this was such a short story. The setting, the characters and the theme all make me feel like I want to be sucked into this story for an entire afternoon, rather than minutes.

<- Realer Than YouA Tale for the Short Days ->

Image source: Amazon

Troll’s-Eye View edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for troll's-eye view book cover

Title: Troll’s-Eye View
Author: Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling, Delia Sherman, Garth Nix, Wendy Froud, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Peter S. Beagle, Ellen Kushner, Joseph Stanton, Holly Black, Jane Yolen, Nancy Farmer, Michael Cadnum, Catherynne M. Valente, Midori Snyder, Neil Gaiman & Kelly Link
In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings, Short story collections, Villains
Dates read: 12th December 2018 – 1st March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: I could have wept.

Synopsis

Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales – evil, no two ways about it. But the villains themselves beg to differ. In this book you’ll hear from:
the Giant’s wife from “Jack and the Beanstalk”
the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rumpelstiltskin
the witch from “Hansel and Gretel”
someone called Evil Cinderella

Just watch these old stories do new tricks!

Thoughts

This is an incredibly easy, fun and engaging short story collection. It takes some brilliant authors who take you on journeys through well known fairy tales. The fact that these retellings all focus on the villains of the stories just made me love it even more. I always love the highlighting of grey areas and alternate tellings.

Troll’s-Eye View is a collection that is written for a very young age group. It’s simple and quaint. Easily accessible and fun. But, that doesn’t mean that as an adult you can’t enjoy it. There was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting down at the end of a long day and reading one of these short stories or poems. It was a great, fun and quick escape from the real world at a time when I’ve been really quite overwhelmed and stressed.

Most of my anthologies and collections contain only novellas and short stories. Troll’s-Eye View also has poems. They were enough to break up the flow throughout the story and leave you with a smile on your face.

<- Why Light?Wizard’s Apprentice ->

Image source: Amazon

My Own Invention by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for mad hatters and march hares ellen datlow book cover

Title: My Own Invention
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Wordplay
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: There is always an Alice in the seventh square.

Synopsis

The knight from the chessboard has another Alice to watch, and there is a lot of wordplay while he does so.

Thoughts

One of the things that I love about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the incredibly insane wordplay. The fact that nothing quite makes sense and you feel like you’re on an intense trip. Well, Sherman captures that feeling perfectly in her short story, My Own Invention. It probably didn’t help that I had had a few glasses of wine when I read this story…

This tale almost takes a tiny snippet of Through the Looking-Glass and embellishes it with the experiences of the knight. The words are still twisted upon one another, and there are a few comments about there is always an Alice (implying that there are many). Like the original Carroll tale, I’m not really 100% sure what even happened in this… but I loved every minute of it!

<- Gentle AliceLily-White & the Thief of Lesser Night ->

Image source: Bookdepository

Wizard’s Apprentice by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for troll's-eye view book cover

Title: Wizard’s Apprentice
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Villains, Wizards
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And leave your boots by the door.

Synopsis

The evil wizard in the bookshop is about to take on a new apprentice, but their relationship is not all as it seems.

Thoughts

This short story made me smile. It’s a great start to a collection of villain-based rewritings of fairy tales. For starters, the evil wizard that is a pretty common standpoint of many fairy tales and modern retellings is not at all what you would expect. The apprentice (who I thought was going to be eaten or turned into a toad) is from the background that I was anticipating, but the actual apprentice himself wasn’t even remotely who I thought he would be.

This is the second short story that I have read by Delia Sherman, and something about her writing manages to infuse a subtle, cheeky sense of humour into her tale telling. Wizard’s Apprentice is a little less subtle than the other stories I’ve read by her, but it still has that great twisting joy that I’m beginning to associate with her name. It’s especially joyful and obvious at the conclusion of the short stories, there is a fun and entertaining twist that leaves a happy little smile lingering across my lips.

<- Troll’s-Eye ViewAn Unwelcome Guest ->

Image source: Amazon

Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Under My Hat

Title: Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron
Author: Jonathan Strahan, Diana Peterfreund, Frances Hardinge, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Charles de Lint, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Patricia A. McKillip, Tim Pratt, M. Rickert, Isobelle Carmody, Jane Yolen, Peter S. Beagle, Margo Lanagan
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Short story collections, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Collection
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “Was he?” asked Mari.

Synopsis

Broomsticks.
Black Cats.
Pointy Hats.

They can mean only one thing – somewhere nearby, there must be a witch. From fairy tales to fims to fiction, witches cast their spells and capture our imaginations.

Now the biggest names in fantasy and young adult literature have come together to make a little magic of their own. Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Diana Peterfreund, Margo Lanagan, Peter S. Beagle, and Garth Nix are just a few of the authors who have toiled over their cauldrons and conjured up bewitching new creations inspired by and celebrating the might and mystery of the witch. Assembled by one of the most well-regarded anthologists in the science fiction/fantasy world, this rich, intelligent collection will enchant readers of all ages.

Thoughts

Short story collections are always good fun. They’re a great way to discover new authors, and the common thread through them can be so unique and different. Sometimes I even struggle to find the common thread! Not with this amazing collection though. It’s simple. Witches.

Strahan did a great job of putting together this fun and cute little collection of witch-y tales and I’m actually kind of disappointed that it’s over. Although I bought it to read B is for Bigfoot by Jim Butcher, the rest of the stories really jumped out at me. It’s actually difficult to pick an absolute favourite – they all had this twisted, fun, unexpected adventure that they took me on. Closing the cover of the book, I feel like I’ve gone on journeys through distant lands (and realms) and come back to land squarely on earth. Which is actually kind of disappointing… time to find my next epic journey of witchcraft and wings…

<- Crow and Caper, Caper and CrowStray Magic ->

Image source: Frances Hardinge

October 2017

List, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 2017

October has been a super weird month, I’ve had a tonne of assignments due (finals here we come), quit a job and just generally felt a little lost and aimless. It’s meant a bit of reading since I tend to read when I’m overwhelmed, but I’m still feeling a little lost…

Image source: Van Vorst Park Association

The Witch in the Wood by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Under My Hat

Title: The Witch in the Wood
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Under My Hat (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I crashed through the undergrowth that separated us and dug my knife into the moss, cutting out a handful to pack into the hole my arrow had made.

Synopsis

Mildryth is a young witch who, until three years ago, lived in the woods with her mother. Ever since her mother’s death, she’s been alone, never coming into contact with another human being. She possesses great magical powers which her mother taught her how to use but only when necessary. While out hunting one day, she wounds a deer with her arrow, but before she can kill it, the deer turns into a man. She eventually discovers he is named Erdwyn, and that he is running from his destiny in the north country, a place Mildryth’s mother had warned her away from. As she nurses Erdwyn back to health, the pair fall in love, but when his wounds fester, she must risk everything to travel to the north country to find the only cure. While there, Mildryth learns amazing things about herself, but upon her return, she is pursued by the powerful wizard who rules that land and who will not allow her to live happily and peacefully with her true love.

Thoughts

I really like The Witch in the Wood. It was quite a cute and unorthodox little love story. I mean it starts with the first person voice recounting the day that she met the love of her life. Which is about the only predictable aspect of this short story.

Firstly, the history of the witch is completely vague and difficult to understand. She’s completely on her own and sure of her own powers. But it isn’t until the stag enters her life that she really has to test her knowledge and experience. After all, he might bring love into her life, but he also brings danger and threats.

Ultimately, the witch in the woods is a reminder that it is important to care for others and your family. That sticking up for yourself is a power all in its own right.

<- The Threefold WorldWhich Witch ->

Image source: Frances Hardinge