Tag Archives: Fantasy

Which Witch by Patricia A. McKillip

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Which Witch
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
In: Under My Hat (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 04.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: That thing at the bar had one hand on Quin’s shoulder and he wasn’t smiling anymore.

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Synopsis

Hazel is a witch who is part of a popular band made up of herself and her friends who are witches. She has a familiar, a crow named Cawley. The pair only recently found one another, and are still having trouble speaking each other’s language. Cawley knows an evil creature is following Hazel, putting her and her bandmates in danger, but he can’t seem to make her understand. As Hazel and her friends go on stage to play, the creature comes after them, which leads Hazel to learn something new about herself and one of her friends.

Thoughts

This was a really quick, fun and cute short story. Which means that this is going to be a quick and (hopefully) fun review.

The idea of witches and their familiars is nothing new. But, witches in a rock band, with their slightly unorthodox familiars hanging off of them definitely is. The ability to use music as a power was also a great angle that I didn’t expect. It’s a nice echo of the power that music has over people – literally. A song can change a life, sweep you away in its wings. But McKillip takes it another step.

Although I love the symbolism of music in this story, it’s the bonding between witch Hazel and her familiar Cawley that I found the most engaging. Not only is it sweet, but it’s a reminder that all good relationships take time.

 <- The Witch in the Wood Review The Carved Forest Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Payment Due by Frances Hardinge

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Payment Due
Author: Frances Hardinge
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I was inside.

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Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Caroline comes home from school one day to find that her naïve grandmother has allowed a bailiff into their home. The man has marked most of their worldly possessions as impounded and given them five days to pay their debt. When the ladies are unable to come up with the money, the bailiff returns to haul the items away. Both Caroline and her grandmother are distraught by this turn of events, especially since one of the items the man took was a picture of Caroline’s dead mother. With the help of her animal friends and a little magic, Caroline sets about taking back what’s rightfully theirs.

Thoughts

So many people take advantage of the elderly. I mean, I’ve seen the little dollar signs light up in people’s eyes when they see him coming. It’s horrible, but it happens. However, I have never taken it as far as this granddaughter when seeking to get revenge on how people have wronged him. It’s left me seriously admiring not only her gumption but her care for the lovely elderly lady.

As you can probably already tell, the beginning of this story was a little sad. A little old lady is taken advantage of, and all of her belongings are stolen. She tries to keep a brave face about it all, but it has obviously really upset her. But, that’s where the sadness ends. Quickly, her granddaughter hunts down the bailiff in an attempt to buy back the things that were taken. That doesn’t work, and then matters are taken into her own hands…..

 <- Stray Magic Review A Handful of Ashes Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Little Gods by Holly Black

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Little Gods
Author: Holly Black
In: Under My Hat (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 guess it doesn’t make much sense.

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Synopsis

As a little girl, Ellery attended church with her grandmother and imagined what it would be like if the statues of saints and angels came to life. At sixteen, she joined a Wiccan coven hoping to discover a little real magic. She and the other members of her coven travel to a distant farm where they meet up with other covens to celebrate Beltane. As the festivities get into full swing, she heads to the edge of the woods by herself, feeling disappointed that she hasn’t yet experienced any magic like what she’d dreamed of. But when a mysterious boy stops by to introduce himself, she may get exactly what she’s wanted for so long.

Thoughts

Although I’m not quite Wiccan, I do prescribe to a lot of their beliefs, and I have spent hours upon hours reading up about different covens, rites and practices. Which always makes it fun to read a story that is based around this system of being and existing. I also related ridiculously to the chief protagonist – she believes that there is something more in the world, and that she can almost feel it, it’s just out of reach.

One of my favourite things about this short story is that I thought we were heading for disaster. That the story would end with disillusionment and a return to a more “normal” life. But, luckily for me, it didn’t there was a feeling of total peace and happiness at the conclusion of this, and I was left with a smile lingering across my lips.

 <- A Handful of Ashes Review Barrio Girls Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Felidis by Tanith Lee

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Felidis
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: There was still a lamp burning in the lower room.

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Synopsis

Radlo is on a journey when a passerby stops him on the road to warn him not to go into the forest. He says an evil young woman with the eyes of a cat and covered in fur lives there. Thinking the man is mad, Radlo continues on his way, and when he reaches the other side of the woods, he finds a village. There, the people seems to like the cat-girl. Annoyed by all these tales he’s not even sure he believes, Radlo goads his way into meeting the cat-girl, and is shocked to find she’s real. Felidis looks exactly like the man on the road said, and she lives with dozens of cats, one of whom appears to be her favorite. Fascinated by her, he spends the night at her house, intending to leave the next day, but soon, one day turns into several, and several days into seasons. Radlo can’t seem to bring himself to leave Felidis and thinks he may be falling in love with her, but she says that she has no interest in marriage. After spending so much time with her, Radlo knows that she is a witch, but he has no idea how she works her magic. Before he finally leaves, Felidis offers to grant him a request in exchange for all he’s done for her. If she won’t give him her love, Radlo wants to know how she does magic, but the truth may surprise him.

Thoughts

One of the things that I love about short stories is the way in which they generally get turned completely on their heads. Or at least, some of the best ones – like Lee’s Felidis. A furry, clawed witch girl saves a boy. He falls a little in love. Then he finds out her truth. Which is completely unexpected and brilliant.

It took a little while for this story to gain traction, and for me to see where it was going. At the beginning of the story actually, I was finding it a little boring and fully expecting to put it down in disgust within moments. However, just at that crucial turning point, it dragged me in. Felidis was suddenly in the story with her cat companions and her mystery developed.

This was a really well written, slightly obscure short story. Unlike others, I don’t want to dive back into the world again, but I will happily read this tale again and again.

 <- Barrio Girls Review Witch Work Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Barrio Girls by Charles de Lint

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Barrio Girls
Author: Charles De Lint
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: They keep it up for hours.

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Synopsis

Ruby & Vida consider themselves “vampire-girls” due to the popularity of a book/movie series featuring vampires. Until they meet a “vampire witch” one night and decide they don’t like her — now they’ll be witch-girls and deal with this nasty thing.

Thoughts

I’ve never quite understood the teenage obsession with Twilight. Sure, I read it when I was a teenager, I didn’t mind it (back then), but I was never obsessed with the idea of a vampire boyfriend. Or being a witch, or really any of the books that I read – I just liked the stories. So, reading about Vida and Ruby’s disenchantment with this world was really quite enjoyable. The obsession annoys me, so their departure from it was fun.

Gangsters, vampires and witches make a really interesting combination in this story and the idea of growing up in a trailer park just helped to make it a little more enthralling and dark. An interesting late night read that gave me some very twisted and creepy dreams… after all, the girls ended up killing with kindness.

 <- Little Gods Review Felidis Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Legends of Australian Fantasy edited by Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan

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Overview

Legends of Australian FantasyTitle: Legends of Australian Fantasy
Editors: Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan
Authors: Garth Nix, Trudi Canavan, Juliet Marillier, Isobelle Carmody, Kim Wilkins, Sean Williams, D.M. Cornish, Ian Irvine, John Birmingham, Jennifer Fallon & Cecilia Dart-Thornton
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘And… and from the Charter, milady.’

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Synopsis

From two of the best editors working today … These are the legends of Australian fantasy – eleven of Australia’s best-loved and most widely read writers … Gathered together by equally legendary editors Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan to produce an entirely original compilation … Celebrate the legends of Australian fantasy. Extraordinary voices … extraordinary worlds. Come to Erith, to a faerie tale with a sting, or to Obernewtyn, long before the Seeker was born. Revisit a dark pocket of history for the Magician’s Guild or get caught up in the confusion of an endlessly repeating day in the Citadel. Cross the wall, where Charter magic is all that lies between you and death. A trip with a graverobber can be gruesome, and it’s hard to share the fear of a woman who must kill her husband if her child is to rule … A mysterious tale plays out in Sevenwaters. Catch up with Ros and Adi as they prepare for the greatest change of all. Other twists in these fabulous tales bring us to demonic destiny and an alternate WWII.

Thoughts

I love pursuing Australian authors – after all, I would love to be one one day, and they are my people. So, discovering that there is a book that features not one, not two, but nine of these phenomenal people made me break out in a huge grin. And I wasn’t disappointed. Actually, the main disappointment came when I finished the last novella and had to find a new anthology to go and read.

The pace of each of these nine novellas was entirely unique and, in most cases, quite unexpected. The only tie that they had to one another was that they are all fantasy stories, and they tied into a series or world created by the author. Which, ultimately means that I have another seven series to go out and buy (I already owned two). Sometimes, this kind of variety doesn’t really work. The stories don’t flow well and it is really just feels haphazard in how they’re collected. But, the short author introduction at the beginning of each story and the rationale behind the story worked brilliantly and made it a cohesive whole.

If you want a taste of the brilliance that some of Australia’s finest fantasy authors have to offer, I’d definitely recommend that you buy this book. Or borrow it, whatever tickles your fantasy. It was a fantastic welcome to a few new worlds and I’ve got a couple of new books to add to my shelves now.

 <- The Enchanted Review To Hold the Bridge Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Australia

The Spark by Sean Williams

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Legends of Australian Fantasy

Title: The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)
Author: Sean Williams
Series: The Change Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: The house-boy rushed into the room with a glass of water, which she accepted with gratitude and sipped as the fit subsided.

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Synopsis

‘The Spark’ sits midway along the timeline of the ten linked fantasy novels in the Change series – the Books of the Change, the Books of the Cataclysm, and most recently the Broken Land. Inspired by the landscapes of Williams’ childhood rather than European or indigenous Australian mythologies, Sean had no conception when he set out on this journey that the places he revisited would become such an enduring obsession. The people who occupied them, also.

His young protagonists Ros and Adi were left somewhat hanging at the end of the Broken Land trilogy, as had Sal and Shilly years before them, because the conclusion to their story lay beyond the purview of a series for young readers. Williams always intended to return, to see their knot tied, but the deeper he dove into their story the less, perversely, it became about them, or even about the landscape that originally inspired their world.

Yet in a very real way, ‘The Spark’ is the capping stone on the entire series. All the characters Williams loved are present, in one form or another, and all the motifs too. Loss, the passage to adulthood, the nursing and healing of old wounds – for me, that’s always what these stories have been about.

And love, too,  with which all can be endured.

Thoughts

I can’t get this story out of my head. And not in that irritating, it won’t leave and details are niggling away at me way. But that holy crap. That was amazing. I need to get more of these books! I want to know more about Adi and Ross. This story is epic. So now I just have to wait until I have some spare money to buy more of Sean Williams’ books…

I don’t often feel crazy about four act storylines, and the romance aspect of stories often feels tedious when I’m reading the tale. After all, boy meets girl, they fall in love, there is a problem, everything is resolved is the most standard storyline. And even the best stories do tend to read like this. But, it’s all about the journey. And for Adi and Ross, it is about the hunt for one another and true love. Reigniting the spark that has burnt between them for years.

Words that could describe the happy, warm fuzzy feeling that this novella left me with are pretty much impossible to come by. There is that feeling of happy contentment that you get when you finish a really good story. And The Spark not only left me with that, but also made the other stories I tried to read afterwards feel completely inadequate. I’m sure the feeling will eventually fade away though.

<- Crown of RowanThe Corsers’ Hinge ->

Image source: Harper Collins Australia

Rowan and the Travellers by Emily Rodda

Book Review, , ,

Overview

Rowan and the TravellersTitle: Rowan and the Travellers
Author: Emily Rodda
Series: Rowan of Rin #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: “Ogden does not know everything, it seems,” said Zeel.

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Synopsis

A mysterious danger threatens Rowan’s village, Rin. But who is the enemy? And what is the strange spell that is putting all the townspeople to sleep?

The Travelers, a roaming people who are friends of Rin, might be able to help, but Rowan isn’t sure he can trust them. Especially since they tell him that to find the answers to Rin’s problems, Rowan must go to the legendary, noxious Pit of Unrin, from which no living thing has ever returned.

Thoughts

The pride of the past could prove to be Rin’s undoing. That, and their unwillingness to accept anyone else of a different calibre and tradition than themselves. But, luckily for all of Rin, Rowan is there to save the day again. Again, he proves that strength and blustery courage isn’t everything, and that sometimes it is the very fear that can be someone’s best companion, and a people’s saviour.

The pride of the villagers of Rin is kind of grating in Rowan and the Travellers, but it is a good vessel through which to move the story. After all, it is their unwillingness to share and impart their gifts on their Traveller friends which leads to such distrust. In turn, the horrors that lurk in their home almost overcome the village as Rowan and Allun pursue the Travellers in an attempt to save their friends. Yet, it isn’t until Rowan willingly joins with a Zebak-Traveller that the key to the past is unearthed.

But, since this is a beautifully constructed story, discovering the horrors of the past isn’t the final step. Even when you know what lurks in the dark, how can you stop it from killing? You’ll just have to read the story to find out…

 <- Rowan of Rin Review Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

 

Rowan of Rin By Emily Rodda

Book Review, , ,

OverviewRowan of RinTitle: Rowan of Rin
Author: Emily Rodda
Series: Rowan of Rin #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Omnibus Books
Year: 1993
5th sentence, 74th page: “Marlie,” he said again.

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Synopsis

Bravest heart will carry on when sleep is death, and hope is gone.

Rowan doesn’t believe he has a brave heart. But when the river that supports his village of Rin runs dry, he must join a dangerous journey to its source in the forbidden Mountain. To save Rin, Rowan and his companions must conquer not only the Mountain’s many tricks, but also the fierce dragon that lives at its peak.

Thoughts

Fear is a good thing. I’ve always been told it tells us we’re alive. But, really, it also is a way to keep us alive. Yet, for the people of Rin, fear is shameful and courage is the leader of the day. Which is why I love the irony of the most fearful boy of the village being the hero of this story. After all, the very thing that they all take pride in is the thing that unravels them all.

Rowan of Rin is your typical misfit story. A young boy in a village that he truly doesn’t fit in. Struggling to figure out what his place is in the world. And just generally feeling insufficient and confused. Which really, we have all felt at one stage in our lives. The added complication of a heroic dead father, a possible new romance for his mother and the fact that no one quite wants him around just helps to compound the struggles that Rowan is forced to face. And makes his eventual triumph all the sweeter.

I love poetry – it is a great way to give a double sided meaning to the words that we use. And the riddles that Rodda employs throughout Rowan’s journey up the mountain are both wonderfully similar, and intricately difficult to decipher. After all, everything in them comes true, just not in the way that you’d expect. There’s something ridiculously enjoyable about sitting there, trying to guess what’s going to happen next from a few lyrical lines. And, as often as not, kind of guessing what is about to happen, but not being able to entirely predict the next move. After all, if you could guess everything that is going to happen, what would be the fun in that?

 <- Rowan of the Bukshah Review Rowan and the Travellers Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

 

A Captain of the Gate by John Birmingham

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

A Captain of the GateTitle: A Captain of the Gate
Author: John Birmingham
Series: The Disappearance Companion
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Fantasy, History
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: McKinnon, a great man by any measure, flawed as are all men, celebrated and reviled, a creator-destroyer of the first order, lies beneath a simple tombstone because he demanded it to be so.

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Synopsis

A ′What if′ story of the Cold War … a small piece of alternate history of the period told via a biography of one of its players, Lieutenant Branch McKinnon, an adventurer in a different post-WWII world of American isolationism.

Thoughts

I just don’t know what I think about this short story. I liked the tone, I liked the way in which it was written, but I wasn’t really sure whether or not it was even a story until I got to the afterword. I just don’t know enough about the history of World War II or even the Allied Nations to actually pull apart this fictional historical biography.

Once I got to the end of A Captain of the Gate, I loved and completely understood the concept of what the point of these 60 pages was. The idea of rewriting a history for all the ‘what ifs’ was brilliant. And the use of a hero (or villain) of this war’s biography and personal history worked well too. But, as someone who knows next to nothing about historical events (I swear I slept through that class), much of the intricacies of this storyline completely flew over my head.

Maybe if I did some research, I would understand (and enjoy) this story better.

 <- Tribute to Hell Review The Magic Word Review ->
Image source: Goodreads