Morrie is not your average godfather. And he’s not one that you should cross… until David finds a way.
This story seriously made me think about a Discworld novel. I THINK it was Mort. The personification of death, his presence in a young man’s life and just the general humour which comes with such a story. Alright, it also painted death as somewhat cruel and petty. But mostly, I really enjoyed the light humour which wove it’s way through this short story.
I vaguely remember the original fairy tale upon which this short story was based. And I’m fairly positive it didn’t have the same happy ending that this one had. Instead of being a horrible, cruel ending… there was a nice sense of life coming full circle and the happiness of family being completed. I actually really liked that this had a happier ending… it was a nice change to some of the other fairy tales in the Black Thorn, White Rose collection.
This short story is about death, life and, sometimes risking it all because you love someone. It’s a good short story that left me feeling happy and complete at the end of the story. I actually kind of loved this tale, and the more I think about it, the more I love it.
Title: Billy Thunder and the Night Gate Author: Isobelle Carmody Series: The Gateway Trilogy #1 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Family, Fantasy, Young adult Dates read: 10th – 15th May 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Puffin Books Year: 2002 5th sentence, 74th page: Covering it over, she thought is was much better in sotires, where no one ever seemd to have to go to the toilet or eat or bathe.
Rage Winnoway’s mother has been asleep since she had a terrible accident. In a quest to find healing magick, Rage and her animal friends travel through a strange gateway to Valley, a land of mythical beasts, talking dogs and streets that change shape.
But Valley is no paradise. Harsh guardians rule a sinister black city, and fugitive witch folk work forbidden magick.
Rage desperately wants to go home, but the one person who can help her, a wizard, has disappeared. Her only guides are the treacherous firecat and an enchanted hourglass…
I first read this book when I was a lot younger. And it’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of picking it up. But now that I have… wow. It’s just as good as I remember. I picked up so many new nuances and moments throughout. And, having had the pleasure of actually talking to the author for an interview once, I can also see a bit more of her personality through the pages. All of which I found exceedingly pleasurable and wonderful. Fun and still impossible to put down, even if I did know exactly what was going to happen…
As a child, I related a lot to Rage and her loneliness. That, and her extreme attachment to her dogs. As an adult, I really haven’t changed. I still feel like I don’t quite belong with the rest of my friends, and don’t actually have that many friends. And I have a super strong connection to my dogs. The main difference between then and now? I’m happy with that reality. I have managed to collect a few true friends that I enjoy spending my time with… and the rest of it? I’m more than happy in the pages of a great book like this with my dogs fighting for primo-lap space.
One of the things that I have always found characterises Carmody’s writing is the use of a message in her writing. In the case of this novel, it is that sometimes rules aren’t that good. Sometimes you need to break the rules and stand up for yourself if the situation asks for it. The other message is about love and family. Not leaving those you love behind and staying loyal and true to those whom you love. Both are integral, unforgettable aspects of this storyline and you walk away feeling like being yourself is enough. And that you should always try to stick around for the ones that you love.
There is nothing so good as returning to a well-loved story from your childhood. Except, maybe, returning to a well-loved story from your childhood and discovering that you love it just as much as an adult. After all, it can be a little crushing when your memories don’t quite hold up to the reality. That is certainly not the case for this novel. Whether your young or old, male or female, if you like fantasy… you’ll love this.
Title: How I Met the Ghoul Author: Sofia Samatar In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fantasy Dates read: 14th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tachyon Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: You could say it’s in my blood.
It’s an interesting interview. One that was polite, intriguing, but not 100% remembered by the interviewer. This is how they met the ghoul.
This short story is about an interview. Which at the beginning I honestly found a little bit odd. I’ve read stories in interview format, diaries, dialogue, etc. But never a story that is a story about an interview. And then it leaves so many aspects of that interview out. It all makes it a wee bit confusing. But, ultimately, I actually understood why at the conclusion and found this style seriously enjoyable.
Ghouls aren’t something that I normally come across much in the stories I read, in fact, other than the Nicki Styx series, I’m not entirely sure I can think of another series of stories in which they feature. Which makes me seriously appreciate this short story. A unique paranormal creature and a different, contemporary way in which to deal with it. What isn’t there to like?
All in all, even though this was written in a format that I most definitely didn’t expect, it was definitely a fun read. Like most of the other stories in The Monstrous it dealt with the things that go bump in the night that we don’t normally think of. But, unlike the rest of the stories, it wasn’t quite so creepy and horrific. Mostly, it was just a good read that reminded me I should find some more “ghoul” books.
Title: The Light That Passes Through You Author: Conrad Williams In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fantasy Dates read: 8th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: EOS Year: 1998 5th sentence, 74th page: We tooled up and down the main drag, trying on sunglasses and hats.
It’s not always wise to visit the past. Especially when she comes with strings attached.
I think that everyone has that person in their past that somehow haunts them. Whether it is the what if person, the one you let get away, or just generally someone that you reminisce about the good times, even though they ended. I am also a strong believer in the idea that once that person has left your left, it’s probably for a good reason and you really don’t need to revisit that relationship. This story just drove home that belief for me.
From the very beginning, Louise had this incredibly intense and haunting quality to her. She was waif like at the beginning, and then, as her inner “light” returns, she becomes a haunting figure of a completely different quality. Although there was definitely a supernatural feel to the story, it was that haunting of the past that really stuck with me. That sense that you can never return and should never try to kept on jumping at me from the pages…
Although I wasn’t completely enthralled at the time, the more that I think about this short story, the more I appreciate it. There is lust and a sense of sexuality to the story that is so very subverted. It kind of lingers long after you turn the final page. One that I’m still experiencing as I write this review.
Title: Bitter Draught Author: Michael Earp In: Kindred (Michael Earp) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, LGBTQI Dates read: 7th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Walker Books Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: The stories say that shopkeepers and traders will hear a knock on their door close to midnight.
Simeon has always been content in his little world with his parents, his sister and Wyatt. But a horrible illness and a journey to find the village witch rip his world apart.
Starting this story, I was really intrigued to find out where the “bitter draught” was going to come from. I was honestly expecting something that dealt with prejudice or the difficulties in realising that you are LGBTQI+. But, it wasn’t that at all. Like the first few short stories in this collection, the fact that Simeon was gay wasn’t even dealt with in any way expect to say that he had a significant other who was also male. I love this acceptance and simplicity in the writing. What I wasn’t sure on though was what the “bitter draught” would then end up being…
Simeon’s desire to help his sister, even if it means following a floating pebble and finding a witch that he’s kind of scared of was a nice little journey. It didn’t have that horrifying intensity of some of the similar stories that I’ve read. But it still lent a sense of urgency to Simeon’s journey. The fact that cracks in his relationship with Wyatt begin to appear just helps lend this sense of surrealness and intensity to their adventure. Even if it is technically all about saving Simeon’s sister…
The reveal of the “bitter draught” at the end of this story is bittersweet. It’s not as tragic as I was expecting, but it is also quite sad. Mostly, this story serves as a reminder that sometimes the most painful thing in the world is just the truth. And that can be quite a bitter pill to swallow…
Title: Last Rites Author: Louise Cooper In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Death, Fantasy, Magic Dates read: 30th April 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: Again the warning gesture, but now the sly humour was back.
They’re in a world surrounded by chaos. And their leader is about to pass on… who will perform the last rites?
This was a seriously tripped out story. I did enjoy it. But I can’t really remember much of what happened… I suppose many of the more trippy stories that I read are like that though. They have this ethereal quality that makes you feel like you’ve forgotten what you’ve read… even though you only just turned the last page. And it’s kind of suited that a story about chaos does this so well…
I think that this is one short story that I’m going to want to read again and again. It is intriguing and was most certainly enjoyable. But I felt like I was constantly missing things as I went through the story. There were so many symbolic moments interwoven throughout the story and tales of chaos. Moments that may have a little more clarity to them after I read through this story a second time.
Definitely an enjoyable short story. One that I look forward to reading again in the future. It is the kind of story that will intrigue and enthral. The world of chaos and the questions it raises at the end… well, it was really quite intense.
Title: Can’t Catch Me Author: Michael Cadnum In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Fantasy, Retellings Dates read: 6th April 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Prime Books Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: It was a shock, I can tell you, and I think I might have been a little bit more prepared, but I know everyone says Mom and Dad should have done a better job, and I get tired of people blaming someone else for their problems.
Did you ever wonder why the gingerbread man ran? Or why they chased him? This story will answer all those questions…
I just finished reading this short story and I can’t get the rhyme “you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” out of my head. There is something very lyrical and stuck-in-the head about it all. And now I’m going to spend the rest of the night chanting that to my dogs and just generally freaking them out…
I’ve never really thought about how the gingerbread man felt in the story. Or even why so many people were chasing a cookie… but this short story definitely gave a new spin to an old classic. There is something in the way it’s written and the intensity of the story that made me go “duh” of course that’s the way that it was.
My favourite aspect of this story though was the very beginning. Something about those very first words completely drew me in and made me absolutely fascinated by the world in which “hot” is the beginner. And parents are just trying to do what’s best for you… even if it is keeping you in the oven.
Title: Ogre Author: Michael Kandel In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fae, Fantasy Dates read: 25th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Prime Books Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: At least he had no problem carrying.
All he wants is to put on an amazing play. But, with a series of blunders, an inept crew and a few others out to get him… things aren’t quite going as planned.
You know that a story is going to be kind of funny and really interesting when it starts out with someone telling another character to stop eating human flesh. Because it gives him bad breath. And that he can’t have that when acting. It’s a pretty interesting and funny start to a story. One that I was giggling about from the very beginning of this very short story.
I’ve never really had an inclination to do any form of acting. Just not my thing I suppose. But I do love the fodder that it provides for story telling. And the fact that this was shifted to include what I can only assume is a paranormal / fae cast (one of which I hope is an ogre) just made it all the more fun. And incredibly funny.
This is a seriously short story (only about 5 or 6 pages). But it’s just enough to make me enjoy Kandel’swriting and wonder at what else he has written. That, and just enjoy the journey that I got to go on with this writing in the first place. It is enjoyable, fun and totally unique. Definitely a short story that I won’t mind reading again.
A male escort and a famous woman are spending one evening together. But what they want from each other is a little more than anticipated.
Any story that starts off talking about an escort and a famous woman is going to be a little interesting… especially when it’s in a collection such as Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers. Then you just know that there is going to be FAR more to this story that initially assumed… after all, it’s a collection about lust and romance in the shadier sides of the supernatural world.
As soon as I saw that this was a Neil Gaiman short story, I got quite excited. There is just something about his writing that I absolutely adore and it draws me in immediately. I didn’t expect the way that this story would go at all though. To start with a male escort who has the powers of mind reading and then switch that to the woman who then completely turns the tables on him… it was a very different approach. And one that I just completely lapped up. I was actually incredibly disappointed when it was all over. I wanted to keep reading about this incredibly weird sexual couple.
The use of a succubus was kind of expected for the collection that I read this in. But the double use of this power and the different ways in which it was manifested was something of a surprise. It was also intriguing when I’m fairly certain that one of the couple was killed at the end… it’s not outright stated. But that’s how I like to imagine the ending of this story.
Title: In the Season of Rains Author: Ellen Steiber In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, Lust Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: EOS Year: 1998 5th sentence, 74th page: She reached a hand toward him and the scent of the datura became stronger.
Enrique has always pushed women away. Always kept himself in control of the relationship. Until one dark night when the rain is thundering down on his garden… then everything changes.
This short story had a great… quality about it. There was the sense of another (non-Anglo Saxon) culture about it. Although, it was a little vague on exactly which culture was inspiring the mythical woman in this story. I also loved the imagery of the garden and the rain. There is nothing like having a beautiful garden. And the sound and scent of rain surrounding it? Also stunningly beautiful. It worked well with a random, half-dressed woman strolling through the plants.
I felt like I should have had a little more sympathy for Enrique. But, honestly, I felt like he kind of got his comeuppance. He constantly wanted to show that he was less caring than the women he bought home. So he kind of got his poetic justice for using people. Fine, he did tell them that he wasn’t into commitment… but honestly, that’s just a kind of insane way to approach any kind of intimacy.
Although this story had a slightly dark feel to it, it also had me smiling all throughout. Probably because I really appreciated the poetic justice in it. There was just something refreshing and enjoyable about the whole story. Kind of like standing in the garden after a fresh rain.
Earth and Skye 