Yzabel / July 7, 2014

Review: Tales of the Hidden World

Tales of the Hidden WorldTales of the Hidden World by Simon R. Green

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Seventeen delightfully unexpected stories from Simon R. Green–including a brand-new adventure of the Droods–take us deep into the Darkside, embroil us in the Secret Histories, and lead us into the shadowy places where monsters and demons roamWelcome to the worlds of Simon R. Green. In this wide-ranging collection, the “New York Times”-bestselling urban fantasist opens doors into hidden places: strange realms bordering our own mundane existence and prowled by creatures of fancy and nightmare. Here are the strange, frequently deadly–and sometimes even dead–things that lurk in garbage-strewn city alleyways and grimy subway stations after midnight, visible only to the most perceptive human or inhuman eye.In these tales, Green revisits the ingenious worlds within worlds that he created for his wildly popular novels. Take a stroll on the Darkside with a jaded street wizard, an underpaid government functionary responsible for keeping demons, vamps, and aliens in line. Enter the hidden recesses of Drood Hall, where the aging family member who creates powerful weapons that protect humankind recalls his long and bloody career. Join a squad of no-longer-human soldiers dispatched to combat the all-consuming jungle on a distant planet. Visit a house at the intesection of two realities that serves as a sanctuary from the evil of “all” worlds. Confront the unstoppable zombie army of General Kurtz in a brilliant homage to “Apocalypse Now.” And whatever you do, never forget that there “are” monsters out there. Really.Each story includes a new afterword by the author.

Review:

(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I’m not quite sure what to make of this anthology. I only know Simon R. Green through his Hawk & Fisher series, of which I only read the first volume, so I applied for this one thinking it’d make a good introduction to his writing in general, but… I’m not so sure anymore. For instance, the first story, for instance, deals with the Armourer of the Drood family, and while I mostly got what it was about, it feels like not knowing the corresponding series is a slight problem. Or maybe it’s just me.

Also, I admit I skipped the second story (“Street Wizard”), because I had already read it a few weeks ago in another anthology.

Most of those stories were rather dark, which was all right with me, since I was in a mood to read about characters put in such situations. I guess mostly my problems with this anthology stemmed from the choice of stories, whose plots in general didn’t seem so thrilling, and whose twists were fairly predictable (“Dorothy Dreams”), or kind of flat (“Down and Out in Deadtown”). The last third of the book is made of older shorts dating back to the 70-80s, and they feel different, incomplete, somehow… unfinished? The last two in particular puzzled me: the prequel was printed after the “main” story, and it removed all suspense as to whether the characters would survive their adventure. I don’t really understand that choice.

I read Hawk & Fisher in French, not in English, so I can’t compare the author’s style here with that in his novels. When it comes to this specific collection, I thought it was heavy on the adverbs.

All in all, lots of good ideas, but not so well executed.

Yzabel / May 22, 2014

Review: Magic City: Recent Spells

Magic City: Recent SpellsMagic City: Recent Spells by Paula Guran

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Bright lights, big city . . . magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team’s “curse” can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call—it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years is gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.

Review:

(I got a copy from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

As usual when anthologies are concerned, there are stories one will like, and stories that won’t cut it at all. What I can say about this one, before I ge to the stories individually:

1) Those are reprints. If you’re relatively new to urban fantasy as a genre, and/or usually don’t read anthologies, I think it should be all right. Otherwise, you may already know quite a few of those stories.

2) It may not be tremendously representative of urban fantasy, depending on how you perceive this genre.

3) The book began with the stories I liked the least, and I almost stopped reading at that point. Therefore, I’d advise not reading them in order.

#1 STREET WIZARD: To be read as an introduction rather than a story with a definite plot and punchline. A kind of “slice of life” story, that gives the reader a glimpse into what urban fantasy may entail, but not particularly exciting.

#2 PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Not convinced. The MC’s move (ditching her date) was pretty rude and uncalled for. Because the guy isn’t what you expected doesn’t mean he doesn’t at least deserve a “sorry, not working for me, I’m saying bye”. What’s with those characters who can’t be ballsy enough to enact basic courtesy?

#3 GRAND CENTRAL PARK: Interesting enough, I liked the ending more than the story itself, though.

#4 SPELLCASTER 2.0: Loved the premise, but not the moralistic aspect (nor the intrisic misogyny).

#5 WALLAMELON: I quite liked this one. Its themes are fairly common (the cost of magic, growing up and out of childhood beliefs), but touching nevertheless.

#6 -30-: Not to be read if you’re a writer who has hopes for his/her craft: it’s rather depressing. Worst, 2nd person POV is definitely a terrible idea. I won’t recommend that one.

#7 SEEING EYE: One of my favourites, properly wrapped up, with a definite resolution at the end, but also a couple of openings leaving room to the reader’s imagination.

#8 STONE MAN: Another one I liked. While dealing with serious prospects, it also leaves room for hope and fighting back—both for the main character and when it comes to the bigger picture.

#9 IN THE STACKS: A librarian’s dream come true… Well… A nightmare, rather? Another winner in my book (pun intended). Nobody ever belittle the job of a librarian now!

#10 A VOICE LIKE A HOLE: I liked the theme, but I felt that the story stopped just where it should’ve started. Weird.

#11 THE ARCANE ART OF MISDIRECTION: Not so surprising in theme (normal person discovering magic hiding right under her nose), but with an interesting setting (casino, hotel), and with the kind of magical effects I tend to like.

#12 THE THIEF OF PRECIOUS THINGS: I’m not really sure what to make of this story. I liked its atmosphere, eerie with magic, shapeshifting, a sort of lingering despair, and promises of both hope and dark days to come. I didn’t get a feeling for the characters, but in a way, it’s like it doesn’t really matter.

#13 THE LAND OF HEART’S DESIRE: Hard to tell where this one was was going. I didn’t really feel any sense of direction in it, and it seemed to lack purpose, despite the theme it dealt with.

#14 SNAKE CHARMER: Classic take on revenge. Not developed enough to my taste.

#15 THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB: Drag queen werewolf protagonist: not something you see everyday. Nice one about accepting people for who they are, no matter how different.

#16 THE WOMAN WHO WALKED WITH DOGS: Shadow dogs, always with their owners, yet never seen by those who don’t believe in them… until they’re needed. I’d like a Shep, too.

#17 WORDS: Words have power. Words have magic. Is it wise to annoy the ones who wield true words? Not so much. A retelling on the theme of the Rattenfänger, and one that somewhat resonated with me (perhaps because I fancy myself a writer, too?).

#18 DOG BOYS: New boy in school, thrown into gang hostilities. Likeable protagonist, who does what feels right, even though he knows he’ll get into trouble.

#19 ALCHEMY: Another one I liked. Quiet, and full of questions regarding knowledge: is the price to pay worth it? And if something is gained through other means than our own, is it really so interesting in the end?

#20 CURSES: Short story with Harry Dresden. Not as powerful as the novel-length stories, but still pretty much in the “Dresden Files” spirit.

#21 DE LA TIERRA: A twist on immigration stories. I liked how it dealt with misinformation, and how the latter can push people to do what they think is right, but isn’t necessarily so.

#22 STRAY MAGIC: Cute and moving story. This one should appeal to animal lovers.

#23 KABU KABU: Quite enjoyable, if (like me) you like crazy rides with strange landscapes and creatures from folklore. Also interesting for its take on one’s identity, since Ngozi, the protagonist, is somewhat estranged from her own culture.

#24 PEARLYWHITE: More on the horror side. Somewhat weak on the protagonists, because there are several, and a short story isn’t the best format to develop them. But I still liked it, as well as the gleam of hope at the end.

Yzabel / December 17, 2013

Review: Steampunk Omnibus

Steampunk OmnibusSteampunk Omnibus by Michael Coorlim

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

The Steampunk Omnibus is a collection of the best-selling titles from the Collected Bartleby and James Adventures and the Gentlewoman’s Chronicles anthologies of steampunk mystery and thriller fiction. These seven stories build a world of Edwardian adventure in a galvanic century.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #1688 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 to 4 stars for this book. I definitely advise anyone wanting to discover Michael Coorlim’s alternate Victorian world to do so through this omnibus: separately, the stories might seem a little too short, but put together, they form a larger web, whose threads interconnect one narrative after the other. You can also tell that each story gets better than the other, reflecting the author’s work in that regard, and this is a process I always find interesting.

The first five stories focus on Alton Bartleby and James Wainwright, two consulting detectives who took a page from Sherlock Holmes and use their complementary talents and skills to solve the mysteries thrown in their way. The last three star Aldora Fiske, who lacks neither courage nor resources. All three face various threats with guts and smart minds, and their adventures are an equal mix of action and late Victorian/early Edwardian decorum. And if you’re careful enough, you might even read between the lines quite a few darker revelations.

While Alton is delightful in his manners, and James is quite the badass engineer, I especially liked Aldora’s parts, for the added conundrum of having to behave like a lady, when all she wants is to be herself—the reason behind her little arrangement with Alton, in order for her to preserve as much freedom as possible without alienating society. This, for me, accounted for what I thought at first like too fickle a mind regarding other male characters, but turned to be, in fact, quite logical, her engagement being more for show (although there’s no doubt Alton and Aldora are good friends no matter what).

The one thing I’d really hold against these stories were their length: some parts, in my opinion, would have fared better with a little more development (especially in the Alton & James stories, in fact). Those “missing details” might be addressed in other, individual stories that aren’t in this omnibus, though, in which case reading them could prove useful. As it stands, they were just the little thing that I kept on looking for, and couldn’t find. Overall, though, this omnibus was a really pleasant read.

Yzabel / June 25, 2013

Review: Diverse Energies

Diverse EnergiesDiverse Energies by Tobias S. Buckell

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

“No one can doubt that the wave of the future is not the conquest of the world by a single dogmatic creed but the liberation of the diverse energies of free nations and free men. No one can doubt that cooperation in the pursuit of knowledge must lead to freedom of the mind and freedom of the soul.”
—President John F. Kennedy, from a speech at University of California, March 23, 1962

In a world gone wrong, heroes and villains are not always easy to distinguish and every individual has the ability to contribute something powerful.

In this stunning collection of original and rediscovered stories of tragedy and hope, the stars are a diverse group of students, street kids, good girls, kidnappers, and child laborers pitted against their environments, their governments, differing cultures, and sometimes one another as they seek answers in their dystopian worlds. Take a journey through time from a nuclear nightmare of the past to society’s far future beyond Earth with these eleven stories by masters of speculative fiction. Includes stories by Paolo Bacigalupi, Ursula K. Le Guin, Malinda Lo, Cindy Pon, Daniel H. Wilson, and more.

Review:

I got an ARC of this anthology through NetGalley last year, and have just realised I didn’t post a review back then—I suspect I finished it at a moment I didn’t have time to do so, and then it unfortunately slipped my mind.

Most of the works I read are pretty much Caucasian-centred, and I thought this book would provide me with a nice change, as well as with an opportunity to learn more about some cultures I’m not too familiar with—I’m utterly convinced that learning this way, for someone like me, is a solid bridge to wanting to learn more afterwards, and this han’t proved wrong yet. The different cultural points of view developed in the dystopian stories here turned out interesting, and shed light on some very logical aspects I probably wouldn’t have considered at first, due to my own ignorance.

Of course, as is mostly the case in anthologies, some stories I enjoyed more than others (“Next Door”, “Solitude” and “The Last Day” being my favourite ones), but as a whole, “Diverse Energies” holds its ground with a steady momentum, and doesn’t disappoint. At the same time, I also appreciated that this book didn’t give the impression of being the proverbial stone thrown to get the pond to ripple: it was, all that simply, logical, which is in my opinion a very strong point.

Yzabel / November 7, 2012

Review: Tales The Wind Told Me

Tales the Wind Told MeTales the Wind Told Me by Rachel Eliason

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

A collection of imaginative tales of myth and magic. Enter a world where a woman must seek her sleeping beauty, a girl must dance with death and trolls walk the streets of Des Moines, Iowa. This is the world of Rachel Eliason, where myth and magic are interwoven with everyday life. It is a place of far flung science fiction and imaginative prose. Aliens manipulate their DNA to create the ultimate caste system, corporations conspire to make you fat and just this once, the sissy gets to be the hero.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #52 in the We ♥ YA Books! group, in exchange for an honest review.)

This collection of short stories I found particularly enjoyable, focusing as it did around two sets of themes that were both explored in interesting ways: folklore and tales (trolls, the Boondangle spirit, Sleeping Beauty…), and LGBT-related issues (which would definitely deserve to be ‘advertised’ more, because they’re part of the book’s strong points). The author’s own evolution is reflected in those stories, and what’s at stake in them is carried in ways that seem just natural—in the open, but also with a certain subtlety that makes them flow.

As usual with short stories, every reader has his/her favourite ones. I definitely liked the “Troll stories” a lot, for the way they integrate myths and changeling creatures into urban everyday life. “Dancing with Death” was really poignant, and a beautiful lesson about how to accept death, leaving your beloved ones with dignified memories of yourself. “The Boondangle” had me reflect on quite a few things, especially how we may think we have accepted parts of ourselves that we actually dread, and how easy—yet also damageable—it would be if those were to be taken away from us. Finally, “Gemone” was a wonderful story that definitely holds potential for more, for being even turned into a novel, in terms of plot, world building, characters and thoughts; the society developed in it was, simply put, fascinating.

As for editing matters: I noticed a few typos and editing issues here and there; the only one that bothered me was in “Gemone”, with a tense shift whose role I didn’t understand (either it’s just me, or it was remnants of an original version written in the present tense?).

Yzabel / February 23, 2007

A Victory Over My Fears

This may seem odd, but in my case, I think I’ve just crossed a new threshold.

This afternoon, after having made sure that no typos nor spelling mistakes remained, I sent Au sein de la nuit and La Dévorante to the 5eme Saison French publishing house for their free theme. And that was… surprising. A sort of huge change in my little world.

I explain: writing, editing, sending the short story to proof-readers, applying their corrections, modifying the text hoping it’s for the best… all of this is easy. Annoying at times and leaving me with the need to rip my hair off, but easy. On the other hand, what is harder for me is to actually send the texts once I’m done with them. By doing so, I’ll now be running the risk (which is real, I admit) to see them rejected for a reason or another. I’m standing in front of failure, more than of success. And the fear of failing is something one definitely needs to triumph over. It is useless to tell oneself  “I want to be published” if it’s to keep all those short stories bundled up in a drawer or on the PC, and if it’s to end up not sending the texts. (Note: I am indeed able to pull a “oh, what a shame, I had completely forgotten the deadline, now it’s too late! It’s such a shame, indeed!”)

So, it’s official: I’m ready to accept failure, and it has helped to increase my chances of getting published. Because if I don’t take part in and don’t send my stories, said chances drop to 0 anyway, right.

And even if my short stories are crappy without me realizing it, which is probably the case, at least I’ll have won something treasurable: new knowledge regarding all those little writing quirks and mistakes I should correct. (And good pals, too: the people who accepted to proof-read my stuff.)

In other words, progress came with those short stories, and I’m not afraid anymore.

Yzabel / January 29, 2007

Progressing: 4 short stories

Once again, I failed at keeping this blog updated… well, not as much as last year, that is. This time, it was for a good reason if there’s any: as you can notice in the sidebar (warning, it’s boasting time), I’ve finished three short stories answering to themes proposed by a few French publishing houses and magazines. Truth be told, I’ve actually written four of them, but the last one is more a rewriting than something completely new, and as such, I haven’t put it in the list.

Will these short stories be published? Nothing is certain here. This said, once I’ve properly proof-read them, I will send them, which will cause my chances of publication to soar through the sky–as stupid as it seems, before that, I’ve always been too shy to send anything, silly me!

I’m however resuming classes now, and will write more slowly… Nevermind, I already have caught sight of a couple more themes, and I’ll do what it takes to write some more by then.

Note: For those of you who read French, on Yzabel.net, I’ve added a page dedicated to keeping tracks of my submissions, nicely nicknamed “the rake list”. There, I’ll note down received comments, rejections, portential approvals, etc.

Yzabel / January 12, 2006

My Problem With Short Stories

I’m going to come out of the closet for this one and admit that I haven’t been very talented with short stories. Yet.

While working on novels is all nice and well, these take time, and I’m not going to sit on my bottom waiting for the world to go on running. This is the reason why I’ve also been turning to ‘calls to arms’ for short stories, in order to have something else to munch on. A certain amount of French magazines and anthologies regularly hold these, and if chosen, the story goes the publishing road. Sure, it’s not much in itself. However, it seems fine enough for a start, as well as a sort of introduction to being published, right?Read More