Yaddith Times

I suspect I wasn't the ideal reader for this collection. Although I'm somewhat familiar with Kiernan's work -- I've read one novel, one novella, and a handful of their short stories -- I'm not a devoted fan. This particular collection has a deeply personal feel. Each of its twenty-five stories offers an afterword, explanatory or autobiographical or both. The vast majority first appeared in Sirenia Digest, a subscription-only ezine Kiernan produces.

Kiernan's brand of weird fiction is nearly impossible to describe. It's decidedly literary, atmosphere-forward, and influenced by their work in paleontology. There's a subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) vein of Lovecraft running through it, though it never approaches pastiche. This collection included a handful of what I would consider Lovecraftian stories, including one set in his Dreamlands. Quite a few others read more like SF, embracing themes of first contact or the discovery of alien artifacts. One or two were solidly climate fiction.

Although disturbing and well-crafted, however, many of the stories in this collection didn't seem to end in any conventional sense. I counted ten of the twenty-five as having distinct (often horrific) conclusions. The others read more like vignettes, either from the start or fluctuating between structured fiction and vignette throughout the reading experience. As someone accustomed to more conventional genre fiction, I found this frustrating -- even though I kept right on reading, pulled along by the disquieting effect of Kiernan's prose.

A few of Kiernan's themes also became somewhat repetitive. Dreams and dream retellings, visits to psychiatrists, and the miseries of freelance journalism all came in for possibly more than their share of attention. The deep ocean was also a frequent theme, but this is a bit more common in Lovecraft-influenced writing.

In the end, I wound up elevating my three-star rating to four stars solely on the strength of the writing itself, and on its eerily immersive quality. I suspect that Kiernan's more dedicated fans will find this collection a solid five star experience. My thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for providing me with an ARC.
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The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dark academia, multicultural witchcraft, and straight-up supernatural horror make a satisfying blend in Sylvia Moreno-Garcia's most recent foray into the shadows. As with many of her novels, this one is mostly a slow burn. The plotline stretches across three time periods -- 1908, 1934, & 1998 -- in both Mexico and New England.

Alba, a young Mexican woman (whose family may be cursed) in 1908, is the great-grandmother of Minerva, a 1998 graduate student -- who is in turn doing her thesis on Beatrice/Betty, a pioneering female writer of weird tales in 1934. When Minerva's research reveals Betty's own brush with the unexplained, she finds herself threatened by dangers both supernatural and otherwise. Her great-grandmother left her with a few valuable tips about witchcraft, but can the folk beliefs of rural Mexico possibly apply to the traditions of old New England? And if they do, will Minerva be able to access her own power in time?

It takes a while for the three separate story lines to intertwine completely, although each is compelling in its own right. Fortunately, Moreno-Garcia includes the appropriate date with each chapter. She also seasons the dark academia sections with intriguing book titles, some of which I may need to look up later. They feel very real, as do the practices and descriptions of rural Mexican witches. There's always something interesting to learn in Moreno-Garcia's novels, and this one is no exception.

The conclusion of The Bewitching owes as much to thriller-style pacing as it does to horror, and may wind things up a bit too neatly for some readers. I tend to prefer clarity, however, and was gratified that the author took time to tuck in loose ends. There is also an informative Afterword, detailing some of the more autobiographical aspects of this novel. Recommended for anyone who enjoys dark academia with intelligent heroines, or folk horror with a Mexican/South American flavor.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.




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A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Consisting of a novella, two novelettes, and a concluding Afterword, A Conventional Boy is a somewhat brief ( 211 pp. in my hardback) but highly entertaining series of sidetracks through the Laundry Files universe. The novella which gives the book its title details the adventures of Derek Reilly, a once-teenage Dungeon Master wrongly imprisoned by the Laundry a few decades back, during the Satanic D&D Panic. All Derek really wants to do is to escape for one weekend, to attend a local gaming convention . . . but it gets weirder than that, of course. A lot weirder. Derek's successful escape attempt brings him into the crosshairs of an actual group of cultists using the convention for their own eldritch purposes. This, in turn, brings in other members of the Laundry (some of whom sounded familiar to me), and chaos rolls on.

The two novelettes (at least one of which I've run into before in electronic form) are both Bob Howard adventures. Again, these are sidetracks rather than essential bits of the Laundry universe -- but regular readers will enjoy the extra details they offer. The Afterword is mainly an explanation of the D&D Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and how it happened to inspire this book. It's helpful to be familiar with tabletop role-playing games, though I suspect quite a lot of Stross readers (including myself) are.





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Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another meaty, detail-rich Tudor mystery for Sansom's somewhat unusual detective: a hunchbacked lawyer more comfortable with property cases than murder most foul. This time around, it's a double investigation set during the waning days of Thomas Cromwell's career in service to Henry VIII. Reluctantly assisting Cromwell, Matthew Shardlake must investigate the disappearance of a formula for Greek Fire -- while also attempting to save the life of a young woman accused of murdering her cousin. What could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, nearly everything. Sansom was a master at combining deep historical information with nonstop anxiety and frequent action scenes, & Dark Fire does not disappoint. Those particularly interested in or informed about this period in Tudor England will probably be even more anxious than the average reader. A brief (5 minutes' listening time) but comprehensive historical endnote helps separate fact from fiction, which I also found useful.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys English historical mysteries, & isn't afraid of extensive detail.



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When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


[My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]

When We Were Real is near-near-future SF, or possibly present-day SF in any one of a number of realities. The concept -- we are all living in a simulation, and were made aware of this seven years ago -- is intriguing. A varied cast of characters are on a bus tour organized by Canterbury Trails (two nuns this time, Chaucer lovers!), visiting a series of Impossibles left behind by whoever is actually running the simulation. These sites are all violations of the laws of nature, physics, or both, and the pilgrims themselves are pretty messed up to begin with.

The author's omniscient point of view allows him to shift from character to character, generally one character per chapter, as the story moves forward. This works well most of the time, though it took me a while to get everyone straightened out and keep track of whose personal plotlines were intersecting. The Impossibles themselves (beginning with a Frozen Tornado and progressing in orders of weirdness to the Zipper) are the most obviously sfnal bits of the book. The hard-science explanations of why they're Impossible do tend to bog down the narrative a bit, however

Gregory is a terminally witty writer, and I found myself highlighting numerous lines as I clicked through the chapters. The plot situations become increasingly bizarre, occasionally at the expense of clarity. If you're a fan of surreal, consciously literary work, this isn't likely to bother you. If you're accustomed to more conventionally linear texts, it may.

There's plenty to think about here, and more than enough action (physical and emotional) to keep the pages turning/clicking. The last couple of chapters, however, were a real disappointment to me. Although most plot entanglements get untangled, at least one does so in a brutally random manner. The resolution draws upon several possible endings -- which makes sense within the context of "reality" as a simulation, but leaves a last impression of vagueness. I'd call this a solid four-star read for those seeking SF-flavored Literature -- but for mainstream SF readers like myself, possibly a three.




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[Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ]

Looking for post-apocalypse adventure with less bleakness and more inspired world-building? Cary Groner's The Way may be your ticket. Set in the American Southwest some years after a cascade of disasters called the Mayhem, this near-future road novel follows a man on a life-changing mission from New Mexico to California. Accompanied by an aging Maine Coon cat and a resourceful raven (both of whom he can apparently communicate with), Will Collins travels in the shell of an F-150 pulled by two mules. Though well-equipped with supplies and trail savvy, he struggles with his Buddhist vow to lead a harmless life -- even as both critters and human hunters keep trying to kill him.

Will's backstory as the last surviving resident of a Colorado dharma center lends a unique flavor to this novel -- questions of right conduct being rare in post-apocalyptic fiction -- but occasionally slows down the narrative. For this reader, at least, there were times when his spiritual detours were hard to follow. These never descend to the level of preachiness, however, and the pressure of his human pursuers soon gets things moving again.

As science fiction goes, The Way is definitely on the softer side without becoming squishy. The scientific aspects of Disease X (which ultimately created the Mayhem) are well worked out, and the post-human landscape Will and his companions travel through is frighteningly believable. Character remains at the heart of this novel, however. Will is haunted by the memory of a love he believes long dead, writing her letters he "sends" by placing them in his campfires. Excerpts from these provide the reader with more snippets of background, though not all are immediately relevant.

Though it offers plenty of action and a few moments of flinch-inducing violence, The Way may not appeal to those seeking a hardcore post-apocalypse read. Others may find its combination of scientific speculation, spirituality, and literary touches exactly what they were looking for -- even if they didn't know it when they picked up the book. Recommended.

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you're a Brother Cadfael fan, or just enjoy detailed British historical fiction, you're likely to enjoy the first adventure of Matthew Shardlake. A lawyer in the time of Henry VIII (just post-Anne Boleyn, who figures prominently in the plotline), Shardlake & his reluctant assistant Mark Poer are sent to a monastery to investigate the murder of the last Commisioner sent there by Thomas Cromwell.

What follows -- besides several more murders -- is a well-crafted whodunit steeped in Tudor history. For a hunchback, Shardlake manages to get himself into a remarkable number of action scenes. Yet he is first & foremost a thoughtful, haunted man who is discovering the darkest secrets of his employer, Cromwell.

If you're the sort of reader who appreciates author notes futher explaining the history -- & changes made for the sake of plotting -- C.J. Sansom includes those as well. Recommended for historical mystery enthusiasts not afraid to get deep in the weeds, though the journey is worth it.



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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


[My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.]

Although this novel presents itself as a fairy tale for grown-ups -- and a very effective one -- the magical land at its heart, Shenandoah, turns out to be the creation of a thirteen-year-old girl. A very gifted, troubled thirteen year-old girl, who was kidnapped several years before the start of this novel. When her younger stepsister (separated by adoption) hires a noted missing-persons expert to find her, he turns out to have his own experience of being lost -- and his own connection to Shenandoah. He also has an artist friend who was lost with him in Shenandoah, but no longer remembers the experience. He does, however, remember how to get them all to one possible entrance.

And we're off!

This was a truly delightful reading experience -- though, like all authentic fairy tales, The Lost Story holds its share of darkness. There is plenty of death and more than a little abuse in the back stories of these characters. The artist -- who turns out to be more than a friend to our missing-persons expert -- has unfinished business with his father. The sisters only want to stay together. No one wants to leave Shenandoah, although it offers little of the security of twenty-first century America. As the plot winds tighter, however, it becomes increasingly evident that wishes do not always come true in this enchanted place. Can a rewrite fix it?

As in Meg Shaffer's previous novel, The Wishing Game, the characters here seem slightly off-center from our reality. This doesn't get in the way of them being immediately sympathetic. There are also several pop culture referents (Stevie Nicks, Firefly, Trapper Keepers) which may not hold up well over time. The spirit of true storytelling, though, is another matter -- and The Lost Story has that in spades.

Recommended for anyone in need of medicine for melancholy.




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Extinction by Douglas Preston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


[Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.]


This well-crafted, science-forward thriller offers a full helping of everything Douglas Preston's readers (also Preston/Child readers) have come to expect. Set in the high finance altitudes of Colorado, at the kind of resort mostly found in thrillers and Bond movies, it quickly escalates from a Jurassic Park riff with "de-extincted" mammoths to a grisly double homicide.

And then it gets weirder.

When Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash is made agent-in-charge of the investigation, she's not sure whether she's been given a promotion or a big chance to fail. Fortunately, she and local county sheriff James Colcord manage to leave the corporate breadcrumb trail laid for them and actually find information. Lost mine maps, disregarded scientists, and a ticked-off movie producer all contribute to a series of discoveries neither of them want to make, but can't avoid.

It's hard to get more specific than that without dropping spoilers, but suffice it to say that this is a highly effective cautionary tale. Combined with Preston's short, POV-switching chapters, this allows the plot to barrel along without getting bogged down in what is actually a lot of speculative science. For curious readers, Preston also provides a chilling Afterword about that science.

Characterization isn't really the point of thrillers, but I was impressed by Frankie Cash (an actual grownup female, possibly over 40!) and the not-quite-a-good-ol'-boy Sheriff Colcord. The big-money, morals-optional villains were more stereotypical, though sadly quite believable. The depth of entertaining scientific detail was impressive. If this is the first of a new series -- which is hinted at the end -- I'll be preordering the next.




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Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


As someone who listened to & very much enjoyed The Hacienda, this was a disappointment. The former novel was a fine historical Gothic, with touches of romance. Horror was the primary focus of the plot, & interpersonal relationships served to carry that plot.

Vampires of El Norte is essentially a well-written historical romance, with a side order of horror. The vampires are indeed there, & very imaginative ones they are -- but a childhood romance rekindled is the primary plot focus. This wasn't what I signed on for as a reader. Despite some fascinating historical details about Mexico beginning the process of independence, & even more intriguing information about Mexican folk medicine, I was very unsatisfied by this listen. For me, it was simply the balance -- or lack of it -- between terror & romance. I also did not find the protagonists (particularly the young woman Nena) entirely sympathetic or believable, though the author did keep me caring about them enough to finish the book.

Readers who enjoy historical romance with touches of horror -- or at least atmospheric dread -- might find this at least a four-star read. Horror readers who enjoyed The Hacienda & are expecting something similar should probably look elsewhere.



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