Tales for Canterbury: Survival, Hope, Future

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Tales for Canterbury: Survival, Hope, Future

by J.C. Hart (Goodreads Author) (editor), Anna Caro (Goodreads Author) (editor), Simon Petrie (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Lynne Jamneck (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Merrilee Faber (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), A.M. Harte (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Philippa Ballantine (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) , more…

4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 · rating details · 25 ratings · 5 reviews

Survival can be achieved in the face of seemingly impossible odds, hope found in the most unexpected places, and new futures slide into view where once was nothing.

Tales for Canterbury is an opportunity for readers everywhere to give support to the people of Christchurch, who have shown resilience and bravery as they work to rebuild their lives and city. This charity antho...more

Paperback, 287 pages

Published May 2011 by Random Static (first published April 2011)

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May 26, 2011 Zeborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, poc-authors, women-authors, anthology, fantasy, 2011, new-zealand

The first few stories had me on the verge of hyperventilating-teariness, they were that good at evoking the concept of survival. Many later stories were brilliant in other ways. Some others were less successful; one or two were so bad that the only reason I hesitate to name names is that this was a charity anthology for which none of the authors received payment. Besides, mileage varies or they wouldn't have been accepted in the first place.

In any case a few duds out of 34 stories leaves a lot o...more The first few stories had me on the verge of hyperventilating-teariness, they were that good at evoking the concept of survival. Many later stories were brilliant in other ways. Some others were less successful; one or two were so bad that the only reason I hesitate to name names is that this was a charity anthology for which none of the authors received payment. Besides, mileage varies or they wouldn't have been accepted in the first place.

In any case a few duds out of 34 stories leaves a lot of good stuff left over.

Tina Makareti's Shapeshifter was an absolute standout: her point-of-view character's voice and all the dialogue is just brilliant. Even if you don't adore well-done dialogue like I do, the story is perfectly crafted.

RJ Astruc's Desperately Seeking Darcy is... a mixture. I think it's probably best to read it as a parody of what Americans with no exposure to anything outside old TV and older books think Britain (and butlers and teenagers) is like. (The story is certainly intended as humour, just this aspect of it was a bit ambiguous.) If you can get into that mindset then you can concentrate on the story and the characters, and the characters -- especially Jessica -- are adorable.

Patty Jansen's Looking for Daddy is a zombie apocalypse story for people who don't like zombie apocalypse stories and I highly recommend it. (As opposed to Lynne Jamneck's Extract, which is closer to ordinary zombie apocalypse stories despite which disadvantage it hooked me in (and mildly triggered me, but I say this in a good way) and packed a cunning ending too.)

Some stats I compiled from curiosity:
* Of the 34 authors, 9 are men and 25 women, which makes a nice change.
* 26 seem to me to be white; 6 I'm not sure about though I suspect at least 5 of them are also white; 2 are people of colour including one Māori author. I know the anthology was assembled in a hurry but this is still a disappointing proportion.
* 23 identify as in or from New Zealand (including 4 in or from Christchurch); 3 are Australians and 8 are other overseas folk. This felt like a good mix.
* I didn't collect stats on sexual orientation, but from memory two of the stories featured a lesbian couple; also two featured an MTF character.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 A.M. added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: my-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 08, 2011 Merrilee rated it 4 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: anthology

Tales for Canterbury is a meaty tome, containing 34 stories. The authors come from all over the world but there is, of course, a greater proportion of antipodean authors in there.

I have to say that overall I enjoyed the anthology. I found the majority of stories thought-provoking, uplifting and amusing by turns. There were only a couple in the anthology that didn't move me, and only one I didn't finish.

I also discovered a number of new authors who I had never heard of. Who knew that New Zealand...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, sf, urban-fantasy, adventure

Excellent excellent excellent. And for a good cause. I couldn't possibly enjoy a collection of short stories more than I enjoyed this one. Get a copy, put your feet up and launch yourself into new worlds. :)

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Mar 23, 2011 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, anthology, short, stories, new, zealand, christchurch, earthquake, 22, febraury, 2011, eqnz, fundrasing, fundraising, literary, speculative, survival, hope, future, story, by, tim, jones

My review is now online at[return][return]http://timjonesbooks.blogspot.com/201...

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Shelves: anthologies

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About J.C. Hart

I am a writer, and reader of books. A full time mother and all around lover of words.

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