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A Series of Ordinary Adventures

by Stevie Carroll (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 11 ratings · 8 reviews

A wander down a country pathway, a cruise vacation in the Mediterranean, a school reunion, a sandwich eaten in the park - in the stories of Stevie Carroll, the mundane becomes tantalizingly magical. A footballer’s mistress gets more than just an apartment when her lover tries to keep her in style; a rock-and-roll bass player finds out that second chances aren’t all they’re...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 22nd 2012 by Candlemark & Gleam

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Aug 27, 2012 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthologies, science-fiction, fantasy

The first story in this anthology I found to be disappointingly pointless. Fortunately, later stories improved.

"Hawks and Dragon" features a woman who, for no apparent reason, discovers she can transform herself into a time traveling hawk and then rescues a dragon. Honestly, it doesn't make a great deal of sense--things happen for no particular reason, she adapts to world-shattering information without a second thought or question for the implications, and there's no real character arc to speak...more The first story in this anthology I found to be disappointingly pointless. Fortunately, later stories improved.

"Hawks and Dragon" features a woman who, for no apparent reason, discovers she can transform herself into a time traveling hawk and then rescues a dragon. Honestly, it doesn't make a great deal of sense--things happen for no particular reason, she adapts to world-shattering information without a second thought or question for the implications, and there's no real character arc to speak of. Why hawks? Why dragons? Why care?

But after that first story, which nearly made me give up on the book, the rest drastically improve. For example, "The Woman Who Hatched a Fairy's Egg" is an incredibly sweet story about an artist trying to rebuild her life after it is destroyed by grief. "Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur" is not so different from some other stories I've recently read, but the protagonist and her new friend are sufficiently endearing and the humor has enough gentle warmth that I did not particularly care and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. "Seven For the Devil" is the stereotypical story of the musician who is offered a choice by the devil and discovers that the terms are far more horrific than he had initially realized. A lesser story would have ended on that awful irony. This one instead uses it as a jumping off point to explore how one copes with the consequences of such a decision.

The characters are for the most part decent and likable people, who are portrayed convincingly through small details. Many of them also happen to be some variety of queer, which is dealt with in a matter-of-fact way as backstory but not driving motivation. This character happens to be female and straight and a ghost, that one happens to be male and gay and terribly shy, a third is transexual and grieving for a partner and not entirely sure where she wants to go from here. While almost everyone is English, they're of varying ethnic backgrounds as well. And none of it's a big deal. It's nice, and something I'd love to see more of.

There's a lot of promise here, but several of the stories (most especially that first one) show a lack of discipline--short stories give you so little room to maneuver in, every detail has to count. And in many of these, the pacing is more like a novel, where there's time for minor digressions. But even in a novel, each description, each incident, each exchange needs to move forward either the plot or a character's arc. And these could do with a little more of that direction and tightness. But I look forward to seeing what else Carroll has to say. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2012 Susie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: british, contemporary, fantasy, favorite, indie, insatiable-booksluts-reviewed, short-stories

I gave this book 4.5/5 stars on InsatiableBooksluts.com (A digital ARC was provided by Candlemark and Gleam.)

Review excerpt:

"Series could be called–and, I guess, will be called, as I’m calling it that right now–adult fairy tales. Not the Disneyesque idea of a fairy tale, where everyone is a princess, a prince, or a witch, and everything is wrapped up in the happily ever after; nor, I’d say, a story à la Brothers Grimm, dark and twisted and often tragic. Rather, these stories about ordinary peopl...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Snuggles with Rainbows rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-review, half-empty-half-full, meh, moving-on-up, pie-time, soooo-sweeeeet, too-good, totally-worth-the-wait

The Synopsis is a hundred percent correct folks! This book holds a collection stories that seem mundane at first but soon you discover the eeriness behind their initial premise. It’s different, it’s weird, and it’s so much fun.

For me, Anthologies seldom come by, so the moment I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately snatched it up and to my surprise had a blast reading this.

Some points I would like to share:

1.Buy 1 get 7

I don’t know much about math…or money for that matter actually. But when y...more

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May 09, 2012 April Steenburgh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, short-stories

They are the people you pass on the street, sit next to on the bus. They are the heroes of personal triumphs, victims of personal tragedy. This is a book of little things- small casts, snippets of lives- but the way Carroll writes them makes them so very grand. The fantastic is woven so adeptly into the mundane that you don’t even know it is there until you meet the Minotaur at the center of the Labyrinth, shatter a luck curse, hatch a fairy egg, or deal with the Devil at midnight.

It is that atm...more They are the people you pass on the street, sit next to on the bus. They are the heroes of personal triumphs, victims of personal tragedy. This is a book of little things- small casts, snippets of lives- but the way Carroll writes them makes them so very grand. The fantastic is woven so adeptly into the mundane that you don’t even know it is there until you meet the Minotaur at the center of the Labyrinth, shatter a luck curse, hatch a fairy egg, or deal with the Devil at midnight.

It is that atmosphere that drew me in and kept me reading. Carroll’s deft hand at lending magical and frightening things a rather nonchalant air makes each story stand out from regular literary fantasy fare. Stories range from heart warming to horrifying, but whatever atmosphere Carroll is weaving, his adept web of words caught my attention and held me until the end.

There were a few stories that particularly got me as I was reading, either causing a rash of goose flesh to march up and down my arms or prompting me to seek out my cat for some impromptu (and probably unwelcome on the feline end of things) cuddling.

‘Breaking the Silence’ is about a close coterie of school boys who owe their successes in life to the bully they only half remember and an incident in a dusty attic of the school house. It is an absolutely, believably, horrifying piece. ‘The Woman Who Hatched A Fairy’s Egg’ may be my favorite in the collection. It is a story about self and belonging and confidence and love. And an egg found on the front step is the catalyst for it all. Simply a beautiful story. I am genuinely just very fond of ‘Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur’. It was well- written, fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Shady deals with the Devil are a staple of myth/folklore-based writing, and it was wonderful to see it represented in Carroll’s collection in ‘Seven For the Devil’. As usual, the deal does not go as planned for the mortals in the mix, and the protagonist scrambles to set things right. What set this story apart from others with the same theme is the protagonist- a genuinely likable person who makes human decisions- and the friend he continues to seek out, who happens to be a rocker-turned-preacher.

Grab a copy. Curl up somewhere comfortable. Enjoy your trip through familiar places turned strange in wonderful ways.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 Amy added it

Shelves: started

This is a collection of short stories that I just couldn't finish. I read the first two stories, and, honestly, I just gave up. I didn't much like the way they were written, but the subjects were quite interesting. Sorry I gave up on you, book. Maybe we'll meet again under different circumstances.

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Aug 17, 2012 Charlie Cochrane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great holiday reading. Mr Singh is my hero...

1 like · like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 sj rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: end-of-the-world-challenge, faeries-dragons-and-or-magic

Probably the best book of short stories I’ve read in FOREVER. Honestly, I’d kind of given up on short fiction, cos it’s not really my bag usually. This, though? This was totally my thing. Yes, not every story was totally mindblowing, but there were only one or two that just didn’t click with me. The three I mentioned in the haiku were THE BEST. Highly recommended.

Originally posted (with a review haiku) here.

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Jun 17, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

I great collection of stories where the everyday is transformed into something magical.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Arietta Bryant marked it as to-read

Shelves: fiction

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Apr 10, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: 1-from-the-library

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Shelves: net-galley, anthology, 2013, m-m, for-review

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Shelves: netgalley

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About Stevie Carroll

Born in Sheffield, England's Steel City, and raised in a village on the boundary of the White and Dark Peaks, Stevie Carroll was nourished by a diet of drama and science fiction from the BBC and ITV, and a diverse range of books, most notably Diane Wynne-Jones and The Women's Press, from the only library in the valley. After this came a university education in Scotland, while writing mostly non-fi...more

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