John Kessel's latest collection — which includes the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Award winner "Pride and Prometheus" — is a long-awaited road map to...
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reviews
Jul 06, 2009
Hayden
rated it: 
Richard recommended this to me because one of the stories, "Pride and Prometheus," is about a meeting between Mary Bennet (the proto-nerd in Pride and Prejudice) and Victor Frankenstein. I liked that story a lot. Kessel doesn't try to mimic Austen's narrative voice; it's plainer language, which makes sense since it's from Mary's point of view, and she's not a witty social butterfly like Elizabeth. The story is significantly darker than P&P; there aren't too many Darcys to go around.
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Apr 06, 2011
Becky
rated it: 
This is an incredible speculative collection. The story "Pride and Prometheus," in which several of Austen's Bennett sisters meet Dr. Frankenstein (and his monster), was particularly strong. I didn't expect to like this story as much as some of the others in the book--mostly, I think, because the insertion of undead/supernatural creatures into classic works has lately become a popular and tiresome gimmick. But this story doesn't suffer from twee irony at all. Kessel has rendered Ma
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Feb 05, 2009
Critics were all excited to see another anthology from Kessler, even if most of the stories here have already appeared in top science fiction magazines. While some admitted they were at first skeptical of the motif of entering other authors' worlds, most felt that not only did Kessler pull off these stories with gusto but he did so in such a way that readers can enjoy his tales even if they have not read the original authors. While the Strange Horizons reviewer was not quite as impressed by the
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Oct 15, 2010
Russ
rated it:
This is an excellent collection written by one of the better short story writers in any genre. Some of the stories are outright science fiction, while others are not quite so obvious.
The title story is the best one. Its main character, a petty criminal, discovers the truth underlying the world, becomes incredibly wealthy as a consequence, and may or may not be happy.
The other best story is "Stories for Men" about a lunar colony run along feminist principles. More...
The title story is the best one. Its main character, a petty criminal, discovers the truth underlying the world, becomes incredibly wealthy as a consequence, and may or may not be happy.
The other best story is "Stories for Men" about a lunar colony run along feminist principles. More...
Sep 14, 2010
Laura
rated it:
I read this in preparation for John Kessel's visit to the Cary Library. I was not that impressed at first, and I still think that I don't LIKE the stories, but at the same time I was totally blown away. It annoyed me that almost every story ended ambiguously. OK, yes, write some short stories that leave you saying... "what?", but not every single gosh darn one!
That being said, these stories are incredibly creative. I appreciated (even while hating what happened) the hec More...
That being said, these stories are incredibly creative. I appreciated (even while hating what happened) the hec More...
Jul 14, 2008
Patrick
rated it: 
This could easily have been a 4 star book, but a few of the stories just didn't go anywhere. I'm all for ambiguity, but I have to feel like it's serving some purpose other than getting the author out of the story as quickly as possible.
Still, this book blends science fiction with "straight" fiction as well as anything I've read since Vonnegut. Like Vonnegut, the sci-fi elements of his work serve to satire contemporary society and culture. What was most intriguing about t More...
Still, this book blends science fiction with "straight" fiction as well as anything I've read since Vonnegut. Like Vonnegut, the sci-fi elements of his work serve to satire contemporary society and culture. What was most intriguing about t More...
Jul 29, 2009
Don
rated it:
"Genre-blending," to me, usually means"genre+literary" (whatever "literary" means). But a lot of the blending in this collection is "genre + genre," as in the historical-crime/fantasy story "Every Angel is Terrifying," or the future-crime/sci-fi first movement of the Lunar Quartet, "The Juniper Tree."
Kessel's historical/literary mash-ups were brilliant, too: Orson Welles in a sci-fi story ("It's All True")--who'd More...
Kessel's historical/literary mash-ups were brilliant, too: Orson Welles in a sci-fi story ("It's All True")--who'd More...
Apr 02, 2008
Emily
rated it:
I was lucky enough to recently snag an ARC of John Kessel's The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and other tales, courtesy of Library Thing's Early Reviewer's program. The back cover copy promises witty intersections with classic literature like Pride and Prejudice, The Wizard of Oz, and A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Subversive literary mash-ups seem to be all the rage today, and Oz doubly so. The last few years have seen the release of a manga, Alan Moore's pornographic Lost Girls, More...
Subversive literary mash-ups seem to be all the rage today, and Oz doubly so. The last few years have seen the release of a manga, Alan Moore's pornographic Lost Girls, More...
May 24, 2009
I downloaded this book from Feedbooks to read Pride and Prometheus, up for a BFA this year having already won the Nebula, but I'm looking forward to reading the rest.
Pride and Prometheus sees Mary Bennet encountering an intense young man from Switzerland, one Victor Frankenstein. It isn't a goofy mash-up in the style of the Pride and Prejudice with zombies book, but rather an intelligent and entirely natural story examining the interplay of the themes of the two novels.
Pride and Prometheus sees Mary Bennet encountering an intense young man from Switzerland, one Victor Frankenstein. It isn't a goofy mash-up in the style of the Pride and Prejudice with zombies book, but rather an intelligent and entirely natural story examining the interplay of the themes of the two novels.
Jul 25, 2009
Orion
rated it:
A collection of short stories by NCSU author.
The Baum Plan for Financial Independence: A modern North Carolinian Dorothy takes a friend on an adventure.
Every Angel is Terrifying: A psychologically disturbed killer named Railroad seeks a fresh start.
The Red Phone: Two telephone operators handle a phone sex conversation for their clients.
The Invisible Empire: Feminist vigilantes in a fundamentalist Christian world.
A Lunar Quartet (The Juniper Tree, Stories for Men, Un More...
The Baum Plan for Financial Independence: A modern North Carolinian Dorothy takes a friend on an adventure.
Every Angel is Terrifying: A psychologically disturbed killer named Railroad seeks a fresh start.
The Red Phone: Two telephone operators handle a phone sex conversation for their clients.
The Invisible Empire: Feminist vigilantes in a fundamentalist Christian world.
A Lunar Quartet (The Juniper Tree, Stories for Men, Un More...
Jul 01, 2009
Jamil
rated it:
pretty good collection of short stories. my favorite is probably the one involving Orson Welles, time travel and the last extant reels of the unexised cut of The Magnificent Andersons. I also liked the first two stories of Kessel's "Lunar Quartet" quite a bit.
Sep 29, 2010
Dan
rated it:
The great thing about short stories is that they're a great way to get introduced to authors you're not familiar with. I loved the "Lunar Quartet" series of stories, as well as the title story and several others in this collection by local Raleigh based SF author.
Aug 03, 2009
Only read the first story. Which was solid, and weird, and good, but didn't entice me to read more.
Jun 10, 2010
Heather
rated it:
Bonus points for the short story in which Mary Bennett becomes friends with Victor Frankenstein.
Feb 23, 2010
I've really enjoyed this, I just haven't had the gumption to finish it in a timely manner. It's a damn good thing this is a short story collection though, I am to pick this book back up soon to finish the little I have left of it.
Feb 03, 2009
Duckie
rated it:
Some good-very good SF short stories, with my favorite being a kind of mashup of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein, "Pride and Prometheus," the last story of the collection. Certainly sent me out on a high note.
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