Beth Tabler's Blog, page 208
November 25, 2021
Graphic Novel Review – Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus by Chester Brown
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3 out of 5 stars
Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus
by
Chester Brown
Hardcover, 280 pages
Published April 12th, 2016 by Drawn and Quarterly
ISBN 1770462341 (ISBN13: 9781770462342)
AboutFrom the publisher, “The iconoclastic and bestselling cartoonist of Paying for It: A comic-strip memoir about being a john and Louis Riel returns and with a polemical interpretation of the Bible that will be one of the most controversial and talked-about graphic novels of 2016. Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus is the retelling in comics form of nine biblical stories that present Chester Brown’s fascinating and startling thesis about biblical representations of prostitution. Brown weaves a connecting line between Bathsheba, Ruth, Rahab, Tamar, Mary of Bethany, and the Virgin Mother. He reassesses the Christian moral code by examining the cultural implications of the Bible’s representations of sex work.”
Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus is a fitting follow-up to Brown’s sui generis graphic memoir “Paying for It”, which was reviewed twice in The New York Times and hailed by sex workers for Brown’s advocacy for the decriminalization and normalization of prostitution. Brown approaches the Bible as he did the life of Louis Riel, making these stories compellingly readable and utterly pertinent to a modern audience. In classic Chester Brown fashion, he provides extensive handwritten endnotes that delve into the biblical lore that informs Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus.”
My ThoughtsThis novel is a fitting followup to Chester Brown’s “Paying For It;” a practical and positive look at what it is being a John and hiring a prostitute. Paying For It is hailed by sex workers for its advocacy of Prostitution and normalization thereof.
Brown has been a vocal advocate for many years for sex workers, and it is evident in many of his works. He reminds me of a guy who is obsessed with Star Trek, or bugs, or 16th-century weaponry used in northern France. Nothing wrong with being passionate about something, but you wouldn’t necessarily want to be stuck on a road trip with him. He seems very very intense…
This collection is fascinating in how he approached nine individual Bible stories, completely turned them on their head, and presented them in a new way. All the while threading them together into a cohesive thesis on his beliefs. Some of the stories featured are of Bathsheba, the prodigal son, Cain and Abel, Ruth, Rahab, Tamar, Mary of Bethany, and the Virgin Mother. One of his stories shows Mary as a prostitute but still very much loved by God and fit to be the mother of Jesus.
Prostitutes, who often are demonized by the Christian church and society are shown as people who just have a job to do. The novel is definitely polemic, and if you are an easily offended reader or prefer to not read something that has religious overtones, maybe this book is not for you. However, it is a quick read, and sometimes stories need to be turned on their side to see things from a new angle. Whether or not you believe them to be the truth, much as the author does, it doesn’t matter. Enjoy the well-written stories and the simple but still elegant graphics. If these stories intrigue you, and you would like to know more there are 100 pages of notes at the back of the book detailing why he made certain literary and artistic decisions and the research behind them.
I didn’t necessarily like this graphic novel, but it was indeed interesting. Sometimes interesting and thought-provoking are good. I have one of Brown’s other works, Ed the Happy Clown sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. We will see what kind of rabbit hole it leads me down.
Check Out Some of Our Other Graphic Novel Reviews
REVIEW – Servant of the Lesser Good by Shaun Paul Stevens
check it out here BOOK REVIEW
SERVANT OF THE LESSER GOoD by SHAUN PAUL STEVENS November 25, 2021 11:31 am No Comments Facebook Twitter WordPressThe phrase “Eat the Rich” comes to mind, when contemplating the outstanding fantasy “Servant of the Lesser Good”, by Shaun Paul Stevens.
The book is set in an 18th century / Enlightenment Period-inspired type world, where all of the absolute worst traits of wealth and influential aristocracy are on display. The nobility in the book is depicted as spoiled, vain, callous, selfish and completely self-absorbed, cruel, willful, and completely oblivious to the plight and concerns of those of lower social status.
In other words, they are pretty well utterly vile people, without conscience, who rarely if ever face consequences for their actions. To foil them, some at least close to being as heartless, is required. Enter “Mist”.
The opening of the book is reminiscent of passages from the Stephen King classic “Misery”, on which the chilling movie was based. An innocent woman is being kept against her will, restrained to a bed, wallowing in her own urine. Mist is one of her caretakers, though she is not ultimately responsible for the woman’s captivity.
The captive is just a pawn, a piece in an elaborate scheme, to plant Mist as a servant in the household of the beautiful but shallow and spiteful Talia. Talia is a wealthy socialite who has been embarrassed by her ex-husband’s affair with another woman and his dabbling in witchcraft. Her ex-husband has been imprisoned, but Talia has landed on her feet and secured a new, even wealthier, and more prominent mate in the Count of Brecht.
Talia’s engagement to Count Brecht, however, is an issue for the mysterious forces who want to ensure the two are never married. Mist works for those mysterious forces, and she is far more formidable than she appears. Cunning, trained in martial arts, and of steely disposition, Mist cleverly manipulates herself into Tania’s employment.
But along with staying one step ahead of Tania and her other staff, lest Mist being discovered as a fraud, the fake-maid must cope with Talia’s peculiar daughter, for whom the hardened Mist has a soft-spot. Tania’s daughter seems to be a soothsayer, and possibly channeling powers of the occult, like her father. That is just the beginning of the strange and disturbing circumstances that surround Mist, as Talia – an expert harpist – prepares to perform in the notorious Cursed Symphony.
With creepy intrigue and suspense, enchanting prose, sprinkled with a few great action sequences, Stevens will draw the reader into a world of the amoral, the heartless, the desperate, and the despicable. The secondary characters are conflicted at best, downright detestable or outright evil at worst. There are very few if any “good” people in the book.
We even wonder if Tania’s little daughter, a pitiful figure, treated horribly by both her mother and her governess, is not possessed by sinister powers. Everyone in the book has an ulterior motive, and angle, someone or something else they are trying to exploit for their own gain. This includes the protagonist, Mist.
Mist has a heart underneath her tough-as-nails exterior, but that heart gets in the way of her mission. She struggles with unwanted guilt for being part of the clandestine mission, which has dire affects on innocent bystanders. Mist also grapples with a substance abuse problem, and her addiction threatens to overwhelm her. I loved her character – flawed, messy, and very human.
The plot makes for a compulsive read. Tantalising piece by tantalising piece, the true nature of who Mist really is, and why Mist and those she truly works for (and who they are) want so badly to prevent Talia from marrying the count, is revealed. I found myself reading late into the night, saying to myself “just one more chapter”, and then going for one more.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The author’s descriptive and lyrical prose makes it easy to envision the surroundings Mist finds herself in. The soulless high society, the criminal underworld, the commoners caught in the middle, and the places they all inhabit, were all evocatively, and very realistically detailed by Stephens. I believe fans of Scott Lynch and “Lies of Locke Lamora” would find a similar affinity for Stevens’ work.
Once more, my refrain about compelling themes capturing my attention every time rings true with this book. Stevens vividly paints a gritty, violent, uncharitable world, where money and social status mean everything, and the so-called well-bred are the worst behaved. Steven’s writing, and the issues he explores. left a distinct impression on me, in a good way.
“Servant of the Lesser Good” was a thrilling read, and I will definitely be anticipating a sequel. Steven’s other novels have promptly been added to my TBR, after truly enjoying this book.
*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have provided below.
Check Out some of our other reviews
Review – The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Review -; Beneath A Brass Sky by Eli Steele
P.L. Stuart
I’m an experienced writer, in that I’ve been writing stories all my life, yet never thought to publish them. I’ve written informally – short stories – to entertain friends and family, for community newspapers, volunteer organization magazines, and of course formal papers for University. Now, later in life, I’ve published what I believe is a great fantasy novel, and definitely worth reading, called A Drowned Kingdom. My target audience is those who enjoy “high fantasy”. A Drowned Kingdom is not “dark fantasy”. It’s written in a more idealized and grandiose style that I hope isn’t too preachy, and not too grim. Still, I’m hoping my book has appeal to those who don’t typically read this type of work – those who don’t read fantasy of any kind – because of the “every-person” themes permeating the novel: dysfunctional familial relationships, extramarital temptation, racism, misogyny, catastrophic loss, religion, crisis of faith, elitism, self-confidence, PTSD, and more.
Many of these themes I have either personal experience with, or have friends or family who have dealt with such issues. I’ve had a long professional law enforcement career, undergone traumatic events, yet been buoyed by family, faith, and positivity. I’m a racialized middle-aged man. I’ve seen a lot of life. Ultimately I want the planned series, of which A Drowned Kingdom will be the introduction, to be one of hope, and overcoming obstacles to succeed, which I believe is my story as well. My protagonist, Othrun, will undergo a journey where he’ll evolve, change, and shape a continent. He’s not always likeable. He’s a snob, bigot, is vain, yet struggles with confidence. He’s patriarchal. Overall, he’s flawed. But even ordinary flawed people can change. We’re all redeemable.
Ordinary people can make a difference, not just fictional Princes. I want that message to shine through my work.
WHERE TO FIND HIMTwitter – @plstuartwrites
Facebook – @plstuartwrites
If You Liked This - Please Share the LoveNovember 23, 2021
Review – Beneath A Brass Sky by Eli Steele
check it out here BOOK REVIEW
beneath a brass sky by eli steele November 23, 2021 11:56 am No Comments Facebook Twitter WordPressWhat it is about?“A gust moaned in from the east, carrying with it thick smoke that reeked of scorched stone, and charred timber, and seared manflesh, and half a hundred other odors acrid and unknown. A bouquet of slaughter…His eyes burned.”
Ulfric Halehorn is a sellsword that believes in the sanctity of the contract. He’s also rekindled an old grudge, incited a riot, and landed himself in jail on enough counts to see himself hung twice. In the midst of this, he somehow managed to win a lucrative contract to transport a mysterious crate across the Brasslands to Kush.
He’d be better off if he hadn’t.
Days into the journey, Ulfric learns that the job is more than it seems, and that he carries with him the spark that may touch off a revolution that could burn across a city, and perhaps an entire region. Knowing this, Ulfric sees a chance to atone for breaking another contract nearly a decade ago — one that cost another city its freedom and its people their lives; an act that still haunts him to this day.
But the Brasslands is a vast land, filled with fugitives, and wild beasts, and nameless things that lurk in the low dark. In those wastes also rides another — one charged with snuffing out the same revolution that Ulfric aims to set afire. And as these rivals drive towards their opposing goals, a storm of steel and blood is building on a bleak horizon.
BENEATH A BRASS SKY is a fantasy novel that fans of Abercrombie’s Red Country, King’s The Gunslinger, and Sanderson’s Alloy of Law will enjoy.
I happily admit I have a soft-spot for indie authors. The courage required to captain the ship of creativity, development, editing, revision, formatting, publishing, promotion, and marketing is inspirational. Applause all around!
Beneath a Brass Sky by independent author, Eli Steele, is a fantasy adventure tale told from the third-person omniscient POV which follows Ulfric Halehorn and his band of sellswords as they embark on a dangerous mission across the Brasslands. From the beginning readers are dropped into an unfamiliar terrain with often confusing yet compelling power structures. Still, Halehorn, former Lord of Wyrmwatch from Prydia, has made his way to the lieutenancy of a sellsword company.
He’s turned his back on his rightful place in the nobility for a life on the road, securing contracts, and working in the company of men whose demons are as familiar as his own. When his company, the Fives, secures a contract to deliver “something” valuable to the coastal city of Kush, his survival and drive for justice are put to the test.
Set upon by brigands in the Brasslands, a vast sprawling desert which divides the continent, Ulfric is knocked unconscious and awakens to find that only he and one other, Spero the Banker, have survived the attack. Halehorn is promoted to Captain by default and the two join forces with a mummer’s troupe for security in numbers. Determined to meet the terms of the contract and make the delivery to Kush, Halehorn’s contingent of misfits encounters a band of men led by The Huntsman, a charismatic, enigma who draws followers to him and leaves a destructive, killing trail in his wake across the Brasslands.
Following a trail of crucified men, scalped corpses, and defiled children, it isn’t long before Halehorn and Spero realize The Huntsman is also headed for Kush. This realization redoubles their urgent push to the city and their desire to put an end to The Huntsman’s murderous path.
With a mind-bending cast of characters (GoT fans will be thrilled), and a dizzying landscape which demands a map which is, sadly, not included, Steele delivers world building prose which borders on purple at times.
“A gust moaned in from the east, carrying with it thick smoke that reeked of scorched stone, and charred timber, and seared manflesh, and half a hundred other odors acrid and unknown. A bouquet of slaughter…His eyes burned.”
Occasionally, it is difficult to keep track of who’s speaking, why they’re important, where they are, or where they’re going. But, it really doesn’t matter. The blistering plot moves inexorably forward as quickly as Halehorn’s quest across the Brasslands; racing across endless dunes, winding through slot canyons, clambering over towering mountains, always on the lookout for dangers both real and imagined.
Rife with misunderstood magics, creatures both familiar and strange, friendships forged and lost, Beneath a Brass Sky is worth the read and Ulfric Halehorn is a compelling, complicated hero. “And if rage was this sweet, it’s all I’d ever eat…”
Understand this before you venture into the Brasslands, “This is a hollow country – never forget that – all it does is swallow things up.”
Check Out some of our other reviewsReview – The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Review – Gild by Raven Kennedy
Whitney Reinhart
Whitney Reinhart is a reader, writer, sometimes editor/coach currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing because she believes every one has at least one story to tell. She lives (for now) in eastern Arkansas with the world’s smartest man and two Siberian Huskies posing as study buddies. Her work can be found on PocketFiction.co.uk and Fleas on the Dog. .
WHERE TO FIND HERVisit her website, meanderyme.com, for links, book reviews, writing tips, and sign up for her monthly newsletter, Wanderings
If You Liked This - Please Share the LoveNovember 22, 2021
Short Story – Sunbird by Neil Gaiman
Beth Tabler 
Sunbird by Neil Gaiman Purchase Here Neil Gaiman, Sunbird My Thoughts“Oh, Mandy,” sighed Virginia Boote. “When you’ve tasted one beetle, you’ve tasted them all. And we all tasted several hundred species. At least the dung bee- tles had a real kick to them.” “No,” said Jackie Newhouse, “that was the dung-beetle balls. The beetles them- selves were singularly unexceptional. Still, I take your point. We have scaled the heights of gastronomy, we have plunged down into the depths of gustation. We have become cosmonauts exploring undreamed-of worlds of delectation and gourmanderie.” ―
Sunbird by Neil Gaiman is a glorious story. Imagine a group of foodies, gourmands if you will. That have tasted everything. Not just run of the mill foods. No they have scoured the world for pill bugs, dung beetles, flamingos, and dolphinfish. They have taken a bite out of life. They have tried everything and are getting bored, because if you have tried one dung beetle, face it, you have tried them all. But, maybe there is one creature out there they have not tried.. Or have they?
“THEY WERE A RICH AND A ROWDY BUNCH at the Epicurean Club in those days. They certainly knew how to party. There were five of them: There was Augustus TwoFeathers McCoy, big enough for three men, who ate enough for four men and who drank enough for five. His great-grandfather had founded the Epicurean Club with the proceeds of a tontine which he had taken great pains, in the traditional manner, to ensure that he had collected in full. ”
Poultry Ala Sunbird
Ingredients:
1 chicken1 can of cider, 1/3 filled1 sprig rosemary1 sprig sage½ tsp. dried lavender1 tsp. cardamom½ tsp. coriander seedFill the can of cider with the spices and herbs. Place the can inside the chicken, and stand it up in a pot. Cover with aluminum foil, and cook for around 1 hour. While it’s cooking, make the sauce (below).Remove the chicken from the oven, and let rest for 15 minutes.Discard the can and carve the bird. Drizzle with sauce, and serve hot.Sauce
Cook’s Notes: Of all the quirky ingredients that went into the description of this dish, patchouli was the only one I didn’t have on hand. Feel free to improvise according to what’s in your own pantry!
Ingredients:
1 stick butter (½ cup)1 clove garlic, minced2/3 can cider½ cup apple cider vinegar2 Tbs. honey½ tsp. red sandalwood powder½ tsp. ground grains of paradise¼ tsp. ground cinnamonpinch of clovespinch of nutmeg1 vanilla bean1 Tbs. molasses1 Tbs. worcestershire sauce1 Tbs. fresh orange or lemon juiceDirections:
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and sautee until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened. Turn off the heat, add the citrus juice, and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately.Link to Recipe Sunbird by Neil Gaiman is so much fun. You can read it in 30 mins, and get a whole lot of joy out of it. Give it a try. Check Out Some of Neil Gaiman's Other StoriesReview of Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman
If You Liked This - Please Share the Love Where to find it? Procurement This was part of the Unnatural Creatures story collection. About the Author
Neil Gaiman’s work has been honoured with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also been honoured with 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 4 Bram Stoker Awards, 6 Locus Awards, 2 British SF Awards, 1 British Fantasy Award, 3 Geffens, 1 International Horror Guild Award and 2 Mythopoeic Awards. Full list here.
Beth Tabler
Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
November 21, 2021
Short Story – The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank Stockton jr.
Beth Tabler 
The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank R. Stockton Purchase Here Frank R. Stockton, The Griffin and the Minor Canon My ThoughtsWhat could I do?” cried the young man. “If I should not bring him he would come himself and, perhaps, end by setting fire to the town with his red-hot tail.―
The Griffin and the Minor Canon is one of the older short stories from Unnatural creatures, but it has stood the test of time.
Stockton was a popular humorist from the late 19th and early 20th century. The Griffin and the Minor Canon has a current of humor flowing through it that has an ageless quality to it. Especially on the part of the griffin, who although is not the protagonist, steals the story from the get go. He reminds me much of an old blustery English gentlemen crossed with Scrooge McDuck. He absolutely can not understand what all the fuss is about, but if you people don’t mind your P’s and Q’s he will remind you what true manners are.
“OVER THE GREAT DOOR OF AN OLD, old church which stood in a quiet town of a far-away land there was carved in stone the figure of a large griffin. The old-time sculptor had done his work with great care, but the image he had made was not a pleasant one to look at. It had a large head, with an enormous open mouth and savage teeth; from its back arose great wings, armed with sharp hooks and prongs; it had stout legs in front, with projecting claws, but there were no legs behind, the body running out into a long and powerful tail, finished off at the end with a barbed point. This tail was coiled up under him, the end sticking up just back of his wings. ”
Even after all this time, The Griffin and the Minor Canon holds up as a timeless story that you can enjoy repeatedly.
It is all highly entertaining, and a very fun read.
Check Out These Other StoriesHansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman
If You Liked This - Please Share the Love Where to find it? Procurement This is part of the Unnatural Creatures story collection. About the Author
Frank Richard Stockton (April 5, 1834 – April 20, 1902) was an American writer and humorist, best known today for a series of innovative children’s fairy tales that were widely popular during the last decades of the 19th century.
Beth Tabler Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
Short Story – Damage by David D. Levine
Beth Tabler 4/5 
Damage by David D. Levine David D. Levine, Damage About In the extremities of war, we may know what we’ve been, but not what we will become. “Damage” is a tale of desperate times, desperate measures, and the inner life of a fighter spacecraft. Stats ebook, 25 pagesPublished January 21st 2015 by Tor BooksOriginal Title DamageISBN1466886056 (ISBN13: 9781466886056)Edition Language EnglishLiterary AwardsNebula Award Nominee for Best Short Story (2015)Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Nominee (2016) My Thoughts“I know. And I’m sorry.” She paused, and I listened to the breath in her headset mic. From what I could hear, she was alone in the ops center, but I had no access to her biologicals—I could only guess what she was feeling. Whereas my own state of mind was laid out on her control panel like a disassembled engine. “I’ve done what I can, but . . .”―
Whether for good, like in this story or evil like HAL 9000 from 2001 Space Odyssey, emotional artificial intelligence is a well-used trope in science fiction. It hits on all the essential aspects that make readers empathize with the characters. Computers are objects that humans know intimately. Yet, they are “other.” Not human and never will be until becoming sentient. Then all bets are off, and we get an engaging and thoughtful story like in Damage by David D. Levine.
Damage involves a sensitive AI protagonist, JB6847, but affectionally nicknamed Scraps. Scraps is the combination of parts from two space crafts joined anew like Frankenstein’s monster. She refers to herself as a Frankenship. Scraps is made up of not only the parts of the two broken ships, but also the memories of those ships—even the moments before death and the death of the ship’s crew. Ships can have conscious thought within parameters and with that a sense of right and wrong. The reason why the ship is sentient never came through quite clearly, but sentient ships are also a well-loved trope in science fiction.
“Whereas I—I was a frankenship, a stitched-together flying wreck, a compendium of agony and defeat and death unworthy of so fine a pilot.”
The one consistency in the coding of the scraps consciousness is the love and adoration of her commander. In this case, Commander Ziegler. But he sees her as nothing more than a means to end. It is a troubled relationship, as we see and hear Scrap’s pain and obeying while the commander is unaware or does not care. At the same time, Scraps fights off PTSD from her memories from the other two ships and how they met fiery ends. She is terrified of dying, but soldiers on because the commander wills it so.
All of this leads up to the terrifying choice that Scraps will have to make. Will her own experience and ethics prevail over the commander’s decisions and her love for him.
Damage touches on a lot of familiar ground, but I found the story engaging and moving. I empathized with this AI and the emotional drain of having to please two masters, herself and the captain. As a reader with an outside of the story, I had a different view of the situations she faces. And could see and understand her moral quandary and commander’s personality when not blinded by love. But Levine writes this well by adding a bit of ambiguity to some of the choices Scraps makes. Life is rarely about black and white choices, but the shades of gray. No bad guy truly believes they are the villain. Scrap’s choices added more humanity to Scrap’s character because if a computer starts to understand nuance, pain, and fear, the line that divides what is human and what is not blurs.
“Yes, sir.” Valkyrie had used chaff, of course. Memories of fear and pain and tearing metal filled my mind; I pushed them away. My pilot’s talents, my speed and skill, and my enduring love for him would keep us safe. They would have to, or the Free Belt would fall.”
David Levine, Damage“That was brilliant flying, sir,” I said to Commander Ziegler as we returned to Vanguard Station.―
The commander’s character is one dimensional; he is a figurehead, an idol in Scraps world. However, the tech’s role that patched up Scraps and had initially named her has a much larger and more critical role in Scrap’s life. Tech shows Scraps kindness. It is in stark contrast to the commander’s ambivalence. I viewed The Tech as Scraps’s mother, while the commander is the father whom Scraps always wants to please. Scraps had to make her own choices, outside of the influence of her father to grow up.
I enjoyed this story, and I found it deserving of it’s Hugo nomination. Scraps is a lovable character. The plotting was well done, and the moral quandary that Scraps faces, although I wasn’t surprised by, I still enjoyed reading. Damage is an excellent story to read, and at 7k words is a nice bite-sized piece of science fiction.
If You Liked This - Please Share the Love Where to find it? About the Author
David D. Levine is the author of novel Arabella of Mars (Tor 2016) and over fifty SF and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo Award, and he has been shortlisted for awards including the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell, and Sturgeon. Stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF, and five Year’s Best anthologies as well as award-winning collection Space Magic from Wheatland Press.
David is a contributor to George R. R. Martin’s bestselling shared-world series Wild Cards. He is also a member of publishing cooperative Book View Cafe and of nonprofit organization Oregon Science Fiction Conventions Inc. He has narrated podcasts for Escape Pod, PodCastle, and StarShipSofa, and his video “Dr. Talon’s Letter to the Editor” was a finalist for the Parsec Award. In 2010 he spent two weeks at a simulated Mars base in the Utah desert.
Where to Find Them
David lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Kate Yule. His web site is www.daviddlevine.com.
Beth Tabler Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
November 20, 2021
Short Story – Inksplot by Gahan Wilson
Beth Tabler Inksplot by Gahan Wilson Purchase Here Gahan Wilson, Inksplot AboutHe had barely done it when he heard Faulks give a small cry of despair. He turned to see the old fellow wringing his hands in abject misery. “I just blinked, sir!” he quavered. “Only blinked!” ―
GAHAN WILSON is a cartoonist. He draws things that scare me. Sometimes he writes stories too. In this story, with a somewhat unpronounceable title (you’ll see why), he combines writing and drawing with terrifying results, to show us a most unnatural creature indeed.
One morning, beside the eggs and toast, there’s a dark spot on the tablecloth, and where it came from, no one knows. The only certainty is that the moment one stops looking at it, it moves. And as it moves, it grows….
StatsInksplot, AKA Blot and *, is perhaps Gahan Wilson’s best known short story, appearing first in 1972 in Harlan Ellison’s Again, Dangerous Visions. The story is only 15 pages long with 1.5 of those pages as graphics. The story appeared again as the first story featured in Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman.
My ThoughtsAnything and everything is scary if you look hard enough. Even a ink spot on a blotter.
A seemingly innocent ink splotch, a smirch, a smear and a smudge. What if it moved from one space to another. Appearing on the wall, the floor, eventually on the dog? What does one do with an unnatural creature like a blot that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Do you run?
Or do you stay to see what happens?
Gahan Wilson, InksplotA spot. Nothing more. Black, as you see, somewhat lopsided, as you seean unprepossesing, unpretentious spot.―
Read this very entertaining story and get a glimpse into what a very proper English gentlemen did.
If You Liked This - Please Share the Love Procurement I read this as part of the Unatural Creatures collection by Neil Gaiman.
Bonus comics from Gahan Wilson - Most are featured in Playboy Magazine. 
About the Author 
Gahan Wilson is an author, cartoonist, and illustrator in the United States.
Beth Tabler
Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
November 17, 2021
An Interview with Catherynne Valente, Author of The Past is Red
catherynne m. valente "...I wrote Apples very quickly, it was very much all there before I set one word to paper. I think the stripped-down style was also helped by two things: one, I had done some media tie-in work recently, which requires pulling back on my own signature stylings quite a bit, so I was in good practice. But also, to be blunt, I had had a baby about a year before and I was just tired. I’m still tired! Which I think is weirdly serving me pretty well! The tired balances out my predilection for purple prose and makes everything run damn smooth and just terribly accessible. Because I think we’re all tired at this point...." Catherynne Valente is the author of over twenty books, several novellas, and a long list of short fiction. Her most recent, The Past Is Red, a post-climate change story of the last of humanity sailing on a pile of floating garbage, has been my favorite book I’ve read this year. Her newest, Comfort Me With Apples, a genre-defying not-quite-horror not-quite-thriller not-quite-fairytale comes out November 9th. I was thrilled to get a chance to interview her.
[RHM] First off, The Past is Red was so far my favorite book of the year, and a large part of that was Tetley’s voice. How did you know you had the voice right? Was it difficult coming back to that specific voice after the initial novelette?
[CV] The voice arrived in my head with the first line of the short story and simply never left. Tetley was her own self from the jump, and I just followed where she led. I’ve always felt odd about other writers saying that—we make our characters, we are in control! But now I have to eat garbage-crow, because Tetley just appeared in my skull like Athena, determined to crack her way out. The story lives or dies on Tetley’s voice, if you like it, you’re in, if you don’t, my apologies. It’s also the most fun to write—the dichotomy between her joyful love of the world and conviction that it, and the people in it, is good and right, contrasted with the absolute grim horror of the reality of that world as it exists around her is pretty endlessly fertile ground.
That said, it was a bit tough getting back into that voice. I wrote The Future Is Blue, the first quarter of this volume, in the beginning of 2016. I wrote The Past Is Red in 2020. A LOT HAPPENED TO MY OPTIMISM GLANDS IN THAT TIME. It felt daunting to climb Mt. Joyful Girl again, and I wondered if I could get it back, make it last for much, much longer than a short story. The concepts of Mister and Big Red Mars pulled me through. I knew if I could get to them, I could pull it off. So Tetley is perhaps a little more cynical, a little more damaged, but her core is as it always was, a big summer sun shining on literal Sesame Street.
[RHM] With The Past is Red and Comfort Me With Apples coming out so close together, what scenes from each would you use to pitch new readers to pick them up?
[CV] I usually use the participation trophies scene to sell people on The Past Is Red. I knew I would the day I wrote it—being a writer sometimes involves that kind of time travel. It re-frames the oft-mocked concept of participation trophies through the eyes of someone just trying to eat enough to survive, who sees them literally and unquestioningly, not as something stupid and wasteful, but as something extraordinary. Stripped of cultural context, participation trophies shine.
Comfort Me With Apples is a tough one because it has such a massive twist that we’ve worked so hard not to spoil in the lead-up to its release (and reviewers have kindly helped out!) so I would likely just read the first chapter, which sets up Sophia and her ever-so-slightly off existence, as well as the first of the hilariously specific HOA bylaws she lives under. All without giving away the game.
[RHM] Your writing tends to have a lot of voice, but this was purposefully reduced in Comfort Me With Apples, as Sophia has a more muted, naive personality than many of your protagonists. How hard was it to write a more stripped-down story?
[CV] It wasn’t at all, really. The voice serves the story, it’s not idiosyncratic for its own sake. Because of who Sophia is and what is happening to her, as well as the literary magic trick I’m trying to pull off, her voice couldn’t be too specific, or it would cease to feel in any way universal. Too much style would obscure this story, which takes its tone from more traditional suburban thrillers.
I wrote Apples very quickly, it was very much all there before I set one word to paper. I think the stripped-down style was also helped by two things: one, I had done some media tie-in work recently, which requires pulling back on my own signature stylings quite a bit, so I was in good practice. But also, to be blunt, I had had a baby about a year before and I was just tired. I’m still tired! Which I think is weirdly serving me pretty well! The tired balances out my predilection for purple prose and makes everything run damn smooth and just terribly accessible. Because I think we’re all tired at this point.
[RHM] Given Sophia’s personality, were you worried about people’s reactions to her?
[CV] I mean, it nearly killed me to write a perfect housewife who is so entirely fulfilled by that. Sophia might be the most alien character I’ve ever created—at least, alien to me. But I think that pretty quickly, she becomes sympathetic, as her world starts to crumble and she takes on some agency seeking after the truth. I don’t know if people will love her the way they love Tetley, but I feel pretty confident they will feel sorry for her, and that’s good enough for government work.
There is a certain demographic I suspect will hate this book, but they don’t usually go in for my work, anyway.
[RHM] Both The Past is Red and Comfort Me With Apples are quick reads. Was there much cut from either of them?
[CV] Absolutely nothing, to be completely honest. They are both very lean and close to the bone, not a word wasted. With novels, I often have deleted scenes or alternate versions of chapters, with both these books, I have no scraps.
[RHM] You’ve mentioned The Refrigerator Monologues was inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and The Future is Blue was inspired by The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Drowned Worlds anthology. What was the moment of inspiration for Comfort Me With Apples?
[CV] Erm. Well. I can’t exactly tell you! Because spoilers! Let’s just delicately say that in researching another book I came across a piece of mythological/folkloric tale I had never heard of before. I made a cynical joke about it to my empty office, and that joke became Comfort Me With Apples.
[RHM] Your work jumps around constantly, from myth to superheroes, science fiction to fantasy, comedy to horror, and middle-grade to adult. What do you enjoy about this? Is there a genre or a tone you prefer? Is there a particular kind of story you’d still like to try out?
[CV] It’s very important to me to always be trying something new, pushing the edges of my skill level, challenging myself. Which is a lot of positive spin on: I have severe ADHD and it literally kills my soul to do the same thing twice.
As far as genre and tone—usually my favorite is what I’m working with when someone asks. I enjoy the more comedic tone of Space Opera and Refrigerator Monologues (and Past Is Red to a slightly lesser extent) quite a bit these days, though.
If I haven’t tried it yet, I still want to try it out! Except realism. Ew. No thank you.
[RHM] Given how much your work jumps around, how do you know which project to take on next?
[CV] Whichever editor is currently yelling the loudest calls the lineup.
Not a joke, just a fact.
[RHM] Are there any themes that you find yourself mining repeatedly, consciously or unconsciously?
[CV] Oh good lord I’ll be dead in the ground before I stop hauling Persephone out of the underworld to be a motif. I seem to be fully unable to knock that off.
[RHM] You wrote tie-ins for both Mass Effect and Minecraft. Can you tell us about how writing those books is different from writing your own fiction? Is there another franchise you’d love to work in? (Also, Yorrik was the best.)
[CV] I’d love to write for Doctor Who, or perhaps less obviously on-brand, Terminator. I suppose the happiest I could be with other people’s IP would be getting a call to work on something Star Trek-related.
The major difference is literally no one cares how pretty I can make a sentence. It’s about the story, it’s about the world, it’s about being face-paced and exciting and accessible. That challenge is why I took those two projects in the first place—basically, I got paid to take a couple of classes in commercial writing.
[RHM] What books have impressed you recently?
[CV] Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow, and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
[RHM] Other than ‘read a lot’ and ‘write a lot’ what’s your best advice for writers?
[CV] Well, that’s two of the big guns. I suppose it would be: you can never tell what the market is going to want. You can’t tell today, but you especially can’t two years from now when a book sold today might actually come out. So you might as well be yourself, write what moves you and what excites you, no matter how weird it is, because unique and authentic always sells.
[RHM] And finally, what can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
[CV] I’m working on the sequel to Space Opera, Space Oddity! I think that about says it all.
Interview original appeared in Grimdark Magazine
CHECK OUT CATHERYNNE VALENTE'S BOOKS
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Ryan Howse
I’m funnier without context.
Okay, you want context.
I’m a mid-30s nerd, married, with two kids. Also two cats–Cathulhu and Necronomicat.
I like, in no particular order, tabletop gaming, board games, arguing over books, ancient history and religion, and puns.
I’m unconundrum on reddit.
November 16, 2021
Review – Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders
check it out here BOOK REVIEW
EVEN GREATER MISTAKES - STORIES by charlie jane anders November 16, 2021 10:00 am No Comments Facebook Twitter WordPress Short Story List As Good As NewRat Catcher’s YellowIf You Take my MeaningThe Time Travel ClubSix Months, Three DaysLove Might Be Too Strong a WordFairy Werewolf vs. Vampire ZombieGhost ChampagneMy Breath is a RudderPower CoupleRock Manning Goes For BrokeBecause Change Was The Ocean and We Lived by Her MercyCaptain Roger in HeavenCloverThis is Why We Can’t Have Nasty ThingsA Temporary Embarrassment in SpacetimeThe Bookstore At The End of AmericaThe Visitmothers WHAT IT IS ABOUT?In her short story collection, Even Greater Mistakes, Charlie Jane Anders upends genre cliches and revitalizes classic tropes with heartfelt and pants-wettingly funny social commentary.
The woman who can see all possible futures is dating the man who can see the one and only foreordained future.
A wildly popular slapstick filmmaker is drawn, against his better judgment, into working with a fascist militia, against a background of social collapse.
Two friends must embark on an Epic Quest To Capture The Weapon That Threatens The Galaxy, or else they’ll never achieve their dream of opening a restaurant.
The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other. Anders once again proves she is one of the strongest voices in modern science fiction, the writer called by Andrew Sean Greer, “this generation’s Le Guin.”
Charlie Jane Anders’s short stories always span the spectrum of emotion and world-building. Some of her stories leave you gut-punched; others are uplifting. At the same time, others are deep science fiction. It is a nod to her as an author that she can evoke so many emotions from her readers in such a small word count.
“Short stories are dangerous: tiny sparks of pure narrative fire that burn hotter because they snuff out sooner. Small, self-contained adventures gave me the freedom to fail — to push my limits, to experiment with styles and ideas that I wasn’t sure I could pull off. And fail I did, over and over. I wrote scores of short pieces before I managed to turn out one that fired on all cylinders. The wonderful thing is, if you blow it with something short, you’ve only wasted a week or three of writing time. And if someone reads your story in a magazine and hates it, there’ll be another story, by another author, on the next page.”
Short stories need to be concise to the point of being brutal. A short story is no time to go mucking around with your reader’s attention. There aren’t enough words. By the time a writer gets done fancifully describing a door know, the story needs to be done. This is why Anders does brilliantly as a short story writer and long-form if you have read her long-form novels. She gets to the point. I appreciate that as a short fiction reader.
Even Greater Mistakes, her newest anthology of work, is a beautiful collection of stories that run the gamut. And while I won’t go into each one, I can call out some that are excellent:
As Good As New is one of the first short stories I read. It is such a unique story to me as a reader because apocalypses, while awful essentially, take the individual and their lives after the fact out of the equation. Yes, life is terrible, but people need to move on. There has to be some joy, or life isn’t worth struggling for.
“It is astounding to me that Anders wrote so much about human emotions in only 28 pages. I have IKEA instructions longer than 28 pages. But it works, and it is damn good.”
In this case, it is Marisol and her ability to find hope and joy, even amongst the muck and mire. It is uplifting and joyous.
“The first thing I thought of when I finished “Rat Catcher’s Yellow” was the Hamlet quote, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” This seems like an odd quote for this story, but it is a vast world that is constantly changing. Even after a significant disease destroys people’s minds, they interact and build kingdoms online with cats. It seems absurd, but it is steeped in the truth. There is more to this world than we know, and depending on the angle in which you approach a problem, anything is possible.
If you Take My Meaning was one of the more complex stories to read and understand. But through the context of Ander’s story The City in the Middle of the Night, it makes a lot of sense. It is a continuation after the end of the novel. It gives us a hint as to the future of the characters.
Six Months, Three Days is when an unmovable object meets an unstoppable force: two characters, one who can see all possible futures and another who can see only their lot. Nothing deviates; nothing changes. What if they have a relationship? What would it look like? Yes, we know there will be lots of pain in this relationship. Yes, we know exactly how it is going to end. However, there are many beautiful moments, moments of love, and life that are worth celebrating even if you have already seen them in your mind’s eye; you haven’t experienced them. The juice is worth the squeeze!
There is a brilliant variety in this collection told by a master short story author. It is vibrant and queer and wonderful but holds to concise storytelling. These stories might not hit for everyone, but they hit pretty hard for me as a reader and reminded me why she is one of my favorite storytellers.
Beth Tabler Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
November 15, 2021
Short Story Review – The Bookstore At The End of America by Charlie Jane Anders Found in Even Greater Mistakes
check it out here BOOK REVIEW
The Bookstore At The End of America found in Even Greater mistakes by charlie jane anders November 15, 2021 10:00 am No Comments Facebook Twitter WordPress Short Story List As Good As NewRat Catcher’s YellowIf You Take my MeaningThe Time Travel ClubSix Months, Three DaysLove Might Be Too Strong a WordFairy Werewolf vs. Vampire ZombieGhost ChampagneMy Breath is a RudderPower CoupleRock Manning Goes For BrokeBecause Change Was The Ocean and We Lived by Her MercyCaptain Roger in HeavenCloverThis is Why We Can’t Have Nasty ThingsA Temporary Embarrassment in SpacetimeThe Bookstore At The End of AmericaThe Visitmothers The Bookstore at the end of americaI first read The Bookstore at the End of America by Charlie Jane Anders when it appeared in A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers, which offered exciting perspectives. Even then, I found this story to be one of the best and most memorable of the volume. Maybe it is because I am such a bibliophile, or perhaps as an American, the political divide hits home. Either way, this story is pretty special to me. I am now doubly happy that Anders has included it in her upcoming release, Even Greater Mistakes.
The first thing to understand about this story is the context in which Anders built the world. The United States is impossibly divided and has diverged culturally. This bookstore sits on the border of California and the rest of the United States, with sections of the store catering to both groups. It is a veritable Switzerland in that it does not take a stand but remains neutral because books are for everyone. And that is the crux and main theme of the story; books and ideas can bring folks together as much as divide them. Whether you are a “hipster” from California and look at the perspective of communities working together with a hive mentality or from the south and view life through a very conservative lens, books are neutral. They are ideas put to paper.
One of the story’s strengths is the neutrality that Anders employs when writing. I don’t think the story could work if there were a political lean. She uses the ridiculousness of both sides as a way to bring the sides together and force them to work with each other. We discover that we aren’t so different. It is a powerful message condensed down into a tight package.
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Beth Tabler
Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
