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Keeper's Chronicles #3.5
He Said, Sidhe Said & Other Tales
In these seven contemporary fantasies from Tanya Huff, we see a dog's eye view of loyalty and a cat's eye view of sea serpents. We learn that some Brownies could use a shave - although cookies will still be sold - and that there are at least two sides to every relationship, no matter how accidental and/or mythical that relationship is. We're also reminded that however worthwhile it may be to die with purpose, it's better to live well. Huff's ability to leaven heartache with humour - and vise versa - gives this collection of previously published stories an unexpected emotional variety. A December release, He Said, Sidhe Said also includes the seasonally appropriate "I'll be Home for Christmas."
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
24 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Huff
154 books2,418 followersTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 26, 2013
As usual, Tanya Huff's stories collected in this ebook are fun; it's a solid mix of fun and a more serious story. The title story (a sort of retelling of Tam Lin) was probably my least favourite. Since it's a shortish collection (seven stories), I'll review each story separately, albeit briefly.
'A Choice of Endings': I didn't remember the character of Mrs. Ruth very well -- I read Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light quite a while ago -- but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. It's always interesting when older women are the heroines of a story, you really don't see it enough, and it was good to get into Mrs. Ruth's head. And her antics are quite entertaining: she's deadly with bottles of Tabasco sauce...
'Finding Marcus': One of Tanya Huff's few first person stories, apparently, and narrated from the point of view of a dog -- and she's a cat person. I think she got the essential traits of a dog pretty well: that literally dogged loyalty and persistence which I think is one of the most lovely traits of a good dog. (I'm biased. My nan's dog, in my childhood, was very dogged and loyal, and heaved his arthritis, tubby body up a step and along the hall to check on me while I curled up on my own in the front room, reading.) The story was pretty simple, but it worked well, even for being something Tanya Huff doesn't do much.
'He Said, Sidhe Said': As I said, my least favourite of the collection. I just didn't find it very remarkable. The various parallels to Tam Lin are clever, but it wasn't absorbing for me.
'I'll Be Home For Christmas': I have a fairly 'meh' reaction to this one, too, for all that its seasonal. Or perhaps because it's seasonal? I'm not good with seasonal. There's only one Christmas-themed album I like, in music (Thea Gilmore's Strange Communion), so maybe I'm the same about stories. It just didn't grab me, anyway.
'Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven': I liked this one. Again an older female heroine, and a very non-conventional Brownie troop. I thought that was kind of clever, and I enjoyed the Brown Owl's attempts to adapt to them and to do her best by them. It was filled with a kind of tenderness toward the whole Brownie movement, too, which I can understand -- I never was a Brownie, but I so wanted to be.
'Under Summons': I haven't read Summon the Keeper yet, though I have it, but this story made perfect sense even without it. Loved the pissy cat and the helpful fish. It makes me want to hurry up and read the original series.
'Word of Honour': I'm not sure about the quality of the history detail around the events in this story, and the portrayal of the Templars, etc (my knowledge about Templars, such as it is, comes mostly from Assassin's Creed). I didn't find the story as emotional as Tanya Huff mentions she does in her introduction, but it is an enjoyable story and there are a couple of moments in it that did really get to me.
'A Choice of Endings': I didn't remember the character of Mrs. Ruth very well -- I read Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light quite a while ago -- but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. It's always interesting when older women are the heroines of a story, you really don't see it enough, and it was good to get into Mrs. Ruth's head. And her antics are quite entertaining: she's deadly with bottles of Tabasco sauce...
'Finding Marcus': One of Tanya Huff's few first person stories, apparently, and narrated from the point of view of a dog -- and she's a cat person. I think she got the essential traits of a dog pretty well: that literally dogged loyalty and persistence which I think is one of the most lovely traits of a good dog. (I'm biased. My nan's dog, in my childhood, was very dogged and loyal, and heaved his arthritis, tubby body up a step and along the hall to check on me while I curled up on my own in the front room, reading.) The story was pretty simple, but it worked well, even for being something Tanya Huff doesn't do much.
'He Said, Sidhe Said': As I said, my least favourite of the collection. I just didn't find it very remarkable. The various parallels to Tam Lin are clever, but it wasn't absorbing for me.
'I'll Be Home For Christmas': I have a fairly 'meh' reaction to this one, too, for all that its seasonal. Or perhaps because it's seasonal? I'm not good with seasonal. There's only one Christmas-themed album I like, in music (Thea Gilmore's Strange Communion), so maybe I'm the same about stories. It just didn't grab me, anyway.
'Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven': I liked this one. Again an older female heroine, and a very non-conventional Brownie troop. I thought that was kind of clever, and I enjoyed the Brown Owl's attempts to adapt to them and to do her best by them. It was filled with a kind of tenderness toward the whole Brownie movement, too, which I can understand -- I never was a Brownie, but I so wanted to be.
'Under Summons': I haven't read Summon the Keeper yet, though I have it, but this story made perfect sense even without it. Loved the pissy cat and the helpful fish. It makes me want to hurry up and read the original series.
'Word of Honour': I'm not sure about the quality of the history detail around the events in this story, and the portrayal of the Templars, etc (my knowledge about Templars, such as it is, comes mostly from Assassin's Creed). I didn't find the story as emotional as Tanya Huff mentions she does in her introduction, but it is an enjoyable story and there are a couple of moments in it that did really get to me.
September 19, 2015
These are enjoyable little bites. The humor and worlds are very nice. Good stuff.
January 1, 2014
short stories. some of them are laugh out loud hilarious.
July 5, 2018
He Said, Sidhe Said is a collection of short stories by Tanya Huff that deal, in various ways, with the creatures of fantasy, from pixies and Fairie queens to avatars of the Crone and lake monsters from another dimension. Most also fall roughly into the realms of urban and contemporary fantasy, stories where otherworldly beings rub elbows with lawyers and streetcars.
There’s a wide range of moods here, too, from the aching loss and grim determination of a dog moving from world to world in search of his missing human in “Finding Marcus”, to the rollicking hilarity of a Girl Guide leader faced with a troop of Brownies - small, brown, foul-mouthed and quarrelsome wee men - who want to ‘fly up’ to become something new, in “Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven.” And then, there’s “Word of Honor,” about a young woman hired to right a long ago wrong, a story powerful enough to make you cry.
If you’ve enjoyed Huff’s approach to urban fantasy in the past, then you’ll enjoy these tales.
There’s a wide range of moods here, too, from the aching loss and grim determination of a dog moving from world to world in search of his missing human in “Finding Marcus”, to the rollicking hilarity of a Girl Guide leader faced with a troop of Brownies - small, brown, foul-mouthed and quarrelsome wee men - who want to ‘fly up’ to become something new, in “Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven.” And then, there’s “Word of Honor,” about a young woman hired to right a long ago wrong, a story powerful enough to make you cry.
If you’ve enjoyed Huff’s approach to urban fantasy in the past, then you’ll enjoy these tales.
November 12, 2018
Good! Collection of short stories!
June 5, 2023
I have this on both Kindle & Nook... I'm a nerd.
A Choice of Endings 12/17/2017
Finding Marcus 12/20/2017
He Said, Sidhe Said 12/20/2017
I'll Be Home for Christmas 12/21/2017
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven 12/17/2017
Under Summons 12/21/2017
Word of Honour 12/22/2017
Merged review:
YES, I have this for both the Nook and the Kindle
A Choice of Endings 12/17/2017
Finding Marcus 12/20/2017
He Said, Sidhe Said 12/20/2017
I'll Be Home for Christmas 12/21/2017
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven 12/17/2017
Under Summons 12/21/2017
Word of Honour 12/22/2017
Merged review:
YES, I have this for both the Nook and the Kindle
April 9, 2014
Very fun selection of stories including one featuring her Keeper series. My favorites were the title story (a retelling of Tamlin myth) and Word of Honour which was a tale of Templars and a holy relic with an unexpected twist.
August 23, 2014
Short story collections tend to be a bit hit or miss for me, but I’m really liking Tanya Huff’s
re-releases. There's a sly dose of humour in some, and she manages to pack in feelings.
re-releases. There's a sly dose of humour in some, and she manages to pack in feelings.
February 13, 2018
After stumbling across Third Time Lucky, I decided I needed to read more of Tanya Huff's work. This collection is a little uneven but entertaining. The title story is perhaps the best, Tam Lin reimagined with a skateboard-obsessed kid in the lead role. "Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven" is about a really different Brownie troop, and "Word of Honour" is a worthy entry in the long list of stories about the Knights Templar.
October 20, 2018
I wanted a sequence of short stories that wouldn't make me want to stay up late. This was prefect.
September 2, 2024
a couple stories didn't hold up over the years, a couple were So Good, so it evens out to about 3 stars
July 24, 2017
A Choice of Endings **
Finding Marcus **
He Said,Sidhe Said ****
I'll Be Home For Christmas ***
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven ****
Under Summons **
Word of Honor **
Finding Marcus **
He Said,Sidhe Said ****
I'll Be Home For Christmas ***
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven ****
Under Summons **
Word of Honor **
August 23, 2014
Tanya Huff’s He Said, Sidhe Said is a delightful anthology of her short stories (a small collection, perfect at its low Kindle price). Overall this one is of very good quality.
A Choice of Endings: in which an incarnation of the Crone decides to do something small-i important with her last hours–something she’s not supposed to involve herself in. It’s a poignant tale, yet with some nice humor. It’s one of my favorites in this book.
Finding Marcus: A dog has lost his master, and is left making his way from world to world via Gates in order to try to find him. He meets up with a crow who takes an interest in his tale. This is a fascinating little interlude, exciting and sweet.
He Said, Sidhe Said is an amusingly modern tale in which the queen of the fairies takes a most unsuitable lover–and a tale of the lengths she’ll go to in order to get rid of him while saving face. Not my favorite style of fairy story, and I’m not fond of the characters, but there’s some marvelous tongue-in-cheek humor here.
I’ll be Home for Christmas: A woman and her daughter inherit a decrepit house in the country and try to make a new life for themselves there. Unfortunately it seems like disaster after disaster drains the last of their savings, and strange happenings plague their waking hours. The ending is a little abrupt, but very clever and sly, and I definitely enjoyed this one.
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven: In which a woman takes on a very unusual troupe of Brownies, preparing them to become Girl Guides. She has to adapt her usual methods in odd ways, but she’s determined to do right by her little group. This is one of my favorite stories in this anthology–it’s delightful and touching.
Under Summons: This one takes place in the same world as Tanya Huff’s Keeper novels. I don’t think you need to have read those books to enjoy this story, although it would probably help. This is a nice, quirky little adventure for Diana and her talking cat, Sam, but it doesn’t have quite the emotional resonance of some of the other stories.
Word of Honour: A young woman in need of a job takes on an unusual burden: to take a relic to Scotland and leave it in a certain grave. She faces temptations along the way, even as the relic shows her visions of the past. The ending of the story gave me chills.
While it’s true that I find anthologies average out to be less than perfect, I definitely enjoyed a preponderance of the stories in He Said, Sidhe Said–and thus I recommend it to any fan of Tanya Huff, or of quirky urban fantasy.
Visit my site for a longer review including quote: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/08/r...
A Choice of Endings: in which an incarnation of the Crone decides to do something small-i important with her last hours–something she’s not supposed to involve herself in. It’s a poignant tale, yet with some nice humor. It’s one of my favorites in this book.
Finding Marcus: A dog has lost his master, and is left making his way from world to world via Gates in order to try to find him. He meets up with a crow who takes an interest in his tale. This is a fascinating little interlude, exciting and sweet.
He Said, Sidhe Said is an amusingly modern tale in which the queen of the fairies takes a most unsuitable lover–and a tale of the lengths she’ll go to in order to get rid of him while saving face. Not my favorite style of fairy story, and I’m not fond of the characters, but there’s some marvelous tongue-in-cheek humor here.
I’ll be Home for Christmas: A woman and her daughter inherit a decrepit house in the country and try to make a new life for themselves there. Unfortunately it seems like disaster after disaster drains the last of their savings, and strange happenings plague their waking hours. The ending is a little abrupt, but very clever and sly, and I definitely enjoyed this one.
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty to Seven: In which a woman takes on a very unusual troupe of Brownies, preparing them to become Girl Guides. She has to adapt her usual methods in odd ways, but she’s determined to do right by her little group. This is one of my favorite stories in this anthology–it’s delightful and touching.
Under Summons: This one takes place in the same world as Tanya Huff’s Keeper novels. I don’t think you need to have read those books to enjoy this story, although it would probably help. This is a nice, quirky little adventure for Diana and her talking cat, Sam, but it doesn’t have quite the emotional resonance of some of the other stories.
Word of Honour: A young woman in need of a job takes on an unusual burden: to take a relic to Scotland and leave it in a certain grave. She faces temptations along the way, even as the relic shows her visions of the past. The ending of the story gave me chills.
While it’s true that I find anthologies average out to be less than perfect, I definitely enjoyed a preponderance of the stories in He Said, Sidhe Said–and thus I recommend it to any fan of Tanya Huff, or of quirky urban fantasy.
Visit my site for a longer review including quote: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/08/r...
reading-collection
August 19, 2015A Choice of Endings
This story is about Mrs. Ruth, the Crone, who is a bag lady - yes it makes sense. She is trying to get a little more out of her time on Earth (this time around), because when it is her time to hold the Power again, it will be too late. That is all I will say about the plot, anything more would be spoilers. I really enjoyed the little story. The introduction makes it more powerful and it takes a painful subject and lets us imagine the power to stop it. Read my full review: http://wp.me/p40HVI-hU
Finding Marcus
He Said, Sidhe Said
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty To Seven
Under Summons
Word of Honour
This story is about Mrs. Ruth, the Crone, who is a bag lady - yes it makes sense. She is trying to get a little more out of her time on Earth (this time around), because when it is her time to hold the Power again, it will be too late. That is all I will say about the plot, anything more would be spoilers. I really enjoyed the little story. The introduction makes it more powerful and it takes a painful subject and lets us imagine the power to stop it. Read my full review: http://wp.me/p40HVI-hU
Finding Marcus
He Said, Sidhe Said
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Tuesday Evenings, Six Thirty To Seven
Under Summons
Word of Honour
June 13, 2014
I kept thinking some of these stories have been in other anthologies, since there's a familiarity; and they have - all have previously been published at least twice, most recently in either of the print collections What Ho, Magic! (1999) or Finding Magic (2007).
March 21, 2018
I'd rate this as 3 1/2 - there were some very funny &/or engaging stories, & a couple that left me cold. But most were written in the 1980s/90s, & Tanya Huff's writing has got much better since then. I especially liked the Summoner story, it's one of my favourite of her series & I wish she'd written more.
July 10, 2014
Tanya Huff is a master.
What I really enjoyed about this collection is that there are some stories that feature familiar characters. I especially enjoyed the one from the Keeper Chronicles.
What I really enjoyed about this collection is that there are some stories that feature familiar characters. I especially enjoyed the one from the Keeper Chronicles.
April 20, 2014
All on the spectrum between "reasonably entertaining" and "totally awesome".
June 1, 2014
An diverse and well written set of shorts, every story as enjoyable as the rest. A new look at Tam Lin, an intervention from a dying fate who stops a serial killer; each story was fresh and fun
November 1, 2021
Short stories, some of which were wonderful. One led me to actually go search for a three book series.
July 30, 2015
A set of 7 beautifully written short stories. I may have to pick up some of this author's other works.
August 6, 2015
I wanted to like this, because Tanya Huff came fairly highly recommended, and I tend to like short stories more than novels, but I couldn't get past how predictable most of the stories were.
April 14, 2018
The best of these short stories is the title story and the story about brownies.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews