Mother Aegypt and Other Stories

Lord Ermenwyr

by Kage Baker

A brand new short story collection from Kage Baker, including an original novella set in her ongoing series of The Company, "Mother Aegypt." The Company novels are being released by Tor, and include The Graveyard Game and The Life of the World to Come.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Collections, Time Travel

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Born June 10, 1952, in Hollywood, California, and grew up there and in Pismo Beach, present home. Spent 12 years in assorted navy blue uniforms obtaining a good parochial school education and numerous emotional scars. Rapier wit developed as defense mechanism to deflect rage of larger and more powerful children who took offense at abrasive, condescending and arrogant personality in a sickly eight-year-old. Family: 2 parents, 6 siblings, 4 nieces, 2 nephews. Husbands: 0. Children: 0.

Prior occupations: graphic artist and mural painter, several lower clerical positions which could in no way be construed as a career, and (over a period of years for the Living History Centre) playwright, bit player, director, teacher of Elizabethan English for the stage, stage manager and educational program assistant coordinator. Presently reengaged in the above-listed capacities for the LHC's triumphant reincarnation, AS YOU LIKE IT PRODUCTIONS.

20 years of total immersion research in Elizabethan as well as other historical periods has paid off handsomely in a working knowledge of period speech and details.

In spare time (ha) reads: any old sea stories by Marryat, the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brien, the Hornblower books, ANYTHING by Robert Louis Stevenson, Raymond Chandler, Thorne Smith, Herman Melville (except Pierre, or the Ambiguities, which stinks) Somerset Maugham, George MacDonald Frasier.

Now happily settled in beautiful Pismo Beach, Clam Capital of the World, in charming seaside flat which is unfortunately not haunted by ghost of dashing sea captain. Avid gardener, birdwatcher, spinster aunt and Jethro Tull fan.


http://www.sfwa.org/2010/01/rip-kage-...

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best story was What the Tyger Told Her. Loved that one.

[Jacqie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Kage Baker! Although she hails from Pismo Beach, CA, she writes like a Monty Python trouper.
This particular book is a collection of short stories. The first three take place in her "Anvil of the World" cosmos, and the last is a Company story. I'm not always the biggest fan of short stories, but this author is excellent at that form. There is sly humor and a hint of darkness. The last story in particular, titled "Mother Aegypt", had me laughing out loud by the end, and I just don't do that with most humor writing.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason it wasn't calling to me. It was on my stack for nine weeks and I never cracked it open until I got the notice that there were no more renewals.

And then I was blown away. These are great stories and an interesting mix, one feels very much like The Twilight Zone, others have a small town humorous vibe, two are fairy tales, and the title novella is funny and dark and bitter and poignant and marvelous.

Happily, I was able to take it to the library, return it, and check it back out. To think that I almost missed these.

Library copy

[Randy Money · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great collection, but consistently entertaining. Enjoyed the first three stories, set in her Anvil of the World fantasy series; liked the title story and, even more so, "Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1929." I wasn't as fond of "Nightmare Mountain" and didn't get the point of "Her Father's Eyes". Still, a readable collection I'm glad I finally got around to.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthology. 2.65 stars is the average.

1. Leaving His Cares Behind. Lord Ermenwyr goes home when he runs out of money. His mom and dad try to make him a little more responsible. 3 stars.

2. The Briscian Saint. 3 soldiers loot a temple after killing the priest and get cursed. 3 stars

3. Desolation Rose. Lord Ermenwyr meets what's left of a cursed family and ends up helping them unintentionally. 3 stars

4. Miss Yahoo Has Her Say. What a horrible situation and that really colored my review of this story because the subject matter is so awful, all the way around. I want to give it a better review but the most I can give it is 2 stars because I feel unclean.

5. What the Tyger Told Her. I liked the story, I'm just not sure if it really happened. Maybe that's the point. 3-1/2 stars

6. Nightmare Mountain. A different take on the Winchester mansion in San Jose. 2 stars.

7. Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928. So, I don't know what the point of the story was. They were both trying to change the outcome? 2 stars

8. Her Father's Eyes. This may be about the Fae stealing a child or maybe not. 3 stars.

9. Two Old Men. Good versus evil with negotiations. Okay story. 3 stars

10. The Summer People. I cannot figure out what these summer people are. Strange story. 2 stars.

11. How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down. Okay, what the heck. 3 sets of eyes. It sounded like a drone at first. You'll have to read the story to know what I'm talking about. 2 stars

12. Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answers. You know those commercials about getting free information regarding various subjects from the government through their Pueblo, Colorado office? Well they can help (on hinder?) with all sorts of problems and questions. Interesting story. 4 stars

13. Mother Aegypt. Didn't care for this "short" story. It seemed inordinately long. 2 stars

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

♦ "Leaving His Cares Behind Him" 4/5/2004 -- 7/3/2018
"The Briscian Saint" 12-30-2004 -- 7/3/2018
"Desolation Rose" 12-31-2004 -- 7/4/2018
"Miss Yahoo Has Her Say" Jan 2 2005 -- 7/4/2018
"What the Tyger Told Her" read in RoF Nov 11, 2000 re-read 6/1/2001 -- 7/5/2018
"Nightmare Mountain" read in Stars 12/1/2003 re-read 12/26/2004 -- 7/5/2018
"Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928" -- 7/6/2018
"Her Father's Eyes" Jan 3 2005 -- 7/6/2018
"Two Old Men" Jan 5, 2005 -- 7/7/2018
"The Summer People" Jan 6, 2005 -- 7/7/2018
"How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down" Jan 7 2005 -- 7/8/2018
"Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answers" 1/8/2005 -- 7/8/2018
"Mother Aegypt" 1/9/2005 (also in In the Company of Thieves) -- 7/9/2018

[Cindywho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this off while having the sniffles in bed yesterday. Usually I don't like plowing through short stories, but these were interesting and some were intertwined and there was a long one at the end connected to her Company series. Sinister without being gruesome (much), Baker has a thing for rogues who are not as charming as they think and angry females who find their way. Slightly snarky and enjoyable. (September 20, 2004)

[Owen Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a surprisingly enjoyable collection of stories.

Wasn't sure what to expect having not read much of her work before but there are some crackers in here : )
some thoughtful and emotion promoting tracks

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library specifically to read "Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928", which is a science fiction/fantasy story that poses the question, "What if?". "What if" is one of my favorite themes. This story could very well have been an episode of "The Twilight Zone", which makes for a an unsual Christmas story.

I found one element in particular to be implausible - why didn't the other guests at the lodge see plates and food floating in the air when Dolliver and Sweet were eating? Even though Dolliver and Sweet were invisible, the items they lifted (i.e. the diamond necklace) weren't. Wouldn't the other guests notice a necklace floating through the air of its own power? So I just had to suspend my disbelief and go with it. The ending was thought-provoking.

I'm not a big fan of short stories and I don't know that I intend to read any of the others in this anthology, but Navarro Lodge was worth the time. Even though I read only one of the stories, I'm going to call this book "Read".

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm of the opinion that Kage Baker is at her best in short story, and although some of these are clearly early work in what later become a different and more developed universe (that of Anvil of the Sun and House of the Stag) all of them are readable and enjoyable. She has a particular gift for the clear-eyed pragmatism with which children see the world, and telling story though narrators who report but don't understand the events around them; it can be something of a gimmick, and somewhat repetitive (I don't advise reading this in a single sitting; Baker's short stories work best taken one at a time) but she does it so wonderfully that the later stories in the book are just as enjoyable and interesting as the earlier.

[Sophie Lagacé · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, this is a collection of short stories, some of which connect to Baker's two best-known fictitious universes, that of the Company and of the Anvil of the Sun, and the rest more or less in "our" world. At second glance, though... Gossamer threads link the stories to one another, offering a game of "spot the connections." Enjoyable if read as standalone stories, but delightful as a brain teaser when you take it as a whole.

[krin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this anthology of fantasy and science fiction stories. I especially liked "Nightmare Mountain" (myths of Eros and Psyche combined with an eccentric Californian), "Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928" (changing the future from the past), and "Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answers" (alien manifestations and a time bubble).

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly very good collection of stories set in an interesting world where magic happens. I love Baker's humor, especially evident in stories like Desolation Rose. Some of the horror aspects of the other stories is less enjoyable, like the title story; however, it is still gripping. What the Tyger told her is written like a fable, and it's one you remember. All in all, a great collection.

[Lorie Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kage Baker is one of my favorite writers of all time. Her sense of detail is so rich and scrumptious, she really gives you a feel for whatever place and time the story takes place in, whether reality-based or fantastical.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC! collection of short stories. All were poignant, most were humorous, and two of them got me crying in the middle of an airport.

There is one Company-based short story, but it doesn't feature any of the normal characters. This is a very different view of other Company employees.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keskpärane kogumik, ohtralt naistele suunatud urban fantasy stiilis halearmsa alatooniga muinasjutukesi...Lõpulugu, The Company sarja kuuluv lühiromaan Mother Aegypt oli suurepärane, ent täielikuks mõistmiseks nõuab The Company sarja päris head tundmist.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of short stories by Kage Baker. Some are set in the same universe as The Anvil of the World, etc., and one in The Company world (I think just one). The others are excellent short stories of their own. Overall the themes are darker than much of Baker's work. Enjoyed them all.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very odd stories. For those of you who like odd and different stories, this is for you. She's a very good writer. Now I'll have to search out some more books by her. This is the only one by her that my library had in its collection.

[Kelly Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on the new book shelves, when I went flying thru, but after I got home I realized it had been misfiled, because I had read this 10 or more years ago. It was fun to reread, though, and there were a couple of stories I had forgotten. The title story was my least favorite by a long shot.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Kage Baker wins at short stories.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

mostly high marks for the stories related to "anvil of the world"

[Leons1701 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice find at Backstock Books a few weeks ago, just now got around to reading it. A very nice collection of Kage Baker shorts.

[Lindig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, though I didn't much care for the title story.

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buenos los relatos en el mundo del "Anvil" pero los demas bastante pobres