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Love and Other Poisons
Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy. This collection of 18 speculative stories, including three never found in print before, explores the meaning of love, and, of course, of poison.
200 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2014
8 people are currently reading
1080 people want to read
About the author
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
173 books27.9k followersSilvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 13, 2021
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors of all time. So far, I have read this book, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Untamed Shore, and Mexican Gothic. I honestly trust her as a author so much now that I will automatically buy anything she releases. I do not know how she does it, but every book I have read so far has been five stars.
Love and Other Poisons is a wonderful collection of eighteen different speculative short stories. They follow a darker fantasy theme, but each story is unique. The author combines many different elements throughout this collection: gothic, ghost stories, fantasy, science fiction, etc.
I am always amazed at Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. Her works are not only well-written but are typically very atmospheric as well. Her writing style is one of my favorites I have ever read. It is very immersive and typically has more of a slow build, which I really enjoy. I appreciated how some stories seemed to talk to her other books that I have read. Certain quotes definitely made me think of specific things from her other books, but to avoid spoilers, I will not go into too much detail about that.
As I was working on this review, I really wanted to talk about some of my favorite stories before realizing that I genuinely loved all of them. It was incredibly difficult to narrow down my list, but some of my favorites are Variations of Figures Upon the Wall, Man in Blue Overcoat, Enchantment, and A Handful of Earth.
Love and Other Poisons is a very unique and intriguing collection of stories. Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia should definitely try to get their hands on this at some point, but I know it may be difficult as it is currently out of print. I really hope this can reprinted one day because I would love a physical copy too!
Love and Other Poisons is a wonderful collection of eighteen different speculative short stories. They follow a darker fantasy theme, but each story is unique. The author combines many different elements throughout this collection: gothic, ghost stories, fantasy, science fiction, etc.
I am always amazed at Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. Her works are not only well-written but are typically very atmospheric as well. Her writing style is one of my favorites I have ever read. It is very immersive and typically has more of a slow build, which I really enjoy. I appreciated how some stories seemed to talk to her other books that I have read. Certain quotes definitely made me think of specific things from her other books, but to avoid spoilers, I will not go into too much detail about that.
As I was working on this review, I really wanted to talk about some of my favorite stories before realizing that I genuinely loved all of them. It was incredibly difficult to narrow down my list, but some of my favorites are Variations of Figures Upon the Wall, Man in Blue Overcoat, Enchantment, and A Handful of Earth.
Love and Other Poisons is a very unique and intriguing collection of stories. Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia should definitely try to get their hands on this at some point, but I know it may be difficult as it is currently out of print. I really hope this can reprinted one day because I would love a physical copy too!
November 19, 2014
Pretty much everything I said about Silvia's prior collection This Strange Way of Dying also goes for Love & Other Poisons. These are mesmerizing stories of magic and the fantastic--sometimes the horrific, always the strange--but always with a core of perfect human pathos that keeps them feeling grounded and immediate. Some of the best I had read other places; in tables of contents that Silvia and I shared, such as "Abandon All Flesh" from Tales of Jack the Ripper or "Man in Blue Overcoat" from Handsome Devil. As in This Strange Way of Dying there are vampires here, and overtones of Lovecraft, and the occasional steampunk trapping. There are stories here that pull from Poe ("Variations of Figures Upon the Wall") and Stoker ("A Handful of Earth"), but all of the stories are pure Silvia, shot through with Mexican folklore and the tone of effortless unearthliness that Silvia manages to well.
I've worked with Silvia many times as an editor, so it's easy to forget that she's also one of the best contemporary writers I know of. Fortunately, Love & Other Poisons is here as a reminder.
I've worked with Silvia many times as an editor, so it's easy to forget that she's also one of the best contemporary writers I know of. Fortunately, Love & Other Poisons is here as a reminder.
December 11, 2014
This is an remarkably varied collection of dark fantasy tales – some darker than others – likely to appeal to those who prefer their terrors subtle. Many reflect the author’s Mexican heritage, adding a unique flavor to everything from the Lovecraftian “Collect Call” to the nearly SF “Distant Deeps Or Skies.” Another particularly successful tale in this collection is “A Puddle of Blood,” which introduces Aztec mythology into the world of the undead. The world-building in this one is intriguing, and leaves the reader hoping for more about these characters.
December 31, 2017
A very uneven collection, with some stories sharp and full, and others being merely sketches. But I do like Moreno-Garcia's tone, the emotion, the sense of things simmering just under the surface - and this is visible even in the least enjoyable stories.
November 16, 2014
Excerpted from my blog review (jenna-bird.blogspot.com):
Right out of the gate, the stories don't fall into too-familiar archetypes. They don't all follow the expectations we get for short stories from our mountains of literature or creative writing courses. What do they do? They weave a moment of time, a series of events, into a mural that stands out and stands up against the mundanity in which they exist. (Though I'd argue that some of the worlds the author presents through these stories are anything but mundane, even if you are steeped in fantastical literature.)
One theme that spoke strongly to me and I thus saw repeated was that of escaping with a "magical" companion. Don't read 'magical' literally - though you could. (That's a part of the allure of the collection on the whole - the promise and lure that something could be taken as so much more than it is, or that you can take at face value.)
My favorites:
"Man in Blue Overcoat"
"Shedding Her Own Skin"
"Distant Deeps or Skies"
"A Puddle of Blood"
These four stories interestingly contain an equal balance of staying and leaving, and being tempted away from one's regular life. But it's not quite temptation; in at least a couple cases, it is an opportunity for escape.
I wonder if Theresa ever accepts the offer of the nahual.
Honorable Mentions:
"Kaleidoscope" - the theme here is other lives. This story resounded with me as this is a scenario I've conjured in my mind in relation to particular people in my life. If it's nothing you've experienced, you might not connect the same way to the story.
"Enchantment" - oddly enough, this is the story I was reading when the stranger on the bus interrupted me. It's about self-narratives and the people around us who might choose to play the roles we've assigned them, and what happens when we ruin our own stories by pushing too hard, lingering too long in a moment.
"A Handful of Earth" - can't knock a callback to Dracula and what happens to his 'brides' when he's gone away. It's a look into the evolution of a vampire, and what that story might look like from the inside.
I could go on and on about almost every story in the collection. There's nothing bad for me to say about any of them. Some I obviously liked more than others, but I didn't dislike any of them. I didn't find any of them particularly "weak" and none of them felt like filler. Though my experience is admittedly sparse when it comes to single-author short story collections, this one stands as a very solid example. It is likely to be the standard against which I judge other single-author collections going forward.
Many of these stories crafted worlds I wanted to explore beyond their boundaries. That is the beauty of a well wrought short piece; being able to tell a story in the context of a whole other world that makes sense, and to make it feel as though there is a whole wide, fleshed-out world behind it. It leaves you wanting more but not unsatisfied. Silvia Moreno-Garcia nails it.
Right out of the gate, the stories don't fall into too-familiar archetypes. They don't all follow the expectations we get for short stories from our mountains of literature or creative writing courses. What do they do? They weave a moment of time, a series of events, into a mural that stands out and stands up against the mundanity in which they exist. (Though I'd argue that some of the worlds the author presents through these stories are anything but mundane, even if you are steeped in fantastical literature.)
One theme that spoke strongly to me and I thus saw repeated was that of escaping with a "magical" companion. Don't read 'magical' literally - though you could. (That's a part of the allure of the collection on the whole - the promise and lure that something could be taken as so much more than it is, or that you can take at face value.)
My favorites:
"Man in Blue Overcoat"
"Shedding Her Own Skin"
"Distant Deeps or Skies"
"A Puddle of Blood"
These four stories interestingly contain an equal balance of staying and leaving, and being tempted away from one's regular life. But it's not quite temptation; in at least a couple cases, it is an opportunity for escape.
I wonder if Theresa ever accepts the offer of the nahual.
Honorable Mentions:
"Kaleidoscope" - the theme here is other lives. This story resounded with me as this is a scenario I've conjured in my mind in relation to particular people in my life. If it's nothing you've experienced, you might not connect the same way to the story.
"Enchantment" - oddly enough, this is the story I was reading when the stranger on the bus interrupted me. It's about self-narratives and the people around us who might choose to play the roles we've assigned them, and what happens when we ruin our own stories by pushing too hard, lingering too long in a moment.
"A Handful of Earth" - can't knock a callback to Dracula and what happens to his 'brides' when he's gone away. It's a look into the evolution of a vampire, and what that story might look like from the inside.
I could go on and on about almost every story in the collection. There's nothing bad for me to say about any of them. Some I obviously liked more than others, but I didn't dislike any of them. I didn't find any of them particularly "weak" and none of them felt like filler. Though my experience is admittedly sparse when it comes to single-author short story collections, this one stands as a very solid example. It is likely to be the standard against which I judge other single-author collections going forward.
Many of these stories crafted worlds I wanted to explore beyond their boundaries. That is the beauty of a well wrought short piece; being able to tell a story in the context of a whole other world that makes sense, and to make it feel as though there is a whole wide, fleshed-out world behind it. It leaves you wanting more but not unsatisfied. Silvia Moreno-Garcia nails it.
November 5, 2014
I did not expect the stories to be so good. This collection is one of the best in modern writing.
May 1, 2021
This is a beautifully written collection of love, relationship, and romance stories situated in the liminal spaces between science fiction, fantasy and horror. Probably leaning closer to horror. The stories are fascinating, complex, disturbing, and ultimately I didn't quite engage with them. As a collection (and for some individual stories) the stories are quite alienating, and I don't think this is due to the cultural differences between the author and myself. More I think it is because so many of the protagonists are alienated within the story. I would love to read commentary by Moreno-Garcia on any or all of the stories, and their intent.
For me there are echoes of Like Water for Chocolate, but I suspect that this has to do with that being the most recent book by a Mexican author (other than Moreno-Garcia) that I've read, and that the echoes would be cultural and historical details I'm not familiar with.
There are any number of dark themes - including but not limited to suicide, depression, being dragooned for the losing side, horrible friends/relatives being horrible people.
For me there are echoes of Like Water for Chocolate, but I suspect that this has to do with that being the most recent book by a Mexican author (other than Moreno-Garcia) that I've read, and that the echoes would be cultural and historical details I'm not familiar with.
There are any number of dark themes - including but not limited to suicide, depression, being dragooned for the losing side, horrible friends/relatives being horrible people.
August 13, 2021
This collection was amazing!! There were a couple that bent a bit more towards horror/terror/noir/suspense than I like, which is the only reason it isn’t five stars (but that’s personal preference - as always, Moreno Garcia’s writing is IMPECCABLE). My absolute favorite story is “Shedding Her Own Skin,” and I would love to see more about nahuals, river hags, tlahuelpuchi, etc (maybe in Certain Dark Things and/or Signal to Noise? Hoping to read those soon). If y’all haven’t read any of Moreno Garcia’s works yet, I’m going to keep telling you to get started!! She’s so creative and has a beautiful voice, in every piece she transports you to the world she has created and it leaves you wanting more.
January 8, 2018
A beautiful collection of supernatural literary fic, speculative fiction and a little horror. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has managed to some how take many traditional supernatural creatures and place in our world seamlessly. Her writing style changes with each New story but always carry this uniquely poetic undertone. I enjoyed every story but there were a few that completely engrossed me
Distant deeps it skies
Kissing frost
A handful of earth
Live sho
Kaleidoscope
The river bag
A puddle of blood
Distant deeps it skies
Kissing frost
A handful of earth
Live sho
Kaleidoscope
The river bag
A puddle of blood
Want to read
September 13, 2020Playing Cards Challenge: 2 of Spades
I actually have 52 unread books that I own in either print, Kobo or iPhone format, so I decided to assign each of them a playing card to start reading them. We aren't off to a great start.
DNF at 30%. I couldn't really distinguish between the stories, which were all about 90-99% atmosphere, with lots of blues and greens and water and things maybe happening but maybe not. I"m sure if you're into gothic and ambiguous short stories you'd like this book, but that's just not my jam.
I actually have 52 unread books that I own in either print, Kobo or iPhone format, so I decided to assign each of them a playing card to start reading them. We aren't off to a great start.
DNF at 30%. I couldn't really distinguish between the stories, which were all about 90-99% atmosphere, with lots of blues and greens and water and things maybe happening but maybe not. I"m sure if you're into gothic and ambiguous short stories you'd like this book, but that's just not my jam.
November 26, 2023
I liked the variety of stories and their gothic/paranormal themes like vampires and cthulu and La LLorona and water hags. Unfortunately, some of the best stories had some of the weakest endings . I'm not a reader who requires everything to be tied up neatly, but there are a handful of compelling stories that end abruptly without any indication of where the plot is going or what the signifiance of the main topic was. I really did enjoy the stories and felt inspired for my own.
January 10, 2021
This is a collection of Moreno-Garcia's short stories, often set in Mexico and covering such genres as Lovecraftian horror, steampunk, and vampire horror. Though not a long book, there's not a dud story in the lot. An enjoyable collection and one that pushes S.M-G to my list of authors I pre-order. (And if she wants to do a full length steampunk novel then I'll be first in the queue!)
August 1, 2021
3.75 collection of stories - I truly enjoyed the Mexican and mythical influences from throughout the book, and some definitely deserve a 5 star. A few others just leave me hanging and wondering what’s the point. Loved the Vampire clan one at the end and the Cthulhu influenced one gave me the creeps reading it at 1 am at night!!
Read for the 2021 bingo challenge - Latinx author
Read for the 2021 bingo challenge - Latinx author
Read
August 26, 2023Silvia Moreno-Garcia's short stories are always so gooooood. some of them weren't my style but the writing quality is always excellent and she always manages to fit an incredible tale in the space of a few pages.
June 14, 2024
Making my way through this author's back list and this is an old collection of fantasy short stories - some high fantasy, some magical realism. Varying lengths and some better than others. Mostly okay stories for me!
February 5, 2026
I got this short stories collection as part of join Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Patreon and enjoyed all of the stories (not a surprise, of course). And it was so fun seeing the origins of Atl and Domingo before Certain Dark Things was fully formed.
January 15, 2019
3+
short stories probably worth 4*, there were a couple not as good so 3* the usual short story score, but still very good.
short stories probably worth 4*, there were a couple not as good so 3* the usual short story score, but still very good.
Read
May 5, 2022Some really creepy stories, all are gorgeously written.
October 22, 2022
Recycling ideas ...
It was funny to find another retelling of Dracula from one of his wives' perspective - so soon after reading A Dowry of Blood.
It was funny to find another retelling of Dracula from one of his wives' perspective - so soon after reading A Dowry of Blood.
July 3, 2023
Interesting collection, some more surreal than others, but most somewhat unsettling. My favorites were "Man in Blue Overcoat" and "To See Pedro Infante."
August 11, 2023
The writing and atmosphere here is perfect but I often would like the stories to be more fleshed out. (3,5 rounded to 3 this time.)
August 22, 2023
Out of the 18 short stories, these are my favourite 5 stories:
- Man in Blue Overcoat
- Kaleidoscope
- The River Hag
- Sublime Artifacts
- A Puddle of Blood
- Man in Blue Overcoat
- Kaleidoscope
- The River Hag
- Sublime Artifacts
- A Puddle of Blood
March 4, 2025
personal faves:
- man in blue overcoat
- kissing frost
- live sho
- translucent skin
- man in blue overcoat
- kissing frost
- live sho
- translucent skin
August 23, 2025
Some of the stories are just snippets while others are more developed.
The best story of the collection, by far, is “shedding her own skin”
The best story of the collection, by far, is “shedding her own skin”
January 10, 2026
Several short stories in different fantasy/horror genres centered around love.
July 10, 2021
I’ve become, slowly, a big fan of Moreno-Garcia. I am also a fan of short story collections. This one, however, did not do it for me as I read it on my plane rides from Toronto to Chicago to Duluth. A few of the more off beat stories spoke to me, specifically I recall one about an animatronic(?) man that I enjoyed. However most of the time I felt bored or confused. These stories were well-written but generally did not do it for me. I had a hard time sinking in the narratives as I did with Gods of Jade and Shadow (probably my favorite book of the year) or Mexican Gothic.
Not terrible just not what I was looking for.
Not terrible just not what I was looking for.
September 16, 2020
Solid collection of short stories, which I think is the author's strongest medium. Her novels are good, but I honestly find her short stories superior. This one has a bit of everything. Ghost stories, both gothic and contemporary, lovecraftian tales, fantasy stories, sci-fi stories, you name it. And like the title says, most have to do with love and loss, though not all of them.
One of my favorite of Moreno-García's short stories is included in this collection, and it's about a teenage girl's interactions with a Nahual (skin-walker) in a little town during the Mexican Revolution. Another one about a knight and his squire making their way to a witch's castle to challenge her only to find that she refuses to fight them was also very interesting, as was the one about the guy in Mexico City whose friend bought a photocopied copy of the Necronomicon off some homeless dude.
The stories are very dynamic and most are rather on the short side, so the book flows very quickly and you can read the whole thing in an hour or two.
One of my favorite of Moreno-García's short stories is included in this collection, and it's about a teenage girl's interactions with a Nahual (skin-walker) in a little town during the Mexican Revolution. Another one about a knight and his squire making their way to a witch's castle to challenge her only to find that she refuses to fight them was also very interesting, as was the one about the guy in Mexico City whose friend bought a photocopied copy of the Necronomicon off some homeless dude.
The stories are very dynamic and most are rather on the short side, so the book flows very quickly and you can read the whole thing in an hour or two.
November 18, 2014
A beautiful collection of haunting stories. I can't really sum up my reaction in a star rating, because there was so much variety in the overall collection. SMG captures emotional beats and sea change moments in the lives of the characters incredibly well. In no particular order, the following were my favorites:
- Kaleidoscope
- A Handful of Earth
- Shedding Her Own Skin
- Distant Deeps or Skies
- Kaleidoscope
- A Handful of Earth
- Shedding Her Own Skin
- Distant Deeps or Skies
June 1, 2015
I just posted a recommendation for this and Moreno-Garcia's other works on my Lovecraft site. I did want to mention, as well, that the first story in this collection, "Variations of Figures Upon the Wall," has been included on a recent Pseudopod podcast, episode 413--it's a beautiful reading of this queering of Poe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews