What do you think?
Rate this book
And the Angels Sang
In this her fifth book, Lorina Stephens presents a provocative anthology of speculative short fiction, from dystopia to utopia, written over the past 25 years. Some stories have appeared previously in publications such as On Spec and Sword & Sorceress X, while some make their debut. Lorina Stephens has proven herself an engaging author. - The (Hanover) Post It is often the case with contemporary Canadian authors that they have a tendency to punctuate their novels with long, psychological dissertations on mundane subjects. It's as if they feel that each everyday occurrence is fraught with deep sociological undertones. Lorina Stephens, fortunately, is free of such meanderings. She has a good economy of words and each paragraph contains vital information. - Dan Pelton Orangeville Citizen
196 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Lorina Stephens
21 books72 followersLorina Stephens has worked as editor, freelance journalist for national and regional print media, been a festival organizer, publicist, lectures on many historical topics from textiles to domestic technologies, teaches, and continues to work as a writer and artist.
Her short fiction has appeared in Polar Borealis, On Spec, Strangers Among Us, Postscripts to Darkness, Neo-Opsis, Stories of the Deluge, and Sword & Sorceress X.
Book credits include:
Tesseracts 22: Alchemy and Artifacts, co-editor with Susan MacGregor, Edge Publishing, 2019
The Rose Guardian, Five Rivers Publishing, 2019
Caliban, Five Rivers Publishing, 2018
Stonehouse Cooks, Five Rivers Publishing, 2011,
From Mountains of Ice, Five Rivers Publishing, 2009,
And the Angels Sang, Five Rivers Publishing, 2008,
Shadow Song, Five Rivers Publishing, 2008,
Recipes of a Dumb Housewife, Lulu Publishing 2007,
Credit River Valley, Boston Mills Press 1994
Touring the Giant’s Rib: A Guide to the Niagara Escarpment; Boston Mills Press 1993
You can follow her at:
fiveriverspublishing.com
@LorinaStephens
https://www.facebook.com/LorinaStephen...
Her short fiction has appeared in Polar Borealis, On Spec, Strangers Among Us, Postscripts to Darkness, Neo-Opsis, Stories of the Deluge, and Sword & Sorceress X.
Book credits include:
Tesseracts 22: Alchemy and Artifacts, co-editor with Susan MacGregor, Edge Publishing, 2019
The Rose Guardian, Five Rivers Publishing, 2019
Caliban, Five Rivers Publishing, 2018
Stonehouse Cooks, Five Rivers Publishing, 2011,
From Mountains of Ice, Five Rivers Publishing, 2009,
And the Angels Sang, Five Rivers Publishing, 2008,
Shadow Song, Five Rivers Publishing, 2008,
Recipes of a Dumb Housewife, Lulu Publishing 2007,
Credit River Valley, Boston Mills Press 1994
Touring the Giant’s Rib: A Guide to the Niagara Escarpment; Boston Mills Press 1993
You can follow her at:
fiveriverspublishing.com
@LorinaStephens
https://www.facebook.com/LorinaStephen...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 4, 2012
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
October 6, 2020
In her short story collection And the Angels Sang, Lorina Stephens brings us 17 short stories of varying lengths and themes. Some have been previously published in publications such as On Spec, Maple Syrup Simmering, The Blotter, and Sword & Sorceress X (edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley), while others are offered for the first time.
My favorites among the lot included “Smile of the Goddess,” “A Dishwasher for Michelina,” “For a Cup of Tea,” “Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic,” and “Dragonslayer.”
In “Smile of the Goddess,” an arrogant and powerful man is ready to declare war on another principality because he is offended by a woman’s failure to respond to his request for marriage. He makes assumptions about the reason for the non-reply—only to find that the situation is not as he thought at all. The story includes a supernatural being, the Goddess Seditha, whose conversations with the protagonist provide a bit of foreshadowing.
In a twist on the how-the-lottery-changes-your-life story, “A Dishwasher for Michelina” explores what might happen if a humble man who works in an abattoir and enjoys gardening in his spare time were to suddenly find a money tree growing in his back yard. The story is told with a generous dose of humour, and provides a believable look at how peoples’ values and relationships might be tested by such unexpected largesse.
“For a Cup of Tea” reimagines a fabled race from Shanghai to London featuring two sailing ships, Thermopylae and Cutty Sark. In Stephens’ version, the story gets the added twist of magical intervention. Though a number of the other stories are internally-driven, “For a Cup of Tea” contains plenty of action, with the story’s pacing benefitting from that feature. The tale comes to life with sections like:
Tempted as he was to fly before that mass of roiling black, Malvern gave the order to furl all but the jibs. As it was, one man nearly went overboard. Cutty Sark’s decks were awash. Men scrambled like ghosts in a darkening sky.
Nealie, the protagonist of “Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic” has recently had a miscarriage. She is less than impressed by the doctor’s assurance that everything will be okay—she just needs to adjust: “What did he know about carrying a child inside you and then losing it, especially a child you’ve carried almost to term?” Understandably, Nealie is emotionally affected by the miscarriage and her emotional state starts to affect her work performance. When she is presented with an unexpected opportunity, Nealie must make a choice that will affect the course of her life. This story includes character growth, demonstrates sensitive treatment of a difficult issue—miscarriage—and engages in intriguing world-building, with the notion of long-haul freighters being captained by a pregnant woman on the way out, and by her child on the way back. There is also some powerful phrasing, as in the following passage: “It felt odd to enter a long-haul tin again, odd as if I’d gone back ten years, my wings all golden and sharp at my breast.”
“Dragonslayer” revolves around Simon Braunswagger, aka Dragonslayer, a former war hero now reduced to selling insurance. Generously sprinkled with humor, the story’s plot line is entertaining and includes a believable twist at the end. On the flip side, I didn’t particularly care for the protagonist’s philandering and his dismissive treatment of his wife. I felt the main story line could still have been successful with these aspects toned down.
Stephens notes in her “Afterword” that some of the tales are darker than others. I found the lighter stories more appealing, the majority of those being found in the latter portion of the book. Many of the stories, particularly those in the early going, explore out-of-the-box and original notions. In some cases, they feature individuals in difficult and even depressing situations making bleak choices. Some of the darker stories include disturbing content or scenes, including rape/sexual abuse, the infliction of a painful death, and suicide. The darker stories were intellectually stimulating, although for the most part I found it more difficult to empathize/relate to the protagonists in the darker stories compared to the lighter ones.
All in all, the 17 stories in And the Angels Sang formed an interesting collection with diverse themes. While some stories grabbed me more than others, I admired the author’s imaginative range. And the Angels Sang was originally published in 2008, with the second edition released in 2020. I reviewed the latter, in an electronic version.
Reviewer’s note: I downloaded a free copy of And the Angels Sang with the request to post a fair and unbiased review, which I have endeavoured to do. No other compensation was received for this review.
My favorites among the lot included “Smile of the Goddess,” “A Dishwasher for Michelina,” “For a Cup of Tea,” “Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic,” and “Dragonslayer.”
In “Smile of the Goddess,” an arrogant and powerful man is ready to declare war on another principality because he is offended by a woman’s failure to respond to his request for marriage. He makes assumptions about the reason for the non-reply—only to find that the situation is not as he thought at all. The story includes a supernatural being, the Goddess Seditha, whose conversations with the protagonist provide a bit of foreshadowing.
In a twist on the how-the-lottery-changes-your-life story, “A Dishwasher for Michelina” explores what might happen if a humble man who works in an abattoir and enjoys gardening in his spare time were to suddenly find a money tree growing in his back yard. The story is told with a generous dose of humour, and provides a believable look at how peoples’ values and relationships might be tested by such unexpected largesse.
“For a Cup of Tea” reimagines a fabled race from Shanghai to London featuring two sailing ships, Thermopylae and Cutty Sark. In Stephens’ version, the story gets the added twist of magical intervention. Though a number of the other stories are internally-driven, “For a Cup of Tea” contains plenty of action, with the story’s pacing benefitting from that feature. The tale comes to life with sections like:
Tempted as he was to fly before that mass of roiling black, Malvern gave the order to furl all but the jibs. As it was, one man nearly went overboard. Cutty Sark’s decks were awash. Men scrambled like ghosts in a darkening sky.
Nealie, the protagonist of “Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic” has recently had a miscarriage. She is less than impressed by the doctor’s assurance that everything will be okay—she just needs to adjust: “What did he know about carrying a child inside you and then losing it, especially a child you’ve carried almost to term?” Understandably, Nealie is emotionally affected by the miscarriage and her emotional state starts to affect her work performance. When she is presented with an unexpected opportunity, Nealie must make a choice that will affect the course of her life. This story includes character growth, demonstrates sensitive treatment of a difficult issue—miscarriage—and engages in intriguing world-building, with the notion of long-haul freighters being captained by a pregnant woman on the way out, and by her child on the way back. There is also some powerful phrasing, as in the following passage: “It felt odd to enter a long-haul tin again, odd as if I’d gone back ten years, my wings all golden and sharp at my breast.”
“Dragonslayer” revolves around Simon Braunswagger, aka Dragonslayer, a former war hero now reduced to selling insurance. Generously sprinkled with humor, the story’s plot line is entertaining and includes a believable twist at the end. On the flip side, I didn’t particularly care for the protagonist’s philandering and his dismissive treatment of his wife. I felt the main story line could still have been successful with these aspects toned down.
Stephens notes in her “Afterword” that some of the tales are darker than others. I found the lighter stories more appealing, the majority of those being found in the latter portion of the book. Many of the stories, particularly those in the early going, explore out-of-the-box and original notions. In some cases, they feature individuals in difficult and even depressing situations making bleak choices. Some of the darker stories include disturbing content or scenes, including rape/sexual abuse, the infliction of a painful death, and suicide. The darker stories were intellectually stimulating, although for the most part I found it more difficult to empathize/relate to the protagonists in the darker stories compared to the lighter ones.
All in all, the 17 stories in And the Angels Sang formed an interesting collection with diverse themes. While some stories grabbed me more than others, I admired the author’s imaginative range. And the Angels Sang was originally published in 2008, with the second edition released in 2020. I reviewed the latter, in an electronic version.
Reviewer’s note: I downloaded a free copy of And the Angels Sang with the request to post a fair and unbiased review, which I have endeavoured to do. No other compensation was received for this review.
July 24, 2011
This book’s main title may insinuate an assemblage of angelic tales, personal NDE accounts, celestial poetry, or rhapsodic Bible stories. But its subtitle should advise a gathering of spatial, spectral, supernatural, or down-right spooky fiction.
This is collection of 17 whimsical short stories—about half previously published—unevenly divided under the device of two angels: Shamsiel, a sentry over fallen angels and the guardian of the Garden of Eden, watches over the yarns involving alien life-forms, time travel, String Theory, time folding, and other preternatural material; Sariel, an archangel assigned as the eternal protector of creation, stands guard over more earth-bound subjects dealing with human perplexities and problems, even if the characters are non-human.
Lorina Stephens lists her intentions and inspirations behind several stories in her “Afterword”; I won’t parse them here. Each story is bannered with a reproduction of art pieces—most by the author, but several are attributed to others. These drawings suggest the pith of each tale, which is great because some of Stephens’ fancy might otherwise be lost within her pros-etry style.
“And the Angels Sang,” the lead story from which the book gains its title, is a first-person narrative—almost spiritual retelling—of the martyrdom of Jean de Brébeuf, a patron saint of Canada. The story displays repugnant rapture as the narrator suffers torment through torture, doubt, despair, and salvation in his final demise. Nevertheless, there is a considerable historical gaffe here. Historical accounts reveal that Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary to and the ethnographer of the Huron tribe, was captured by the Iroquois (not the Huron), staked and tortured to death by scalping, boiling, and mutilating, along with fellow Jesuit Gabriel Lallemant (not Paul Ragueneau) suffering at the stake next to him. The historical Ragueneau, the proctor of the North American mission for eight years while de Brébeuf served there, returned to France where he apparently died peacefully. Hmm.
Several fantasies sink into alternate subtitle categories: spatial (“Zero Mile”), time travel (“Jaguar”), twin paradox (“Sister Sun”), supernatural (“Protector”), or spooky (“Summer Wine”). Other stories drift their own courses and a couple tales glide toward other works: “The Gift” smacks of fantastical dementia that harkens to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”; and, while purple shades grow around her in “Darkies,” Melina’s chant resonates the lyrics of Prince’s “Purple Rain” (“I only wanted to see you underneath the purple rain”).
Character echelons include ordinary humans, anthropomorphic animals, sorcerers, elves, Halflings, efreeti, specters and goddesses. A few stories float Aesopic conclusions: “Smile of the Goddess” retells a moral about being careful about prayer requests; “A Dishwasher for Michelina” is a delightful rendering of human foibles following a financial windfall; and the most ribald and risible tale, “Dragonslayer,” satirizes a brimstone bootlegger and life insurance salesman’s outwitting of the government.
Stephens’ creations pool into a cooling diversion while being highly meromictic.
This is collection of 17 whimsical short stories—about half previously published—unevenly divided under the device of two angels: Shamsiel, a sentry over fallen angels and the guardian of the Garden of Eden, watches over the yarns involving alien life-forms, time travel, String Theory, time folding, and other preternatural material; Sariel, an archangel assigned as the eternal protector of creation, stands guard over more earth-bound subjects dealing with human perplexities and problems, even if the characters are non-human.
Lorina Stephens lists her intentions and inspirations behind several stories in her “Afterword”; I won’t parse them here. Each story is bannered with a reproduction of art pieces—most by the author, but several are attributed to others. These drawings suggest the pith of each tale, which is great because some of Stephens’ fancy might otherwise be lost within her pros-etry style.
“And the Angels Sang,” the lead story from which the book gains its title, is a first-person narrative—almost spiritual retelling—of the martyrdom of Jean de Brébeuf, a patron saint of Canada. The story displays repugnant rapture as the narrator suffers torment through torture, doubt, despair, and salvation in his final demise. Nevertheless, there is a considerable historical gaffe here. Historical accounts reveal that Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary to and the ethnographer of the Huron tribe, was captured by the Iroquois (not the Huron), staked and tortured to death by scalping, boiling, and mutilating, along with fellow Jesuit Gabriel Lallemant (not Paul Ragueneau) suffering at the stake next to him. The historical Ragueneau, the proctor of the North American mission for eight years while de Brébeuf served there, returned to France where he apparently died peacefully. Hmm.
Several fantasies sink into alternate subtitle categories: spatial (“Zero Mile”), time travel (“Jaguar”), twin paradox (“Sister Sun”), supernatural (“Protector”), or spooky (“Summer Wine”). Other stories drift their own courses and a couple tales glide toward other works: “The Gift” smacks of fantastical dementia that harkens to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”; and, while purple shades grow around her in “Darkies,” Melina’s chant resonates the lyrics of Prince’s “Purple Rain” (“I only wanted to see you underneath the purple rain”).
Character echelons include ordinary humans, anthropomorphic animals, sorcerers, elves, Halflings, efreeti, specters and goddesses. A few stories float Aesopic conclusions: “Smile of the Goddess” retells a moral about being careful about prayer requests; “A Dishwasher for Michelina” is a delightful rendering of human foibles following a financial windfall; and the most ribald and risible tale, “Dragonslayer,” satirizes a brimstone bootlegger and life insurance salesman’s outwitting of the government.
Stephens’ creations pool into a cooling diversion while being highly meromictic.
Read
September 9, 2011First a disclaimer; In compliance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
First Impressions:
I have read a few stories now and am still going.
The title story 'And the Angels Sang' was, in my opinion, a poor choice of story to start the book with. Written from the first-person perspective of a person undergoing mental stress, it seemed very hard to follow. It also dealt with some potentially controversial religious themes. I believe many people would put the book down before finishing the first story.
This is very disappointing for the author as this story has been the least enjoyable of the five that I have read thus far. Lorina can write a traditional sci-fi story as well as more 'experimental' speculative fiction. She puts her own unique and interesting spin on each story and I have enjoyed all the other stories thus far. (I will update the review when I finish the book.)
Lorina is a good author with an interesting writing style. I had to examine my own view of sci-fi short stories as she writes with a depth of thinking not normally applied to sf shorts. She often forces the reader to try to work out what's happening from a series of apparently disjointed vignettes that combine to form the story, or by writing from the perspective of a character who does not (yet) know what is happening. As I read my sf shorts before going to sleep, it was sometimes too hard for my tired brain to comprehend.
I have found variety in her stories not often found in the writings of a new author. This is variety of themes, ideas and presentation. A couple of her stories have been quite engaging. I believe we will see some of her work appearing in sci-fi anthologies and may well see her nominated for awards.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes 'soft' sci-fi short stories, but be prepared for greater depth of thinking than the average sci-fi short story provides.
First Impressions:
I have read a few stories now and am still going.
The title story 'And the Angels Sang' was, in my opinion, a poor choice of story to start the book with. Written from the first-person perspective of a person undergoing mental stress, it seemed very hard to follow. It also dealt with some potentially controversial religious themes. I believe many people would put the book down before finishing the first story.
This is very disappointing for the author as this story has been the least enjoyable of the five that I have read thus far. Lorina can write a traditional sci-fi story as well as more 'experimental' speculative fiction. She puts her own unique and interesting spin on each story and I have enjoyed all the other stories thus far. (I will update the review when I finish the book.)
Lorina is a good author with an interesting writing style. I had to examine my own view of sci-fi short stories as she writes with a depth of thinking not normally applied to sf shorts. She often forces the reader to try to work out what's happening from a series of apparently disjointed vignettes that combine to form the story, or by writing from the perspective of a character who does not (yet) know what is happening. As I read my sf shorts before going to sleep, it was sometimes too hard for my tired brain to comprehend.
I have found variety in her stories not often found in the writings of a new author. This is variety of themes, ideas and presentation. A couple of her stories have been quite engaging. I believe we will see some of her work appearing in sci-fi anthologies and may well see her nominated for awards.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes 'soft' sci-fi short stories, but be prepared for greater depth of thinking than the average sci-fi short story provides.
Currently reading
June 26, 2009The first, titular, story is an hallucinogenic account told from the point of view of a missionary priest being tortured to death by the people he was attempting to convert. Stephens does an excellent job presenting a non-modern mindset.
"Sister Sun" is a short but original time-travel tale about a pair of lifelong friends researching Eskimo culture. Yukio loves Lisa but she regards him as a brother. The story doesn't go into detail about their research or training, but they seemed pretty irrational to me. Stephens references the story of Annigan, in which the bad brother moon chases the good sister sun, but neither character seemed particularly good.
"Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic" occurs in a future where deep space flights are piloted by pregnant women because they take so long that each flight is a lifetime; each captain bears a daughter to bring the ship back. It is narrated by a woman who longs to have a child but has not been able to, and is running out of time and money.
"Protector" is a sad and rather disturbing internal monologue by a person who is forced to absorb and bear the physical and emotional pains of others, for the good of the community. Reminiscent of Le Guin's famous The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.
In "Gift" a lonely scientist searching for oil in Alaska converses with a being he believed to be a hallucination on the part of his lost wife.
The horrific effects of dirty bombs is described from the point of view of a photographer in "Over-Exposed".
The stories have different settings and characters but are unified by their themes of isolation, alienation, and loneliness.
"Sister Sun" is a short but original time-travel tale about a pair of lifelong friends researching Eskimo culture. Yukio loves Lisa but she regards him as a brother. The story doesn't go into detail about their research or training, but they seemed pretty irrational to me. Stephens references the story of Annigan, in which the bad brother moon chases the good sister sun, but neither character seemed particularly good.
"Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic" occurs in a future where deep space flights are piloted by pregnant women because they take so long that each flight is a lifetime; each captain bears a daughter to bring the ship back. It is narrated by a woman who longs to have a child but has not been able to, and is running out of time and money.
"Protector" is a sad and rather disturbing internal monologue by a person who is forced to absorb and bear the physical and emotional pains of others, for the good of the community. Reminiscent of Le Guin's famous The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.
In "Gift" a lonely scientist searching for oil in Alaska converses with a being he believed to be a hallucination on the part of his lost wife.
The horrific effects of dirty bombs is described from the point of view of a photographer in "Over-Exposed".
The stories have different settings and characters but are unified by their themes of isolation, alienation, and loneliness.
March 6, 2012
A book of shortstories that was unusually difficult to get through, and I am a short story lover. Some of the stories were really lovely, especially "A Dishwasher for Michelina", "For a cup of tea" and the title story "And the Angels Sang." Others were needlessly densely written. Each story contained at least one or two beautiful or thoughtful descriptions, that were spot on.
There were moments of dissatisfaction, that I think arise from the fact that they are *short* stories. It seems as though Stephens didn't have the gumption to follow through on these to make them full fledged novelettes or even longer short stories. She tends to gloss over the actual story part, and focus on unimportant details, using multiple adjectives that mean the same thing. Many seem to be parts of a larger tale, where the reader must fill in the prior chapters, since Stephens often starts her stories in the middle of a dialogue or thought.
There is a lot of mixture of the every-day and fantasy, to the detriment of "Darkies" which seems to advocate asking spirits to protect against rape.
The story that was most different from the others, the "Green Season" (in the afterward, the author acknowledges "I admit to the cardinal sin of anthropomorphism") shows Stephens' gift for imagining the pain of human suffering in the most instinctual of situations. It follows the rebellious and deep feelings of a young lionness, in her conventional pride.
Lastly, there is artwork between each story, that has some thread to the story to come, but is not specifically related. That was lovely, but I wish the b+w reproduction had been a little bit better.
There were moments of dissatisfaction, that I think arise from the fact that they are *short* stories. It seems as though Stephens didn't have the gumption to follow through on these to make them full fledged novelettes or even longer short stories. She tends to gloss over the actual story part, and focus on unimportant details, using multiple adjectives that mean the same thing. Many seem to be parts of a larger tale, where the reader must fill in the prior chapters, since Stephens often starts her stories in the middle of a dialogue or thought.
There is a lot of mixture of the every-day and fantasy, to the detriment of "Darkies" which seems to advocate asking spirits to protect against rape.
The story that was most different from the others, the "Green Season" (in the afterward, the author acknowledges "I admit to the cardinal sin of anthropomorphism") shows Stephens' gift for imagining the pain of human suffering in the most instinctual of situations. It follows the rebellious and deep feelings of a young lionness, in her conventional pride.
Lastly, there is artwork between each story, that has some thread to the story to come, but is not specifically related. That was lovely, but I wish the b+w reproduction had been a little bit better.
August 31, 2009
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This is an eclectic mix of short stories. The opening story (and the name of the book) is about the torture of a real-life missionary to the Hurons by the Iroquois. It is full of wonderful imagery and sensation. Although it is only 3 1/2 pages long it is a fantastic story and an excellent opening to this collection.
The third story deals with a woman who has had a miscarriage and is suffering the following devastation. It is an interesting story and has an interesting take on interglatactic travel that I have not come across anywhere else.
The stories are set across various times, places, and alternate realities. They deal with human emotions and explore the human psyche and morality. They are well written and with an obvious passion. The author has an incredible knack of sneaking upon you the realisation that where and when the story are set are not what you originally thought. I've already recommended to one of my work colleagues that he should take a look.
This is an eclectic mix of short stories. The opening story (and the name of the book) is about the torture of a real-life missionary to the Hurons by the Iroquois. It is full of wonderful imagery and sensation. Although it is only 3 1/2 pages long it is a fantastic story and an excellent opening to this collection.
The third story deals with a woman who has had a miscarriage and is suffering the following devastation. It is an interesting story and has an interesting take on interglatactic travel that I have not come across anywhere else.
The stories are set across various times, places, and alternate realities. They deal with human emotions and explore the human psyche and morality. They are well written and with an obvious passion. The author has an incredible knack of sneaking upon you the realisation that where and when the story are set are not what you originally thought. I've already recommended to one of my work colleagues that he should take a look.
September 4, 2011
And the Angels Sang by Lorina Stephens is a collection of short speculative fiction. The book also contains many illustrations by the author.
Going into this book, I wasn't totally sure what speculative fiction actually meant. After reading this, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the genre overall. The stories contained in this book were well written, they just didn't grasp my interest. In many of the stories, it took me awhile to even figure out what was going on. Then, once I did, the story was over. But there were a couple of exceptions. I really liked "A Dishwasher for Michelina" and "The Green Season." These stories had much humor and heart to make me forget that there were a few supernatural elements going on.
If you are a fan of speculative fiction, I am sure that you will be a fan of Stephens' work.
*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
Going into this book, I wasn't totally sure what speculative fiction actually meant. After reading this, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the genre overall. The stories contained in this book were well written, they just didn't grasp my interest. In many of the stories, it took me awhile to even figure out what was going on. Then, once I did, the story was over. But there were a couple of exceptions. I really liked "A Dishwasher for Michelina" and "The Green Season." These stories had much humor and heart to make me forget that there were a few supernatural elements going on.
If you are a fan of speculative fiction, I am sure that you will be a fan of Stephens' work.
*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
August 14, 2011
I received this book as part of Goodread's Giveaways and First Reads.
The short, sci-fi stories contained in this book shuffled between really interesting and engrossing to boring and difficult to follow. Some of the ideas contained within were interesting, such as Sister Sun and Have a Nice Day Pass The Arsenic (the former about time travel, I suppose, and the latter about having children in space). I especially liked Green Season, where lions were involved.
Unfortunately I felt that the poorer stories, such as And The Angels Sang and even Jaguar let the book as a whole down. I also feel that Lorina Stephens' writing style as a whole left something to be desired. I think the book as a whole lacked punch, or a spark that really tied it together.
The short, sci-fi stories contained in this book shuffled between really interesting and engrossing to boring and difficult to follow. Some of the ideas contained within were interesting, such as Sister Sun and Have a Nice Day Pass The Arsenic (the former about time travel, I suppose, and the latter about having children in space). I especially liked Green Season, where lions were involved.
Unfortunately I felt that the poorer stories, such as And The Angels Sang and even Jaguar let the book as a whole down. I also feel that Lorina Stephens' writing style as a whole left something to be desired. I think the book as a whole lacked punch, or a spark that really tied it together.
July 20, 2009
I enjoyed this collection of short stories, which dare I say are the best stories of this author in the last 25 years? OK I dare.
My three favorites in order are:
1.) Have a nice day and pass the arsenic
2.) A dishwasher for Michelina
3.) Zero mile
There were many other stories of the 17 I liked, but those 3 are my favorites. Most of the titles were of the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres, or leaning towards them.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great Science Ficton & Fantasy stories; you'll thank me later.
My three favorites in order are:
1.) Have a nice day and pass the arsenic
2.) A dishwasher for Michelina
3.) Zero mile
There were many other stories of the 17 I liked, but those 3 are my favorites. Most of the titles were of the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres, or leaning towards them.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great Science Ficton & Fantasy stories; you'll thank me later.
July 20, 2011
I won this collection of short speculative fiction stories from First Reads Giveaway.
In general I found I enjoyed the fantasy stories a lot better than the science fiction ones. Which is unusual, since in general my preference is usually the other way around. I think it's because I expect my SF to wow me - to make me see the world, or some aspect of it, in a new and different way. And, (with a couple exceptions), these weren't doing that for me. On the other hand, the fantasy stories, for the most part, were just plain fun. And that I enjoyed.
In general I found I enjoyed the fantasy stories a lot better than the science fiction ones. Which is unusual, since in general my preference is usually the other way around. I think it's because I expect my SF to wow me - to make me see the world, or some aspect of it, in a new and different way. And, (with a couple exceptions), these weren't doing that for me. On the other hand, the fantasy stories, for the most part, were just plain fun. And that I enjoyed.
September 30, 2011
I won this through the GoodReads First Reads program. It arrived on 20 July 2011. Review to follow.
I read the first section of stories and I can't say I'm impressed enough to carry on. Most of the stories have good ideas at their core, but play out predictably or are simply bland. (More care also should have been taken on the editing end of things. In one story, a character's last name is spelled at least three different ways.) I'll try to dip back into the book to finish it, but from what I've read, I found it to be rather generic.
I read the first section of stories and I can't say I'm impressed enough to carry on. Most of the stories have good ideas at their core, but play out predictably or are simply bland. (More care also should have been taken on the editing end of things. In one story, a character's last name is spelled at least three different ways.) I'll try to dip back into the book to finish it, but from what I've read, I found it to be rather generic.
May 15, 2011
Like any collection, some stories resonated with me more than others: I really couldn't relate to the title story at all, but I really, really liked a couple of the others. Most are very well written and filled with compelling imagery, but um, kind of dark. Downbeat. Depressing. Definitely not beach reading. But fans of Lorina's moody writing will feel right at home with this collection of shorts. Well worth cover price.
July 21, 2011
And the Angels Sang is the first book I have received as a first-reads give-a-way, which was exciting in itself. Couldn't wait to start reading and it did not disappoint. From the beginning, with And the Angels Sang, to the last, A Memory of Moonlight and Silver, Lorina Stephens draws the reader in. Some of my favorite stories are; And the Angels Sang,Have a Nice Day and Pass the Arsenic,Over-exposed and Smile of the Goddess. This is a book you don't want to rush through.
February 27, 2015
More often than not I found myself disappointed as I came to the end of each short story. Each world, created with so few words, seemed rich enough to fill a novel. Be prepared to not know what is happening for each opening page and see it all make sense by each end. By far one of the most interesting reads I've had in a while.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
August 5, 2011
This book is collection of poetic fantasy short stories. Unfortunately poetry and sic-fi fantasy don't mix well on my pallet. Sorry I tried a couple of times but could not finish this. Maybe someone else would find it engaging but I struggled. Reading a book should not be a struggle, life is too short.
Received as a Goodreads first read reviewer
Received as a Goodreads first read reviewer
May 26, 2015
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads and have just started reading it. I will post a review when I'm finished but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's definitely not what I expected.
November 12, 2011
I graciously received this book through a first reads giveaway.
This is a book of short stories which I loved every single one. They can be twisted stories, so be forewarned if you aren't into endings that don't end happily. I would recommend and have passed on this book.
This is a book of short stories which I loved every single one. They can be twisted stories, so be forewarned if you aren't into endings that don't end happily. I would recommend and have passed on this book.
September 17, 2011
I received this book as part of Goodread's Giveaways.
I am struggling to finish this book. Partly because the first story for which the book got its name is not that good.
So Not impressed.
Some are better than others.
I am struggling to finish this book. Partly because the first story for which the book got its name is not that good.
So Not impressed.
Some are better than others.
December 27, 2011
I received this book for free from the Goodreads first read giveaway. I really love short stories and thought this was a great collection. Lots of variety from time travel to sailing ships to a dragon slaying insurance salesman. Well worth reading!
August 17, 2009
Normally I don't read short stories, but I read these with interest. They made me think outside the box. My favorites were A Cup of Tea and A Memory of Moonlight and Silver.
August 22, 2011
Short stories were amazing, but I would forget which story I left off at when I took breaks. That was the only downside.
Want to read
July 1, 2011I won this book from First Reads Giveaway. Thank you. Looks good. Can’t wait to read it.
August 4, 2011
Really enjoyed this book, not my usual read but I am very happy to add another author to my collection of 'books to look out for' very well written and look forward to reading more.
April 3, 2015
Not a bad book, but just not my kind of book.
October 24, 2011
I won this book through Goodreads
A lovely collection of short stories!
A lovely collection of short stories!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews