I heard there's a story from the point-of-view of the Questing Beast, so I'm in. King Pellinore and his Beast are sentimental favourites of mine in ThI heard there's a story from the point-of-view of the Questing Beast, so I'm in. King Pellinore and his Beast are sentimental favourites of mine in The Once and Future King, and this story clove to the essentials of their characterisations there, so I was happy.
Four fiction pieces, all worth reading. Paula Hammond's concerns not-so-Ancient Egypt in the New World, while 'Stella Splendens' has a nice touch of style. ...more
This isn't a large collection (200 pages of poems), and yet rather frequently I wondered why a poem had been included as 'decadent'. Presumably for3.5
This isn't a large collection (200 pages of poems), and yet rather frequently I wondered why a poem had been included as 'decadent'. Presumably for the author's sake, who might have moved in those circles? Man were commonplace in subject, and a few were outright moralizing. In contrast to others--Aleister Crowley, not on his own--which were flamboyantly decadent or exhibitionist Evil Incarnate.
The selection veers towards unknown poets, particularly those with extreme life experiences that they rendered in verse. That does make for some ordinary verse. On the other hand I discovered poets such as Nora May French and 2-3 queer women I'd never heard of.
I don't know whether Swinburne was thought too early, and so reduced to a prescursor. He's represented by a single poem, and not his most decadent, either. It's true I'm a Swinburne fan, but he would have lifted the quality level if a few of his most outrageous works had been included. He was a heavy influence, as proven by not one but two satiric tributes to him in the volume.
I appreciated the bios at the end: possibly the most interesting part of the book, brief lives of forgotten poets....more
I enjoyed McQuiston's hit Red, White & Royal Blue, but this was a step up in every way. Because it stretched back to the 70s with rights activist JaneI enjoyed McQuiston's hit Red, White & Royal Blue, but this was a step up in every way. Because it stretched back to the 70s with rights activist Jane/Biyu, while in the present we have such a range of people in the cast, at times it felt like it was gunning for gay epic status. Of course, the royals novel is about royals/presidents and also gay men, this one about ordinary lesbian/bi women on trains, so inevitably it's less rated. I guess that first hit gave the author leave to write something more substantial as well as more subversive.
The only thing I had to get past was a little of the over-clever imagery that belongs to the genre, and that's only because I don't hang out in the genre. There's some pretty nice writing to go with that....more
I indulged in a physical copy of this one, and it's cute enough an object to make me happy I did.
I never understood why cosy murder mysteries were evI indulged in a physical copy of this one, and it's cute enough an object to make me happy I did.
I never understood why cosy murder mysteries were even a thing, but---give me cosy fantasy and the rationale is obvious, with antecedents bone-deep in my reading history.
Cosy here doesn't mean insubstantial. The editor is strong on story values. Two were my personal favourites:
Adam McPhee is writing fantasy based on Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, the wonderfully fantastic 16th-century post-medieval romance/epic. A short story from that project was enough to sign me up for this issue. It turned out to be somewhat meta--I delight in meta--in that characters consult the Furioso for advice, it being 'the founding text of the empire'. The story concerns the origins of the hippogriffs we see knights ride in the original, and is about how a boy earns a hippogriff of his own. There definitely needs to be more Furioso fantasy in the world.
I'd also mention the last story by Jonathan Olfert, who writes stone age fantasy. Perhaps his others as well have these Blue Ochre People (mammoths, who like to ornament themselves), Curling Hands People (octopuses, prehensile crafters), Grey People (seals, who assist others to seafare). Along with humans, all these peoples come to trade at a cove where a translation magic lets them talk to one another. This story left me with that genuine feel-good factor because of its vision of community and cross-species help.
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