Stories 112-118
Figured while I'm sitting here waiting for my flight to board, I'd do a quick update.
Story 112: Tits Up In a Ditch by Annie Proulx. June 9-16 2008 issue of The New Yorker. This was a difficult one for me. It's about very unhappy people in Wyoming, the main character is a girl raised by her maternal grandparents. No one is really likeable, and I wasn't convinced by the machinations the author took to get the main character into a desperate situation. It almost seemed like she piled up too much drama.
The rest are all from the June 2008 issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine:
Story 113: The Snake, A Story of the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee. If The Flat Earth is a series Lee writes, I'm unfamiliar with it. But I enjoyed this almost classic fairy tale. A handsome prince is bitten by a waiting snake while on his way to wed his true love; the true love gives up on life in despair but her father will do anything to make her happy again. The dark ending shows that this is NOT a Disney fairy tale. Wonderful.
Story 114: Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten by Bradley P. Beaylieu. A "smokeman," who gathers memories from people to be transformed into fireworks at their funeral, is called to work for the local Diamyo's dying mother. Another dark but interesting story. I wonder if this also is part of a larger world.
Story 115: The Self-Fulfilling Prophet by Way Jeng. A very short short, and very funny. Charts how an unlikely prophet named Colin came to be revered.
Story 116: The Good Neighbor by Betsy James. Another fascinating society. Watching his uncle bleed a bull to prepare for the next day's coming-of-age ceremony, a young boy questions his society's beliefs and puts them to the test.
Story 117: The Summer of Lucy by Kate Riedel. Set in the drought-stricken midwest during the Depression. A stray dog bonds with a grieving family, particularly the mother. There is something preternaturally intelligent about the dog, and of course the big question is, where did she come from? Seriously one of the most touching short stories I've read this year, in any genre.
Story 118: Here's What I Know, by Dennis Danvers. A fairly well-regarded science fiction writer gets haunted by his father who has been dead for 23 years. It's not a bad thing. Slightly humorous and slightly poignant.
* * * * *
Wow. It's almost the end of June. I should be on Story 171; I'm about 50 off of the pace.
The inbound equipment (read: turbo-prop plane) has arrived, so I think I should be disconnecting now so that I can be ready to board. It's not a full flight from what I can tell, but I want to settle in and be comfortable.
Story 112: Tits Up In a Ditch by Annie Proulx. June 9-16 2008 issue of The New Yorker. This was a difficult one for me. It's about very unhappy people in Wyoming, the main character is a girl raised by her maternal grandparents. No one is really likeable, and I wasn't convinced by the machinations the author took to get the main character into a desperate situation. It almost seemed like she piled up too much drama.
The rest are all from the June 2008 issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine:
Story 113: The Snake, A Story of the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee. If The Flat Earth is a series Lee writes, I'm unfamiliar with it. But I enjoyed this almost classic fairy tale. A handsome prince is bitten by a waiting snake while on his way to wed his true love; the true love gives up on life in despair but her father will do anything to make her happy again. The dark ending shows that this is NOT a Disney fairy tale. Wonderful.
Story 114: Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten by Bradley P. Beaylieu. A "smokeman," who gathers memories from people to be transformed into fireworks at their funeral, is called to work for the local Diamyo's dying mother. Another dark but interesting story. I wonder if this also is part of a larger world.
Story 115: The Self-Fulfilling Prophet by Way Jeng. A very short short, and very funny. Charts how an unlikely prophet named Colin came to be revered.
Story 116: The Good Neighbor by Betsy James. Another fascinating society. Watching his uncle bleed a bull to prepare for the next day's coming-of-age ceremony, a young boy questions his society's beliefs and puts them to the test.
Story 117: The Summer of Lucy by Kate Riedel. Set in the drought-stricken midwest during the Depression. A stray dog bonds with a grieving family, particularly the mother. There is something preternaturally intelligent about the dog, and of course the big question is, where did she come from? Seriously one of the most touching short stories I've read this year, in any genre.
Story 118: Here's What I Know, by Dennis Danvers. A fairly well-regarded science fiction writer gets haunted by his father who has been dead for 23 years. It's not a bad thing. Slightly humorous and slightly poignant.
* * * * *
Wow. It's almost the end of June. I should be on Story 171; I'm about 50 off of the pace.
The inbound equipment (read: turbo-prop plane) has arrived, so I think I should be disconnecting now so that I can be ready to board. It's not a full flight from what I can tell, but I want to settle in and be comfortable.