Filed under: book reviews | Tags: dark alchemy, fantasy, gaiman, orson scott card, Short Stories, stonefather, wizards
Okay, let’s get this out of the way first: I do not like the title of this collection of short stories. And I’m not the biggest fan of the desperate neckbeard, reeking of desperation and wearing his bedsheets, on the cover (I think it’s okay if I say “neckbeard” because I literally have a neck beard right now and am secretly Amish(?) and am also not secretly a loser outcast rebel queen. However, I feel like sometimes when people say “neckbeard” they’re actually using coded language that means autistic or mentally incapacitated in some way. I don’t like that and I want to make it clear that that’s not my coding).
I picked up this collection of short stories because I’m a huge fan of Neil Gaiman. And, though a few of the included stories are failed experiments, Gaiman never leads me astray; most of them are fun and quick reads. And a few were simply fantastic, the kind of stories you burn your beans to finish. Neil Gaiman’s “The Witch’s Headstone” is the first story in the collection (I’m not the only person who’ll buy anything with his name on the cover), but my favorite piece is the last one, a novella called Stonefather by Orson Scott Card.
Now look…when it comes to Card, I like to get his books secondhand or free; I love his writing but his political views are repellent (he’s homophobic, for one thing) and I don’t want to actually support him or his estate directly. That being said, my god the man can write. He’s best known for Ender’s Game, I think, which has one of the best twists in literature (if you can avoid having it spoiled before you read it).
I also really like his The Tales of Alvin Maker, which is a long series about a very American wizard/pioneer that Card started writing in the late eighties and is still in the process of completing today. But Stonefather is set in the same universe as a series I’ve never read: The Mithermages (3 recent novels, two older short stories).
The basic plot of Stonefather is a traditional hero’s journey and the world’s magic is elemental and primitive (literally: rock mages, water mages, bird mages, etc.), but the world is lushly painted in rich colors and the overall effect is delicious in the way that Miyazaki’s decadent worlds are delicious. The main reason, though, that I am so taken by the novella is rooted in Card’s understanding of what it feels like to be isolated, alone, outcast, unloved. The protagonist is an abused ninth son who people generally dislike on sight, through no fault of his own. Card writes about that basket of feelings so well (in the Ender Saga, especially) that it’s quite confusing to me that he’s so close-minded and cruel politically and socially. You would think that empathy and emotional wisdom would bleed out of his books and into his real life.
Other standout stories include: “The Ruby Incomparable” by Kage Baker, a meta take on fantasy tropes with deep, resonant themes; “Color Vision” by Mary Rosenblum, which blends innovative magic with a cool, urban theme; “The Magic Animal”, a poetic and innovative retelling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of The Lady of the Lake.
Overall, this was a solidly engaging collection. One or two stories left me disappointed, but none were a slog and the variety of imaginative worlds and types of protagonists kept me interested. By the way, if you’re like me and don’t like to read doofy-looking books on the bus, check out the reprint of this collection:
Vague, lame title: gone all sexy and sleek.
Tacky, mouth-breathing wannabe wizard: gone completely, replaced by dust and the void.
I’ll give 4 stars to this version, but only 3.5 to the one I have (hey, covers are important, okay?).
-M
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[…] finished something: Wizards: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy. You can check out my spoiler-free review if you’re feeling short stories right […]
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