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rkiladitis's review
4.0
An anthology that puts the science in science fiction, The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie brings together 20 stories by standout names - Jane Yolen, Scott Sigler, and Jonathan Maberry, to name a few - who spin dark stories about Nobel Prize winning physicist Marie Curie. Driven largely by the childhood losses of her mother and sister, the stories and poetry in Hitherto dream of scenarios that formed Curie. Set in her young adolescence, there are dark tales, supernatural tales, and straight-up unnerving tales, with several mainstays: Curie's break with religion, the Russian occupation of her beloved Poland, and her dedication to science and learning. Stories are rooted in science, and many include Science Notes to clarify the divergence of fact and fiction. Run from the whimsical, like Alethea Kontis's "Marya's Monster", where Curie confronts the literal monster under her bed with level-headedness, to the bittersweet, as with Seanan McGuire's "Uncrowned Kings", where Curie battles the disease-carrying beast that's infected her town. Stories like Henry Herz's "Cheating Death" take a turn into horror, where Curie's obsession with halting Death leads her to disturbing experimentation, and Christine Taylor-Butler's "Retribution" is a science murder mystery (minus the mystery).
Every single story here is an excellent read, with something for dark fantasy, horror, and thriller fans alike. Science fans will rejoice at having Marie Curie front and center in her own adventures (I know I did), and resources for further reading keeps the momentum going, with books about Curie, women in STEM, and websites to explore. An excellent choice for YA collections.
Every single story here is an excellent read, with something for dark fantasy, horror, and thriller fans alike. Science fans will rejoice at having Marie Curie front and center in her own adventures (I know I did), and resources for further reading keeps the momentum going, with books about Curie, women in STEM, and websites to explore. An excellent choice for YA collections.
marzipan9's review
4.0
Marie Curie is a fascinating historical figure, and this book is made up of fantastic science fiction stories about her in her youth. Many of them center on the loss of her mother and sister close together, others on different experiments she might have performed if magic were actually real, and about her experiences as a girl in Russian run gymnasiums.
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were all fascinating, my favorite being the one where young Marie (who is refered to by her Polish name Marya--she changed it later on in life) is confronted by a demon of sorts, a monster under her bed, who challenges her to not be afraid of him multiple times. Marya, a curious child, wins the bet despite all of the demon's terrible forms. Another excellent one finds a jealous rival of Marie's exchanging places with her, leaving Marie just a ghost who needs to figure out how to get her body back. I really enjoyed this book, and all of the stories in it.
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were all fascinating, my favorite being the one where young Marie (who is refered to by her Polish name Marya--she changed it later on in life) is confronted by a demon of sorts, a monster under her bed, who challenges her to not be afraid of him multiple times. Marya, a curious child, wins the bet despite all of the demon's terrible forms. Another excellent one finds a jealous rival of Marie's exchanging places with her, leaving Marie just a ghost who needs to figure out how to get her body back. I really enjoyed this book, and all of the stories in it.
kelamity_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
An anthology of short stories that imagine dark and bizarre events in the life of a teenage Marie Curie.
When I read the premise for this anthology, I was really excited to read it. I've been interested in Marie Curie, her work and her life, since I was a child and so the idea of inserting her into weird and spooky scenarios appealed to my little horror-loving heart.
I enjoyed most of the tales included in the collection to varying degrees. As is the way of anthologies, some stories were better than others but, overall, I felt the stories leaned more towards 'good' than 'great'.
I found that reading multiple tales in one sitting didn't work well for me. Due to Marie, and often her family, being the main character in each tale, I found it hard to separate the individual stories from each other which caused the differences between them to feel like inconsistencies. Once I started to read just one story at a time, this feeling of inconsistency went away.
Overall, this is an enjoyable anthology with a unique and interesting theme.
When I read the premise for this anthology, I was really excited to read it. I've been interested in Marie Curie, her work and her life, since I was a child and so the idea of inserting her into weird and spooky scenarios appealed to my little horror-loving heart.
I enjoyed most of the tales included in the collection to varying degrees. As is the way of anthologies, some stories were better than others but, overall, I felt the stories leaned more towards 'good' than 'great'.
I found that reading multiple tales in one sitting didn't work well for me. Due to Marie, and often her family, being the main character in each tale, I found it hard to separate the individual stories from each other which caused the differences between them to feel like inconsistencies. Once I started to read just one story at a time, this feeling of inconsistency went away.
Overall, this is an enjoyable anthology with a unique and interesting theme.
roytoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Interesting, speculative shot fiction about Marie Curie's teenage years. Based upon known historical records of her youth in Poland under Russian occupation but with liberties taken for story telling.
art_books_chemistry's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First off, this is an anthology of fictional stories and poems that are only loosely related to each other through the historical facts of Marie Curie's (Marya Skłodoska's) life. This leads straight into my major gripe; the stories, although not connected, are also not in chronological order. Marya will be 13 in one story, then 15 in the next, and 14 again in the following. She'll have graduated school in one story, then attending it again in the subsequent one. Sometimes she'll be attending the Flying University and then in the next chapter be listening to her father discuss how to start the Flying University. I'm not sure why the editors chose such a haphazard organizational system but it made the anthology more disjointed than necessary to me.
I was also expecting a wider range of time to be represented. These stories primarily cover Marya's childhood from about age 10 to age 15. I feel like her older teenage and early adult years could have also offered material for this project and given it a more diverse story set. As it was, a lot of the stories felt a bit repetitive since they followed the same basic story concept but simply changed up what "science" experiment was being done.
Following up on the "science" experiments: I was disappointed in this aspect. I was expecting more science and instead ended up with Polish magic and folktales. Some of this is absolutely to be expected, however I thought it would be more about Marya disproving such things or relating them to actual science as opposed to some of what actually happened in the stories. I did enjoy the "science notes" that some of the authors put at the end of their contributions.
I don't specifically recommend this as a whole, however some of the stories were worthwhile, like the one that took place in the Flying University where a student's skin turned blue. I also liked the message of the quasi-Frankenstein retelling story as well.
I was also expecting a wider range of time to be represented. These stories primarily cover Marya's childhood from about age 10 to age 15. I feel like her older teenage and early adult years could have also offered material for this project and given it a more diverse story set. As it was, a lot of the stories felt a bit repetitive since they followed the same basic story concept but simply changed up what "science" experiment was being done.
Following up on the "science" experiments: I was disappointed in this aspect. I was expecting more science and instead ended up with Polish magic and folktales. Some of this is absolutely to be expected, however I thought it would be more about Marya disproving such things or relating them to actual science as opposed to some of what actually happened in the stories. I did enjoy the "science notes" that some of the authors put at the end of their contributions.
I don't specifically recommend this as a whole, however some of the stories were worthwhile, like the one that took place in the Flying University where a student's skin turned blue. I also liked the message of the quasi-Frankenstein retelling story as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
marlireads's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Average rating: 2,725 ⭐️
All-in-all a pretty niche story collection. And I feel like, because each author received the same prompt to work with (Marie Curie’s backstory) the stories became a bit repetitive. I think if the stories weren’t about a young Marie Curie as a character and instead about this young girl obsessed with science, it might have created more freedom for the authors in creating a character and it might have made for a more fun experience reading this collection of short stories.
The stories/poems and what I thought of them as I read them:
Dark Lady, Salomea by Jane Yolen - 2 stars
All-in-all a pretty niche story collection. And I feel like, because each author received the same prompt to work with (Marie Curie’s backstory) the stories became a bit repetitive. I think if the stories weren’t about a young Marie Curie as a character and instead about this young girl obsessed with science, it might have created more freedom for the authors in creating a character and it might have made for a more fun experience reading this collection of short stories.
The stories/poems and what I thought of them as I read them:
Dark Lady, Salomea by Jane Yolen - 2 stars
Uncrowned Kings by Seanan McGuire - 4 stars
McGuire’s writing is impeccable as always
Marya’s Monster by Alethea Kontis - 2,5 stars
Liked the element of depression, but the entire story was a bit too on the nose (and a little bit boring)
Shards of Me by Lissa Price - 1,5 stars
Weird and a bit stupid, writing wasn’t on par with the other stories so far
Fight or Flight by Jo Whittemore - 2,5 stars
Liked the mystery/deduction elements of this story, but again, the fact that this is supposedly starring Marie Curie in her younger years doesn’t really add anything to the story itself…
Three Ravens by Mylo Garbia - 2 stars
Again, there’s so much focus on the same aspects/prompt. It feels like I’m just reading a story of an inquisitive young girl, with the same backstory over and over again. This story was kind of boring.
The Magic of Science by Bryan Thomas Schmidt & G. P. Charles - 2,5 stars
A little murder mystery, but too short to be really impressed by it. Again the MC “being” Curie didn’t really play a part in it
Horse Cart by Jane Yolen - 2 stars
Poem doesn’t really ring a bell or do anything for me. A bit horrendous.
A Glow In the Dark by Scott Siegler - 4 stars
I actually really liked this one. Came across it just as I was giving up hope for this anthology. It took a different approach to the other stories and I liked the writing of this short and spooky story.
Retribution by Christine Taylor-Butler - 3 stars
This was okay, I liked it. A bit more suspense, but quite a stupid experiment.
The Cold White Ones by Susanne L. Lambdin - 2.5 stars
Again, pretty forgettable, but not necessarily bad?
Cheating Death by Henry Herz - 1 star
Thanks, I hated it. While I love a story about a woman getting revenge, the writing and the use of first person pov were just not it. How was this written from the perspective of a teen girl? It wasn’t.
A Shard of Sunlit Shadow by Emily McCosh - 2,5 stars
This one was okay. Again, repetitive in this collection, but okay.
She Walks Between Heaven and Hell by Jane Yolen - 3 stars
I felt more with this poem than the others, but it was still a bit too much on the nose. Still a weird subject to write a poem about though.
Silence Them by Dee Leone - 2 stars
Pretty depressing and I feel like the real story might have been more interesting.
Experiments With Fire by Sarah Beth Durst - 2,5 stars
This was an okay story. I wasn’t fully expecting the ghost of a dead sister and a dragon, but it wasn’t a bad story.
The Prize by Steve Pantazis - 3 stars
A different approach, where Marya isn’t the mc. I think the writing could be improved upon, but I liked the story.
The Beast by Stacia Deutsch - 2 stars
Hmm. Too Frankenstein-ey. Also, not really a fan of time travel stories, so that doesn’t help.
The Night Flyers by Jonathan Mayberry - 3,5 stars
I liked this one. I loved what it had to say about knowledge and the oppression of women.
Marya’s Precious Pill by Jane Yolen - 1,5 stars
I feel like this one would make more sense if I knew something about Marie Curie that I don’t. So yeah, this poem doesn’t really have any impact on me.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
3.5
Book Summary:
Marie Curie is, to say the least, an incredibly famous scientist. She changed our lives thanks to her discoveries. But what would have happened if Marie Curie had set her sights on other discoveries?
That is the question The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie seeks to answer. This anthology collects stories from a dozen different authors, all exploring this unique concept in their own way. Authors include Seanan McGuire, Stacia Deutsch, Sarah Beth Durst, Jane Yolen, Aletha Kontis, Scott Sigler, Lissa Price, Jonathan Maberry, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jo Whittemore, Mylo Carbia, G.P. Charles, Susanne L. Lambdin, Emily McCosh, Dee Leone, and Steve Pantazis.
My Review:
As far as food for thought goes, The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie is an incredibly compelling read. This anthology has a strong fractured fairytale vibe, so readers who enjoy this concept should check it out.
In a way, I almost wish it had been about a fictional character, as it does feel odd for such fictional stories to be based on a real person. I don't know; maybe that's just me. You'll have to make up your mind on that point before diving in.
Before readers dive into the fictional stories, there is an excellent forward that helps ensure readers know all the wonderful research Marie Curie did. It explores her real life a little bit further, which helps to distance fact from fiction.
Highlights:
Marie Curie
Historical Fiction
Different Possibilities/Timelines
Anthology
Trigger Warnings:
Family Death
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Marie Curie is, to say the least, an incredibly famous scientist. She changed our lives thanks to her discoveries. But what would have happened if Marie Curie had set her sights on other discoveries?
That is the question The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie seeks to answer. This anthology collects stories from a dozen different authors, all exploring this unique concept in their own way. Authors include Seanan McGuire, Stacia Deutsch, Sarah Beth Durst, Jane Yolen, Aletha Kontis, Scott Sigler, Lissa Price, Jonathan Maberry, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jo Whittemore, Mylo Carbia, G.P. Charles, Susanne L. Lambdin, Emily McCosh, Dee Leone, and Steve Pantazis.
My Review:
As far as food for thought goes, The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie is an incredibly compelling read. This anthology has a strong fractured fairytale vibe, so readers who enjoy this concept should check it out.
In a way, I almost wish it had been about a fictional character, as it does feel odd for such fictional stories to be based on a real person. I don't know; maybe that's just me. You'll have to make up your mind on that point before diving in.
Before readers dive into the fictional stories, there is an excellent forward that helps ensure readers know all the wonderful research Marie Curie did. It explores her real life a little bit further, which helps to distance fact from fiction.
Highlights:
Marie Curie
Historical Fiction
Different Possibilities/Timelines
Anthology
Trigger Warnings:
Family Death
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
chemistryreads's review
1.0
I know the authors meant well, but this book felt disrespectful to use Marie Curie’s name to write fairytales. This book has snippets of science but largely has what seems like folk, light horror, and magic stories. This book wasn’t specific to Marie Currie, and could’ve had any young woman added into these stories. They didn’t flow together and were just far fetched. The amount of afterwords that stated “this isn’t true” just made me more upset that Marie Currie’s name was used. Stories of a mystery man having a body in their icebox, a monster under the bed, and Marie solving murder? I hope this stays digital so it won’t waste the paper it would be printed on. The one star is simply because the writing wasn’t bad, the stories just were. 1⭐️, 0🌶
wisecraic's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
**I was provided an electronic ARC through the publisher via NetGalley.**
Actual rating: 2.5
Editors Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Henry Herz present The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie, an anthology comprised of speculative short fiction and poetry inspired by the life and work of Marie Curie. Genres range from historical fantasy to more paranormal or scifi with tinges of horror.
I have always considered anthologies to be, by nature, a mixed bag. I would say that is true of this anthology more than others. Even authors whose other work I have enjoyed, I found to be just fine or not to my taste in this collection. The one standout of this collection, for me, was Jonathan Maberry's The Night Flyers, which was my sole 4 star of the included works.
As a scientist by education and experience, it was interesting to see the authors various takes incorporating a historical and scientific lens to speculative fiction. For me, however. I simply wasn't a fan of the execution and did not find the works memorable. I am not entirely sure what my expectation was, but I, nevertheless, find myself disappointed.
I have long enjoyed historical-inspired fiction (Lady Janies series, Iron Widow, Solomon's Crown, Dead Djinn Universe, Winternight Trilogy, etc.), but I think the shortness of the pieces actually worked against them due to lack of time to absorb and become invested in the changes.
While this one was not for me, I would still recommend this book to interested parties.
Actual rating: 2.5
Editors Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Henry Herz present The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie, an anthology comprised of speculative short fiction and poetry inspired by the life and work of Marie Curie. Genres range from historical fantasy to more paranormal or scifi with tinges of horror.
I have always considered anthologies to be, by nature, a mixed bag. I would say that is true of this anthology more than others. Even authors whose other work I have enjoyed, I found to be just fine or not to my taste in this collection. The one standout of this collection, for me, was Jonathan Maberry's The Night Flyers, which was my sole 4 star of the included works.
As a scientist by education and experience, it was interesting to see the authors various takes incorporating a historical and scientific lens to speculative fiction. For me, however. I simply wasn't a fan of the execution and did not find the works memorable. I am not entirely sure what my expectation was, but I, nevertheless, find myself disappointed.
I have long enjoyed historical-inspired fiction (Lady Janies series, Iron Widow, Solomon's Crown, Dead Djinn Universe, Winternight Trilogy, etc.), but I think the shortness of the pieces actually worked against them due to lack of time to absorb and become invested in the changes.
While this one was not for me, I would still recommend this book to interested parties.
extinctpanda's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
I appreciated the concept behind this a lot! I would love to see lots of STEM-centred stories aimed at/about women and I liked that this is what this anthology is trying to do. I enjoyed the introduction that explained the anthology and provided background about Marie Curie's life.
Unfortunately I think I just wasn't the target audience for this anthology, as it definitely tended towards the younger side of YA in my opinion. I found the stories entertaining enough, but just okay. None of them really stuck with me. I liked the blending of science and magic that a lot of them had, but I feel like maybe it would have made more sense being about scientists *like* Marie Curie as children in general, rather than all being specifically about her. I'm not sure that having them all be about the same figure actually added much as they are all separate and mutually exclusive stories, and didn't have all that much to do with her later discoveries.
While this one wasn't for me, I'd definitely recommend it for young teens interested in science, sci-fi and fantasy.
I appreciated the concept behind this a lot! I would love to see lots of STEM-centred stories aimed at/about women and I liked that this is what this anthology is trying to do. I enjoyed the introduction that explained the anthology and provided background about Marie Curie's life.
Unfortunately I think I just wasn't the target audience for this anthology, as it definitely tended towards the younger side of YA in my opinion. I found the stories entertaining enough, but just okay. None of them really stuck with me. I liked the blending of science and magic that a lot of them had, but I feel like maybe it would have made more sense being about scientists *like* Marie Curie as children in general, rather than all being specifically about her. I'm not sure that having them all be about the same figure actually added much as they are all separate and mutually exclusive stories, and didn't have all that much to do with her later discoveries.
While this one wasn't for me, I'd definitely recommend it for young teens interested in science, sci-fi and fantasy.