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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the collection of stories in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings contains fifteen stories from a variety of genres—mostly science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fantasy—all based on stories from East and South Asian folklore. Notes that follow each story to discuss the source material that inspired the own voices authors. Two of the sources are based on sections of the Mahabharata; the rest are based on stories from Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, China, and Japan...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars
I really loved the idea and format of the book. Diverse writers re-visiting and re-imagining traditional folktales from Hmong, Japanese, Hindu, Punjabi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino cultures. At the end of each short story, there is a short blurb on the original folktale or myth and their meaning to the author. My favourite stories of this whole collection are Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong and Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers. Both of them happen to deal with daughters whose mothers have passed away and their stories lingered with me leaving contemplation of legacies, grief and love. A few tales I knew in their original form such as The Butterfly Lovers, The Maiden and The Cowherd, the nine-tailed fox (gumiho), the kitsune. I also liked how some of the authors daringly added a feminist or LGTB angle to the traditional stories, like The Smile by Aisha Saeed.
What I didn't realize which also decreased my enjoyed of the tales is that all the contributing authors are YA writers and the writing had a decidedly YA bent to it. Of all of them, I've only read other works by Alyssa Wong and Julie Kagawa. So now we have teenage vampires, gruff parents, annoying sibling wars, homework, computer games, school dances, hormonal high school style romance. I wonder how nuanced and powerful the stories particularly the Hindu/Indian ones would have been in the hands of writers like Rohinton Mistry and Amitav Ghosh.
We definitely need more diverse books though, not just in YA! If you enjoyed this and are searching for a diverse anthology of stories from different cultures, my recommendation is Not So Stories edited by David Thomas Moore. I read them side by side and they were like sister anthologies in my mind although Not So Stories has a more post/anti-colonial emphasis.
I really loved the idea and format of the book. Diverse writers re-visiting and re-imagining traditional folktales from Hmong, Japanese, Hindu, Punjabi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino cultures. At the end of each short story, there is a short blurb on the original folktale or myth and their meaning to the author. My favourite stories of this whole collection are Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong and Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers. Both of them happen to deal with daughters whose mothers have passed away and their stories lingered with me leaving contemplation of legacies, grief and love. A few tales I knew in their original form such as The Butterfly Lovers, The Maiden and The Cowherd, the nine-tailed fox (gumiho), the kitsune. I also liked how some of the authors daringly added a feminist or LGTB angle to the traditional stories, like The Smile by Aisha Saeed.
What I didn't realize which also decreased my enjoyed of the tales is that all the contributing authors are YA writers and the writing had a decidedly YA bent to it. Of all of them, I've only read other works by Alyssa Wong and Julie Kagawa. So now we have teenage vampires, gruff parents, annoying sibling wars, homework, computer games, school dances, hormonal high school style romance. I wonder how nuanced and powerful the stories particularly the Hindu/Indian ones would have been in the hands of writers like Rohinton Mistry and Amitav Ghosh.
We definitely need more diverse books though, not just in YA! If you enjoyed this and are searching for a diverse anthology of stories from different cultures, my recommendation is Not So Stories edited by David Thomas Moore. I read them side by side and they were like sister anthologies in my mind although Not So Stories has a more post/anti-colonial emphasis.
I don’t usually gravitate towards anthologies with various authors but I made the exception here mostly in order to get a taste of these authors’ writings to see if there were any that especially appealed to me to look into after, and I wasn’t disappointed!!
Each story also has a passage from the author about their chosen story, lore, and importance to them which was all parts lovely and endearing
Forbidden fruit by roshani chokshi
- 5/5
- not a huge fan of the star touched queen mostly because of the writing
- Turns out I like chokshi’s writing in smaller doses
Olivia’s table by Alyssa Wong
- 4/5
- feeding the dead is also a concept I’m well familiar with and enjoyed reading about here
Steel skin by Lori M. Lee
- 3/5
Still star-crossed by sona charaipotra
- 2.5/5
The counting of vermillion beads by aliette de bodard
- 5/5
- “I wanted to tell a new version that would have sisters who stuck together in spite of all odds” 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
The land of the morning calm by e. C. Myers
- 2.5/5
- A little ... goofy
The smile by aisha saeed
- 3/5
- Ngl I was a little confused until I read the author’s passage afterwards
Girls who twirl with other dangers by preeti chhibber
- 3/5
- About the Hindu holiday Navrātri which I’m not familiar with and the story does not lend itself to people who don’t
- Author’s passage definitely added clarity
Nothing into all by renée Ahdieh
- 3.5/5
Spear carrier by rahul kanakia
- 3/5
Code of honor by Melissa de la cruz
- 3/5
Bullet, butterfly by elsie chapman
- 4/5
- we love some tragic lovers
Daughter of the sun by shveta thakrar
- 4/5
- we love some non-tragic lovers
The crimson cloak by Cindy pon
- 3.5/5
- one with more clarity and appreciation with the author’s passage
Eyes like candlelight by julie kagawa
- 5/5
- lovely in all senses
I almost wish the author’s passages were a bit more tailored to the particular story; if a story was more specific in its mythology or lore such that prior knowledge is beneficial then perhaps the author passage could be presented before the story; and in the other hand if a story was more distant, loosely inspired/retold the passage could be presented afterwards for further insight
because all the passages were presented after, there were times where stories about myths/lore I wasn’t familiar were completely lost on me until reading the author’s notes
overall average rating: 3.6/5
Each story also has a passage from the author about their chosen story, lore, and importance to them which was all parts lovely and endearing
Forbidden fruit by roshani chokshi
- 5/5
- not a huge fan of the star touched queen mostly because of the writing
- Turns out I like chokshi’s writing in smaller doses
Olivia’s table by Alyssa Wong
- 4/5
- feeding the dead is also a concept I’m well familiar with and enjoyed reading about here
Steel skin by Lori M. Lee
- 3/5
Still star-crossed by sona charaipotra
- 2.5/5
The counting of vermillion beads by aliette de bodard
- 5/5
- “I wanted to tell a new version that would have sisters who stuck together in spite of all odds” 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
The land of the morning calm by e. C. Myers
- 2.5/5
- A little ... goofy
The smile by aisha saeed
- 3/5
- Ngl I was a little confused until I read the author’s passage afterwards
Girls who twirl with other dangers by preeti chhibber
- 3/5
- About the Hindu holiday Navrātri which I’m not familiar with and the story does not lend itself to people who don’t
- Author’s passage definitely added clarity
Nothing into all by renée Ahdieh
- 3.5/5
Spear carrier by rahul kanakia
- 3/5
Code of honor by Melissa de la cruz
- 3/5
Bullet, butterfly by elsie chapman
- 4/5
- we love some tragic lovers
Daughter of the sun by shveta thakrar
- 4/5
- we love some non-tragic lovers
The crimson cloak by Cindy pon
- 3.5/5
- one with more clarity and appreciation with the author’s passage
Eyes like candlelight by julie kagawa
- 5/5
- lovely in all senses
I almost wish the author’s passages were a bit more tailored to the particular story; if a story was more specific in its mythology or lore such that prior knowledge is beneficial then perhaps the author passage could be presented before the story; and in the other hand if a story was more distant, loosely inspired/retold the passage could be presented afterwards for further insight
because all the passages were presented after, there were times where stories about myths/lore I wasn’t familiar were completely lost on me until reading the author’s notes
overall average rating: 3.6/5
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were definitely some strong stories in here and a few weaker ones, but taking all into consideration I really enjoyed this collection. The Land of The Morning Calm by E. C. Myers had me in tears and Alyssa Wong's Olivia's Table also tugged at my heartstrings.
This short story collection was absolutely brilliant! I especially loved learning in between about the inspirations for the stories which provided even more insight into the mythology and fantasy stories that are told in Asia. I enjoyed listening to this on audio, as the narrators brought so much to the stories, and each story seemed to encompass so much in it. Now I just want this book as a physical copy so I can reread it over and over again.