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high_fae's review against another edition
3.0
This is an anthology of short stories focused on the trickster archetype character. I enjoyed most of it (yet skipped some); I think my favorite story was one by [a: Nina Kiriki Hoffman|12991|Nina Kiriki Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278864412p2/12991.jpg] about a slave girl saved from her fate by Hermes.
gemma351's review against another edition
3.0
I found this a very mixed bag and initially struggled to get into it. There were a few I found to be not very interesting to me personally. The stories I enjoyed most were A Tale for the Short Days, Friday Night at St Cecila’s, Crow Roads, Uncle Bob Visits, Honoured Guest and The Senorita and the Cactus Thorn. The stories are nicely varied through different cultures and trickster traditions.
vonny3492's review against another edition
5.0
The Anthology Series by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling are the most amazing reads while traveling. Each story is unique and while some are not always my favorite, I always find so many stories that resonate with me. When reading these on vacation each story attaches itself to a location and so when I reread the stories I get a chance to relive my travels along with the story.
nytshayde's review against another edition
4.0
For the most part this book is entertaining, even if I didn't quite like some of the stories in it. Windling's introduction was great. Some of the stories I felt may not have really given the Trickster vibe I was looking for, but were at least entertaining enough, and had some kind of trickery within them.
"The Fiddler of Bayou Teche", "One Odd Shoe", "Crow Roads", "The Fortune Teller", "The Senorita and the Cactus Thorn", "God Clown" were my favourite stories. I did like one poem,"How the Raven made his bride" but the rest were just a bit lackluster for my own tastes. One story that kind of broke my soul was the last one, and it was because of the last one that I decided my overall rating should be 4. "The "Evolution of Trickster stories", made me bawl my eyes out, it made me cry because it was true. It was true in the sense of human cruelty and stupidity that it evoked. Like another reviewer, I was unsure that there was an actual trickster in the story, even while Coyote is invoked in it in some sense. I feel the trickster may have been in the "change", because Tricksters change the status quo, they reverse roles, they make you see from another viewpoint, and this story does that.
In the end, as with all short story collections and anthologies, there will be hits and misses, I am just glad that I got around to reading it after having it on my bookshelf for the last couple of years, it made me think of the Tricksters in my own life.
"The Fiddler of Bayou Teche", "One Odd Shoe", "Crow Roads", "The Fortune Teller", "The Senorita and the Cactus Thorn", "God Clown" were my favourite stories. I did like one poem,"How the Raven made his bride" but the rest were just a bit lackluster for my own tastes. One story that kind of broke my soul was the last one, and it was because of the last one that I decided my overall rating should be 4. "The "Evolution of Trickster stories", made me bawl my eyes out, it made me cry because it was true. It was true in the sense of human cruelty and stupidity that it evoked. Like another reviewer, I was unsure that there was an actual trickster in the story, even while Coyote is invoked in it in some sense. I feel the trickster may have been in the "change", because Tricksters change the status quo, they reverse roles, they make you see from another viewpoint, and this story does that.
In the end, as with all short story collections and anthologies, there will be hits and misses, I am just glad that I got around to reading it after having it on my bookshelf for the last couple of years, it made me think of the Tricksters in my own life.
reader44ever's review against another edition
4.0
I first read this book December 28-January 1, 2013. I did not review it after that first reading.
I reread it exactly four-and-a-half years later, from June 28 to June 29, 2017. And I reviewed it! As I read it for the second time, I reviewed it as I read it, reading and reviewing half of the book (51%) on June 28, and the second half on June 29. :-)
I am giving this book 4 stars, for being a very good book that I really enjoyed, for two reasons: Reason One is that it was a book that I very much enjoyed. :-)
Reason Two is because, if my counting and math were correct, the stories' ratings all added together equal 100, which divided by 26 stories equals 3.85. And I'm rounding up thanks to the excellent decorations by [a:Charles Vess|10763|Charles Vess|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273720560p2/10763.jpg] that were found above the title of each story. :-)
If it wasn't for the wonderful illustrations, I might have rounded down. I was a wee bit disappointed by the final story in this collection (it didn't have a trickster in it!) and the Introduction by [a:Terri Windling|46137|Terri Windling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1329289888p2/46137.jpg] ran too long - and was kind of boring - for me.
But then again, given how many anthologies I've read lately that have been full of incomprehensible-to-me stories, I might have given this book 4 stars just because all of the stories, except for two of the four poems (and maybe one of the 22 short stories?), were understandable. (!!!)
Also, I really enjoyed the variety in types of tricksters. I don't think any two featured the same "person" as trickster! (Though several had "normal humans" as tricksters.) From those normal humans, to Anansi, the Devil, Loki, and Coyote - mostly (or all?) female Coyotes - they were great fun to read about. (The Coyote multiples were all different, so I'm not counting them as the same character.) :-)
I have *three* favorite stories from this collection: Friday Night at St. Cecilia's by [a:Ellen Klages|24901|Ellen Klages|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227067359p2/24901.jpg], from my first day's reading, because of the board game settings: Clue! Chutes and Ladders! Monopoly! The Señorita and the Cactus Thorn by [a:Kim Antieau|380896|Kim Antieau|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698595p2/380896.jpg], for the sweetness of its ending. And The Other Labyrinth by [a:Jedediah Berry|1753875|Jedediah Berry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225074215p2/1753875.jpg], for the labyrinth: So many different types of passages! :-)
My least favorite stories were unfortunately all four of the poems (the first two for being incomprehensible; the latter two for being too short) and The Chamber Music of Animals by Katherine Vaz (I didn't find Rangy the Orangutan very trickster-ish, though he was a stuffed orangutan that "came alive"; mostly, this story was just too weird for me).
And now let's dive in to my individual story ratings, shall we?
:-)
The first half of this book was reread on June 28, 2017:
One Odd Shoe by [a:Pat Murphy|15188|Pat Murphy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1443842243p2/15188.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was a rather fun, but chilling, story about a college boy and a female Coyote. Said college boy was full of himself and thought he was God's Gift to Women. Coyote showed him otherwise. ;-)
Coyote Woman by [a:Carolyn Dunn|325368|Carolyn Dunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
2.5 stars - average
This is a poem, I think about Coyote Woman and a man who loves her. But I might be wrong about the man (he was definitely a man, though). :-/
Wagers of Gold Mountain by [a:Steve Berman|224189|Steve Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258753902p2/224189.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was a fun story. At first, I was worried that Ji Yuan would fail - epically - and his future would be short. But then he showed a bit of exceptional cunning. :-)
I enjoyed how Ji Yuan was able to meet both spirits' demands.One wanted "the hatchet" brought back alive, the other wanted him dead. The hatchet's prospective bride, when she learned who she was supposed to marry - and Yuan shared that he wouldn't marry her because she was learned - she wrote a letter saying that he was "dead to me." So Yuan returned the hatchet alive, but dead! He saved both himself and his brother! :-)
The Listeners by [a:Nina Kiriki Hoffman|12991|Nina Kiriki Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278864412p2/12991.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was another rather fun story. It was about Nysa, a fourteen-year-old slave whowas sold to her master's best friend for one night. She prayed to Hermes to set her on a new path. He answered! But I'm not so sure her new path will bring her greater happiness: She can now only speak normally to Hermes; to everyone else, she speaks unwillingly in prophecies. But at least she is - hopefully - free to "remain a childless virgin the rest of her life." .
Realer Than You by [a:Christopher Barzak|396931|Christopher Barzak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440452205p2/396931.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was better than I expected after the way it opened. It opened with a few statements about how the world is an illusion and there are no answers. Or something. So I expected an unfathomable ending. Instead, it was a complete story, and I understood it! :-)
This was the story of Elijah Fulton, a boy who was uprooted from his life in the U.S. when his family moved to Japan. He is experiencing what I would call a major case of culture shock, in part because things are so far outside of his experience. {He needed to learn to travel without expectations, is my opinion. "Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens." (from [b:The Phantom Tollbooth|378|The Phantom Tollbooth|Norton Juster|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438887022s/378.jpg|1782584] by [a:Norton Juster|214|Norton Juster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201117378p2/214.jpg])} In the end, he learned that "nothing is more real than the masks we make to show one another who we are." And he grew more accepting of things in Japan. :-)
The Fiddler of Bayou Teche by [a:Delia Sherman|24|Delia Sherman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1391010737p2/24.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was the rather fascinating story of Cadence, an albino girl who lives among loup-garous. She has a run-in with Murderes Petitpas, a fiddler and someone she thought was made up by her Tante Eulalie. But he was real, all right. He blackmailed Cadence into dancing with his sons for a wager he had with them. Cadence came out the winner in that contest. ;-)
But after finishing this story, I realized that I didn't have any idea who the trickster was in it! Was it 'Dres Petitpas, he who bargained with the devil, or Cadence, she who won the contest? I just don't know. :-/
A Tale for the Short Days by [a:Richard Bowes|107744|Richard Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371918485p2/107744.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This was the story of the Sparkman family and their encounters with the God of Thieves, Loki. :-)
I understood it right through to the very end, where it lost me. I don't know what Loki stole after his third appearance, or what Diana meant when she thought, "they wouldn't find her where she was going." Why was she leaving? Why does she need to remain hidden? Where is she going? ???
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's by [a:Ellen Klages|24901|Ellen Klages|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227067359p2/24901.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story is, I think, my favorite out of all that I've read so far. It is the story of Rachel, who is trapped in a world of board games by Mab, Queen of the Faeries. It was great fun to read. I enjoyed how Rachel turned the tables on Mab and rescued herself and Addie. :-)
The Fortune Teller by [a:Patricia A. McKillip|25|Patricia A. McKillip|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220752490p2/25.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This is the story of Merle, a pickpocket and fortune teller (also, this story's trickster). After stealing some tarot cards and running across an old friend, she soon decides toreturn the cards. She didn't like the fortune she read when she did a reading for herself. Between that fortune and her old friend's words, I think she might actually start trying to live more respectably.
Also, thanks to the author's notes after the story, I understood Merle a little better. :-)
How Raven Made His Bride by [a:Theodora Goss|11890|Theodora Goss|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446393489p2/11890.jpg]
2.5 stars - average
This story is yet another poem. *sigh* Poetry and I just do not get along. Once again, understanding eluded me. I got that Raven stole things from other beings to make his bride, but I was confused about why the river was involved. :-/
Crow Roads by [a:Charles de Lint|14307735|Charles de Lint|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
4 stars - very good; really liked
Weirdly, after finishing this story, all I can think is, "What a nice story that was!" In other words, it was really good. :-)
This is the story of Annie, a young woman in the 1960s who meets a young man, who accepts "Buddy," a name he was called in derision by one of the local young men, as his name. Buddy was the trickster, but he sure didn't seem like one to me. After all, Annie didn't follow him home.
But it was a fun story. :-)
The Chamber Music of Animals by [a:Katherine Vaz|330853|Katherine Vaz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
3.5 stars - good
This story was weird, but good. The trickster here was an orangutan named Rangy. But that wasn't the weird part. . .
Rangy was a stuffed orangutan with a transistor radio inside. . .until he swan dived into 21-year-old Philip Wilder and vanquished the leukemia that was killing Philip. Uhm. . .Say what, now?! Yes, that is really what happened. So. . .as I said. . . Weird.
I don't think I'll be able to finish this book today. Only 3.75 hours are left and I still have half of the book to go. So I'm going to pause before reading the next story and read a graphic novel, instead, for my June 28, 2017, book.
The second half of this book was read on June 29, 2017:
Uncle Bob Visits by [a:Caroline Stevermer|36175|Caroline Stevermer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1253496839p2/36175.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was set in a schoolroom and featured some sort of spirit as the trickster. Uncle Bob, as it turned out, was not a fan of grammar. ;-)
In the end, another teacher got "Uncle Bob" to settle down and accept the lessons. Mrs. Brisbois didn't do anything special, she justacknowledged the spirit and told him, "If you like this place so well you've come back, you must study, too." :-)
Though as I said in my status update for this story, like the children, I wish I could have heard what Mrs. Brisbois talked about with Miss Lillegren. ;-)
Uncle Tompa by [a:Midori Snyder|53256|Midori Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278864531p2/53256.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This story, another poem, was actually understandable for me! But though I enjoyed it, it was really just an introduction to the character of Uncle Tompa. I would have liked a bit more, to see him "turn the handle of a prank." (And yes, I do realize that we saw him grip the edge of a plateau, shake it, and send "fools tumbling over the edge." I just feel like there should have been more.)
Cat of the World by [a:Michael Cadnum|22545|Michael Cadnum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261192848p2/22545.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This story featured an immortal cat as trickster. Captured by a pair with designs to have him provide sport for their fighting dog, he came out mostly unscathed, as you'd expect of a trickster. ;-)
I don't understand what the scene with the girl "with a punctured tire" in the end was for, though. I think it would have been better to end it after the cat "melted away into the night." :-/
Honored Guest by [a:Ellen Kushner|11889|Ellen Kushner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243007888p2/11889.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was the story of Bright Phoenix, who met a trickster who outsmarted her grandmother, Omama.
I liked how Bright Phoenix seemed to come out on top in her dealing with the trickster. "Like a shadow I have kissed, she leaves the garden then, taking with her all my past. But I have gotten my future in return." :-)
Always the Same Story by [a:Elizabeth E. Wein|7527675|Elizabeth E. Wein|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
4 stars - very good; really liked
I really enjoyed this story, about a boy with a bit of the trickster in him. Gus was a "circus boy," child of the owners of a traveling circus. While traveling with them one summer,he was kidnapped! Practically blind without his glasses, he finds that they were left behind after he was knocked out and taken.
When he comes to, he "helps" the gang that has him decide to jump on a train when their car breaks down. But the gang doesn't know that Gus was "born and bred on a train." So when the Boss and his men fell asleep, Gus was able to make his escape. :-)
The Señorita and the Cactus Thorn by [a:Kim Antieau|380896|Kim Antieau|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698595p2/380896.jpg]
4.5 stars; great
This was a beautiful story, about a Señorita and her prospective mother-in-law, who was sort of a retired trickster.
I enjoyed how the Señorita tried to take in everything her prospective mother-in-law shared, and I enjoyed how the mother-in-law changed her opinion of the Señorita from prospective daughter-in-law to future daughter-in-law.
Also, that acceptance in the end put me in tears. :-)
Black Rock Blues by [a:Will Shetterly|39852|Will Shetterly|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1342977821p2/39852.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
This story was pretty great. I really enjoyed it. It was about Trickster, who stole from Death! I also really liked the character, Mama Sky.
I just wish I had an idea as to who Oya is. Besides being Mama Sky's daughter, she's. . . ???
The Constable of Abal by [a:Kelly Link|24902|Kelly Link|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422586197p2/24902.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was very long - the longest, yet! - but I really enjoyed it. It was the story of Ozma, 16-year-old daughter of Zilla,who turned out to be a Goddess of the Dead.
From reading the Author's Note after the story, I understood that Ozma was the trickster. Which didn't make much sense to me, until I remembered how Ozma,when pretending to be a boy, changed into a boy. So I suppose that was rather tricksy of her. ;-)
A Reversal of Fortune by [a:Holly Black|25422|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261867163p2/25422.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story featured the Devil as trickster. But it was the story of Nikki,who's dog was hit by a car. He was dying, so Nikki challenged the Devil to an eating competition. If she won, he would save her dog's life; if he won, he would take her soul.
Happily, Nikki won. ;-)
God Clown by [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was really quite interesting, despite the fact that we never learned the name of the narrator. The trickster in it was Great God Clown, and our unnamed narrator eventually went up to find him to ask for help.His "help" was to have our unnamed narrator take his place as the Holder of Balance, or whatever he/she would be called. . It was so nicely done that I didn't realize what was done until two pages later. (This changeover scene happened on pages 446 to 448.) :-)
The Other Labyrinth by [a:Jedediah Berry|1753875|Jedediah Berry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225074215p2/1753875.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
In this story, the trickster was a labyrinth builder. And oh what a labyrinth builder he was! It had sooo many different types of passages! I really enjoyed going through them all with Jacques.
And thoughJacques gave up on his mission, he won the day! He and his love were able to be together. . I almost cried. :-)
The Dreaming Wind by [a:Jeffrey Ford|19305|Jeffrey Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1271689548p2/19305.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
This story was almost entirely made up of descriptive passages, with very little dialogue, so imagine my surprise when I finished it and almost burst into tears. It was really wonderful.
The trickster in this story was the Dreaming Wind. And it was delightful. :-)
Kwaku Anansi Walks the World's Web by [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg]
3 stars - liked it
This story was yet another short poem that only introduced us to the title character. (I understood it!) And while spiders terrify me, and Anansi as a character freaks me out, I wish we could have seen him do something trickster-ish. :-/
The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change by [a:Kij Johnson|110153|Kij Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220146486p2/110153.jpg]
OR Simply:
The Evolution of Trickster Stories by Kij Johnson
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was pretty devastating. About dogs who were abandoned after they acquired the ability to speak and remember, it really hurt me to read it. :'(
But it was a very good story. I'm glad that Linna, the human lady, cared about and helped the dogs.
I just don't know who the trickster was in this story. And reading the Author's Note after the story makes me think that there wasn't a trickster character in this story. :-(
I reread it exactly four-and-a-half years later, from June 28 to June 29, 2017. And I reviewed it! As I read it for the second time, I reviewed it as I read it, reading and reviewing half of the book (51%) on June 28, and the second half on June 29. :-)
I am giving this book 4 stars, for being a very good book that I really enjoyed, for two reasons: Reason One is that it was a book that I very much enjoyed. :-)
Reason Two is because, if my counting and math were correct, the stories' ratings all added together equal 100, which divided by 26 stories equals 3.85. And I'm rounding up thanks to the excellent decorations by [a:Charles Vess|10763|Charles Vess|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273720560p2/10763.jpg] that were found above the title of each story. :-)
If it wasn't for the wonderful illustrations, I might have rounded down. I was a wee bit disappointed by the final story in this collection (it didn't have a trickster in it!) and the Introduction by [a:Terri Windling|46137|Terri Windling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1329289888p2/46137.jpg] ran too long - and was kind of boring - for me.
But then again, given how many anthologies I've read lately that have been full of incomprehensible-to-me stories, I might have given this book 4 stars just because all of the stories, except for two of the four poems (and maybe one of the 22 short stories?), were understandable. (!!!)
Also, I really enjoyed the variety in types of tricksters. I don't think any two featured the same "person" as trickster! (Though several had "normal humans" as tricksters.) From those normal humans, to Anansi, the Devil, Loki, and Coyote - mostly (or all?) female Coyotes - they were great fun to read about. (The Coyote multiples were all different, so I'm not counting them as the same character.) :-)
I have *three* favorite stories from this collection: Friday Night at St. Cecilia's by [a:Ellen Klages|24901|Ellen Klages|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227067359p2/24901.jpg], from my first day's reading, because of the board game settings: Clue! Chutes and Ladders! Monopoly! The Señorita and the Cactus Thorn by [a:Kim Antieau|380896|Kim Antieau|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698595p2/380896.jpg], for the sweetness of its ending. And The Other Labyrinth by [a:Jedediah Berry|1753875|Jedediah Berry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225074215p2/1753875.jpg], for the labyrinth: So many different types of passages! :-)
My least favorite stories were unfortunately all four of the poems (the first two for being incomprehensible; the latter two for being too short) and The Chamber Music of Animals by Katherine Vaz (I didn't find Rangy the Orangutan very trickster-ish, though he was a stuffed orangutan that "came alive"; mostly, this story was just too weird for me).
And now let's dive in to my individual story ratings, shall we?
:-)
The first half of this book was reread on June 28, 2017:
One Odd Shoe by [a:Pat Murphy|15188|Pat Murphy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1443842243p2/15188.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was a rather fun, but chilling, story about a college boy and a female Coyote. Said college boy was full of himself and thought he was God's Gift to Women. Coyote showed him otherwise. ;-)
Coyote Woman by [a:Carolyn Dunn|325368|Carolyn Dunn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
2.5 stars - average
This is a poem, I think about Coyote Woman and a man who loves her. But I might be wrong about the man (he was definitely a man, though). :-/
Wagers of Gold Mountain by [a:Steve Berman|224189|Steve Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258753902p2/224189.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was a fun story. At first, I was worried that Ji Yuan would fail - epically - and his future would be short. But then he showed a bit of exceptional cunning. :-)
I enjoyed how Ji Yuan was able to meet both spirits' demands.
The Listeners by [a:Nina Kiriki Hoffman|12991|Nina Kiriki Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278864412p2/12991.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was another rather fun story. It was about Nysa, a fourteen-year-old slave who
Realer Than You by [a:Christopher Barzak|396931|Christopher Barzak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440452205p2/396931.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was better than I expected after the way it opened. It opened with a few statements about how the world is an illusion and there are no answers. Or something. So I expected an unfathomable ending. Instead, it was a complete story, and I understood it! :-)
This was the story of Elijah Fulton, a boy who was uprooted from his life in the U.S. when his family moved to Japan. He is experiencing what I would call a major case of culture shock, in part because things are so far outside of his experience. {He needed to learn to travel without expectations, is my opinion. "Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens." (from [b:The Phantom Tollbooth|378|The Phantom Tollbooth|Norton Juster|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438887022s/378.jpg|1782584] by [a:Norton Juster|214|Norton Juster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201117378p2/214.jpg])} In the end, he learned that "nothing is more real than the masks we make to show one another who we are." And he grew more accepting of things in Japan. :-)
The Fiddler of Bayou Teche by [a:Delia Sherman|24|Delia Sherman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1391010737p2/24.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was the rather fascinating story of Cadence, an albino girl who lives among loup-garous. She has a run-in with Murderes Petitpas, a fiddler and someone she thought was made up by her Tante Eulalie. But he was real, all right. He blackmailed Cadence into dancing with his sons for a wager he had with them. Cadence came out the winner in that contest. ;-)
But after finishing this story, I realized that I didn't have any idea who the trickster was in it! Was it 'Dres Petitpas, he who bargained with the devil, or Cadence, she who won the contest? I just don't know. :-/
A Tale for the Short Days by [a:Richard Bowes|107744|Richard Bowes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1371918485p2/107744.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This was the story of the Sparkman family and their encounters with the God of Thieves, Loki. :-)
I understood it right through to the very end, where it lost me. I don't know what Loki stole after his third appearance, or what Diana meant when she thought, "they wouldn't find her where she was going." Why was she leaving? Why does she need to remain hidden? Where is she going? ???
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's by [a:Ellen Klages|24901|Ellen Klages|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227067359p2/24901.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story is, I think, my favorite out of all that I've read so far. It is the story of Rachel, who is trapped in a world of board games by Mab, Queen of the Faeries. It was great fun to read. I enjoyed how Rachel turned the tables on Mab and rescued herself and Addie. :-)
The Fortune Teller by [a:Patricia A. McKillip|25|Patricia A. McKillip|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220752490p2/25.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This is the story of Merle, a pickpocket and fortune teller (also, this story's trickster). After stealing some tarot cards and running across an old friend, she soon decides to
Also, thanks to the author's notes after the story, I understood Merle a little better. :-)
How Raven Made His Bride by [a:Theodora Goss|11890|Theodora Goss|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446393489p2/11890.jpg]
2.5 stars - average
This story is yet another poem. *sigh* Poetry and I just do not get along. Once again, understanding eluded me. I got that Raven stole things from other beings to make his bride, but I was confused about why the river was involved. :-/
Crow Roads by [a:Charles de Lint|14307735|Charles de Lint|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
4 stars - very good; really liked
Weirdly, after finishing this story, all I can think is, "What a nice story that was!" In other words, it was really good. :-)
This is the story of Annie, a young woman in the 1960s who meets a young man, who accepts "Buddy," a name he was called in derision by one of the local young men, as his name. Buddy was the trickster, but he sure didn't seem like one to me. After all, Annie didn't follow him home.
But it was a fun story. :-)
The Chamber Music of Animals by [a:Katherine Vaz|330853|Katherine Vaz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
3.5 stars - good
This story was weird, but good. The trickster here was an orangutan named Rangy. But that wasn't the weird part. . .
Rangy was a stuffed orangutan with a transistor radio inside. . .
I don't think I'll be able to finish this book today. Only 3.75 hours are left and I still have half of the book to go. So I'm going to pause before reading the next story and read a graphic novel, instead, for my June 28, 2017, book.
The second half of this book was read on June 29, 2017:
Uncle Bob Visits by [a:Caroline Stevermer|36175|Caroline Stevermer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1253496839p2/36175.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was set in a schoolroom and featured some sort of spirit as the trickster. Uncle Bob, as it turned out, was not a fan of grammar. ;-)
In the end, another teacher got "Uncle Bob" to settle down and accept the lessons. Mrs. Brisbois didn't do anything special, she just
Though as I said in my status update for this story, like the children, I wish I could have heard what Mrs. Brisbois talked about with Miss Lillegren. ;-)
Uncle Tompa by [a:Midori Snyder|53256|Midori Snyder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278864531p2/53256.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This story, another poem, was actually understandable for me! But though I enjoyed it, it was really just an introduction to the character of Uncle Tompa. I would have liked a bit more, to see him "turn the handle of a prank." (And yes, I do realize that we saw him grip the edge of a plateau, shake it, and send "fools tumbling over the edge." I just feel like there should have been more.)
Cat of the World by [a:Michael Cadnum|22545|Michael Cadnum|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261192848p2/22545.jpg]
3.5 stars - good
This story featured an immortal cat as trickster. Captured by a pair with designs to have him provide sport for their fighting dog, he came out mostly unscathed, as you'd expect of a trickster. ;-)
I don't understand what the scene with the girl "with a punctured tire" in the end was for, though. I think it would have been better to end it after the cat "melted away into the night." :-/
Honored Guest by [a:Ellen Kushner|11889|Ellen Kushner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243007888p2/11889.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This was the story of Bright Phoenix, who met a trickster who outsmarted her grandmother, Omama.
I liked how Bright Phoenix seemed to come out on top in her dealing with the trickster. "Like a shadow I have kissed, she leaves the garden then, taking with her all my past. But I have gotten my future in return." :-)
Always the Same Story by [a:Elizabeth E. Wein|7527675|Elizabeth E. Wein|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
4 stars - very good; really liked
I really enjoyed this story, about a boy with a bit of the trickster in him. Gus was a "circus boy," child of the owners of a traveling circus. While traveling with them one summer,
When he comes to, he "helps" the gang that has him decide to jump on a train when their car breaks down. But the gang doesn't know that Gus was "born and bred on a train." So when the Boss and his men fell asleep, Gus was able to make his escape.
The Señorita and the Cactus Thorn by [a:Kim Antieau|380896|Kim Antieau|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698595p2/380896.jpg]
4.5 stars; great
This was a beautiful story, about a Señorita and her prospective mother-in-law, who was sort of a retired trickster.
I enjoyed how the Señorita tried to take in everything her prospective mother-in-law shared, and I enjoyed how the mother-in-law changed her opinion of the Señorita from prospective daughter-in-law to future daughter-in-law.
Also, that acceptance in the end put me in tears. :-)
Black Rock Blues by [a:Will Shetterly|39852|Will Shetterly|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1342977821p2/39852.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
This story was pretty great. I really enjoyed it. It was about Trickster, who stole from Death! I also really liked the character, Mama Sky.
I just wish I had an idea as to who Oya is. Besides being Mama Sky's daughter, she's. . . ???
The Constable of Abal by [a:Kelly Link|24902|Kelly Link|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422586197p2/24902.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was very long - the longest, yet! - but I really enjoyed it. It was the story of Ozma, 16-year-old daughter of Zilla,
From reading the Author's Note after the story, I understood that Ozma was the trickster. Which didn't make much sense to me, until I remembered how Ozma,
A Reversal of Fortune by [a:Holly Black|25422|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261867163p2/25422.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story featured the Devil as trickster. But it was the story of Nikki,
Happily, Nikki won. ;-)
God Clown by [a:Carol Emshwiller|54462|Carol Emshwiller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1334335881p2/54462.jpg]
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was really quite interesting, despite the fact that we never learned the name of the narrator. The trickster in it was Great God Clown, and our unnamed narrator eventually went up to find him to ask for help.
The Other Labyrinth by [a:Jedediah Berry|1753875|Jedediah Berry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225074215p2/1753875.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
In this story, the trickster was a labyrinth builder. And oh what a labyrinth builder he was! It had sooo many different types of passages! I really enjoyed going through them all with Jacques.
And though
The Dreaming Wind by [a:Jeffrey Ford|19305|Jeffrey Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1271689548p2/19305.jpg]
4.5 stars - great
This story was almost entirely made up of descriptive passages, with very little dialogue, so imagine my surprise when I finished it and almost burst into tears. It was really wonderful.
The trickster in this story was the Dreaming Wind. And it was delightful. :-)
Kwaku Anansi Walks the World's Web by [a:Jane Yolen|5989|Jane Yolen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413465729p2/5989.jpg]
3 stars - liked it
This story was yet another short poem that only introduced us to the title character. (I understood it!) And while spiders terrify me, and Anansi as a character freaks me out, I wish we could have seen him do something trickster-ish. :-/
The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change by [a:Kij Johnson|110153|Kij Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220146486p2/110153.jpg]
OR Simply:
The Evolution of Trickster Stories by Kij Johnson
4 stars - very good; really liked
This story was pretty devastating. About dogs who were abandoned after they acquired the ability to speak and remember, it really hurt me to read it. :'(
But it was a very good story. I'm glad that Linna, the human lady, cared about and helped the dogs.
I just don't know who the trickster was in this story. And reading the Author's Note after the story makes me think that there wasn't a trickster character in this story. :-(
singinglight's review against another edition
3.0
An anthology of stories about tricksters. I was waffling until I saw the list of authors, which decided me in favor of reading it. I liked some of the stories, but I wasn’t super wild about the anthology as a whole. Not sure why, as I often like trickster characters. Maybe they need to have some kindness/humanity about them? Not sure. [June 2011]
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