Scan barcode
mamimitanaka's review against another edition
5.0
Caitlin R. Kiernan is so damn skilled at worldbuilding that it's a wonder why other fantasy authors even try sometimes. Considering much of the terminology and atmosphere of their tales are borrowed directly from Lovecraft's playbook and the vast creative canvas of the Cthulhu Mythos, you'd think one's writing would fall back on it as a reliance rather than a fully unique creation, but the complete opposite is true. Each one of these stories builds its own atmosphere and world entirely self-contained enough to be read on its own, but with each tale layers upon layers are built and connected in subtle and electrifying ways, leading to a vision of the Mythos that is Kiernan's and Kiernan's alone, despite the surface-level terminology at use. Furthermore, their works beautifully humanize the Mythos, bringing extremely sharp emotional depth and character to a genre which often doesn't concern itself much with those things. An incredible collection from an incredible writer.
jaydoncornell's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
smalefowles's review
5.0
A unique voice in Lovecraftian horror. I feel single-author short story collections are best read slowly, with other reading interspersed, but I wanted to finish this one before a trip. I felt dunked beneath the waves of a terrible sea. It's more literary than terrifying, but with plenty of very disturbing moments.
naokamiya's review
5.0
Caitlin R. Kiernan is so damn skilled at worldbuilding that it's a wonder why other fantasy authors even try sometimes. Considering much of the terminology and atmosphere of their tales are borrowed directly from Lovecraft's playbook and the vast creative canvas of the Cthulhu Mythos, you'd think one's writing would fall back on it as a reliance rather than a fully unique creation, but the complete opposite is true. Each one of these stories builds its own atmosphere and world entirely self-contained enough to be read on its own, but with each tale layers upon layers are built and connected in subtle and electrifying ways, leading to a vision of the Mythos that is Kiernan's and Kiernan's alone, despite the surface-level terminology at use. Furthermore, their works beautifully humanize the Mythos, bringing extremely sharp emotional depth and character to a genre which often doesn't concern itself much with those things. An incredible collection from an incredible writer.
mamimitanaka's review
5.0
Caitlin R. Kiernan is so damn skilled at worldbuilding that it's a wonder why other fantasy authors even try sometimes. Considering much of the terminology and atmosphere of their tales are borrowed directly from Lovecraft's playbook and the vast creative canvas of the Cthulhu Mythos, you'd think one's writing would fall back on it as a reliance rather than a fully unique creation, but the complete opposite is true. Each one of these stories builds its own atmosphere and world entirely self-contained enough to be read on its own, but with each tale layers upon layers are built and connected in subtle and electrifying ways, leading to a vision of the Mythos that is Kiernan's and Kiernan's alone, despite the surface-level terminology at use. Furthermore, their works beautifully humanize the Mythos, bringing extremely sharp emotional depth and character to a genre which often doesn't concern itself much with those things. An incredible collection from an incredible writer.
More...