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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Worth reading but not great. This goes well into the weird in several cases, but does it in a Gaimanesque way that draws you into the authpr's utter confidence that all this is no big deal and perfectly natural in HIS world. The weirdness gives Pratt room to explore some ideas, and you get to feel amused, shocked, etc. with a few "well, sure, of course it would have had to end that way, wouldn't it?"
If you've read his "Rangergirl" , well, you'll probably like both books or neither.
If you've read his "Rangergirl" , well, you'll probably like both books or neither.
zisi's review against another edition
4.0
I love these stories, a mix of weird west and dark urban fantasy. Tim Pratt reminds me a lot of Neil Gaiman.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
Tim is an excellent short story writer. He's moved into novels in the last few years, and you can't blame him for that, not at all, but I have a fondness for the shorter work. I blame my short attention span (it's a wonder I can manage to write any reviews). This is a good collection of good stories.
saif27's review against another edition
4.0
This series of short stories is quite different from what I am used to reading. It's quite postmodern with themes of sexuality, gender, and deconstruction. You can tell that Pratt had fun while writing them, they are all very playfully written and engaging.
Hart and Boot: the titular story is certainly far from the best in the series, but it is still entertaining and showcases the strong female protagonist that will feature in the rest of his stories. It also has another recurring idea of myth transfer, where a Greek or Norse tragedy is transferred to a different setting or environment .Thus it causes all kinds of subtle changes in the character's interactions, while evolving the idea. Here the story is not quite that but still features a mythical story, one that is set in the wild west. It's based on a real story about stagecoach robbers but there is a surreal element added to it that gives it depth and makes it more intriguing as you try to understand the rules of the magic. John Boot is a tulpa, a being created from imagination, which i have always found to be one of the more striking surreal tropes. For it gives one room to explore what it would be like to literally create the person of your dreams.
Life in Stone: my least favorite one from the series. The myth feels inserted and unnatural to the story. The author's attempt at making the main character badass and intriguing, fails in my opinion. For it feels like he is just another assassin trope that is trying to be more rather than actually being more.
Cup and Table: an Arthurian legend style of epic that revolves around interesting characters. The powers and the world is interesting but the characters are what drive this story. It is quite awesome when an author is able to take you into his epic world in such a short amount of time, and Pratt does just that.
In a Glass Casket: my favorite story in the series. It is quite rewarding when there is a children driven story that still feels "grown-up". This is a story that takes it's children seriously, something we tend to forget to do as a society. The magical elements in the story also feel very natural to it adding to the narrative and main idea.
Terrible ones: a story that takes the idea of mixing myth and modernity to the next level with Greek Chorus, Furies, and Medea featuring in a narrative about an actor who did a role about a dominatrix in some sort of club. A man is obsessed with her performance and not able to separate fantasy from reality. The mixture of elements in this story is intriguing but the narrative itself is mediocre.
Romanticore: one of the longer stories in the series it is also quite strong in terms of character development. You get really attached to the protagonist even though he is a quite different one (from me personally at least) in terms of values and personality. The myth and surreal aspects of the story are introduced later in the story very slowly and thus take you by surprise.
Living with the Harpy: another Greek myth based story that is set in the modern world. The story is too short to discuss specifics without giving it away, but in general the ending is romantic and idealistic in a way that is a bit off-putting.
Komodo: the mythical elements in this story are introduced early from the start. Another strong female protagonist shines in this one, however, she is too tough for her own good. In the end she relies on her friends and community who assist her making the story feel like a fable with a moral agenda. This is a bit forced but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the narrative.
Bottom Feeding: the character in this story is easy to sympathize with but also feels a bit too pitiful at times. Magical surrealism also features in this one but in a more subtle way, in a sense it's the classic salmon wisdom stories but transferred to the American south with all of its motifs. Hence the catfish is the main focus rather than salmon. The romantic side of the story is not as intriguing though and feels forced.
The Tyrant in Love: set in a medieval setting with a harlequin jester and a tyrant in a feudal castle. The story is quite dark from the start and gets a little light before ending in a dark twist again. It is still highly engaging and entertaining despite all the gore and grotesque elements.
Impossible dreams: an easy going romantic story that has surreal elements and lots of movie trivia. The author's love of cinema is quite evident here. The story feels a bit silly and predictable but still a fun and worthy read. As far as love stories go, this one touches me easily due to the characters obsession with cinema.
Lachrymose and the Golden Egg: another love story with mythical elements. This one is not as silly or fun as the other ones but what it lacks in engagement it makes up for in other ways. For the message and social commentary issued by this story is quite meaningful and carries the story.
Dream engine: a very engaging story with an elaborate science fiction world. It reads like a noir narrated by a side character who through the journey discovers more about himself and the main character as the story progresses. Also, I find the steampunk imagery and elements fun no matter the context so this really adds to my enjoyment of this one.
Hart and Boot: the titular story is certainly far from the best in the series, but it is still entertaining and showcases the strong female protagonist that will feature in the rest of his stories. It also has another recurring idea of myth transfer, where a Greek or Norse tragedy is transferred to a different setting or environment .Thus it causes all kinds of subtle changes in the character's interactions, while evolving the idea. Here the story is not quite that but still features a mythical story, one that is set in the wild west. It's based on a real story about stagecoach robbers but there is a surreal element added to it that gives it depth and makes it more intriguing as you try to understand the rules of the magic. John Boot is a tulpa, a being created from imagination, which i have always found to be one of the more striking surreal tropes. For it gives one room to explore what it would be like to literally create the person of your dreams.
Life in Stone: my least favorite one from the series. The myth feels inserted and unnatural to the story. The author's attempt at making the main character badass and intriguing, fails in my opinion. For it feels like he is just another assassin trope that is trying to be more rather than actually being more.
Cup and Table: an Arthurian legend style of epic that revolves around interesting characters. The powers and the world is interesting but the characters are what drive this story. It is quite awesome when an author is able to take you into his epic world in such a short amount of time, and Pratt does just that.
In a Glass Casket: my favorite story in the series. It is quite rewarding when there is a children driven story that still feels "grown-up". This is a story that takes it's children seriously, something we tend to forget to do as a society. The magical elements in the story also feel very natural to it adding to the narrative and main idea.
Terrible ones: a story that takes the idea of mixing myth and modernity to the next level with Greek Chorus, Furies, and Medea featuring in a narrative about an actor who did a role about a dominatrix in some sort of club. A man is obsessed with her performance and not able to separate fantasy from reality. The mixture of elements in this story is intriguing but the narrative itself is mediocre.
Romanticore: one of the longer stories in the series it is also quite strong in terms of character development. You get really attached to the protagonist even though he is a quite different one (from me personally at least) in terms of values and personality. The myth and surreal aspects of the story are introduced later in the story very slowly and thus take you by surprise.
Living with the Harpy: another Greek myth based story that is set in the modern world. The story is too short to discuss specifics without giving it away, but in general the ending is romantic and idealistic in a way that is a bit off-putting.
Komodo: the mythical elements in this story are introduced early from the start. Another strong female protagonist shines in this one, however, she is too tough for her own good. In the end she relies on her friends and community who assist her making the story feel like a fable with a moral agenda. This is a bit forced but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the narrative.
Bottom Feeding: the character in this story is easy to sympathize with but also feels a bit too pitiful at times. Magical surrealism also features in this one but in a more subtle way, in a sense it's the classic salmon wisdom stories but transferred to the American south with all of its motifs. Hence the catfish is the main focus rather than salmon. The romantic side of the story is not as intriguing though and feels forced.
The Tyrant in Love: set in a medieval setting with a harlequin jester and a tyrant in a feudal castle. The story is quite dark from the start and gets a little light before ending in a dark twist again. It is still highly engaging and entertaining despite all the gore and grotesque elements.
Impossible dreams: an easy going romantic story that has surreal elements and lots of movie trivia. The author's love of cinema is quite evident here. The story feels a bit silly and predictable but still a fun and worthy read. As far as love stories go, this one touches me easily due to the characters obsession with cinema.
Lachrymose and the Golden Egg: another love story with mythical elements. This one is not as silly or fun as the other ones but what it lacks in engagement it makes up for in other ways. For the message and social commentary issued by this story is quite meaningful and carries the story.
Dream engine: a very engaging story with an elaborate science fiction world. It reads like a noir narrated by a side character who through the journey discovers more about himself and the main character as the story progresses. Also, I find the steampunk imagery and elements fun no matter the context so this really adds to my enjoyment of this one.
survivalisinsufficient's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. I'm a sucker for modern adaptations of mythology, and this short story collection has a lot of that (drawing on several different mythologies).
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