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caitpoytress's review against another edition
4.0
I originally rated this book 3 stars until I started writing down my favorite stories and realized how many there were. I think my biggest mistake in the beginning was trying to read all of them in just one or two sittings. I love short stories, but very rarely can I read them that way (although [b:Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories|218659|Everything That Rises Must Converge Stories|Flannery O'Connor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1412859621s/218659.jpg|963076], [b:Willful Creatures|46205|Willful Creatures|Aimee Bender|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388432128s/46205.jpg|2386], and [b:How to Breathe Underwater|47975|How to Breathe Underwater|Julie Orringer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388201592s/47975.jpg|867141] are 3 that come to mind where I did just that). I loved the avian theme in this collection, but it did make some of the stories feel similar, even if just for the constant naming of groups of birds and bird terms. Once I started reading one or two per night, I enjoyed them much more for their sometimes creepy, sometimes haunting, often clever individuality.
My favorites:
The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids - Seanan McGuire
Something About Birds - Paul Tremblay
Great Blue Heron - Joyce Carol Oates
The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome - Jeffrey Ford
Blythe's Secret - Mike O'Driscoll
Pigeon From Hell - Stephen Graham Jones
The Secret of Flight - A.C. Wise
*Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
My favorites:
The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids - Seanan McGuire
Something About Birds - Paul Tremblay
Great Blue Heron - Joyce Carol Oates
The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome - Jeffrey Ford
Blythe's Secret - Mike O'Driscoll
Pigeon From Hell - Stephen Graham Jones
The Secret of Flight - A.C. Wise
*Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
tvnguyen's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Dark short stories based on birds. There is nothing cooler than that. Each short story has its own charms and having birds be the center of the narrative is fun. I always love to see the darker take on nature especially something that is so delicate and small like birds. It is another way to appreciate the species and recognize how smart, strong, and dangerous they can be. My favorite would probably be the first and last story.
jonathonjones's review against another edition
4.0
There were only one or two duds here, the rest were really good (and creepy).
raforall's review against another edition
4.0
Review in the Feb 2017 issue of Booklist and online: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-im-reading-black-feathers-with.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: primal fear, wide range, unease
Three Words That Describe This Book: primal fear, wide range, unease
aphelia88's review against another edition
5.0
I always pick up an anthology if either of the awesome team of [a:Ellen Datlow|46138|Ellen Datlow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616102283p2/46138.jpg] and [a:Terri Windling|46137|Terri Windling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1606984612p2/46137.jpg] is involved. They coauthored the long running Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series together. Terri covers Fantasy while Ellen covers Horror.
As the cover suggests, this is a collection of dark - very dark, twisted sickly sticky tar-black dark - fiction. It is haunting.
Themed. 16 stories, 14 original and 2 reprints. Short introduction by Datlow.
My ratings:
5 ⭐ = 9
4 ⭐ = 2
3 ⭐ = 3
2 ⭐ = 2
1 ⭐ = 0
1. O Terrible Bird (poem) by Sandra Kasturi; 4 ⭐
The black bird as Death.
2. The Obscure Bird by Nicolas Royce; 2 ⭐ (reprint)
Inspired by a line from Shakespeare's MacBeth. Weird. A man may be turning into an owl.
3. The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids" by Seanan McGuire; 5 ⭐
My favourite story in the anthology. Heartbreaking. Gave me chills. A 15 year-old girl with an obsession for counting corvids (ravens, crows, jays, etc.) tries to make sense of her world with her counts.
4. Something About Birds by Paul Tremblay; 2 ⭐
Deeply unsettling. Stylized as an interview with an overlooked horror writer. Bird masks.
5. Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates; 5 ⭐
A widow dreams of the freedom of a heron.
6. The Season of the Raptors by Richard Bowes; 3 ⭐
Creepy. A man becomes obsessed with hawks.
7. The Orphan Bird by Alison Littlewood; 5 ⭐
Blackly twisted and completely convincing. A serial killer obsessed with birds.
8. The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome by Jeffrey Ford; 5 ⭐
Written in a stylized, Victorian-esque voice. A police detective tracks a serial killer and finds a monster and a marvel. Amazing starling flock imagery.
9. Blyth's Secret by Mike O'Driscoll; 4 ⭐
Horrific. An unstable man tries to understand how birds communicate.
10. The Fortune of Sparrows by Usman T. Mauk; 5 ⭐
"I mothed to the strange light and entered the room." (173) One of many clever turns of phrase. A rich and strange story set at an Indian orphanage.
11. Pigeon From Hell by Stephen Graham Jones; 5 ⭐
Straight up horror, old school. Snarky teenager runs over a babysitting charge and tries to cover it up. Blackly funny but disturbing.
12. The Secret of Flight by A. C. Wise; 5 ⭐
"You should never trust a wild animal. A fox cannot change its nature no matter how it dresses itself up, or what fine words it uses. It will always hunger. If you let your guard down, even for a moment, it will devour you whole." (213-214)
Styled as film scripts and letters, an old mystery and a strange grief.
13. Isobel Arens Returns to Stepney in the Spring by M. John Harrison; 3 ⭐ (reprint)
Bizarre. Designer avian/human DNA mixes for better sex but a relationship fails anyway.
14. A Little Bird Told Me by Pat Cadigan; 5 ⭐
I'd love to read a book based on this! A death census-taker - who matches bodies to names before the Reapers come to avoid mistakes - is shaken out of her workaday existence when parrots start stealing the souls of the dead.
15. The Acid Test by Livia Llewellyn; 3 ⭐
As the title says. Strange and disturbing.
16. The Crow Palace by Priya Sharma; 5 ⭐
Frightening. A human changeling story; cuckoo tactics and crow thieving.
You'll never look at birds as harmless again!
As the cover suggests, this is a collection of dark - very dark, twisted sickly sticky tar-black dark - fiction. It is haunting.
Themed. 16 stories, 14 original and 2 reprints. Short introduction by Datlow.
My ratings:
5 ⭐ = 9
4 ⭐ = 2
3 ⭐ = 3
2 ⭐ = 2
1 ⭐ = 0
1. O Terrible Bird (poem) by Sandra Kasturi; 4 ⭐
The black bird as Death.
2. The Obscure Bird by Nicolas Royce; 2 ⭐ (reprint)
Inspired by a line from Shakespeare's MacBeth. Weird. A man may be turning into an owl.
3. The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids" by Seanan McGuire; 5 ⭐
My favourite story in the anthology. Heartbreaking. Gave me chills. A 15 year-old girl with an obsession for counting corvids (ravens, crows, jays, etc.) tries to make sense of her world with her counts.
4. Something About Birds by Paul Tremblay; 2 ⭐
Deeply unsettling. Stylized as an interview with an overlooked horror writer. Bird masks.
5. Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates; 5 ⭐
A widow dreams of the freedom of a heron.
6. The Season of the Raptors by Richard Bowes; 3 ⭐
Creepy. A man becomes obsessed with hawks.
7. The Orphan Bird by Alison Littlewood; 5 ⭐
Blackly twisted and completely convincing. A serial killer obsessed with birds.
8. The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome by Jeffrey Ford; 5 ⭐
Written in a stylized, Victorian-esque voice. A police detective tracks a serial killer and finds a monster and a marvel. Amazing starling flock imagery.
9. Blyth's Secret by Mike O'Driscoll; 4 ⭐
Horrific. An unstable man tries to understand how birds communicate.
10. The Fortune of Sparrows by Usman T. Mauk; 5 ⭐
"I mothed to the strange light and entered the room." (173) One of many clever turns of phrase. A rich and strange story set at an Indian orphanage.
11. Pigeon From Hell by Stephen Graham Jones; 5 ⭐
Straight up horror, old school. Snarky teenager runs over a babysitting charge and tries to cover it up. Blackly funny but disturbing.
12. The Secret of Flight by A. C. Wise; 5 ⭐
"You should never trust a wild animal. A fox cannot change its nature no matter how it dresses itself up, or what fine words it uses. It will always hunger. If you let your guard down, even for a moment, it will devour you whole." (213-214)
Styled as film scripts and letters, an old mystery and a strange grief.
13. Isobel Arens Returns to Stepney in the Spring by M. John Harrison; 3 ⭐ (reprint)
Bizarre. Designer avian/human DNA mixes for better sex but a relationship fails anyway.
14. A Little Bird Told Me by Pat Cadigan; 5 ⭐
I'd love to read a book based on this! A death census-taker - who matches bodies to names before the Reapers come to avoid mistakes - is shaken out of her workaday existence when parrots start stealing the souls of the dead.
15. The Acid Test by Livia Llewellyn; 3 ⭐
As the title says. Strange and disturbing.
16. The Crow Palace by Priya Sharma; 5 ⭐
Frightening. A human changeling story; cuckoo tactics and crow thieving.
You'll never look at birds as harmless again!
sarahrita's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Please see my full review available soon at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com
Please see my full review available soon at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
If you ask most horror authors of any sub-genre which editor they would most like to work with, the name ‘Ellen Datlow’ is almost always top of the list. With many years of experience in the publishing business and many, many awards (including multiple Hugo, Stoker, Shirley Jackson and International Horror Guild Awards) celebrating her editorial work with magazines such as OMNI and Event Horizon as well as over ninety anthologies, it is clear to see why she is held in such high regard. Indeed, the impending release of an anthology helmed by Datlow has become an event that horror fans everywhere anticipate with a fervent hunger. Here we take a look at her latest anthology featuring dark stories with an avian theme.
With this anthology, Datlow has further cemented her reputation as an editor with an eye for quality and her finger on the pulse of the horror genre. She is regarded as a guardian of the speculative fiction community and as someone who can bring the best from the authors with whom she works. Here she has assembled a stellar line-up of some of the very best writers in the field today, every one a published and accomplished master of the craft. With such contributors there is no question that the anthology would be good. But under the stewardship of Datlow, the stories take wing and fly.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk
With this anthology, Datlow has further cemented her reputation as an editor with an eye for quality and her finger on the pulse of the horror genre. She is regarded as a guardian of the speculative fiction community and as someone who can bring the best from the authors with whom she works. Here she has assembled a stellar line-up of some of the very best writers in the field today, every one a published and accomplished master of the craft. With such contributors there is no question that the anthology would be good. But under the stewardship of Datlow, the stories take wing and fly.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk
dee_dee_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Weird in all the best ways! deereadsforfood.wordpress.com
amalia1985's review
4.0
''But you have mistaken me, O Bird.
Can you not hear? I am the silence
and the piping and I am coming.
And it is I- I who am terrible.''
O Terrible Bird by Sandra Kasturi
Our feathered friends are amongst Nature's most beautiful creations. They keep us company with their morning chirping, they make us feel nostalgic for the coming of winter when we see them departing for warmer climates, they herald the arrival of spring. Their bright colours and sweet song have inspired paintings and poems. Eagles are associated with power, owls with wisdom, ravens, and crows with ill omens and Death. Countless myths and fairytales have been born through our fascination with the avian kingdom. However, this is not such a collection…
Ellen Datlow has chosen stories that are set in our times, combining the human psyche and the avian. These are dark tales that focus on the bond between our supposedly sophisticated personality and the primal instincts that lurk in the dark recesses of our minds. Birds aren't creatures of wisdom and freedom now. They have become instruments of revenge and merciless justice, punishment, and awakening. This extract from the Introduction by Ellen Datlow speaks for itself:
''And who isn't disgusted by birds that eat the dead- vultures awaiting their next meals as the lifeblood flows from the dying. One of our greatest fear is being eaten by vultures before we're quite dead.''
I mean, this is exciting...
These are my favourite stories in the collection:
''Outside, an owl hooted.''
The Obscure Bird by Nickolas Royle: A mysterious story of obsession, transformation, and estranged relationships.
''Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, said the birds, and sorrow was what I got.''
The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids by Seanan McGuire: A bright girl has to put up with her weak mother, her horrible stepfather and teachers who are unable to understand. Crows and ravens are her only comfort.
Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates: A dark, moving story of a blue heron as a metaphor for Death and a widow who tries to fight a society that wants to reduce her to a non- entity and manipulate her. A beautiful tale with successful elements of Magical Realism and an outstanding description of a graveyard.
''There was, in the Knot, a history of murder. Once every few years a body was found, always in the winter months, always after a fresh snow, the face shredded as if by claws.''
The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome by Jeffrey Ford: A superbly terrifying, haunting winter's story about vicious murders in a small community, birds and secrets.
Blyth's Secret by Mike O'Driscoll: A haunting tale of a painful loss, the fragility of mental health and ravens.
The Secret of Flight by A.C.Wise: A play within a story of a mysterious disappearance, impossible relationships, and starlings.
''Now I know why my heart's loveless. Pip's not the aberration; I am. I'm the daughter of crows, smuggled into the nest.''
The Crow Palace by Priya Sharma: An allegory of the morbidity of crows, disappointment and womanhood.
Why the 4 stars? Because of the following abominations:
Isabel Archer Returns to Stepney In The Spring by M. John Harrison: Utter trash. Vulgar language, horrid plot. It lowered my IQ...
A Little Bird Told Me by Pat Cadigan: Why the need for such language? Do ''writers'' like this one believe that a paragraph choke-full of profanities and sex innuendos is ''raw and powerful'' writing? Because it isn't. It's garbage, that's what it is.
This is a very interesting collection with a number of extraordinary stories and three-four average to horrid pieces of writing. Not unusual for a collection. The concept is original, combining the Paranormal, the Psychological and Urban Folklore, therefore I definitely recommend it to readers of these genres.
''Eleven is for the gates of Heaven; twelve's for the man
who lets you in.
Thirteen is for a broken promise; fourteen's the feathers
underneath your skin.
Fifteen is for the things we carry; sixteen's for when we put
them down.
Seventeen's all the lies and shadows; eighteen's the waters
where we drown.''
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
Can you not hear? I am the silence
and the piping and I am coming.
And it is I- I who am terrible.''
O Terrible Bird by Sandra Kasturi
Our feathered friends are amongst Nature's most beautiful creations. They keep us company with their morning chirping, they make us feel nostalgic for the coming of winter when we see them departing for warmer climates, they herald the arrival of spring. Their bright colours and sweet song have inspired paintings and poems. Eagles are associated with power, owls with wisdom, ravens, and crows with ill omens and Death. Countless myths and fairytales have been born through our fascination with the avian kingdom. However, this is not such a collection…
Ellen Datlow has chosen stories that are set in our times, combining the human psyche and the avian. These are dark tales that focus on the bond between our supposedly sophisticated personality and the primal instincts that lurk in the dark recesses of our minds. Birds aren't creatures of wisdom and freedom now. They have become instruments of revenge and merciless justice, punishment, and awakening. This extract from the Introduction by Ellen Datlow speaks for itself:
''And who isn't disgusted by birds that eat the dead- vultures awaiting their next meals as the lifeblood flows from the dying. One of our greatest fear is being eaten by vultures before we're quite dead.''
I mean, this is exciting...
These are my favourite stories in the collection:
''Outside, an owl hooted.''
The Obscure Bird by Nickolas Royle: A mysterious story of obsession, transformation, and estranged relationships.
''Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, said the birds, and sorrow was what I got.''
The Mathematical Inevitability of Corvids by Seanan McGuire: A bright girl has to put up with her weak mother, her horrible stepfather and teachers who are unable to understand. Crows and ravens are her only comfort.
Great Blue Heron by Joyce Carol Oates: A dark, moving story of a blue heron as a metaphor for Death and a widow who tries to fight a society that wants to reduce her to a non- entity and manipulate her. A beautiful tale with successful elements of Magical Realism and an outstanding description of a graveyard.
''There was, in the Knot, a history of murder. Once every few years a body was found, always in the winter months, always after a fresh snow, the face shredded as if by claws.''
The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome by Jeffrey Ford: A superbly terrifying, haunting winter's story about vicious murders in a small community, birds and secrets.
Blyth's Secret by Mike O'Driscoll: A haunting tale of a painful loss, the fragility of mental health and ravens.
The Secret of Flight by A.C.Wise: A play within a story of a mysterious disappearance, impossible relationships, and starlings.
''Now I know why my heart's loveless. Pip's not the aberration; I am. I'm the daughter of crows, smuggled into the nest.''
The Crow Palace by Priya Sharma: An allegory of the morbidity of crows, disappointment and womanhood.
Why the 4 stars? Because of the following abominations:
Isabel Archer Returns to Stepney In The Spring by M. John Harrison: Utter trash. Vulgar language, horrid plot. It lowered my IQ...
A Little Bird Told Me by Pat Cadigan: Why the need for such language? Do ''writers'' like this one believe that a paragraph choke-full of profanities and sex innuendos is ''raw and powerful'' writing? Because it isn't. It's garbage, that's what it is.
This is a very interesting collection with a number of extraordinary stories and three-four average to horrid pieces of writing. Not unusual for a collection. The concept is original, combining the Paranormal, the Psychological and Urban Folklore, therefore I definitely recommend it to readers of these genres.
''Eleven is for the gates of Heaven; twelve's for the man
who lets you in.
Thirteen is for a broken promise; fourteen's the feathers
underneath your skin.
Fifteen is for the things we carry; sixteen's for when we put
them down.
Seventeen's all the lies and shadows; eighteen's the waters
where we drown.''
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
thomaswjoyce's review
5.0
If you ask most horror authors of any sub-genre which editor they would most like to work with, the name ‘Ellen Datlow’ is almost always top of the list. With many years of experience in the publishing business and many, many awards (including multiple Hugo, Stoker, Shirley Jackson and International Horror Guild Awards) celebrating her editorial work with magazines such as OMNI and Event Horizon as well as over ninety anthologies, it is clear to see why she is held in such high regard. Indeed, the impending release of an anthology helmed by Datlow has become an event that horror fans everywhere anticipate with a fervent hunger. Here we take a look at her latest anthology featuring dark stories with an avian theme.
With this anthology, Datlow has further cemented her reputation as an editor with an eye for quality and her finger on the pulse of the horror genre. She is regarded as a guardian of the speculative fiction community and as someone who can bring the best from the authors with whom she works. Here she has assembled a stellar line-up of some of the very best writers in the field today, every one a published and accomplished master of the craft. With such contributors there is no question that the anthology would be good. But under the stewardship of Datlow, the stories take wing and fly.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk
With this anthology, Datlow has further cemented her reputation as an editor with an eye for quality and her finger on the pulse of the horror genre. She is regarded as a guardian of the speculative fiction community and as someone who can bring the best from the authors with whom she works. Here she has assembled a stellar line-up of some of the very best writers in the field today, every one a published and accomplished master of the craft. With such contributors there is no question that the anthology would be good. But under the stewardship of Datlow, the stories take wing and fly.
To see the full review, please visit thisishorror.co.uk