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roannasylver's review against another edition
5.0
Two quick, lively, lovely reads!
I finished these in two nights, one right after the other. They were both tight, well-written fantasy - maybe a bit of sci-fi, depends on how strict your definition is - and a lot of fun. The first, starring a lady mercenary with a dragon-horse BFF traveling in disguise, rescuing ladies from awful tournaments with human prizes is full of action-adventure, is nicely balanced out with some really interesting character interactions, cleverly and beautifully navigating a language barrier with Hebrew prayers and verses. The second story is much shorter than the first; I got through in about a half hour, and actually laughed a few times - in a good way. (What's the last thing you need when preparing for a very important holiday feast? Actual alien abduction. And it works.) An unexpected premise... with equally unexpected results thanks to the heroine's quick thinking.
Seriously, these are two short stories that are sure to make you smile at some point, that left me wanting much more of the universe and characters in it. (So much that I just checked out the actual book from which they hail, The Second Mango. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.)
I finished these in two nights, one right after the other. They were both tight, well-written fantasy - maybe a bit of sci-fi, depends on how strict your definition is - and a lot of fun. The first, starring a lady mercenary with a dragon-horse BFF traveling in disguise, rescuing ladies from awful tournaments with human prizes is full of action-adventure, is nicely balanced out with some really interesting character interactions, cleverly and beautifully navigating a language barrier with Hebrew prayers and verses. The second story is much shorter than the first; I got through in about a half hour, and actually laughed a few times - in a good way. (What's the last thing you need when preparing for a very important holiday feast? Actual alien abduction. And it works.) An unexpected premise... with equally unexpected results thanks to the heroine's quick thinking.
Seriously, these are two short stories that are sure to make you smile at some point, that left me wanting much more of the universe and characters in it. (So much that I just checked out the actual book from which they hail, The Second Mango. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.)
roannasylver's review
5.0
Tales from Perach, a set of five supplemental short stories taking place in Shira Glassman's delightful Mangoverse, promises more of the lighthearted fantasy we've come to expect from this sweet but significant and engaging series. And these bite-sized adventures deliver. Each one is a wonderful blend of easy entertainment and humor, irresistible optimism, and important gender, sexuality and religious representation. I can't speak on that last one, since the Mangoverse is Jewish fantasy, including Hebrew words, and Jewish culture and concepts consistently built into its world - the last story centers around a Purim play - and that's outside my frame of reference or commentary. But everything else I recognize rings incredibly true and sweet. If you enjoy pieces you can easily zip through in ten minutes each - wonderful if you, like me, are low on energy/time/'spoons' for disabled readers - and all of the above, pick these up. Previous Mangoverse experience is definitely not required, as each stands just fine on its own. (They're also really fun. Like, super fun. I laughed out loud a couple times; been a while since I've actually done that reading. If you enjoy laughing, and warm fuzzy feelings, I suggest picking them up as well.)
The first story, 'Your Name Is Love,' following an adorable and artistically-inspiring scavenger hunt, should ring true for anyone who's ever suffered creative block. Sometimes a day out with someone you love is all the inspiration you need. This one also had one of my favorite interactions, in which one of the ladies, a member of the city guard, made some rude guys back down through nothing but will and the sheer virtue of who she was. Not her status as a guard, or a friend of the Queen's, just a woman. She deserves respect simply because of her personhood.
The second, 'No Whining,' a return to Yael's restaurant from the main book The Olive Conspiracy, showed the dilemma of loyalty to a friend, when that friend is connected to clods who really don't deserve it. My favorite part about this one was the unabashed adoration (albeit snark-flavored) and sensuality between Yael and Aaron. It's rare to actually see this between older couples in fiction, particularly when one or more of the parties is transgender. It's refreshing, important, and generally awesome to see mature trans people flirting and being genuinely in love.
The third is short and incredibly sweet - a prince, his partner, nightmares, and comforting silliness and cuddles. Another thing that's much too rare in fiction, LGBT and otherwise, is diversity in body shapes and sizes, and especially heavy characters being shown as attractive, desirable and loved. Farzin (the prince's companion, dedicated machinist and irrepressible jokester) is described as "three hundred pounds of comfort and love," and while he might have some hilarious lines as he cheers up his partner (remember when I said I actually LOL'd? This guy), we never laugh at his expense. His and Kaveh's relationship isn't a joke either. Life without each other is "hunger, emptiness, missing a hand." Like in the above story, the love between them is given respect and clear affection, and it's so important and wonderful to see. Sweet dreams are made of this.
Next we have some cute teenage kids (one trans, one not, effortlessly included) on a quest to make a big sister's wedding day super spectacular. With some unexpected help. This one had some more body positivity, and a very nice detail of depicting a variety of natural Black hairstyles in a clever way. I don't feel like spoiling exactly how but like most of the best points in these stories, this kind of consideration is sadly hard to come by in many other fictional worlds. (As always, here, the inclusion is positive and complimentary.)
Lastly, the Purim rehearsal and performance. There's more here I don't want to spoil because you should really just enjoy... but the story collection ends on a simply wonderful note of affirmation for a variety of different kinds of family. Two moms, two dads, mom and dad, blood family, found family. They're all good. And you don't have to give any of them up, not ever. Like all of the above incredibly important, encouraging and positive messages, this is such an affirming and comforting one for readers, particularly young, LGBT ones, to have. Heck, it's a good reminder for all of us. I'm so glad I read these. I think you will be too.
("My soul is fed." - Halleli)
The first story, 'Your Name Is Love,' following an adorable and artistically-inspiring scavenger hunt, should ring true for anyone who's ever suffered creative block. Sometimes a day out with someone you love is all the inspiration you need. This one also had one of my favorite interactions, in which one of the ladies, a member of the city guard, made some rude guys back down through nothing but will and the sheer virtue of who she was. Not her status as a guard, or a friend of the Queen's, just a woman. She deserves respect simply because of her personhood.
The second, 'No Whining,' a return to Yael's restaurant from the main book The Olive Conspiracy, showed the dilemma of loyalty to a friend, when that friend is connected to clods who really don't deserve it. My favorite part about this one was the unabashed adoration (albeit snark-flavored) and sensuality between Yael and Aaron. It's rare to actually see this between older couples in fiction, particularly when one or more of the parties is transgender. It's refreshing, important, and generally awesome to see mature trans people flirting and being genuinely in love.
The third is short and incredibly sweet - a prince, his partner, nightmares, and comforting silliness and cuddles. Another thing that's much too rare in fiction, LGBT and otherwise, is diversity in body shapes and sizes, and especially heavy characters being shown as attractive, desirable and loved. Farzin (the prince's companion, dedicated machinist and irrepressible jokester) is described as "three hundred pounds of comfort and love," and while he might have some hilarious lines as he cheers up his partner (remember when I said I actually LOL'd? This guy), we never laugh at his expense. His and Kaveh's relationship isn't a joke either. Life without each other is "hunger, emptiness, missing a hand." Like in the above story, the love between them is given respect and clear affection, and it's so important and wonderful to see. Sweet dreams are made of this.
Next we have some cute teenage kids (one trans, one not, effortlessly included) on a quest to make a big sister's wedding day super spectacular. With some unexpected help. This one had some more body positivity, and a very nice detail of depicting a variety of natural Black hairstyles in a clever way. I don't feel like spoiling exactly how but like most of the best points in these stories, this kind of consideration is sadly hard to come by in many other fictional worlds. (As always, here, the inclusion is positive and complimentary.)
Lastly, the Purim rehearsal and performance. There's more here I don't want to spoil because you should really just enjoy... but the story collection ends on a simply wonderful note of affirmation for a variety of different kinds of family. Two moms, two dads, mom and dad, blood family, found family. They're all good. And you don't have to give any of them up, not ever. Like all of the above incredibly important, encouraging and positive messages, this is such an affirming and comforting one for readers, particularly young, LGBT ones, to have. Heck, it's a good reminder for all of us. I'm so glad I read these. I think you will be too.
("My soul is fed." - Halleli)
mplj's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
nyx_knight's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
maximum83's review
5.0
A great collection of short stories from the Mangoverse. A+. Also really love specifically the Ace inclusion. Shira is great about representation in general but the inclusion of the asexual woman was extra nice. She is in the version that has tales from other lands. The newest release.
emnantel's review
4.0
Pure unadulterated fluff about side characters from the Mangoverse. Perfect to satisfy a craving for these characters you fell in love with during the novels.
familiar_diversions's review against another edition
3.0
My edition of Tales from Outer Lands was published by Torquere Press. The author has since rereleased it as part of Tales from Perach.
This collection contains two stories, which I’ll write about separately.
“Rivka in Port Saltspray”
This takes place a year and a half after Rivka left her home, so I think it’s maybe a year and a half prior to the events in The Second Mango. Rivka is stuck in Port Saltspray with no way to get her dragon-horse to Zembluss, where she’d been hoping to fight in a civil war and earn a much-needed paycheck. A man named Waterweed seems to be the answer to her problems: he wants to hire her to fight in a competition for him. The prize, he says, is his beloved’s hand in marriage - because he’s missing an arm, he’d never stand a chance on his own.
This was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. Rivka was my favorite character in The Second Mango, so it was nice to see her again. She hadn’t managed to make a name for herself yet and was in dire straits - nearly broke, stuck in a corrupt town, and in danger of losing Dragon, her loyal companion, if she couldn’t earn some money fast.
I loved that Rivka spent so much of the story basically looking out for others, both unconsciously or on purpose. She’s very much a “protector” sort of character. Not even her terrible financial situation could get her to compromise her morals, and I was really glad that she asked the questions I felt she needed to ask - I had suspicions about one particular character and was worried that this would be one of those “the main character doesn’t see the trap coming until it’s too late” stories.
Rivka’s analyses of the various fights were interesting, although I found myself wishing that the fights had been more vividly described. The absolute best part of the story, though, was probably when Rivka and Stella had some time alone together and, even though they didn’t speak the same language, figured out how to communicate via their shared religion.
All in all, this was pretty good. If I remember right, this story was what prompted me to buy a couple of Glassman’s works in the first place. I had heard that it contained an asexual character. If I interpreted things correctly, that character was probably Stella. The way her aunt described her made me think she was probably aromantic:
It was a nice little detail, although I had sort of been hoping for a bit more from the story. Ah well, at least I enjoyed getting to see more of Rivka.
“Aviva and the Aliens”
This takes place about 7 months after the end of The Second Mango. The people of Perach are preparing for Passover. Aviva is getting ready for the royal seder, putting away ingredients in her kitchen, when she and her entire kitchen are abducted by aliens. They’re tired of their flavorless ship food, and they want Aviva to cook them a good meal. However, if Aviva isn’t careful, she might end up being forced to cook for them forever.
The first story was about 30 pages long, whereas this one was about 15 - very short. It was bizarre and silly, too much so for my tastes. If the Mangoverse is going to be odd, I’d much prefer it to stick to fantasy oddness. Locust-like aliens abducting a random human in order to make her their new cook just didn’t seem to fit. I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if the story had ended with “it was all a dream,” but no, as far as I could tell it was all supposed to be real.
It also didn’t help that the story’s logic didn’t hold up very well. The aliens’ reasons for abducting Aviva didn’t make much sense. What if the random person they chose had been a terrible cook? How did they know that Aviva’s definition of tasty food would fit their definition? What had they planned on doing after Aviva ran out of ingredients? The aliens’ reason for letting Aviva go again wasn’t much better.
Of the two stories, I only really liked “Rivka in Port Saltspray.” It’s probably for the best that Glassman’s newly released collection contains more stories, since I don’t think I’d recommend this two-story collection on its own to anyone except big Rivka fans and Mangoverse completists.
Rating Note:
I struggled with rating this, especially on GR (half stars would be lovely). On LibraryThing I gave it 2.5 stars. The Rivka story alone probably would have been 3 or even 3.5 stars, but Aviva's story bumped the final rating down a notch. I settled on 3 stars for GR because I decided that Rivka's story, which took up two thirds of the e-book, should factor into the final rating more.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
This collection contains two stories, which I’ll write about separately.
“Rivka in Port Saltspray”
This takes place a year and a half after Rivka left her home, so I think it’s maybe a year and a half prior to the events in The Second Mango. Rivka is stuck in Port Saltspray with no way to get her dragon-horse to Zembluss, where she’d been hoping to fight in a civil war and earn a much-needed paycheck. A man named Waterweed seems to be the answer to her problems: he wants to hire her to fight in a competition for him. The prize, he says, is his beloved’s hand in marriage - because he’s missing an arm, he’d never stand a chance on his own.
This was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. Rivka was my favorite character in The Second Mango, so it was nice to see her again. She hadn’t managed to make a name for herself yet and was in dire straits - nearly broke, stuck in a corrupt town, and in danger of losing Dragon, her loyal companion, if she couldn’t earn some money fast.
I loved that Rivka spent so much of the story basically looking out for others, both unconsciously or on purpose. She’s very much a “protector” sort of character. Not even her terrible financial situation could get her to compromise her morals, and I was really glad that she asked the questions I felt she needed to ask - I had suspicions about one particular character and was worried that this would be one of those “the main character doesn’t see the trap coming until it’s too late” stories.
Rivka’s analyses of the various fights were interesting, although I found myself wishing that the fights had been more vividly described. The absolute best part of the story, though, was probably when Rivka and Stella had some time alone together and, even though they didn’t speak the same language, figured out how to communicate via their shared religion.
All in all, this was pretty good. If I remember right, this story was what prompted me to buy a couple of Glassman’s works in the first place. I had heard that it contained an asexual character. If I interpreted things correctly, that character was probably Stella. The way her aunt described her made me think she was probably aromantic:
“‘No, she really doesn’t ever want to get married!’ said the aunt. ‘I even thought, you know, maybe she doesn’t like a man, then she can have a female companion. I had someone like that once. But no, not even that… she says she’s complete with family and friends.’”(28)
It was a nice little detail, although I had sort of been hoping for a bit more from the story. Ah well, at least I enjoyed getting to see more of Rivka.
“Aviva and the Aliens”
This takes place about 7 months after the end of The Second Mango. The people of Perach are preparing for Passover. Aviva is getting ready for the royal seder, putting away ingredients in her kitchen, when she and her entire kitchen are abducted by aliens. They’re tired of their flavorless ship food, and they want Aviva to cook them a good meal. However, if Aviva isn’t careful, she might end up being forced to cook for them forever.
The first story was about 30 pages long, whereas this one was about 15 - very short. It was bizarre and silly, too much so for my tastes. If the Mangoverse is going to be odd, I’d much prefer it to stick to fantasy oddness. Locust-like aliens abducting a random human in order to make her their new cook just didn’t seem to fit. I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if the story had ended with “it was all a dream,” but no, as far as I could tell it was all supposed to be real.
It also didn’t help that the story’s logic didn’t hold up very well. The aliens’ reasons for abducting Aviva didn’t make much sense. What if the random person they chose had been a terrible cook? How did they know that Aviva’s definition of tasty food would fit their definition? What had they planned on doing after Aviva ran out of ingredients? The aliens’ reason for letting Aviva go again wasn’t much better.
Of the two stories, I only really liked “Rivka in Port Saltspray.” It’s probably for the best that Glassman’s newly released collection contains more stories, since I don’t think I’d recommend this two-story collection on its own to anyone except big Rivka fans and Mangoverse completists.
Rating Note:
I struggled with rating this, especially on GR (half stars would be lovely). On LibraryThing I gave it 2.5 stars. The Rivka story alone probably would have been 3 or even 3.5 stars, but Aviva's story bumped the final rating down a notch. I settled on 3 stars for GR because I decided that Rivka's story, which took up two thirds of the e-book, should factor into the final rating more.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
bluejayreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is a collection of short stories set in the Mangoverse universe. If you've read the previous Mangoverse books, you'll be familiar with at least one character in every story, but you really don't need to read the previous books to follow what's going on here.
I want to touch on each story individually before I move on to general thoughts.
Your Name is Love: Cute, fun, not a lot of plot. Mostly an excuse to follow to minor lesbian characters around and see them be romantic.
No Whining: Probably my least-favorite of these stories - not that it was bad, but I found Yael's consternation a little irritating. The incompetent wine seller is damaging her business, but she resists switching to a better one because she likes the delivery girl. On one hand I understand, but on the other the restaurant is literally her livelihood and the delivery girl has other deliveries besides Yael's restaurant.
Every Us: Suuuuper short. Felt more like an anecdote or a scene from something else than a story in its own right. Does show the dynamic between two characters from earlier books, though.
Take Time to Stop and Eat the Roses: Fun and cute, not much of a plot but doesn't really need it. A feel-good story if there ever was one.
The Generous Princess: The least memorable of these stories for me, but that's possibly because I don't know much about Jewish holiday traditions. Likely to be much more interesting to someone familiar with the Purim celebration.
Rivka in Port Saltspray: A really enjoyable story from Rivka's past, highlighting not only her experience as a warrior-for-hire but her integrity and drive to do the right thing. The longest of these stories and definitely worth the page time.
Aviva and the Aliens: I really didn't expect aliens in this universe, and that felt a little jarring to me. But the story itself highlighted Aviva's cleverness and was a quick but fun read.
This is really a light, fun, feel-good story collection. All of these stories have happy endings, and several of them don't have much of a plot to speak of. Like the rest of the Mangoverse books, it's meant to be simple, light, and enjoyable, without intensity or too many negative emotions at all, really. Which can be really nice and refreshing, especially if you tend towards dark and emotional reads like I do.
I want to touch on each story individually before I move on to general thoughts.
Your Name is Love: Cute, fun, not a lot of plot. Mostly an excuse to follow to minor lesbian characters around and see them be romantic.
No Whining: Probably my least-favorite of these stories - not that it was bad, but I found Yael's consternation a little irritating. The incompetent wine seller is damaging her business, but she resists switching to a better one because she likes the delivery girl. On one hand I understand, but on the other the restaurant is literally her livelihood and the delivery girl has other deliveries besides Yael's restaurant.
Every Us: Suuuuper short. Felt more like an anecdote or a scene from something else than a story in its own right. Does show the dynamic between two characters from earlier books, though.
Take Time to Stop and Eat the Roses: Fun and cute, not much of a plot but doesn't really need it. A feel-good story if there ever was one.
The Generous Princess: The least memorable of these stories for me, but that's possibly because I don't know much about Jewish holiday traditions. Likely to be much more interesting to someone familiar with the Purim celebration.
Rivka in Port Saltspray: A really enjoyable story from Rivka's past, highlighting not only her experience as a warrior-for-hire but her integrity and drive to do the right thing. The longest of these stories and definitely worth the page time.
Aviva and the Aliens: I really didn't expect aliens in this universe, and that felt a little jarring to me. But the story itself highlighted Aviva's cleverness and was a quick but fun read.
This is really a light, fun, feel-good story collection. All of these stories have happy endings, and several of them don't have much of a plot to speak of. Like the rest of the Mangoverse books, it's meant to be simple, light, and enjoyable, without intensity or too many negative emotions at all, really. Which can be really nice and refreshing, especially if you tend towards dark and emotional reads like I do.
tears_into_wine's review
4.0
A lovely collection of really sweet, mostly light-hearted short stories! I enjoyed them a lot, I was basically smiling all the time while reading the book. Awesome diverse characters, btw. Thank you so much for this little ball of joy and diversity. <3
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