Scan barcode
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
The very short and dirty review for this collection could be -- when it is good it is very, very good. But when it is bad it is horrid.
I did not love all these stories equally. In fact, several verged on epic fail for me. Which is not hard to do. I am probably the worst reader of short stories. However, those that did work sent me into such shuddering, paroxysms of delight there are no words to express my infinite admiration. My favorites worked so exquisitely on a sub-atomic, cellular level that I immediately wanted to catch a red eye to Vegas and marry them no questions asked, no pre-nup, with Elvis Presley looking on curling his lip in approval. Thank you, thank you very much. My five stars is the only way I can think of to reflect that boundless joy. Is it for every story? Absolutely not. But I have no problem letting those five stars stand.
My first introduction to Kij Johnson was in June 2011 when I read her short story [b:Ponies|10452275|Ponies|Kij Johnson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328154090s/10452275.jpg|15268747]. It tickled something very profound in my imagination and gave a real goose to my pleasure center (at least the part of my brain that perpetually craves dark and disturbed). Funny thing is, I picked up this collection based solely on the cover and title. I didn't even notice that the author is the very same author who had impressed me with her little diddy about prepubescent girls and their pet ponies. When I finally put the two together in an "a-ha, duh" moment, saying I was pleased would be quite an understatement.
Kij Johnson is a bit of a mad scientist in her approach to storytelling. There is folklore, magical realism, science fiction, fantasy, fable, myth and legend. That sounds messy and confusing, and it should be. It should be a disastrous, alchemical experiment that blows the whole meth lab sky high. But somehow she makes it work, each story its own landscape playing by its own rules. She blends things in ways that made me think of how van Gogh saw sunflowers and starry nights. Even where I floundered, and did not appreciate the final destination, her prose ran like silk across the neurons of my brain, stroking them into a blissed out reader high.
Kij Johnson is on my radar. I will most definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her strange and wonderful words.
My two favorite stories of the collection are available online for free:
Ponies: If you haven't already, read this weird and deranged tale about youthful female rites of passage and the more brutal realities of fitting in. This is a macabre spin on the innocence lost theme delivered with cutting precision that slices deep.
26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss: This one made me laugh with its whimsy and weep with its melancholy. I don't even know how to describe everything it made me feel actually. Aimee becomes the proprietor of 26 monkeys and a series of circus acts. Her biggest trick is that she makes all the monkeys vanish onstage. Where do the monkeys go? She does not know. All Aimee knows is that they return to her a few hours later bearing little trinkets from wherever they have been. The ending? Perfection in eight little words.
Honorable mentions must go to:
Names for Water - a phone call from unknown origin that whispers like water. I don't know if everyone will love the resolution here, but it gave me goosebumps.
Fox Magic - an Asian-themed fable about love's blindness. A fox falls in love with a man and lures him away from his human life.
Dia Chjerman's Tale - short, almost purely science fiction tale with apocalyptic overtones. There is a vibe of dread here that I really grooved on.
At the Mouth of the River of Bees - I'm usually not one for magical realism (sometimes I'm not even sure if I'm applying the term correctly), but there's a real dreamy quality to this one that almost hypnotized me. A woman follows a literal river of bees to its mouth. What will be waiting for her when she finally gets there? I'm thinking pet owners (and dog lovers) will find this one especially poignant.
lisagray68's review
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
cassiea22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Review for the titular short story only which had me BAWLING.
majkf's review against another edition
4.0
This short story collection was amazing! Most of the stories contain magical realism and/or animal themes. Some stories were 5* while others were only 3*, but overall the collection is powerful and imaginative. I absolutely loved it and I can see myself coming back to some of these stories on rainy days.
My least favorite stories: "My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire...", "Ponies", and "Spar"
My favorite stories: "Names for Water", "At the Mouth of the River of Bees", "The Man Who Bridged the Mist"
My least favorite stories: "My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire...", "Ponies", and "Spar"
My favorite stories: "Names for Water", "At the Mouth of the River of Bees", "The Man Who Bridged the Mist"
ohainesva's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Monkey story great, liked the one about the bridge found most the rest of it not that interesting.
jerseygrrrl's review against another edition
3.0
Very mixed collection. Some I couldn't get through. Others still haunt me (see "Ponies").
scottishben's review against another edition
5.0
Kij Johnson, like Rachel Swirsky is a writer best known for her short fiction and is able in a very few sentences to create very memorable short, short stories that stay with you long after you have read them.
In this collection there is Spar, Names for Water and Ponies plus possibly some others that are very, very short - and wonderful. These shortest of stories are actually more than enough for this collection to be a 5 star collection overall as despite their brevity they do really linger and leave a lasting impression.
The longest story in the volume, the novella, The Man Who Bridged The Mist is a satisfying and interesting novella. I like how it is about a tradesperson rather than kings, queens, thieves or swordshands. Whilst I really liked it though it didnt leave as much of an impression with me as the very short stuff.
Story Kit is a weird experimental story that might work better for writers than for some readers. I enjoyed it and will need to reread it.
26 Monkeys, Also the abyss - probably her most popular story but whilst I enjoyed it this didnt resonate with me. Fun but not 100% my cup of tea. Still very well written and satisfying though.
In this collection there is Spar, Names for Water and Ponies plus possibly some others that are very, very short - and wonderful. These shortest of stories are actually more than enough for this collection to be a 5 star collection overall as despite their brevity they do really linger and leave a lasting impression.
The longest story in the volume, the novella, The Man Who Bridged The Mist is a satisfying and interesting novella. I like how it is about a tradesperson rather than kings, queens, thieves or swordshands. Whilst I really liked it though it didnt leave as much of an impression with me as the very short stuff.
Story Kit is a weird experimental story that might work better for writers than for some readers. I enjoyed it and will need to reread it.
26 Monkeys, Also the abyss - probably her most popular story but whilst I enjoyed it this didnt resonate with me. Fun but not 100% my cup of tea. Still very well written and satisfying though.
betweenbookends's review against another edition
4.0
At the mouth of the river of bees: A magical, imaginative stroke of pure genius.
Kij Johnson's collection interweaves fantastical elements like talking animals, aliens and spaceships, journeys of discovery and transformation, Japanese myth, stories within stories, some of which are common tropes in contemporary fantasy/sci fi. But this familiarity deepens the experience as opposed to undermining it. The beauty of this collection is that each story is so unique, so varied in style, structure and setting that it almost passes off as an anthology. Monkeys, foxes, wolves, horses, bees, cats, and dogs all play significant roles in this collection and they elevate the magic and allure of storytelling, something that I absolutely adored.
Favourites from this collection:
- 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss (This story is definitely one of my most favourite story of all time, and I really feel you should read it without knowing anything about it)
- Names for Water
- Fox Magic
- At the mouth of the river of bees
- The Cat who walked a thousand miles
- The Man who bridged the mist
It's not a perfect collection and there were few stories that I didn't quite resonate with. However, I could appreciate the imaginative beauty of how each story had been crafted. For all the distances travelled, mysteries solved, journeys undertaken, those strange, inexplicable factors remain. This is Johnson’s fiction: where familiarity meets fantasy, the known and unknown collide and the result is like a brilliant display of fireworks!
Kij Johnson's collection interweaves fantastical elements like talking animals, aliens and spaceships, journeys of discovery and transformation, Japanese myth, stories within stories, some of which are common tropes in contemporary fantasy/sci fi. But this familiarity deepens the experience as opposed to undermining it. The beauty of this collection is that each story is so unique, so varied in style, structure and setting that it almost passes off as an anthology. Monkeys, foxes, wolves, horses, bees, cats, and dogs all play significant roles in this collection and they elevate the magic and allure of storytelling, something that I absolutely adored.
Favourites from this collection:
- 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss (This story is definitely one of my most favourite story of all time, and I really feel you should read it without knowing anything about it)
- Names for Water
- Fox Magic
- At the mouth of the river of bees
- The Cat who walked a thousand miles
- The Man who bridged the mist
It's not a perfect collection and there were few stories that I didn't quite resonate with. However, I could appreciate the imaginative beauty of how each story had been crafted. For all the distances travelled, mysteries solved, journeys undertaken, those strange, inexplicable factors remain. This is Johnson’s fiction: where familiarity meets fantasy, the known and unknown collide and the result is like a brilliant display of fireworks!