Reviews

On Safari in R'lyeh and Carcosa with Gun and Camera by Elizabeth Bear

irrlichtwinter's review

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

qalminator's review

5.0

Very enjoyable short. What would genetic analysis of one of Lovecraft's Innsmouth fish people find? Would anyone believe it? Also, interdimensional doorways.

This is one I'd love to see developed into a longer work, tbh.

pine_wulf's review

4.0

3.5 Rounded up.

I enjoyed this more than most Lovecraftian stories but I think there was too much going on for its length. Especially Carcosa. It didn't really have the chance to tie in so much to the rest. I liked the frog people bit more.

zoes_human's review

adventurous

3.0

lorialdenholuta's review

5.0

Clever, unexpected story. I thought I knew were it was going... but I was wrong! It's as if Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft got to talking about possibilities, and after a few drinks, came up with this. I love Elizabeth Bear's ability to keep coming up with fresh stories, and this one is no exception.

wardenred's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For a story built upon Lovecraftian mythos, this novelette was surprisingly cozy, even though it wasn't without its creepy moments. There's horror here, but it's not the kind of horror that looks to push you away, or make you stop existing; it's the sort that isn't so frightening at all when you look at it closely. Just different. Not what you're used to. Being different doesn't make it terrible, and if it frightens you, it doesn't do so intentionally—and that's exactly how I like my mythos. 

In essence, this is a story about coming home, or rather, about getting ready to come home one day. It reminded me, perhaps predictably, of Ruthanna Emrys's Innsmouth Legacy series, and resonated with me almost as deeply. Perhaps because this part of the mythos is something I've always felt weirdly connected to, on some odd, primal level. 

The ocean will be there, waiting. It can outwait anyone.

ellie_bell's review

4.0

Loved it. Feels like the start of a series. I hope it is.

wandering_not_lost's review

4.0

I love stories that take fantastical things seriously, and I love how this story does that. (I also loved the whip-sharp cracks at being a woman in academia, but that's probably me.) I also liked the aspects of coming home, the normalization of the weird. My only complaint is the end - I felt like the beginning and the ending scenes are not entirely moored to the rest, and that things wrap up right when I'd like more. But then, that's always the way with good short stories/novellas.

(Read for free on the Tor.com site.)

vladdbad's review

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

kat_nor's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0