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A review by joemurphy
Big Cat: And Other Stories by Gwyneth Jones
3.0
I'm realizing that, much as I love short stories, it's been a long while since I read a single-author collection, and in most of the single-author collections I can think of, the author pretty much stays in their stylistic lane. As a result, I'm finding it interesting to think about why I responded well to some of the stories in this diverse collection, and poorly to others. I note that in every case, it's the characters which drew me into the world, most especially in "Big Cat" and "Bricks, Sticks, Straw" and "The Vicar of Mars" (and to a lesser extent, "The Ki-Anna"). In each of those stories, the struggles of the characters kept me engaged with the possibilities of the world. The conflicts seemed, for want of a better word, "human."
With the very notable exception of "Bricks, Sticks, Straw", I also note that I didn't respond as well to the "hard sci-fi" elements of stories like "The Flame is Roses" or "Emergence" or "The Seventh Gamer." To me, these felt more like the technologies were being explored than the characters were, and I just didn't find myself drawn into the puzzle as well.
Some of the stories are in very clear genres. "Stella and the Adventurous Roots" is a charming fable, and I like fables. "The Old Schoolhouse" is probably a pretty good horror story in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, but I don't care for Lovecraft. "Cheats" is the first chapter of a young adult book. It's not supposed to be a self-contained story, and it's not for my old eyes.
With the very notable exception of "Bricks, Sticks, Straw", I also note that I didn't respond as well to the "hard sci-fi" elements of stories like "The Flame is Roses" or "Emergence" or "The Seventh Gamer." To me, these felt more like the technologies were being explored than the characters were, and I just didn't find myself drawn into the puzzle as well.
Some of the stories are in very clear genres. "Stella and the Adventurous Roots" is a charming fable, and I like fables. "The Old Schoolhouse" is probably a pretty good horror story in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, but I don't care for Lovecraft. "Cheats" is the first chapter of a young adult book. It's not supposed to be a self-contained story, and it's not for my old eyes.