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A review by crofteereader
Walk Among Us by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, Erika Ishii, Nell Kaplan, Caitlin Starling, XE Sands
2.0
The collection as a whole really didn't do it for me. Read on to get my reviews on each novella individually.
A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES: I was warned in advance that this was not particularly great novella, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. I was bored almost immediately by Clia's passivity, her meekness, and the stereotypical bullying. Plus, it took a loooong time for anything of note to really happen. I actually DNF'd this story, skipping ahead in the hopes that Khaw's would be better (since I've lived Khaw's evocative descriptions and lyrical style in the past). Which brings me to...
FINE PRINT: Between a character we don't like, a severely isolated setting with few characters (and none but Duke with anything resembling depth), and little to no action/movement, this novella was dry. Khaw usually thrives on the super descriptive and a kind of dry, off-kilter tone. But honestly, Duke could burn and I found the antagonists to not be threatening/looming enough. The ending didn't shock me as I'm sure it was supposed to. It all just felt inevitable. Indeed, the editors of this collection absolutely believed in saving the best for last...
THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY: Leigh (Lee?) was such a fun take on the "ethical" vampire. Plus, the hierarchical structure to the area's mythical underbelly, the different castes of vampires (all inspired by different traditions) made for a fascinating backdrop. Add in gay ladies and a touch of obsession and I'm here for it. The story was clever and fascinating - by and large the best of the bunch. But making a listener slog through those first two in order to get to this one... It would have made anyone impatient.
A SHEEP AMONG WOLVES: I was warned in advance that this was not particularly great novella, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. I was bored almost immediately by Clia's passivity, her meekness, and the stereotypical bullying. Plus, it took a loooong time for anything of note to really happen. I actually DNF'd this story, skipping ahead in the hopes that Khaw's would be better (since I've lived Khaw's evocative descriptions and lyrical style in the past). Which brings me to...
FINE PRINT: Between a character we don't like, a severely isolated setting with few characters (and none but Duke with anything resembling depth), and little to no action/movement, this novella was dry. Khaw usually thrives on the super descriptive and a kind of dry, off-kilter tone. But honestly, Duke could burn and I found the antagonists to not be threatening/looming enough. The ending didn't shock me as I'm sure it was supposed to. It all just felt inevitable. Indeed, the editors of this collection absolutely believed in saving the best for last...
THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY: Leigh (Lee?) was such a fun take on the "ethical" vampire. Plus, the hierarchical structure to the area's mythical underbelly, the different castes of vampires (all inspired by different traditions) made for a fascinating backdrop. Add in gay ladies and a touch of obsession and I'm here for it. The story was clever and fascinating - by and large the best of the bunch. But making a listener slog through those first two in order to get to this one... It would have made anyone impatient.