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A review by scottishben
At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories by Kij Johnson
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.