chirson's review against another edition
4.0
I received the ARC of this collection from one of the editors, Stephanie Burgis, for review purposes. My opinion is entirely my own.
TL;DR version: I loved two of these stories, enjoyed most; the collection was centred around an idea that resulted in varied interpretations that were a pleasure to read. Some stories were less successful, but didn't ruin the overall positive impression. Recommended (with slight reservations).
When reading any collection of short stories, and particularly an edited anthology of stories from different authors, I expect to find some of the stories more to my liking than others. This was also the case with The Underwater Ballroom Society, and while some stories didn't particularly grip me, the strength of the ones that did was enough to make this a collection I truly enjoyed. I think any reader who enjoyes variety and new voices will enjoy it as well.
The idea behind the collection is imaginative and it was a pleasure seeing all the underwater ballrooms in all their different iterations. My fandom history makes me enjoy prompt-based writing all the more, and I firmly believe a good prompt leads to interesting creative places: this collection confirms my opinion. From fairy tales to urban fantasy, to alternative magical histories to science-fictional versions of history, this collection showcases variety and imagination.
The opening story, Ysabeau S Wilce's "The Queen of Life", takes on subjects that don't particularly interest me - bohemian musicians and faery abduction. However, what bought me was the perspective: one of an older woman re-evaluating her life and wanting more ("The Queen of Life" is the guitar, but it's also the protagonist who becomes one). The writing was powerful and confident, making the story and the characters convincing. I enjoyed it far more than I'd expected.
Y.S. Lee's "Twelve Sisters" comes with a content warning for "implied domestic violence". In fact, domestic violence takes center stage in this retelling of the famous fairy tale from Brothers Grimm, in which, in the aftermath of the tale's ending, the sisters need to protect their eldest from her abusive soldier husband. The outright violence is arguably not even its most disturbing element; there is some biological horror to go with it. But over all, the story had charm and the sisterly relations were a pleasure to read about.
The third story, Iona Datt Sharma's "Penhallow Amid Passing Things" (how beautiful is this title, by the way?) was one of my favourites in the collection, and a story that has stayed with me. This queer tale of smuggler ring with a woman leader and the dashing (woman) officer chasing them had an amazing voice and mood, and some of my (everyone's) favourite tropes (). The ballroom here was not terribly ballroom-like or that significant to the story, but the worldbuilding of a disappearing magic was fascinating and full of potential for further stories which I hope Sharma will write.
Unfortunately, I didn't find Tiffany Trent's "Mermaids, Singing" particularly memorable. The inspiration found in history of Asian migrants to London was interesting, but the story felt squeezed in: there was far too much of it to fit into the wordcount, which resulted in fragments that felt more like summaries than part of a story (particularly the backstories, recited breathlessly). Part of it may be my dislike for carnivalesque, but I've read a few circus stories in my day, and this wasn't even one of the better ones. In addition, I found the attraction between the protagonists to be fairly bland and there were a few turns of phrase (particularly related to the young woman's Chinese heritage) that turned me off in particular.
The next story, Jenny Moss's "A Brand New Thing" made a mixed impression on me. The story of a young woman who is transported to an underwater ballroom where she can be more freely herself among shadows of important intellectual figures of the era felt original and interesting on a certain level: the location in time and place, in particular, but also the characterisation of bookworm, neuroatypical protagonist Eve, who was rendered very sympathetically and convincingly. At the same time, however, the same humanity wasn't afforded to other characters in the story, particularly the other female characters - her sister is the villain, understandably, but overall it feels like understanding for Eve comes only from men).
The very short poetic text of "Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball" by Cassandra Khaw grew on me after reading, but for a story so concerned with beauty of language and metaphor (and so proficient at making use of it), I must say this: seeing English pluralisations of Slavic nouns bothers me. "Rusalkas" takes me out of a story (and as far as I know, translations of Propp and wikipedia both recognise "rusalki").
The next text in the collection was a novella or a novellette by Stephanie Burgis, "Spellswept" and another favourite. Set in the world of Burgis's [b:Snowspelled|34913546|Snowspelled (The Harwood Spellbook, #1)|Stephanie Burgis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499436670s/34913546.jpg|56176342], this prequel focuses on the romantic connection between aspiring politician Amy Standish and her mentor's black sheep of a son, historian Jonathan Harwood. This story combined some gender role reversal in a familiar historical romance setting with interesting character work. And it was simply charming and pleasant to read, funny and peopled with likeable and complex characters: predictable, but enjoyable all the same. It definitely convinced me to check out Snowspelled soon.
I'm not sure I quite got Laura Anne Gilman's "The River Always Wins", a story ostensibly about the last party organised in a club and really about the friendship between the characters and how it helps them deal with difficult issues. All the same, to me it felt squeezed, lacking the space to develop fully. I found the plot twist unsatisfying and the characters never grew on me; there was too much darkness in it and not enough space for that darkness to be explored. But I think other readers might enjoy it far more.
Shveta Thakrar's "The Amethyst Deceiver" was a fun short story about a family conflict, mushroom-y superheroes and the fight for the environment. The plot wasn't terribly complex (and the underwater ballroom felt incidental to it) but the story was fun and full of energy, just as the title suggested.
The last text in the collection, Patrick Samphire's "A Spy in the Deep" (set in the world of his [b:The Dinosaur Hunters|30228726|The Dinosaur Hunters (The Casebook of Harriet George, Volume 1)|Patrick Samphire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522536191s/30228726.jpg|50688303] was also the longest, taking over approximately 1/4 of the available pagecount. I had my reservations going in: I felt like there were some warning signs in the opening pages, but the book largely avoided the pitfalls. The protagonist, Harriet George, is a young woman training to be a spy for the "British-Martian Intelligence Service". I enjoyed the Napoleon-era Martian politics and the ideas behind them, and found both Harriet and her brother-in-law to be enjoyable characters, but felt like the female protonist was surrounded with just a few too many men and relatively few women with any characterisation (I wish her sister could actually have made an on-page appearance). The plot was actually quite well constructed, and the climactic scene made good use of the locale, but I would have liked slightly fewer moments where Harriet learns men can be useful and clever. Still, the mystery was better than I'd expected, and I think the whole series would make a very enjoyable cozy sf/mystery read for a fan with more interest in that genre.
Overall, I was very happy to spend a few hours exploring different underwater ballrooms, in many different places and times. And I look forward to reading more fiction from Burgis and Sharma.
TL;DR version: I loved two of these stories, enjoyed most; the collection was centred around an idea that resulted in varied interpretations that were a pleasure to read. Some stories were less successful, but didn't ruin the overall positive impression. Recommended (with slight reservations).
When reading any collection of short stories, and particularly an edited anthology of stories from different authors, I expect to find some of the stories more to my liking than others. This was also the case with The Underwater Ballroom Society, and while some stories didn't particularly grip me, the strength of the ones that did was enough to make this a collection I truly enjoyed. I think any reader who enjoyes variety and new voices will enjoy it as well.
The idea behind the collection is imaginative and it was a pleasure seeing all the underwater ballrooms in all their different iterations. My fandom history makes me enjoy prompt-based writing all the more, and I firmly believe a good prompt leads to interesting creative places: this collection confirms my opinion. From fairy tales to urban fantasy, to alternative magical histories to science-fictional versions of history, this collection showcases variety and imagination.
The opening story, Ysabeau S Wilce's "The Queen of Life", takes on subjects that don't particularly interest me - bohemian musicians and faery abduction. However, what bought me was the perspective: one of an older woman re-evaluating her life and wanting more ("The Queen of Life" is the guitar, but it's also the protagonist who becomes one). The writing was powerful and confident, making the story and the characters convincing. I enjoyed it far more than I'd expected.
Y.S. Lee's "Twelve Sisters" comes with a content warning for "implied domestic violence". In fact, domestic violence takes center stage in this retelling of the famous fairy tale from Brothers Grimm, in which, in the aftermath of the tale's ending, the sisters need to protect their eldest from her abusive soldier husband. The outright violence is arguably not even its most disturbing element; there is some biological horror to go with it. But over all, the story had charm and the sisterly relations were a pleasure to read about.
The third story, Iona Datt Sharma's "Penhallow Amid Passing Things" (how beautiful is this title, by the way?) was one of my favourites in the collection, and a story that has stayed with me. This queer tale of smuggler ring with a woman leader and the dashing (woman) officer chasing them had an amazing voice and mood, and some of my (everyone's) favourite tropes (
Spoiler
antagonists combining forces to fight a bigger threatUnfortunately, I didn't find Tiffany Trent's "Mermaids, Singing" particularly memorable. The inspiration found in history of Asian migrants to London was interesting, but the story felt squeezed in: there was far too much of it to fit into the wordcount, which resulted in fragments that felt more like summaries than part of a story (particularly the backstories, recited breathlessly). Part of it may be my dislike for carnivalesque, but I've read a few circus stories in my day, and this wasn't even one of the better ones. In addition, I found the attraction between the protagonists to be fairly bland and there were a few turns of phrase (particularly related to the young woman's Chinese heritage) that turned me off in particular.
The next story, Jenny Moss's "A Brand New Thing" made a mixed impression on me. The story of a young woman who is transported to an underwater ballroom where she can be more freely herself among shadows of important intellectual figures of the era felt original and interesting on a certain level: the location in time and place, in particular, but also the characterisation of bookworm, neuroatypical protagonist Eve, who was rendered very sympathetically and convincingly. At the same time, however, the same humanity wasn't afforded to other characters in the story, particularly the other female characters - her sister is the villain, understandably, but overall it feels like understanding for Eve comes only from men
Spoiler
(the mother is worse than the father, the female servant less understanding than the male; hope comes in the guise of a romantic connection with a guyThe very short poetic text of "Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball" by Cassandra Khaw grew on me after reading, but for a story so concerned with beauty of language and metaphor (and so proficient at making use of it), I must say this: seeing English pluralisations of Slavic nouns bothers me. "Rusalkas" takes me out of a story (and as far as I know, translations of Propp and wikipedia both recognise "rusalki").
The next text in the collection was a novella or a novellette by Stephanie Burgis, "Spellswept" and another favourite. Set in the world of Burgis's [b:Snowspelled|34913546|Snowspelled (The Harwood Spellbook, #1)|Stephanie Burgis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499436670s/34913546.jpg|56176342], this prequel focuses on the romantic connection between aspiring politician Amy Standish and her mentor's black sheep of a son, historian Jonathan Harwood. This story combined some gender role reversal in a familiar historical romance setting with interesting character work. And it was simply charming and pleasant to read, funny and peopled with likeable and complex characters: predictable, but enjoyable all the same. It definitely convinced me to check out Snowspelled soon.
I'm not sure I quite got Laura Anne Gilman's "The River Always Wins", a story ostensibly about the last party organised in a club and really about the friendship between the characters and how it helps them deal with difficult issues. All the same, to me it felt squeezed, lacking the space to develop fully. I found the plot twist unsatisfying and the characters never grew on me; there was too much darkness in it and not enough space for that darkness to be explored. But I think other readers might enjoy it far more.
Shveta Thakrar's "The Amethyst Deceiver" was a fun short story about a family conflict, mushroom-y superheroes and the fight for the environment. The plot wasn't terribly complex (and the underwater ballroom felt incidental to it) but the story was fun and full of energy, just as the title suggested.
The last text in the collection, Patrick Samphire's "A Spy in the Deep" (set in the world of his [b:The Dinosaur Hunters|30228726|The Dinosaur Hunters (The Casebook of Harriet George, Volume 1)|Patrick Samphire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522536191s/30228726.jpg|50688303] was also the longest, taking over approximately 1/4 of the available pagecount. I had my reservations going in: I felt like there were some warning signs in the opening pages, but the book largely avoided the pitfalls. The protagonist, Harriet George, is a young woman training to be a spy for the "British-Martian Intelligence Service". I enjoyed the Napoleon-era Martian politics and the ideas behind them, and found both Harriet and her brother-in-law to be enjoyable characters, but felt like the female protonist was surrounded with just a few too many men and relatively few women with any characterisation (I wish her sister could actually have made an on-page appearance). The plot was actually quite well constructed, and the climactic scene made good use of the locale, but I would have liked slightly fewer moments where Harriet learns men can be useful and clever. Still, the mystery was better than I'd expected, and I think the whole series would make a very enjoyable cozy sf/mystery read for a fan with more interest in that genre.
Overall, I was very happy to spend a few hours exploring different underwater ballrooms, in many different places and times. And I look forward to reading more fiction from Burgis and Sharma.
snazel's review against another edition
The Queen of Life— Ysabeau S. Wilce
Twelve Sisters— Y.S. Lee
Penhallow Amid Passing Things— Iona Datt Sharma
Mermaids, Singing— Tiffany Trent
A Brand New Thing— Jenny Moss
Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball— Cassandra Khaw
Spellswept— Stephanie Burgis
The River Always Wins— Laura Anne Gilman
The Amethyst Deceiver— Shveta Thakrar
A Spy in the Deep— Patrick Samphire
Twelve Sisters— Y.S. Lee
Penhallow Amid Passing Things— Iona Datt Sharma
Mermaids, Singing— Tiffany Trent
A Brand New Thing— Jenny Moss
Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball— Cassandra Khaw
Spellswept— Stephanie Burgis
The River Always Wins— Laura Anne Gilman
The Amethyst Deceiver— Shveta Thakrar
A Spy in the Deep— Patrick Samphire
valhecka's review against another edition
5.0
Really wonderful collection of stories, varying from tone poems of a sort ([a:Cassandra Khaw|13994108|Cassandra Khaw|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1481239072p2/13994108.jpg]'s "Four Revelations...") to heists ([a:Shveta Thakrar|5097748|Shveta Thakrar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1543548224p2/5097748.jpg]'s "The Amethyst Deceiver") to clubbing gone magical ([a:Ysabeau S. Wilce|133908|Ysabeau S. Wilce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319486647p2/133908.jpg]'s and [a:Laura Anne Gilman|168090|Laura Anne Gilman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1254740511p2/168090.jpg]'s contributions) to post-fairy tales ([a:Y.S. Lee|2868833|Y.S. Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1272895430p2/2868833.jpg]'s "Twelve Sisters") to historical and alternate-universe historical fiction with a flair for the fantastic (stories by [a:Iona Datt Sharma|17648243|Iona Datt Sharma|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1540049397p2/17648243.jpg], [a:Jenny Moss|2013272|Jenny Moss|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242587416p2/2013272.jpg], [a:Tiffany Trent|345572|Tiffany Trent|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1279853483p2/345572.jpg]). I loved all of the stories and have a lot of interest in the last novella's series by [a:Patrick Samphire|4351137|Patrick Samphire|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1614808197p2/4351137.jpg].
The anthology first caught my eye because it holds the prequel to the Harwood Spellbook series by [a:Stephanie Burgis|2172337|Stephanie Burgis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493999709p2/2172337.jpg], which I LOVE. The prequel is just as lovely as the other novellas.
If you enjoy steampunk, clockpunk, punk punk, adventures, fairytales, fairies of any variety, folklore, gorgeous writing, and sweet romances (including at least one between women), please consider this anthology!
The anthology first caught my eye because it holds the prequel to the Harwood Spellbook series by [a:Stephanie Burgis|2172337|Stephanie Burgis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493999709p2/2172337.jpg], which I LOVE. The prequel is just as lovely as the other novellas.
If you enjoy steampunk, clockpunk, punk punk, adventures, fairytales, fairies of any variety, folklore, gorgeous writing, and sweet romances (including at least one between women), please consider this anthology!
iambicpentametre's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy of this book and while I knew the works of Stephanie Burgis, which was how I heard about it, I went into the book largely blind about what to expect except that there would be ballrooms underwater involved. It sounded like an intriguing concept but one that could potentially limit the kinds of stories told. As with just about every short story collection my level of engagement with the stories was varied but on the whole I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of stories within and their quality.
Stories is perhaps not a strictly accurate term of everything included in this anthology although the closest generalised term I can think of. There are seven entries that are fairly classic short stories, two novellas, and what I would probably classify as a prose poem for a total of ten entries all fitting roughly into the fantasy genre plus an introduction discussing the concept and creation of the book and a short afterword. As a whole, the collection manages to establish a certain vibe with the stories although they can be quite tonally different and they are well placed around each other to create a degree of flow that helps with the disruption of reading numerous short works in a row. Additionally all the stories in this collection are competently written, there isn't any story that stands out in terms of language as awkward or badly written. But inevitably any reader is going to have their favourite plot lines and characters that they particularly engaged with. Personally looking at pure statistics I liked five stories (thankfully including the two novellas), thought three were fine, and didn't particularly like two.
With a theme as niche as an underwater ballroom examining the way the different stories integrated the idea is almost as interesting as which ones had the strongest plots and characters independent of the concept. I found that some of the stories had more trouble integrating this component into their storyline than others. For some stories that underwater ballroom felt integral and irreplaceable to the plot while other stories felt more like it was just a conveniently intriguing set piece to a story that didn't really require it. Interestingly in this way I felt that some that pushed the definition of what an underwater ballroom could strictly be considered actually worked better in integrating the idea because what was presented seemed to fit more naturally into the setting. 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things' by Iona Datt Sharma did a fantastic job of using its non-traditional ballroom to represent a lost past slowly being eroded by the sea and really added to the story's wistful but still ultimately hopeful tone. I also enjoyed the way 'Twelve Sisters' by Y. S. Lee seamlessly integrated an underwater ballroom into the story of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' in a way that made sense and added to the way magic was presented within the story's world. On the other side more traditional underwater ballrooms were integral into the way the plot played out in 'Spellswept' by Stephanie Burgis and 'A Spy in the Deep' by Patrick Samphire while 'Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball' by Cassandra Khaw felt like an atmospheric, creepy exploration of what kind of culture and environment might naturally produce underwater haunts. I did find that some of the ballrooms could blur together with each other when there weren't strong distinguishing factors to make them stick in my mind, however.
As to the plot and characters there was plenty of variation. I found the larger than life language and characters in 'The Queen of Life' contrasted, if somewhat extremely, with a plotline that was largely concerned with the benefits of growth through life and experience. By contrast, Jenny Moss' 'A Brand New Thing' had an endearing, non-neurotypical heroine trying to figure out where she fits into the world when her ability to see the dreamy wonder of things is repudiated by a family is unable or unwilling to really appreciate or understand it. In 'Spellswept' the plotline is similarly concerned with characters trying to break out of the established niches of their society and find what will make them happy and fulfilled – presented in a touchingly human and hopeful manner. The conflict of the heroines of 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things' feels organic and touching, making an interesting reflection of the conflicting forces within the landscape they inhabit. Shveta Thakrar's 'The Amythest Deceiver' presented a unique idea of magic and an intriguing heroine but felt almost rushed in the short time frame, making you wonder about all the parts of the story you weren't told. 'A Spy in the Deep' presented a heroine with similar drive and ambition but the longer story allowed for a fuller development of a mystery plot and the heroine's perceptions. However, some stories I didn't necessarily engage with the protagonists or fully understand the meaning of the plot although none were a difficult read.
On the whole I enjoyed this short story collection, particularly a few personal stand outs: Iona Datt Sharma's 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things', Stephanie Burgis' 'Spellswept', and Patrick Samphire's 'A Spy in the Deep'. However, I confess that the concept of an underwater ballroom lost novelty over the course of the book, leading to the loss of a hand up for the stories on the basis of uniqueness and leaving them to ride on the overall quality of the execution of their ideas. On the whole I think most succeeded pretty well even if there were a few that didn't engage me. I'm happy that I read this book, if simply to get to the really good stories, and I think most people who like the fantasy genre would have at least one or two in this collection they would find notable. The concept of an underwater ballroom might not be as original at the end of the collection as it was at the beginning but these stories have definitely convinced me I'd like to dance in one.
Stories is perhaps not a strictly accurate term of everything included in this anthology although the closest generalised term I can think of. There are seven entries that are fairly classic short stories, two novellas, and what I would probably classify as a prose poem for a total of ten entries all fitting roughly into the fantasy genre plus an introduction discussing the concept and creation of the book and a short afterword. As a whole, the collection manages to establish a certain vibe with the stories although they can be quite tonally different and they are well placed around each other to create a degree of flow that helps with the disruption of reading numerous short works in a row. Additionally all the stories in this collection are competently written, there isn't any story that stands out in terms of language as awkward or badly written. But inevitably any reader is going to have their favourite plot lines and characters that they particularly engaged with. Personally looking at pure statistics I liked five stories (thankfully including the two novellas), thought three were fine, and didn't particularly like two.
With a theme as niche as an underwater ballroom examining the way the different stories integrated the idea is almost as interesting as which ones had the strongest plots and characters independent of the concept. I found that some of the stories had more trouble integrating this component into their storyline than others. For some stories that underwater ballroom felt integral and irreplaceable to the plot while other stories felt more like it was just a conveniently intriguing set piece to a story that didn't really require it. Interestingly in this way I felt that some that pushed the definition of what an underwater ballroom could strictly be considered actually worked better in integrating the idea because what was presented seemed to fit more naturally into the setting. 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things' by Iona Datt Sharma did a fantastic job of using its non-traditional ballroom to represent a lost past slowly being eroded by the sea and really added to the story's wistful but still ultimately hopeful tone. I also enjoyed the way 'Twelve Sisters' by Y. S. Lee seamlessly integrated an underwater ballroom into the story of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' in a way that made sense and added to the way magic was presented within the story's world. On the other side more traditional underwater ballrooms were integral into the way the plot played out in 'Spellswept' by Stephanie Burgis and 'A Spy in the Deep' by Patrick Samphire while 'Four Revelations from the Rusalka Ball' by Cassandra Khaw felt like an atmospheric, creepy exploration of what kind of culture and environment might naturally produce underwater haunts. I did find that some of the ballrooms could blur together with each other when there weren't strong distinguishing factors to make them stick in my mind, however.
As to the plot and characters there was plenty of variation. I found the larger than life language and characters in 'The Queen of Life' contrasted, if somewhat extremely, with a plotline that was largely concerned with the benefits of growth through life and experience. By contrast, Jenny Moss' 'A Brand New Thing' had an endearing, non-neurotypical heroine trying to figure out where she fits into the world when her ability to see the dreamy wonder of things is repudiated by a family is unable or unwilling to really appreciate or understand it. In 'Spellswept' the plotline is similarly concerned with characters trying to break out of the established niches of their society and find what will make them happy and fulfilled – presented in a touchingly human and hopeful manner. The conflict of the heroines of 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things' feels organic and touching, making an interesting reflection of the conflicting forces within the landscape they inhabit. Shveta Thakrar's 'The Amythest Deceiver' presented a unique idea of magic and an intriguing heroine but felt almost rushed in the short time frame, making you wonder about all the parts of the story you weren't told. 'A Spy in the Deep' presented a heroine with similar drive and ambition but the longer story allowed for a fuller development of a mystery plot and the heroine's perceptions. However, some stories I didn't necessarily engage with the protagonists or fully understand the meaning of the plot although none were a difficult read.
On the whole I enjoyed this short story collection, particularly a few personal stand outs: Iona Datt Sharma's 'Penhallow Amid Passing Things', Stephanie Burgis' 'Spellswept', and Patrick Samphire's 'A Spy in the Deep'. However, I confess that the concept of an underwater ballroom lost novelty over the course of the book, leading to the loss of a hand up for the stories on the basis of uniqueness and leaving them to ride on the overall quality of the execution of their ideas. On the whole I think most succeeded pretty well even if there were a few that didn't engage me. I'm happy that I read this book, if simply to get to the really good stories, and I think most people who like the fantasy genre would have at least one or two in this collection they would find notable. The concept of an underwater ballroom might not be as original at the end of the collection as it was at the beginning but these stories have definitely convinced me I'd like to dance in one.
rj921's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really great collection of stories, with a very cool base plot. I loved every way the idea was used, especially the last one.
barefootsong's review against another edition
3.0
A group of authors inspired by a real-life underwater "ballroom" wrote some fantasy short stories and novellas that feature a similar location in some way. I bought this for Stephanie Burgis's Spellswept (which I loved) and then the other stories were kind of hit-or-miss, as with any anthology, but there are a few authors I might follow up with.
just_hebah's review against another edition
4.0
A short story collection is only as good as its unifying theme and contributor list, and The Underwater Ballroom Society was engaging on both counts. I enjoyed seeing how each author interpreted the concept of what an underwater ballroom would be--there are fairytale ballrooms, magical ballrooms, and even a Martian underwater ballroom--and what they chose to focus on within the ballroom, whether that was the musical accompaniment, political intrigue, or darker doings.
Highlights were editor Stephanie Burgis's contribution, "Spellswept," which made me want to further explore the world of the Harwood Spellbook; Y.S. Lee's "Twelve Sisters," which re-examines the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses through the lens of domestic abuse; and Ysabeau S. Wilson's "The Queen of Life," featuring an iconic rocker whisked away to the land of fae.
Highlights were editor Stephanie Burgis's contribution, "Spellswept," which made me want to further explore the world of the Harwood Spellbook; Y.S. Lee's "Twelve Sisters," which re-examines the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses through the lens of domestic abuse; and Ysabeau S. Wilson's "The Queen of Life," featuring an iconic rocker whisked away to the land of fae.
bethanytomerlinprince's review against another edition
4.0
One of the Better Anthologies I Have Read
Sometimes the anthologies I have read come across as they are written only for the die hard fans who will seek out every word an author has even written.
I felt as though this anthology did a great job of presenting stories that could stand alone if someone hadn't read the other stories in the universe.
4 Revelations from the Rusack Ball was a particular highlight of mine.
Sometimes the anthologies I have read come across as they are written only for the die hard fans who will seek out every word an author has even written.
I felt as though this anthology did a great job of presenting stories that could stand alone if someone hadn't read the other stories in the universe.
4 Revelations from the Rusack Ball was a particular highlight of mine.
scriptrix's review against another edition
4.0
Some of these stories were my jam, and some of 'em weren't. So it goes, with anthologies.
Favorites:
Spellswept by Stephanie Burgis sucked me right in and made me want to read her other stories in the same world!
"Twelve Dancing Princesses" is my favorite fairytale of all time, so I couldn't help but dig Twelve Sisters by Y.S. Lee.
I also thought A Brand New Thing by Jenny Moss had echoes of that fairytale, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Favorites:
Spellswept by Stephanie Burgis sucked me right in and made me want to read her other stories in the same world!
"Twelve Dancing Princesses" is my favorite fairytale of all time, so I couldn't help but dig Twelve Sisters by Y.S. Lee.
I also thought A Brand New Thing by Jenny Moss had echoes of that fairytale, and I enjoyed it a lot.
natashalielumley's review against another edition
4.0
I do so love anthologies!! Purchased this one as part of my "recuperation kit", right before my surgery, and it was well worth it. Most of the stories were excellent, although there are a couple curveballs. As I noted in my review on Mrs Burgis' "Snowspelled", this anthology contains a later-written prequel to the book itself. Personally I'm glad I read the prequel first, so I would urge others to do the same. The last story, Mr Samphire's "A Spy in the Deep", is actually the second story in his series. So technically I have not yet finished this book, but the two pages I did read instilled in me a great desire to read the book itself!