enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
A charming collection of Fae-related short stories. I enjoyed Clarke's varied depictions of the fae, ranging from the physically monstrous to the chillingly regal.
ielerol's review against another edition
4.0
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is one of my favorite books of all time, so it's a little weird that it's taken me so long to read this collection. In my defense, when someone writes both novels and short stories, it's not uncommon for me to prefer one or the other from them, and I went into this collection kind of ready not to like it. And, of course, I didn't enjoy it as much as JS&MN, but then, there are only a handful of books in the world that reach that bar.
I'm not sure I'd recommend this to people who aren't already fans, almost all the stories are set in the same alternate world as JS&MN (with the exception of the one that's also a crossover with Neil Gaiman's Stardust), and it reads a bit like a collection of longer footnotes from that novel. It fills in edges and gives more texture to the worldbuilding, but I'm not sure how much the stories stand alone as entertainment. But also maybe I'm the wrong person to judge them, since I'm totally unable to separate them in my mind from my feelings about JS&MN.
Still, it has a lot of what I love best that book: the way the fairies are capricious and cruel in exactly the kinds of ways they are in traditional folk tales while still hinting at a larger coherent nature or culture (I would read the hell out of a fictional ethnography of Susanna Clarke's fairies), the way the magic is wild and unexplained yet also convincing, the metatextual cleverness and commentary. It's probably not a surprise that my favorite story in the collection is "Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby," it's the one with its own specific introduction and footnotes by a fictional scholar.
I'm not sure I'd recommend this to people who aren't already fans, almost all the stories are set in the same alternate world as JS&MN (with the exception of the one that's also a crossover with Neil Gaiman's Stardust), and it reads a bit like a collection of longer footnotes from that novel. It fills in edges and gives more texture to the worldbuilding, but I'm not sure how much the stories stand alone as entertainment. But also maybe I'm the wrong person to judge them, since I'm totally unable to separate them in my mind from my feelings about JS&MN.
Still, it has a lot of what I love best that book: the way the fairies are capricious and cruel in exactly the kinds of ways they are in traditional folk tales while still hinting at a larger coherent nature or culture (I would read the hell out of a fictional ethnography of Susanna Clarke's fairies), the way the magic is wild and unexplained yet also convincing, the metatextual cleverness and commentary. It's probably not a surprise that my favorite story in the collection is "Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby," it's the one with its own specific introduction and footnotes by a fictional scholar.
books_and_keys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the titular story, but the rest of the book didn't grip me.
joshsteighner's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clamthegiant's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
blok_sera_szwajcarskiego's review against another edition
4.0
W tekstach Susanny Clarke jest taki pierwiastek, który działa jak czysta magia, i nawet jako niezbyt zapalona fanka tomików opowiadań roztopiłam się w tym dziwwnym świecie brytyjskich zaświatów. Szkoda, że tak mało rzeczy napisała, bo pochlonęłabym więcej.
sljbook's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25