ellenw's review
3.0
I randomly remember just now that I bought this the night before Spanky & Karen's wedding while wandering around Tyson's with Nattie and Georg. Also, I've just turned the book over for the first time, really, and see these notes on the back cover: "HIGH IN FIBER -- rough on your stomach! Keep contents unsettling -- SHAKE WELL. Waste DAYS of VALUABLE time that YOU could spend ONLINE!"
My short reaction to the book was "I liked some of the stories, and really disliked others"; Mina's was "I loved some of the stories, and thought others were just decent." (Approximately; I can't remember her exact words. Mina, correct me if I'm misrepresenting you!) Sometimes I think I just don't particularly like interstitial writing.
Kelly Link is one of the editors of the 'zine and the collection, and her story "Travels with the Snow Queen" starts it off. "Ladies. Has it ever occurred to you that fairy tales aren't easy on the feet?" There are some fantastic lines in this, and I'd probably rank it as among my favorites of Link's stories (I've also read her Magic for Beginners), with its self-conscious fairy tale narration.
Karen Joy Fowler's "Heartland" is neat, and also not at all what I associated with her from her novels (not that I've read any of them). "The whole goddamn country is small now, my grandfather says. Small country. Small people."
Sarah Monette's "Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland" is probably my favorite story in the collection, though I reserve the right to change my mind, and really, no one is surprised: it's the most straightforwardly fantasy story in there. (With lesbians!) This despite becoming disenchanted with faerie stories and especially historical faerie stories lately. Monette's also the only contributor whose novels I've read. I had pretty mixed reactions to them, but there were some things I liked quite a bit.
David J. Schwartz's "The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend with an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party" made me giggle pretty much straight through, starting with the title.
Sarah Micklem's "'Eft' or 'Epic'" is far and away my favorite if not Monette's, and again no one is surprised, because it's a mock translation of a snippet of an imaginary language, mostly consisting of notes and a note on translation. I have to figure out a way to steal this idea without, you know, stealing the idea. BRILLIANT. And I am graciously looking past the Eskimo words for snow bit, because there is enough linguistic geekiness to make up for even such a fundamental misapprehension. I will have to pick up her novel -- too bad it's about a red-headed girl named Firethorn.
My short reaction to the book was "I liked some of the stories, and really disliked others"; Mina's was "I loved some of the stories, and thought others were just decent." (Approximately; I can't remember her exact words. Mina, correct me if I'm misrepresenting you!) Sometimes I think I just don't particularly like interstitial writing.
Kelly Link is one of the editors of the 'zine and the collection, and her story "Travels with the Snow Queen" starts it off. "Ladies. Has it ever occurred to you that fairy tales aren't easy on the feet?" There are some fantastic lines in this, and I'd probably rank it as among my favorites of Link's stories (I've also read her Magic for Beginners), with its self-conscious fairy tale narration.
Karen Joy Fowler's "Heartland" is neat, and also not at all what I associated with her from her novels (not that I've read any of them). "The whole goddamn country is small now, my grandfather says. Small country. Small people."
Sarah Monette's "Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland" is probably my favorite story in the collection, though I reserve the right to change my mind, and really, no one is surprised: it's the most straightforwardly fantasy story in there. (With lesbians!) This despite becoming disenchanted with faerie stories and especially historical faerie stories lately. Monette's also the only contributor whose novels I've read. I had pretty mixed reactions to them, but there were some things I liked quite a bit.
David J. Schwartz's "The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend with an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party" made me giggle pretty much straight through, starting with the title.
Sarah Micklem's "'Eft' or 'Epic'" is far and away my favorite if not Monette's, and again no one is surprised, because it's a mock translation of a snippet of an imaginary language, mostly consisting of notes and a note on translation. I have to figure out a way to steal this idea without, you know, stealing the idea. BRILLIANT. And I am graciously looking past the Eskimo words for snow bit, because there is enough linguistic geekiness to make up for even such a fundamental misapprehension. I will have to pick up her novel -- too bad it's about a red-headed girl named Firethorn.
magneticcrow's review
5.0
Probably the most perfect anthology I've ever read. With the exception of one story, I was engaged and excited throughout.
I'd already been a fan of Kelly Link's own endeavors prior to discovering LCRW, but that didn't stop me from being blown away by the skill exhibited in this volume.
I've since become a subscriber to LCRW (chocolate level), and I have to admit that it really does just keep getting better. That little hand-copied, stapled little pamphlet is my favorite among all of the literary magazines I subscribe to (Realms of Fantasy, Weird Tales, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Tin House being among them).
I'd already been a fan of Kelly Link's own endeavors prior to discovering LCRW, but that didn't stop me from being blown away by the skill exhibited in this volume.
I've since become a subscriber to LCRW (chocolate level), and I have to admit that it really does just keep getting better. That little hand-copied, stapled little pamphlet is my favorite among all of the literary magazines I subscribe to (Realms of Fantasy, Weird Tales, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Tin House being among them).
chris_debian's review
3.0
Didn't finish. Sadly, I found that off the wall didn't equal well written/ interesting. Worth a try, though.
tdstorm's review
3.0
I may have had a different reaction to this collection had I encountered it earlier, but familiar as I am now with the kind of story that might appear in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, this one didn't do it for me. The stories included within (there's a fair amount of poetry, too) are exactly my kind of genre--that difficult-to-label, slipstreamy, edge-of-fantasy stuff I've been drawn to in the past couple of years--but this didn't quite strike me as a best-of, unfortunately. The pieces by authors I've encountered elsewhere, folks like Kelly Link, Theodora Goss, Ray Vukcevich, Karen Joy Fowler, and Karen Russell (all of whom I've thoroughly enjoyed) were not their best. And many of the other stories were intriguing but lacking a real spark. Two stood out to me: "The Fishie," a sort of Riddley Walker-type tale of some simple folk living in an alternate world that may or may not be post-apocalyptic, and "What's Sure to Come," a more realist story (that felt a lot like a Stuart Dybek tale) about a child narrator observing his gambling, card-reading elders. I also really enjoyed the illustrated essay "The Well-Dressed Wolf." As for the others, I was seldom repulsed (like I often was with the Kelly Link-edited Trampoline--and by the way, I absolutely adore Kelly Link's writing; see my other reviews), but I wasn't quite enchanted, which is what writing of this variety can/should do.
rickklaw's review
4.0
Fanzines emerged out of the 1930s science-fiction fan culture, eventually propagating among such active fandoms as music, role-playing games, and comics. Zines played a pivotal role in the development of new talent often publishing the best and brightest before they were well-known: Ray Bradbury, Greil Marcus, Robert Crumb, and Bruce Sterling, among others. The advent of the Internet ushered in the webzine, seemingly dooming the traditional zine, but experimental, postmodern science-fiction fanzines like Electric Velocipede and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet keep the print form alive and pertinent. The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet reprints the finest fiction, essays, poetry, and other oddities from the zine's first decade.
The first two pieces, written separately by co-editors Kelly Link – "Travels With the Snow Queen," a nonlinear tale of forbidden love – and Gavin J. Grant – his insightful nonfiction exploration "Scotch: An Essay Into a Drink" – quickly establish the tenor both in quality and content for this stunning anthology. Excellent and unconventional pieces abound: Margaret Muirhead's profound Swiftian parody "An Open Letter Concerning Sponsorship"; Sarah Monette's tortured romance "Three Letters From the Queen of Elfland"; Jan Lars Jensen's frightening study of the dangers of television nostalgia, "Happier Days"; Gwenda Bond's twisted Dear Abby columns, "Dear Aunt Gwenda"; and David J. Schwartz's comical letter "The Icthyomancer Writes His Friends With an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party," to name a few. Interspersed within the stories, the editors sprinkle trivial tidbits about literature, movies, music, and other strangeness.
The compositions appear in order of original publication, creating an odd, uneven flow to the book. Later in the collection, as the editing duo became more comfortable with their craft and their writers, the contributions get stronger. Showcasing a selection of the top new and exciting writers working today, The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet presents a wondrous playground for lovers of experimental and avant-garde literature. If this is the 21st century zine, the form can be taken off the endangered list.
(This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, September 7, 2007)
link:[http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A534868]
The first two pieces, written separately by co-editors Kelly Link – "Travels With the Snow Queen," a nonlinear tale of forbidden love – and Gavin J. Grant – his insightful nonfiction exploration "Scotch: An Essay Into a Drink" – quickly establish the tenor both in quality and content for this stunning anthology. Excellent and unconventional pieces abound: Margaret Muirhead's profound Swiftian parody "An Open Letter Concerning Sponsorship"; Sarah Monette's tortured romance "Three Letters From the Queen of Elfland"; Jan Lars Jensen's frightening study of the dangers of television nostalgia, "Happier Days"; Gwenda Bond's twisted Dear Abby columns, "Dear Aunt Gwenda"; and David J. Schwartz's comical letter "The Icthyomancer Writes His Friends With an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party," to name a few. Interspersed within the stories, the editors sprinkle trivial tidbits about literature, movies, music, and other strangeness.
The compositions appear in order of original publication, creating an odd, uneven flow to the book. Later in the collection, as the editing duo became more comfortable with their craft and their writers, the contributions get stronger. Showcasing a selection of the top new and exciting writers working today, The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet presents a wondrous playground for lovers of experimental and avant-garde literature. If this is the 21st century zine, the form can be taken off the endangered list.
(This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, September 7, 2007)
link:[http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A534868]
meeners's review
4.0
strong, fantastically eclectic collection. loved how it slips in and out and in-between genre conventions. favorite pieces were the ones by link, fowler, blair, schimel & rojo, muirhead, vukcevich...etc.!
akagingerk's review
4.0
I'd never read a slipstream collection before. The experience was akin to walking through a gallery modern art. Several of the pieces I connected with and loved instantly. Some have grown on me since the initial encounter. There were a couple pieces which, although I can tell they were very finely crafted, I did not 'get' on any meaningful level. And then there were one or two to which my response was, "This is not art. What is it even doing here?"
Overall, though, I recommend the trip.
Overall, though, I recommend the trip.
noemi's review
4.0
This is an amazing collection of the best kind of sci fi/fantasy. You see, growing up, I've always loved sci fi and fantasy, but I was always aware that 90% of the genre are total crap. By the time I was 12, I was sick of Prince Hapless going on a quest to prove himself to Lady Bigbreasts, and Princess Too-Many-Letters-in-her-Name proving girls can be magicians, too, not to mention all the robots and evil aliens and Captain Hapless proving himself to Token Female Bigbreasts. But my favorite books were still in that genre. Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet is full of very original fiction and poetry which really pushes the boundaries of the sci fi/fantasy genres. My favorites were "Snow," "A is for Apple: an Easy Reader," and "My Father's Ghost."
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