radicalrachelreads's review against another edition
1.0
If you like animals and respect them, I would not recommend this book. In many of the stories the animals are used as props - as representations of emotions or ideas. This left me feeling detached from the characters and the stories.
kiramke's review against another edition
2.0
I liked a handful of these stories, although maybe not enough that I'll refer back to them for years; and I really didn't like quite a few. I can't quite articulate why, sometimes I just wasn't interested in the point being made, or I felt exhausted picking up so much world building for one short story that didn't wow me. And a few times I felt like the story was eating up the references, like there wasn't a point to taking over that tradition, the story didn't need it and was just using it. I don't love the taking of folklore, and I also didn't love those stories, they didn't feel true or important. One or two longer stories felt fleshed-out and worthwhile.
futurememory's review against another edition
4.0
I always find it so hard to review short story collections. There are always duds, always revelations, always unevenness in enjoyment and quality. Each short story is a particular body, a particular being, singular. I'd read "Spar," "Ponies," and "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" before starting in on this collection, so I was familiar with Kij's voice and more famous pieces.
Even though each story in the collection is quite different, there are several themes that repeat. There are lots of tales here of animals, and their relationship to humans. There's also a thread of Japanese mythology running through several of the stories.
My favorites were "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" (a river of mist brings an architect from the capital to two small towns), "The Horse Riders" (the entire concept of the way the earth in this tale moves, and inhabitants' relationship with that rotation), and "Dia Chjerman's Tale" (women reaped via spaceship by an evil empire). "The Evolution of Trickster" might be my absolute favorite. I love it when Kij really delves deeply into world-building. All of the stories above could have benefited from novel-length companion texts, the backdrops were so rich.
That being said, there were several stories that did nothing for me. "The Bitey Cat" was just... blah, and "Schrödinger's Cathouse" completed relied on that particular trick of quantum mechanics.
Overall though, quite enjoyable, and I'm intrigued to see what Kij's novels look like.
Even though each story in the collection is quite different, there are several themes that repeat. There are lots of tales here of animals, and their relationship to humans. There's also a thread of Japanese mythology running through several of the stories.
My favorites were "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" (a river of mist brings an architect from the capital to two small towns), "The Horse Riders" (the entire concept of the way the earth in this tale moves, and inhabitants' relationship with that rotation), and "Dia Chjerman's Tale" (women reaped via spaceship by an evil empire). "The Evolution of Trickster" might be my absolute favorite. I love it when Kij really delves deeply into world-building. All of the stories above could have benefited from novel-length companion texts, the backdrops were so rich.
That being said, there were several stories that did nothing for me. "The Bitey Cat" was just... blah, and "Schrödinger's Cathouse" completed relied on that particular trick of quantum mechanics.
Overall though, quite enjoyable, and I'm intrigued to see what Kij's novels look like.
amandakh's review against another edition
5.0
This review from my blog: http://lostinstory.weebly.com/home/review-of-at-the-mouth-of-the-river-of-bees
This is a collection of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism short stories. This is easily one of the best collections I have read in a long time. So many of the stories were outstanding and unusual. They occasionally reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s writing, but they are very much their own thing. I also liked that her stories are not “about” any one thing but encapsulate whole feelings and experiences.
Below I summarize some of my favorites from this collection and what I liked about each.
“Fox Magic” - A fox sees a samurai and falls in love. Her family uses their magic to bewitch him into believing that she is human. They begin an affair and a new life together until his family begins to try to find him. I loved the magic and romance in this story; I also liked the way it focused on their relationship/affair being founded on illusion and how the fox rationalizes all of this.
“Names for Water” - A very short story about a girl who gets a call from water, which she tries to name. I liked that everything in this story came together and wrapped up in a way I never would have predicted.
“My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire” - This piece is a gorgeous piece of comedy and satire. The narrator is a whiny, stuffy, prudish man who does not value his wife or try to keep her happy. His wife meets a vicar who takes an interest in her and their less than subtle affair begins. It is a very satisfying read if you are tired of the hyper romanticized views of women and if you love seeing characters get what they deserve.
“At the Mouth of the River of Bees” - The title story, this focuses on a woman who takes her aging dog on a trip to find the mouth of the River of Bees. I liked the quest elements of the story and the ending of the story was very striking.
“Story Kit” - In this, a narrator goes between writing about Dido and talking about her own experiences with loss and love. It comments on and focuses on the ways in which we use our own experiences in writing and how we deal with out pain in writing.
“The Man Who Bridged the Mist” - My overall favorite, the main character is a bridge builder who comes to two towns to build a bridge between them. The bridge is over a lethal mist that holds large and horrifyingly huge sea creatures. The main character grows close to a woman who crosses the mist on a boat and finds her identity and sense of self in doing so. This really focuses on the cost of changes we make, even changes with great benefit, and the things we lose in advancements and change.
I would highly recommend this book! I find myself still thinking about and talking about these stories which is always a good sign!
This is a collection of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism short stories. This is easily one of the best collections I have read in a long time. So many of the stories were outstanding and unusual. They occasionally reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s writing, but they are very much their own thing. I also liked that her stories are not “about” any one thing but encapsulate whole feelings and experiences.
Below I summarize some of my favorites from this collection and what I liked about each.
“Fox Magic” - A fox sees a samurai and falls in love. Her family uses their magic to bewitch him into believing that she is human. They begin an affair and a new life together until his family begins to try to find him. I loved the magic and romance in this story; I also liked the way it focused on their relationship/affair being founded on illusion and how the fox rationalizes all of this.
“Names for Water” - A very short story about a girl who gets a call from water, which she tries to name. I liked that everything in this story came together and wrapped up in a way I never would have predicted.
“My Wife Reincarnated as a Solitaire” - This piece is a gorgeous piece of comedy and satire. The narrator is a whiny, stuffy, prudish man who does not value his wife or try to keep her happy. His wife meets a vicar who takes an interest in her and their less than subtle affair begins. It is a very satisfying read if you are tired of the hyper romanticized views of women and if you love seeing characters get what they deserve.
“At the Mouth of the River of Bees” - The title story, this focuses on a woman who takes her aging dog on a trip to find the mouth of the River of Bees. I liked the quest elements of the story and the ending of the story was very striking.
“Story Kit” - In this, a narrator goes between writing about Dido and talking about her own experiences with loss and love. It comments on and focuses on the ways in which we use our own experiences in writing and how we deal with out pain in writing.
“The Man Who Bridged the Mist” - My overall favorite, the main character is a bridge builder who comes to two towns to build a bridge between them. The bridge is over a lethal mist that holds large and horrifyingly huge sea creatures. The main character grows close to a woman who crosses the mist on a boat and finds her identity and sense of self in doing so. This really focuses on the cost of changes we make, even changes with great benefit, and the things we lose in advancements and change.
I would highly recommend this book! I find myself still thinking about and talking about these stories which is always a good sign!
itsalina's review against another edition
4.0
Favorite: At the Mouth of the River of Bees
Least favorite: The Man who bridged the Mist
Least favorite: The Man who bridged the Mist
lamusadelils's review against another edition
4.0
No es la primera vez que leía a Kij Johnson. Antes había leído [b:Ponies|10452275|Ponies|Kij Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328154090s/10452275.jpg|15268747],[b:Fudoki|189015|Fudoki|Kij Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401687445s/189015.jpg|1992715] y otras de sus historias cortas. Todas me parecen bastante recomendables, pero creo que en esta colección hay un buen equilibrio entre las diversas atmósferas y estados mentales que las historias evocan. Hay partes increíblemente graciosas, otras muy melancólicas y también hay otras que exploran el lado mas oscuro de las personas.
Kij maneja elementos folklóricos con atmósferas de realismo mágico que le dan a sus historias un toque que pareciera de ensueño a veces. Ocasionalmente incluye sci-fi y creo que lo introduce con mucho éxito. Frecuentemente el vocabulario y la fluidez de la narración distraen (no negativamente, al contrario) lo suficiente para que cuando menos te des cuenta estés sintiendo intensamente junto a los personajes.
Entre los cuentos incluídos está Ponies, para quienes no lo hayan leído aún, así como [b:26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss|17213912|26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss|Kij Johnson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-6121bf4c1f669098041843ec9650ca19.png|23697398] o [b:The Man Who Bridged the Mist|13554238|The Man Who Bridged the Mist|Kij Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332267535s/13554238.jpg|19123955], que están disponible online si quieren echarles un vistazo y ambos son muy buenos. Mi favorita es At the Mouth of the River of Bees, que le da nombre al libro y es una historia extraña y un poco confusa.
Kij maneja elementos folklóricos con atmósferas de realismo mágico que le dan a sus historias un toque que pareciera de ensueño a veces. Ocasionalmente incluye sci-fi y creo que lo introduce con mucho éxito. Frecuentemente el vocabulario y la fluidez de la narración distraen (no negativamente, al contrario) lo suficiente para que cuando menos te des cuenta estés sintiendo intensamente junto a los personajes.
Entre los cuentos incluídos está Ponies, para quienes no lo hayan leído aún, así como [b:26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss|17213912|26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss|Kij Johnson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-6121bf4c1f669098041843ec9650ca19.png|23697398] o [b:The Man Who Bridged the Mist|13554238|The Man Who Bridged the Mist|Kij Johnson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332267535s/13554238.jpg|19123955], que están disponible online si quieren echarles un vistazo y ambos son muy buenos. Mi favorita es At the Mouth of the River of Bees, que le da nombre al libro y es una historia extraña y un poco confusa
Spoiler
pero al mismo tiempo muy triste y reconfortante, especialmente para amantes de los animaleswaynegjr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
djfreshjams's review against another edition
5.0
least favorites: schrödinger's cathouse, names for water, ponies, spar
favorites: the empress jingu fishes, 26 monkeys, fox magic, the cat who walked a thousand miles, the man who bridged the mist
there were a few in here I didn't enjoy at all (see: least favorites) but most of them good enough to merit five stars--most of my favorites were towards the beginning, though. the whole collection seems very focused on the idea of duality and the tension between two states, esp. in fox magic, schrödinger's cathouse, and the titular story, which made for an interesting through line.
favorites: the empress jingu fishes, 26 monkeys, fox magic, the cat who walked a thousand miles, the man who bridged the mist
there were a few in here I didn't enjoy at all (see: least favorites) but most of them good enough to merit five stars--most of my favorites were towards the beginning, though. the whole collection seems very focused on the idea of duality and the tension between two states, esp. in fox magic, schrödinger's cathouse, and the titular story, which made for an interesting through line.
tamandua's review against another edition
3.5
i was really close to giving this 4.5 stars, but with anthologies, some work for you, some don’t, and so inherently they’re always going to be a mixed bag. i really liked the opening story in particular, the titular one, the cat who walked a thousand miles, the brief horror of ponies, but i found the penultimate story boring and dragged on two long and the last one left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Repeatedly comparing people with dogs to masters and slaves, like i just don’t think that’s how most people view dogs? they view them as part of the family. animal abuse is horrific and some people should never be allowed near a dog but I just don’t think that many people would get rid of their dogs if they could talk. also like, animals can talk, and you mention that pigs can too, but you’re focusing on dogs? i just feel like this story could have had way more to say if it focused on the farming industry, like how would society be forced to change if the animals we kill could scream and beg to not be killed? instead it kept repeating that humans prefer our slaves mute which could have been really interesting if it focused on the systematic abuse of animals for meat, not on how most people who have loving relationships for animals and would do anything to save suddenly hate them and drive them away just because they can talk.
allmimsy's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0