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A review by amandakh
At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories by Kij Johnson
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!