A review by ellenw
The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet by Sunshine Ison, Cara Spindler, Douglas Lain, Philip Raines, Harvey Welles, Nan Fry, Sarah Micklem, Karen Joy Fowler, Karen Russell, David Findlay, John Brown, Seana Graham, K.E. Duffin, Gwenda Bond, David Erik Nelson, William Smith, Lawrence Schimel, Mark Rudolph, D.M. Gordon, Margaret Muirhead, Richard Butner, Deborah Roggie, Gavin J. Grant, David J. Schwartz, David Blair, Becca De La Rosa, David Moles, Ray Vukcevich, Nalo Hopkinson, Veronica Schanoes, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Dan Chaon, Jan Lars Jensen, Amy Beth Forbes, Sarah Monette, John Kessel, James Sallis, Sara Rojo, Jeffrey Ford, Ian McDowell, Geoffrey H. Goodwin
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.