Reviews

Tripping the Tale Fantastic: Weird Fiction by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Writers by Tonya Marie Stremlau, Kristen Harmon, Michael R. Collings, Marsha Graham, Willy Conley, Daniel Crosby, Brighid Meredith, Jacob Waring, David Langford, A.M. Matte, Kris Ashton, Christopher Jon Heuer, Lilah Katcher, Kristen Ringman, Joanne Yee, Kelsey M. Young, John Lee Clark, Bobby Cox, Raymond Luczak, Maverick Smith

andymoon's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.25

richh's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

leigh_ann_15_deaf's review

5.0

Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. 

This is an anthology of stories, most of which contain a deaf character. I have no complaints, and why would I when all these stories are by deaf or hard of hearing authors? 

Titles with explicitly deaf characters are: 

“The Meaning, not the Words” by Kristen Ringman
“The Ear” by Willy Conley
“Family Dog” by Raymond Luczak
“The Vibrating Mouth” by John Lee Clark
“The Job” by Maverick Smith
“The Climax” by Tonya Maria Stremlau
“In the Haunted Darkness” by Michael R. Collins
“Spirit Box” by Kristen Harmon
“Understanding” Kelsey M. Young
“Online Dating” by Daniel Crosby

Other titles metaphorize deafness, such as “Hearing Aid” by David Langford and “Rui’s Story” by Bobby Cox and Joanne Yee. 

I also enjoyed the stories with no deaf characters. 

 Link to ranked list of deaf characters in fiction:  https://modcast.blog/2022/12/17/ranked-deaf-characters-in-fiction/ 

spikespiegel's review

adventurous challenging reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

An eclectic mix of short stories written in a range of differing styles and modes. Some stand-out gems in here, but my main criticism is that the topic "weird fiction" has a definite meaning in my mind and I felt that a whole heap of these stories didn't fit that topic at all. Really this is a personal taste thing, but a lot of these stories felt too mundane to fall into the category of weird fiction.