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timinbc's review
4.0
I can't give this five stars because it left me feeling as if I had eaten two pieces of a rich cake that is far too rich for two pieces.
The stories are so very different that it is hard to believe one person wrote them all.
It also means that it is very unlikely that one reader will like all the stories.
Check her varied list of novels, too - can THEY all be from one person?
"In the House of Aryuman .." and the title story were particularly fine, although "Shoggoths ..." might just be trying a little too hard to be Important.
I think I'll have to say that you need to have three or four Bear books in your list along with the Big Names, because she is almost one of them now. A Campbell Award and two Hugos ...
The stories are so very different that it is hard to believe one person wrote them all.
It also means that it is very unlikely that one reader will like all the stories.
Check her varied list of novels, too - can THEY all be from one person?
"In the House of Aryuman .." and the title story were particularly fine, although "Shoggoths ..." might just be trying a little too hard to be Important.
I think I'll have to say that you need to have three or four Bear books in your list along with the Big Names, because she is almost one of them now. A Campbell Award and two Hugos ...
crimsoncor's review
5.0
The stories punch you in the face twice and then deliver a swift kick to the gut and you're only on story 3. I never make enough time to read short fiction and I always regret that when I actually get around to it. Also, [a:Elizabeth Bear|108173|Elizabeth Bear|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422586829p2/108173.jpg] is just the best.
qalminator's review against another edition
Will add gradual updates as I get through each story, then final thoughts after finishing.
Introduction - (2012) - essay by Scott Lynch - An introduction that actually held my attention, and had some fine wordcrafting of its own.
Tideline - (2007) [5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Beautifully poignant and tragic and optimistic and... this is what a short story should be. The only remotely Lovecraftian bit is the other-ness of the POV character.
Sonny Liston Takes the Fall - (2008) [3 stars, 2.5 tentacles] - Well written, but a bit hard to follow. Maybe if I knew more about boxing? And Muhammad Ali's non-boxing accomplishments? Attempts to tie him to a sacrificial king tradition, presided over by ... the living embodiment of Las Vegas? I think?
Sounding - (2006) - [4 stars, 3 tentacles] - Following a whale and her calf to the motherlode of all tuna swarms. Suggested that they may not be on the earth as we know it, but not in a creepy way. Captain decides he'd rather stay. Written differently, this would have a very strong Lovecraftian feel. As is, this feels almost ... wistful, or nostalgic, which is not a complaint.
The Something-Dreaming Game - (2007) [3.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles] - Very odd one, where a child repeatedly auto-asphyxiates herself to communicate with an alien (or possibly is insane, but I think the literal interpretation is more likely). Interesting, but also tragic.
The Cold Blacksmith - (2006) [4 stars, 1 tentacle] - Somewhere between a myth and a fairy tale, with a blacksmith, a witch, and someone who needs a heart "reforged".
In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns - (2012) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Odd, long-ish mystery tale, featuring talking cats, a VR-addicted mother, and really impressive cosmetic surgery. Parts of it I liked, but it dragged on a bit.
Orm the Beautiful - (2007) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Haunting story of self-sacrifice and a sort of "first contact", but I found it more odd than engaging.
The Inevitable Heat Death of the Universe - (2006) [3 stars, 3 tentacles] - Odd pastiche about a shark at the end of the universe (and, hence, the beginning). I'd read this one before, somewhere, probably before I was familiar with Bear as an author.
Love Among the Talus - [The Eternal Sky] - (2006) - [4 stars, 1.5 tentacles] - Very odd anti-fairy tale, where the would-be bride is rather more practical about things than most.
Cryptic Coloration - (2007)
The Ladies - (2012)
Shoggoths in Bloom - (2008)
The Girl Who Sang Rose Madder - (2008)
Dolly - (2011)
Gods of the Forge - (2011)
Annie Webber - (2008)
The Horrid Glory of Its Wings - (2009)
Confessor - (2010)
The Leavings of the Wolf - (2011)
The Death of Terrestrial Radio - (2012)
Introduction - (2012) - essay by Scott Lynch - An introduction that actually held my attention, and had some fine wordcrafting of its own.
Tideline - (2007) [5 stars, 2 tentacles] - Beautifully poignant and tragic and optimistic and... this is what a short story should be. The only remotely Lovecraftian bit is the other-ness of the POV character.
Sonny Liston Takes the Fall - (2008) [3 stars, 2.5 tentacles] - Well written, but a bit hard to follow. Maybe if I knew more about boxing? And Muhammad Ali's non-boxing accomplishments? Attempts to tie him to a sacrificial king tradition, presided over by ... the living embodiment of Las Vegas? I think?
Sounding - (2006) - [4 stars, 3 tentacles] - Following a whale and her calf to the motherlode of all tuna swarms. Suggested that they may not be on the earth as we know it, but not in a creepy way. Captain decides he'd rather stay. Written differently, this would have a very strong Lovecraftian feel. As is, this feels almost ... wistful, or nostalgic, which is not a complaint.
The Something-Dreaming Game - (2007) [3.5 stars, 3.5 tentacles] - Very odd one, where a child repeatedly auto-asphyxiates herself to communicate with an alien (or possibly is insane, but I think the literal interpretation is more likely). Interesting, but also tragic.
The Cold Blacksmith - (2006) [4 stars, 1 tentacle] - Somewhere between a myth and a fairy tale, with a blacksmith, a witch, and someone who needs a heart "reforged".
In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns - (2012) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Odd, long-ish mystery tale, featuring talking cats, a VR-addicted mother, and really impressive cosmetic surgery. Parts of it I liked, but it dragged on a bit.
Orm the Beautiful - (2007) [3 stars, 2 tentacles] - Haunting story of self-sacrifice and a sort of "first contact", but I found it more odd than engaging.
The Inevitable Heat Death of the Universe - (2006) [3 stars, 3 tentacles] - Odd pastiche about a shark at the end of the universe (and, hence, the beginning). I'd read this one before, somewhere, probably before I was familiar with Bear as an author.
Love Among the Talus - [The Eternal Sky] - (2006) - [4 stars, 1.5 tentacles] - Very odd anti-fairy tale, where the would-be bride is rather more practical about things than most.
Cryptic Coloration - (2007)
The Ladies - (2012)
Shoggoths in Bloom - (2008)
The Girl Who Sang Rose Madder - (2008)
Dolly - (2011)
Gods of the Forge - (2011)
Annie Webber - (2008)
The Horrid Glory of Its Wings - (2009)
Confessor - (2010)
The Leavings of the Wolf - (2011)
The Death of Terrestrial Radio - (2012)
jefffrane's review
4.0
I only stumbled upon Elizabeth Bear recently and thank god I did. I'm very pleased to know that she's a prolific writer because that means there is a wealth of reading waiting for me. Shoggoths in Bloom would be a great starting point for anyone checking her out, because it is an excellent collection, one that reads almost like an anthology of 20 different writers, all of them really creative and gifted. I'm having a difficult time remembering another sf/fantasy author who could write in such variety of mode and mood. I didn't love every story but there isn't a clinker in the bunch. They're all thoughtful, witty and most of all, interesting. Highly recommended.
katybug25's review
5.0
Initially, I thought this book was going to be about Lovecraftian creatures. Instead, I got a variety of short stories in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. The setting of each story was wonderfully made. I found the stories interesting, and odd (my favorite combination). My favorites were: “Tideline”, “In the House of Aryaman a Lonely Signal Burns”, “Orm the Beautiful”, “Shoggoths in Bloom”, “Gods of the Forge”, “Leavings of the Wolf”, and “The Death of Terrestrial Radio”. Elizabeth Bear is a good writer and I think this collection show cases her talent.
tylawrencium's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
fairiesnest's review
5.0
An amazing group of short stories, every single one creates a world that I hated to leave.
thecanary's review
5.0
Elizabeth Bear has been on my radar for a while, so seeing Shoggoth's in Bloom up for grab, I went for it (complimentary copy courtesy of the publisher, thank you!).
This short story collection brings together 19 short stories by Elizabeth Bear, including two Hugo winners, "Tideline" and "Shoggoths in Bloom," plus one never-before-published piece original to the collection, "The Death of Terrestrial Radio." With one exception, the stories average around a few-to-twenty pages and cover a truly mind-boggling range of genres and styles.
We get an urban fantasy with a ritual gone wrong, historic fiction written through letters between John Adams' wife and Thomas Jefferson about running for office during a time of suffrage, a lovely elegy in prose about a dragons and a museum curator, a folktale about a blacksmith's commission, and a story about the slow death of the fishing industry. Each story is powerful, heart-rending, and memorable in its own way.
The collection is exciting (policing in a high-world of genetic engineering, homicide and androids, a dragon landing by the Washington Monument...), brutally, tenderly human (cancer, divorce, overcoming phobia, personal sacrifice...) and intriguingly speculative (What if you can do plastic surgery on your personality? What are the limits of living in a virtual world? What lines would you cross for peace?). The longest piece... (Read full review here.)
Copy provided by publisher.
This short story collection brings together 19 short stories by Elizabeth Bear, including two Hugo winners, "Tideline" and "Shoggoths in Bloom," plus one never-before-published piece original to the collection, "The Death of Terrestrial Radio." With one exception, the stories average around a few-to-twenty pages and cover a truly mind-boggling range of genres and styles.
We get an urban fantasy with a ritual gone wrong, historic fiction written through letters between John Adams' wife and Thomas Jefferson about running for office during a time of suffrage, a lovely elegy in prose about a dragons and a museum curator, a folktale about a blacksmith's commission, and a story about the slow death of the fishing industry. Each story is powerful, heart-rending, and memorable in its own way.
The collection is exciting (policing in a high-world of genetic engineering, homicide and androids, a dragon landing by the Washington Monument...), brutally, tenderly human (cancer, divorce, overcoming phobia, personal sacrifice...) and intriguingly speculative (What if you can do plastic surgery on your personality? What are the limits of living in a virtual world? What lines would you cross for peace?). The longest piece... (Read full review here.)
Copy provided by publisher.
codalion's review
4.0
"Shoggoths in Bloom" and "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall" are the standouts, and maybe "Tideline." Everything else is interesting, at least. That's higher praise than it sounds.