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jnjones's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.75
donfoolery's review
5.0
I'll buy anything with M. Rickert's name on it. Indeed, most of these stories are from issues of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction that I bought precisely because... well, you know why. The three or so stories I hadn't read were well worth the price of admission.
If I had one quibble, it's that the "holiday" theme seemed a little forced to me. I blame the book's World Fantasy Award for Best Collection this year on the theme (though I'm the first to admit that Karen Joy Fowler's What I Didn't See was no slouch).
If I had one quibble, it's that the "holiday" theme seemed a little forced to me. I blame the book's World Fantasy Award for Best Collection this year on the theme (though I'm the first to admit that Karen Joy Fowler's What I Didn't See was no slouch).
coffeeandink's review
I admire these stories more than I like them; I can't escape the feeling that I don't admire them as much as I should. I am put off by the reliance on the unreliable narrator, especially when the unreliability is Is this real?/Is this person delusional? -- when it pivots on more ordinary reliabilities, such as the child protagonist of "The Christmas Witch," I like it much better.
There's something about the way Rickert handles (persistent) themes of molestation/rape/murder that bugs me, but I'm not sure what. So many abuser POVs? That the only child POV we get is people blaming an innocent man? (I am fairly sure. I suppose with Rickert everything is in doubt.)
She's been compared to [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1196262589p2/13388.jpg], which is fair. Jackson is less sentimental, I think, which makes her paradoxically easier to take.
The framing device is considerably less annoying -- and detracts less (not at all) from the stories -- than the one she used for [b:Map of Dreams|216263|Map of Dreams|M. Rickert|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172782714s/216263.jpg|209373].
There's something about the way Rickert handles (persistent) themes of molestation/rape/murder that bugs me, but I'm not sure what. So many abuser POVs? That the only child POV we get is people blaming an innocent man? (I am fairly sure. I suppose with Rickert everything is in doubt.)
She's been compared to [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1196262589p2/13388.jpg], which is fair. Jackson is less sentimental, I think, which makes her paradoxically easier to take.
The framing device is considerably less annoying -- and detracts less (not at all) from the stories -- than the one she used for [b:Map of Dreams|216263|Map of Dreams|M. Rickert|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172782714s/216263.jpg|209373].
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