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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of 21 unusual short stories by one of the newer, brilliant voices in the SF genre mixes dark Russian stories and fantasy and myth. This mix of the mundane and the completely fantastical is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman, but Ekaterina's voice is completely her own. Her characters often live in a bleak world, where their inevitable fate is completely known. They still march straight toward it in the face of starvation, death or being haunted and stalked by the fantastical and unknown.
Among the stories in the collection are one about a woman running a kind of pawn show and the soldier who sells her parts of his horse with each visit ("Citizen Komarova Finds Love") and a man trying to find a missing treasure among a city of the dead ("Cherrystone and Shards of Ice"). There are also sojourns to Africa and an undersea kingdom.
I had quite a few favorites among the collection, and I plan on reading more by this author.
Among the stories in the collection are one about a woman running a kind of pawn show and the soldier who sells her parts of his horse with each visit ("Citizen Komarova Finds Love") and a man trying to find a missing treasure among a city of the dead ("Cherrystone and Shards of Ice"). There are also sojourns to Africa and an undersea kingdom.
I had quite a few favorites among the collection, and I plan on reading more by this author.
_rusalka's review against another edition
4.0
I tend to start these reviews with something like "I have a love/hate relationship with short story collections". However, looking back at my short story shelf, I actually realise that is bullshit. What happened is I read some short story collections when I first started that I disliked, and now they are burnt into my brain. I am changing that now.
This one, actually, put me off straightaway. I really disliked the first story. But to be honest that was the only one I actively disliked. After those first 10 pages or so, everything improved dramatically. I think as a whole the book worked well, nothing really jarred which is an achievement in a short story collection.
I loved the use of Slavic and Russian mythology. I got such a kick when I found kikimora, leshy, rusalki, and the like in the stories. Sure fire winner for me, particularly if done well and not just lip service. Besides this, there were some brilliant stories in this one. I have been telling people about the Bank of Burkina Faso story for the past few weeks.
I recommend this one. If you can get past the first story, you are in for a great ride. You won't love all of them, but there is something for most people in here and most will make you think if nothing else. And what more can you ask of short stories really.
This one, actually, put me off straightaway. I really disliked the first story. But to be honest that was the only one I actively disliked. After those first 10 pages or so, everything improved dramatically. I think as a whole the book worked well, nothing really jarred which is an achievement in a short story collection.
I loved the use of Slavic and Russian mythology. I got such a kick when I found kikimora, leshy, rusalki, and the like in the stories. Sure fire winner for me, particularly if done well and not just lip service. Besides this, there were some brilliant stories in this one. I have been telling people about the Bank of Burkina Faso story for the past few weeks.
I recommend this one. If you can get past the first story, you are in for a great ride. You won't love all of them, but there is something for most people in here and most will make you think if nothing else. And what more can you ask of short stories really.
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I was just not tuning in until the last third of the book, but some of the last stories were suddenly hitting all the right buttons. I particularly liked the weird and strangely heart-tugging "A Play for a Boy and Sock Puppets", the nicely creepy twisting a reincarnation-tale "A Taste of Wheat", the awesomely shudder-worthy "Cherrystone and Shards of Ice" (loved this one), and the Irish-sad-classic-tale reimagined "Seas of the World".
thecanary's review against another edition
3.0
Confession time: If I find a novel set in Russia, it'll find its way onto my shelf or computer. Sometimes reluctantly, sometime with a healthy dose of skepticism, sometimes with a sign of resignation. So I'm pretty delighted to say that this collection of fantasy short stories set in Russia are a darn great read that feeds both the slavophile in me, but also the part of me that loves a good yarn.
Moscow But Dreaming opens with A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas (sample here), a brilliant ode to Russia and its history, before launching itself on a whirlwind tour through time and magic, from the story of an old man who worked for the Soviet secret service, to a noblewoman-turned-storekeeper and her dead suitor, to an American couple who adopt a little girl with a monster under her bed.
Covering the 2oth century, from the Russian revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the the decades following, each story brings something new to the table. Alongside the Russian stories, there are a few Asian-inspired stories as well, paying homage to Russia's multicultural sprawl across two continents.
Oh, and it's unabashedly full of magical realism - one of my favorite writing styles. Some bizarre, some surreal, all uncanny, Sedia writes stories full of a kind of inevitable claustrophobia of the slipstream genre. Each story is different, but the (adult) themes of the futility of hope, the inevitability of death, the inability to communicate, and the fragility of family stretches through the collection like an uneasy thread of barbed wire.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who shares my love for Russian history. I am slightly more cautious in recommending this to readers who know nothing about Russian culture and history. You'll probably enjoy the stories, but a lot of the passing references might be lost on you and at least three of the twenty stories might be more bizarre than meaningful.
In the end, count me intrigued! I will be bumping Sedia's other books up to the top of my to-read list, so keep an eye out for future reviews.
Complimentary review copy courtesy of Prime Books.
Moscow But Dreaming opens with A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas (sample here), a brilliant ode to Russia and its history, before launching itself on a whirlwind tour through time and magic, from the story of an old man who worked for the Soviet secret service, to a noblewoman-turned-storekeeper and her dead suitor, to an American couple who adopt a little girl with a monster under her bed.
Covering the 2oth century, from the Russian revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the the decades following, each story brings something new to the table. Alongside the Russian stories, there are a few Asian-inspired stories as well, paying homage to Russia's multicultural sprawl across two continents.
Oh, and it's unabashedly full of magical realism - one of my favorite writing styles. Some bizarre, some surreal, all uncanny, Sedia writes stories full of a kind of inevitable claustrophobia of the slipstream genre. Each story is different, but the (adult) themes of the futility of hope, the inevitability of death, the inability to communicate, and the fragility of family stretches through the collection like an uneasy thread of barbed wire.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who shares my love for Russian history. I am slightly more cautious in recommending this to readers who know nothing about Russian culture and history. You'll probably enjoy the stories, but a lot of the passing references might be lost on you and at least three of the twenty stories might be more bizarre than meaningful.
In the end, count me intrigued! I will be bumping Sedia's other books up to the top of my to-read list, so keep an eye out for future reviews.
Complimentary review copy courtesy of Prime Books.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
Magnificent. I liked all the stories; I really liked 80% or so of them; and I was devastated by three or four of them.
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
3.0
‘Moscow but Dreaming’ by Ekaterina Sedia is a collection of 21 short stories that excellently capture her range of work. This is her first collection, though most have been published before, with only two new to the public.
Sedia is known for her take on twisting the mundane into something more fantastical, with heavy calling to Russian history, folklore and lifestyle, and displays her way with words with most of her shorts being only a dozen pages long. These aren’t lacking, instead they leave you with sudden impact.
The list of shorts include:
A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas
Citizen Komarova Finds Love
Tin Cans
One, Two, Three
You Dream
Zombie Lenin
Ebb and Flow
There is a Monster Under Helen’s Bed
Yakov and the Crows
Hector Meets the King
Chapaev and the Coconut Girl
The Bank of Burkina Faso
Kikimora
Munashe and the Spirits
By the Liter
A Play for a Boy and Sock Puppets
The Taste of Wheat
Cherrystone and Shards of Ice
Seas of the World
End of White
A Handsome Fellow
A reoccurring topic is that of the ocean, with the starting piece titled appropriately, another being of a daughter of the ocean spurned by a man of the land, and another being of seals.
We also meet zombies, vampires and other spirits not so commonly named (though even the zombies and vampires are known otherwise) and overall it is a refreshing take to see folklore of other countries so easily accessible.
Most characters are somehow accessible, despite what their issue or trouble may be. We see the human side of them all – even when they’re not human – and each are easy to sympathise with.
Several of the stories may not be appropriate for young ones, but some can be shared and this is encouraged, to give them that taste of something not so Disney or softened.
Anyone a fan of ‘The Bronze Horseman’ by Paullina Simons – in reading of Russia and that time, rather than the romance – would probably enjoy this collection.
Thank you to Prime Books and Net Galley for this electronic copy.
Originally posted: http://sentientonline.net/?p=3777
Sedia is known for her take on twisting the mundane into something more fantastical, with heavy calling to Russian history, folklore and lifestyle, and displays her way with words with most of her shorts being only a dozen pages long. These aren’t lacking, instead they leave you with sudden impact.
The list of shorts include:
A Short Encyclopedia of Lunar Seas
Citizen Komarova Finds Love
Tin Cans
One, Two, Three
You Dream
Zombie Lenin
Ebb and Flow
There is a Monster Under Helen’s Bed
Yakov and the Crows
Hector Meets the King
Chapaev and the Coconut Girl
The Bank of Burkina Faso
Kikimora
Munashe and the Spirits
By the Liter
A Play for a Boy and Sock Puppets
The Taste of Wheat
Cherrystone and Shards of Ice
Seas of the World
End of White
A Handsome Fellow
A reoccurring topic is that of the ocean, with the starting piece titled appropriately, another being of a daughter of the ocean spurned by a man of the land, and another being of seals.
We also meet zombies, vampires and other spirits not so commonly named (though even the zombies and vampires are known otherwise) and overall it is a refreshing take to see folklore of other countries so easily accessible.
Most characters are somehow accessible, despite what their issue or trouble may be. We see the human side of them all – even when they’re not human – and each are easy to sympathise with.
Several of the stories may not be appropriate for young ones, but some can be shared and this is encouraged, to give them that taste of something not so Disney or softened.
Anyone a fan of ‘The Bronze Horseman’ by Paullina Simons – in reading of Russia and that time, rather than the romance – would probably enjoy this collection.
Thank you to Prime Books and Net Galley for this electronic copy.
Originally posted: http://sentientonline.net/?p=3777
reading_monkey's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting book. A mix of horror, science fiction and magical realism, the book explores the landscape of Post-Soviet Russia and America through the eyes of Russian immigrants and a mythical lens. The book is hard to define, but worth the read.
graco's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kejana13's review against another edition
5.0
I stumbled upon this book by chance. I heard nothing about it but was fascinated by the fact that Russian history/culture was weaved into this book (plus, magical realism is always a go-to for me). From the first story, you become spellbound into a world of magical seas, winters, and the ever-complicate bridge between grief and hope as you read this. The writing is fantastic, and if you are a fan of Russian works, magical realism, or Kelly Link's MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS, I really recommend this book. Every story truly does capture that place between sleep and awakening.
moosegurl's review
2.0
"The only happy stories you will ever hear are told by men--they spin their lies, trying to convince themselves that they cause no devastation, and that the hearts they break were never worth much to begin with."
"There's more to people than the way they died."
"When people starve, their eyes become large and luminous, enough so as to invite comparisons with visages of saints on the icons. Which makes sense, since the saints were traditionally ascetic--anorexic even."
"On the playground, every father is a war hero."
"There's more to people than the way they died."
"When people starve, their eyes become large and luminous, enough so as to invite comparisons with visages of saints on the icons. Which makes sense, since the saints were traditionally ascetic--anorexic even."
"On the playground, every father is a war hero."