Scan barcode
A review by daramillz
Distant Gardens: Ten Stories of Exploration, Biodiversity, and Found Family by J.S. Fields, Heather Tracy
3.0
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was initially drawn to the concept of this anthology (and the gorgeous cover), and while I enjoyed several of the stories individually, as a collection I felt like it was inconsistent. The writing in some of the stories struck me as a bit clunky, and a few felt out of place with the theme of the collection (“Dew Diligence,” for example, is a straight up fairy tale and seemed to be only included because of the sapphic element).
My favorite stories both feature menacing mushrooms. “Jellyfish Lovepotion” is just the right amount of weirdly dark humor for me, and “Down Among the Mushrooms” features cohesive and interesting world building that I would be interested in exploring beyond a short story. “Brie and the Marsh Kraken” is a fun ride if you can handle the tentacles
I was initially drawn to the concept of this anthology (and the gorgeous cover), and while I enjoyed several of the stories individually, as a collection I felt like it was inconsistent. The writing in some of the stories struck me as a bit clunky, and a few felt out of place with the theme of the collection (“Dew Diligence,” for example, is a straight up fairy tale and seemed to be only included because of the sapphic element).
My favorite stories both feature menacing mushrooms. “Jellyfish Lovepotion” is just the right amount of weirdly dark humor for me, and “Down Among the Mushrooms” features cohesive and interesting world building that I would be interested in exploring beyond a short story. “Brie and the Marsh Kraken” is a fun ride if you can handle the tentacles