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A review by rogue_lurker
Unwelcome Bodies by Jennifer Pelland
4.0
This is a great collection of horror and speculative fiction short stories. I stared this book on the plane as we left WisCon and by the time I finished the second story, I turned to my partner and gave her a stunned look while all I could say was "Wow." Then I turned back to the book to devour more of the stories. Almost every story left me thinking and slightly unsettled - the horror is more speculative then gory, which is what I prefer in this genre. Slasher stories, serial killers and tentacle monsters have their place, but the stuff that stays with me are the stories that unnerve me or make me think.
Some of the standout stories (they were all good … these are the ones that stuck with me):
For the Plague Thereof was Exceeding Great – A fantastic story to start the collection with. The story takes place in the near future where an epidemic is ravaging the world. The story resonates with me, not just because we were escaping a convention that had a noro-virus breakout, but because it takes very little imagination to believe that it could happen. A disturbingly believable plot, some wonderfully crafted scenes and a bittersweet ending makes this a very memorable story.
Big Sister/Little Sister – Okay, this was sick and twisted and I absolutely loved this one. I think this is the only one that really made me cringe and had a high ick factor. But I couldn’t stop reading it and had a grin on my face when I turned the last page. It is about sisters – and that’s all I’m gonna say.
Captive Girl – This one I was kind of on the fence when I read it. It is an intriguing story and an uncomfortable one. The author’s note at the end of it put some things into perspective and upon a bit of reflection I find that I liked the story a lot.
Songs of Lament – Although it was short, this one worked well. This is one of the more ecologically oriented horror stories about a woman who hears the whale songs.
Brushstrokes – This was not what I was expecting and I was very pleasantly surprised. Jennifer Pelland jokingly described it as pretty boys in pretty make up having sex up against a wall. That is a very minimal part of the story. This is probably the most “sf” of the stories and deals with the ideas of society, castes and the beginning of revolution. I enjoyed it.
Some of the standout stories (they were all good … these are the ones that stuck with me):
For the Plague Thereof was Exceeding Great – A fantastic story to start the collection with. The story takes place in the near future where an epidemic is ravaging the world. The story resonates with me, not just because we were escaping a convention that had a noro-virus breakout, but because it takes very little imagination to believe that it could happen. A disturbingly believable plot, some wonderfully crafted scenes and a bittersweet ending makes this a very memorable story.
Big Sister/Little Sister – Okay, this was sick and twisted and I absolutely loved this one. I think this is the only one that really made me cringe and had a high ick factor. But I couldn’t stop reading it and had a grin on my face when I turned the last page. It is about sisters – and that’s all I’m gonna say.
Captive Girl – This one I was kind of on the fence when I read it. It is an intriguing story and an uncomfortable one. The author’s note at the end of it put some things into perspective and upon a bit of reflection I find that I liked the story a lot.
Songs of Lament – Although it was short, this one worked well. This is one of the more ecologically oriented horror stories about a woman who hears the whale songs.
Brushstrokes – This was not what I was expecting and I was very pleasantly surprised. Jennifer Pelland jokingly described it as pretty boys in pretty make up having sex up against a wall. That is a very minimal part of the story. This is probably the most “sf” of the stories and deals with the ideas of society, castes and the beginning of revolution. I enjoyed it.