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by Margo Lanagan I love short story collections, and this collection reminded me of some of the finest short stories of the past. Stories that don't just invite you to think, they demand it. These are not neatly packaged snapshots in time; they are dips into situations and moments totally alien to us - with no particular set up or explanation. You have to think, or you'll never make it out of the story. I loved that about them. The stories are quite far ranging in theme though all loosely joined by fantastic elements of some sort. I had two favorites, one "Daughter of the Clay" about a changeling child who can't quite get her human parents to love a girl made from mud. I really felt for the poor changeling whose time spent imitating a 'real child' left her with no real home in the natural or the magical worlds. The other favorite was "Under Hell, Over Heaven" about those trapped in Limbo and the torment of dullness. Lanagan did an incredible job of presenting the horrors of limbo - the blinding longing for heaven, the terror of hell, and the crushing sameness of limbo that drains away even the longing and terror, leaving nothing at all. Red Spikes isn't an easy book or a light read -- it's compelling, challenging and evocative literary fantasy. You'll find yourself returning to the stories over and over because each read can offer something new, something deeper. Definitely a rare and exciting find. |
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Red Spikes