Short Stories I Read In January

It’s February 28th. So it’s time for the first Short Stories post of 2023. Today, I’m going to talk about the short stories, poetry, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episode I read or listened to in January.

Between the Stones and the Stars by A.L. Goldfuss (Lightspeed Magazine; Jan 2023 Issue 152)

The first story I read in January was Between the Stones and the Stars by A.L. Goldfuss. It’s basically about two lonely travelers (adventurers), a warrior and another with humble beginnings, who arrive at a summit that holds the chalice they both seek. When they meet, it provides something of a crossroad, for both of them. To be honest, it was an interesting concept to open with and one that proved to be an immediate hook. In a way the story turned into something of a character study, particularly in the narrator’s monologue. It was a quick read, but it was one I enjoyed.

Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty)

The next (and last) short story I read in January was Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed. I was really excited to see this one come up, because some of my favorite stories from last year were written by Eugenia Triantafyllou. This story was just as good as the others. It had a real fairy tale-esque feel to it, since the narration starts by recounting the story of a yellow daffodil, and how it eventually spanned into years of a cycle of growing, living, moving or fleeing, death, and then rinse and repeat. The fantastical aspects were tied up in that cycle. And, while only a short time was spent with each generation, the story excelled at making me care about them anyway. All-in-all, this was another great story from Triantafyllou!

From around the web…

• In Search of New Reading Rituals [Molly Templeton; Tor.com; January 12, 2023]
• A (Brief) Love Letter To The Chemistry Of Molecules [Ashley Deng; Clarkesworld; January 2023]
• Print Run Podcast Episode 138: The Books That Made Us
• Our Opinions Are Correct Episode 124: How to build a planet

 

Music Monday (232): Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: This week, my pick is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of the Perry Mason theme song (the original is by Fred Steiner). This is one of my favorite mystery/court procedural TV show tunes.  

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock. Have a great week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (229) & Book Beginnings: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

Beginning: "I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life."

56: "Most people get alchemy assignments to produce antidotes and preventative elixirs, or the good old standby of producing gold out of cheaper elements."

Comments: I decided to give A Deadly Education a try this year. I'd heard a lot of good things about it, and I ended up loving the story. What are you reading this week? 

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton

Title: Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Series: n/a
Author: Edith Hamilton
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Classic; History; Mythology
Publisher/Publication Date: first published January 1, 1942

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble   

Synopsis from Goodreads...

For nearly seventy years readers have chosen this book above all others to discover the thrilling, enchanting, and fascinating world of Western mythology. From Odysseus's adventure-filled journey to the Norse god Odin's effort to postpone the final day of doom, Edith Hamilton's classic collection not only retells these stories with brilliant clarity but shows us how the ancients saw their own place in the world and how their themes echo in our consciousness today. An essential part of every home library, Mythology is the definitive volume for anyone who wants to know the key dramas, the primary characters, the triumphs, failures, fears, and hopes first narrated thousands of years ago - and is still spellbinding to this day.

My first read of 2023 was Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. I’ve known about this book for a while, and last year I finally purchased a copy for myself. I figured, since I plan to read The Illiad and The Odyssey this year that Mythology would serve as a useful primer as well as a refresher on names and places.

“Strange clouded fragments of an ancient glory, Late lingerers of the company divine, They breathe of that far world wherefrom they come, Lost halls of heaven and Olympian air.”—pg. 17

Even though the tales were summarized, I still liked the way Hamilton presented them, and, overall, I had a great time reading Mythology. The sections were succinct and conveyed enough to get a good understanding of any given story, and, as often was the effect, I naturally wanted to seek out other sources that told them in full. There was everything from profiles about the different gods, to a lengthy section about “The Heroes of the Trojan War,” as well as many recognizable myths—like the story of Cupid and Psyche and the quest for the Golden Fleece—and a short but entire section devoted to Norse mythology.

Overall, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology offered a well-rounded glimpse at its titular subject.

Music Monday (231): Hemlocke Springs, Andra Day

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Hemlocke Springs released another song. It's called Stranger Danger, and I love it. (Warning for flashing lights)

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Rise Up by Andra Day. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (228) & Book Beginnings: Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

For nearly seventy years readers have chosen this book above all others to discover the thrilling, enchanting, and fascinating world of Western mythology. From Odysseus's adventure-filled journey to the Norse god Odin's effort to postpone the final day of doom, Edith Hamilton's classic collection not only retells these stories with brilliant clarity but shows us how the ancients saw their own place in the world and how their themes echo in our consciousness today. An essential part of every home library, Mythology is the definitive volume for anyone who wants to know the key dramas, the primary characters, the triumphs, failures, fears, and hopes first narrated thousands of years ago - and is still spellbinding to this day.

Beginning: "Greek and Roman mythology is quite generally supposed to show us the way the human race thought and felt untold ages ago."

56: "Four lovely maidens, sisters, coming to draw water from the well, saw her and asked her pityingly what she did there."

Comments: My first read of 2023 was Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. The first quote comes from the introduction. 

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

Title: Lud-in-the-Mist
Series: n/a
Author: Hope Mirrlees
Source/Format: Purchased; paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Classic
Publisher/Publication Date: Originally published in 1926

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble    

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Lud-in-the-Mist - a prosperous country town situated where two rivers meet: the Dawl and the Dapple. The latter, which has its source in the land of Faerie, is a great trial to Lud, which had long rejected anything 'other', preferring to believe only in what is known, what is solid. Nathaniel Chanticleer is a somewhat dreamy, slightly melancholy man, not one for making waves, who is deliberately ignoring a vital part of his own past; a secret he refuses even to acknowledge. But with the disappearance of his own daughter, and a long-overdue desire to protect his young son, he realises that something is changing in Lud - and something must be done.

Lud-in-the-Mist is a true classic, an adult fairy tale exploring the need to embrace what we fear and to come to terms with 'the shadows' - those sweet and dark impulses that our public selves ignore or repress.

One of my last reads of 2022 was Hope Mirrlees’ 1926 fantasy classic, Lud-in-the-Mist. I first saw this novel while watching one of Christy Anne Jones’ videos earlier in 2022. I was instantly intrigued by the way she described the book, and that it was a pre-Tolkien fantasy. So I bought a copy for myself. But, it was a couple of months before I finally got around to reading it. In December, I was in the mood for more fairy related content after I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (which was amazing). So, Lud-in-the-Mist was an easy choice. And, ultimately, it quickly became one of my top-favorite fantasy classics to date. 

At times, I felt like I was being told the events by an omnipresent narrator, which worked well for it. And, while Lud-in-the-Mist wasn’t action packed—and I wasn’t expecting it to be—it was still a very thrilling novel with plenty of mystery and something of a comedic streak at its most ridiculous moments. It had plenty to say of course, because it was a novel about a country that was determined to deny a part of its origins, and so allowed space for a cunning villain to get into their midst. The quote that follows is one of my favorites and is an example of (as well as an explanation) for the attitudes present in story. 

“In the eye of the law, neither Fairyland nor fairy things existed. But then, as Master Josiah had pointed out, the law plays fast and loose with reality—and no one really believes it.”—page 13

I liked the wide range of characters that made up the cast, which included everyone from Nathaniel Chanticleer to his wife, children, and neighbors. Nathaniel, and, in particular, his wife, Dame Marigold, were some of my favorites. He could be irritable and so on and so forth. And she was cunning when she wanted. They, like much of the cast, was described as typical (for a Dorimarite). But, Nathaniel had secrets, mainly about the Note. I thought it was so interesting how that one thing really shaped his personality, and influenced the way he responded and behaved toward others.

Lud-in-the-Mist had a softer magic system, with no real rigid explanation. But, every instance of “magic” and every clue toward something amiss and uncanny felt entirely organic to Dorimare—the fictional country where the story takes place. There was an emphasis on the titular Lud-in-the-Mist, which was Dorimare’s capital. But, the setting was as much of a character as the characters themselves—seemingly entirely set in their ways, but not really, especially around the overlooked edges.

All-in-all, Lud-in-the-Mist was fantastic.

Music Monday (230): Fall Out Boy, Koryn Hawthorn

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: New Fall Out Boy music! I've been waiting for more songs since their last album, and I'm so excited that they're releasing new stuff in 2023. Check out Love From The Other Side!

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Enough by Koryn Hawthorn. Have a great week!

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (227) & Book Beginnings: Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Lud-in-the-Mist - a prosperous country town situated where two rivers meet: the Dawl and the Dapple. The latter, which has its source in the land of Faerie, is a great trial to Lud, which had long rejected anything 'other', preferring to believe only in what is known, what is solid. Nathaniel Chanticleer is a somewhat dreamy, slightly melancholy man, not one for making waves, who is deliberately ignoring a vital part of his own past; a secret he refuses even to acknowledge. But with the disappearance of his own daughter, and a long-overdue desire to protect his young son, he realises that something is changing in Lud - and something must be done.

Lud-in-the-Mist is a true classic, an adult fairy tale exploring the need to embrace what we fear and to come to terms with 'the shadows' - those sweet and dark impulses that our public selves ignore or repress.

Beginning: "The free state of Dorimare was a very small country, but, seeing that it was bounded on the south by the sea and on the north and east by mountains, while its centre consisted of a rich plain, watered by two rivers, a considerable variety of scenery and vegetation was to be found within its borders."

56: "Sometimes their path led through a little wood of liege-oaks with trunks, where the bark had been stripped, showing as red as blood, and everywhere there were short, wiry, aromatic shrubs, beset by myriads of bees."

Comments: One of my last reads of 2022 was Hope Mirrlees' 1926 fantasy classic: Lud-in-the-Mist. I loved the story! 

Clock Striker Volume 1 by Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones

Title: Clock Striker

Series: n/a
Author & Illustrator: Issaka Galadima; Frederick L. Jones 
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Manga; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Rockport Publishers/ Quarto Publishing; February 7, 2023

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Cast dreams of being a SMITH, and though she’s rather handy with her tools, no one in her small town ever realizes their dreams. Besides, these legendary warrior engineers haven’t been seen in years and were never known for having female members. Fortunately, Cast meets one surviving member named Ms. Philomena Clock, who agrees to take her on as her apprentice, or striker. Now Cast is thrust into one deadly adventure after another! From cybernetic desperadoes to technology thieves and more, Cast has to use her mind and her remodeled robotics-lab prosthetic hand, which offers unfathomable offensive power in the form of scientific experiments. Need lightning? Cast can generate it from her hand! Cast’s mentor seeks to uncover an ominous mystery that explains what happened to the SMITHS and shines a light on a hidden power that may be within Cast herself. Can Cast become a new member of the SMITHS? More importantly, can Cast survive the process to become a SMITH? 

My second read of the year was Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones’ Clock Striker. I saw this manga on Netgalley, and I was instantly intrigued by it.

The opening felt very on-brand for the genre, but I also enjoyed the backstory that was provided in the subsequent chapters afterwards. It was appropriately called the “Origin Arc.” And it clearly illustrated the type of character Cast was, as well as serving as a foundation for what led her to the situation in the first chapter. The characters—Cast, her brother, Fender, their mother, and people from their community—were easily endearing.

The following arc felt like another beginning, which turned out just as engrossing as the first. I easily got invested in the story, particularly with the mystery surrounding the current state of the Smiths.

Clock Striker also felt timely, because of the issues and themes. Even though it was under fantastical circumstances—with technology that on one hand was seemingly based on science and engineering, but it also behaved like magic—there was a frank realness to the story. This was particularly illustrated through the first arc of volume one, which hinted toward a link between the Smiths and the decline of a certain industry. The results were a struggling town and crooks targeting the vulnerable.

The visual storytelling was excellent, and I liked the character designs. There was also plenty of action mixed in with a few lighter scenes. Ultimately, however, it ends on a cliffhanger. That being said, I still had a lot of fun reading Clock Striker. 

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Rockport Publishers/ Quarto Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (229): Hemlocke Springs, Steve Lacy

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: My pick this week is one of my favorite songs from the end of 2022. It's called Girlfriend by Hemlocke Springs. I love everything about it!

Andrea: Hi all! This week I'm listening to Bad Habit by Steve Lacy. I heard this song a long time ago, but I didn't know who sang it until last week. And then he performed the song at the Grammys. I had already planned to share Bad Habit, so if you haven't heard it, you can listen to it below. Enjoy your week!

What are you listening to this week?