About the Book
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Authors:
- Jonathan Strahan
- Diana Peterfreund
- Frances Hardinge
- Garth Nix
- Holly Black
- Charles de Lint
- Tanith Lee
- Neil Gaiman
- Ellen Klages
- Delia Sherman
- Jim Butcher
- Genres:
- Anthology
- Paranormal
- Voices:
- Wiccan/Witch
Cover Story: And The U.S. Gets Screwed Again
The Best: “A Handful of Ashes”, “Barrio Girls”
The Worst: “Felidis”
The Weird: “Payment Due”, “The Education of a Witch”
Bonus Factors: Hogwarts, Dogs, Folklore
Anti-Bonus Factors: Cat People, Weirdy-Beardy Wiccans
Break Glass In Case Of: Halloween! Also, TEABS, Ennui, Doctors’ Appointments
Cover Story: And The U.S. Gets Screwed Again
Once again, the U.S. version sucks, and the U.K. version rules. WHY? Are we really that lowbrow? Is that what publishers think of U.S. audiences? I didn’t think the cover was too bad when I was reading this at home, but when I broke it out on the airplane, I definitely made sure I left the dust jacket in my bag.
The Deal(ish):
This collection of short stories by some of the biggest names in fantasy, including Garth Nix and Neil Gaiman, is all about witches. But not all witches are created equal, so we have everything from a poem from Neil Gaiman, which I skipped over, to a story from (or inspired by?) Finnish folklore. There are modern witches and fairy tale witches, and a few hippie witches. I’m not much of a short story person usually, but this collection has a little bit of everything, so it wasn’t hard to find something to entertain me.
The Best: “A Handful of Ashes” by Garth Nix
I adore Garth Nix. He writes such wonderful heroines and heroes, and creates worlds I want to live in. In this story, Mari and Francesca are work-study students at a magical boarding school that’s under attack, and when it ended, I wished he’d turn it into a full-length book.
The Best: “Barrio Girls” by Charles de Lint
Set in a desert barrio, de Lint’s story follows two vampire-obsessed teenage girls who get on the wrong side of a bruja — and not just any witch, but a vampire witch. The ending is creepily ambiguous, as the girls have different reactions to their new powers.
The Worst: “Felidis” by Tanith Lee
A witch who’s a giant cat. Or something. I couldn’t get through three pages, sorry. The writing style was olde worlde faerie taleish, but not elegant — full of choppy sentences and ponderous announcements of vengeance. Not my thing.
The Weird: “Payment Due” by Frances Hardinge
The first in the many shape-shifter stories, this one has a girl who’s able to switch bodies with animals. It’s surprisingly cool, and I loved her magical take on a cat’s vengeance.
The Weird: “The Education of a Witch” by Ellen Klages
Lizzie is a pretty happy little girl, until her baby sister is born. Think Firestarter, but creepier, even without baby Drew Barrymore. Ellen Klages is a writer I’ll be searching out.
Bonus Factor: Hogwarts
There’s nothing better than teenage witches in boarding school!
Bonus Factor: Dogs
Diana Peterfreund’s opening story of an enchanted dog is heartbreaking. Goneril, I’ll adopt you!
Bonus Factor: Folklore
Obviously, all witch stories have their roots in folklore, and it’s fun to trace the origins of many of these stories, as well as see new myths take shape.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Cat People
I get it. Cats and witches go way back, and witches are good at shape shifting. But I just really can’t do cat people. I did dig Delia Sherman’s shape shifting story, “The Witch In The Wood,” which had kind of a Kristin Cashore vibe.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Weirdy-Beardy Wiccans
I like my witches more on the fantasy story side, and less on the “Let’s hop in our VW bus and head to the commune for Beltane, man, cos it’s gonna be far out” side. But if you dig it, more crystal power to you. Also slightly embarrassing is a Harry Dresden story from Jim Butcher — I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I always cringe a bit for Harry when I read Dresden books. He’s perfectly nice, but just a little too … dorky (and I’m a big dork). Anyway, I know it’s unpopular, so this is probably more of a bonus for most people than an anti-bonus.
Break Glass In Case Of: Halloween! Also, TEABS, Ennui, Doctors’ Appointments
Like I said earlier, short stories aren’t really my thing, but this book is great when you have a few minutes and want to get in the mood for Halloween. You could read one at a library Halloween party, or grab one while you drink your morning coffee and have the shivers for the rest of the day. It’s also good for TEABS, when you need something short as a between-books palate cleanser, or if you’re bored and need to jumpstart your imagination. Or pack it along to a doctor’s appointment, so you’re not in the middle of a great chapter when you finally get called back (just take the jacket off first).
FTC Full Disclosure: I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron is available now.
