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A Series of Ordinary Adventures
A wander down a country pathway, a cruise vacation in the Mediterranean, a school reunion, a sandwich eaten in the park - in the stories of Stevie Carroll, the mundane becomes tantalizingly magical. A footballer’s mistress gets more than just an apartment when her lover tries to keep her in style; a rock-and-roll bass player finds out that second chances aren’t all they’re cracked up to be; something sinister lurks beneath the trappings of a travelling carnival.
Richly peopled with characters you might meet in the shop around the corner, yet haunted by glimpses of something entirely otherworldly, A Series of Ordinary Adventures will transport you from the streets and lanes of England to a place where imagination is only the beginning.
Magical realism mixes with subtle horror and heartfelt romance in a collection of stories that will captivate and transform you long after the final page.
Richly peopled with characters you might meet in the shop around the corner, yet haunted by glimpses of something entirely otherworldly, A Series of Ordinary Adventures will transport you from the streets and lanes of England to a place where imagination is only the beginning.
Magical realism mixes with subtle horror and heartfelt romance in a collection of stories that will captivate and transform you long after the final page.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2012
75 people want to read
About the author
Stevie Carroll
6 books26 followersBorn in Sheffield, England's Steel City, and raised in a village on the boundary of the White and Dark Peaks, Stevie Carroll was nourished by a diet of drama and science fiction from the BBC and ITV, and a diverse range of books, most notably Diane Wynne-Jones and The Women's Press, from the only library in the valley. After this came a university education in Scotland, while writing mostly non-fiction for underground bisexual publications under various aliases, before creativity was stifled by a decade of day-jobs.
Now based in Yorkshire, Stevie has rediscovered the joys of writing fiction, managing to combine thoughts of science fiction, fantasy and mysteries with a day-job in the pharmaceuticals industry and far too many voluntary posts working with young people, with animals and in local politics. Stevie's short story, 'The Monitors', in Noble Romance's 'Echoes of Possibilities', was longlisted by the 2010 Tiptree Awards jury. Other short stories have appeared in the anthologies 'British Flash' and 'Tea and Crumpet', while Stevie's first solo collection 'A Series of Ordinary Adventures' was published by Candlemark and Gleam in May 2012.
Now based in Yorkshire, Stevie has rediscovered the joys of writing fiction, managing to combine thoughts of science fiction, fantasy and mysteries with a day-job in the pharmaceuticals industry and far too many voluntary posts working with young people, with animals and in local politics. Stevie's short story, 'The Monitors', in Noble Romance's 'Echoes of Possibilities', was longlisted by the 2010 Tiptree Awards jury. Other short stories have appeared in the anthologies 'British Flash' and 'Tea and Crumpet', while Stevie's first solo collection 'A Series of Ordinary Adventures' was published by Candlemark and Gleam in May 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 28, 2012
The first story in this anthology I found to be disappointingly pointless. Fortunately, later stories improved.
"Hawks and Dragon" features a woman who, for no apparent reason, discovers she can transform herself into a time traveling hawk and then rescues a dragon. Honestly, it doesn't make a great deal of sense--things happen for no particular reason, she adapts to world-shattering information without a second thought or question for the implications, and there's no real character arc to speak of. Why hawks? Why dragons? Why care?
But after that first story, which nearly made me give up on the book, the rest drastically improve. For example, "The Woman Who Hatched a Fairy's Egg" is an incredibly sweet story about an artist trying to rebuild her life after it is destroyed by grief. "Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur" is not so different from some other stories I've recently read, but the protagonist and her new friend are sufficiently endearing and the humor has enough gentle warmth that I did not particularly care and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. "Seven For the Devil" is the stereotypical story of the musician who is offered a choice by the devil and discovers that the terms are far more horrific than he had initially realized. A lesser story would have ended on that awful irony. This one instead uses it as a jumping off point to explore how one copes with the consequences of such a decision.
The characters are for the most part decent and likable people, who are portrayed convincingly through small details. Many of them also happen to be some variety of queer, which is dealt with in a matter-of-fact way as backstory but not driving motivation. This character happens to be female and straight and a ghost, that one happens to be male and gay and terribly shy, a third is transexual and grieving for a partner and not entirely sure where she wants to go from here. While almost everyone is English, they're of varying ethnic backgrounds as well. And none of it's a big deal. It's nice, and something I'd love to see more of.
There's a lot of promise here, but several of the stories (most especially that first one) show a lack of discipline--short stories give you so little room to maneuver in, every detail has to count. And in many of these, the pacing is more like a novel, where there's time for minor digressions. But even in a novel, each description, each incident, each exchange needs to move forward either the plot or a character's arc. And these could do with a little more of that direction and tightness. But I look forward to seeing what else Carroll has to say.
"Hawks and Dragon" features a woman who, for no apparent reason, discovers she can transform herself into a time traveling hawk and then rescues a dragon. Honestly, it doesn't make a great deal of sense--things happen for no particular reason, she adapts to world-shattering information without a second thought or question for the implications, and there's no real character arc to speak of. Why hawks? Why dragons? Why care?
But after that first story, which nearly made me give up on the book, the rest drastically improve. For example, "The Woman Who Hatched a Fairy's Egg" is an incredibly sweet story about an artist trying to rebuild her life after it is destroyed by grief. "Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur" is not so different from some other stories I've recently read, but the protagonist and her new friend are sufficiently endearing and the humor has enough gentle warmth that I did not particularly care and thoroughly enjoyed the tale. "Seven For the Devil" is the stereotypical story of the musician who is offered a choice by the devil and discovers that the terms are far more horrific than he had initially realized. A lesser story would have ended on that awful irony. This one instead uses it as a jumping off point to explore how one copes with the consequences of such a decision.
The characters are for the most part decent and likable people, who are portrayed convincingly through small details. Many of them also happen to be some variety of queer, which is dealt with in a matter-of-fact way as backstory but not driving motivation. This character happens to be female and straight and a ghost, that one happens to be male and gay and terribly shy, a third is transexual and grieving for a partner and not entirely sure where she wants to go from here. While almost everyone is English, they're of varying ethnic backgrounds as well. And none of it's a big deal. It's nice, and something I'd love to see more of.
There's a lot of promise here, but several of the stories (most especially that first one) show a lack of discipline--short stories give you so little room to maneuver in, every detail has to count. And in many of these, the pacing is more like a novel, where there's time for minor digressions. But even in a novel, each description, each incident, each exchange needs to move forward either the plot or a character's arc. And these could do with a little more of that direction and tightness. But I look forward to seeing what else Carroll has to say.
May 9, 2012
They are the people you pass on the street, sit next to on the bus. They are the heroes of personal triumphs, victims of personal tragedy. This is a book of little things- small casts, snippets of lives- but the way Carroll writes them makes them so very grand. The fantastic is woven so adeptly into the mundane that you don’t even know it is there until you meet the Minotaur at the center of the Labyrinth, shatter a luck curse, hatch a fairy egg, or deal with the Devil at midnight.
It is that atmosphere that drew me in and kept me reading. Carroll’s deft hand at lending magical and frightening things a rather nonchalant air makes each story stand out from regular literary fantasy fare. Stories range from heart warming to horrifying, but whatever atmosphere Carroll is weaving, his adept web of words caught my attention and held me until the end.
There were a few stories that particularly got me as I was reading, either causing a rash of goose flesh to march up and down my arms or prompting me to seek out my cat for some impromptu (and probably unwelcome on the feline end of things) cuddling.
‘Breaking the Silence’ is about a close coterie of school boys who owe their successes in life to the bully they only half remember and an incident in a dusty attic of the school house. It is an absolutely, believably, horrifying piece. ‘The Woman Who Hatched A Fairy’s Egg’ may be my favorite in the collection. It is a story about self and belonging and confidence and love. And an egg found on the front step is the catalyst for it all. Simply a beautiful story. I am genuinely just very fond of ‘Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur’. It was well- written, fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Shady deals with the Devil are a staple of myth/folklore-based writing, and it was wonderful to see it represented in Carroll’s collection in ‘Seven For the Devil’. As usual, the deal does not go as planned for the mortals in the mix, and the protagonist scrambles to set things right. What set this story apart from others with the same theme is the protagonist- a genuinely likable person who makes human decisions- and the friend he continues to seek out, who happens to be a rocker-turned-preacher.
Grab a copy. Curl up somewhere comfortable. Enjoy your trip through familiar places turned strange in wonderful ways.
It is that atmosphere that drew me in and kept me reading. Carroll’s deft hand at lending magical and frightening things a rather nonchalant air makes each story stand out from regular literary fantasy fare. Stories range from heart warming to horrifying, but whatever atmosphere Carroll is weaving, his adept web of words caught my attention and held me until the end.
There were a few stories that particularly got me as I was reading, either causing a rash of goose flesh to march up and down my arms or prompting me to seek out my cat for some impromptu (and probably unwelcome on the feline end of things) cuddling.
‘Breaking the Silence’ is about a close coterie of school boys who owe their successes in life to the bully they only half remember and an incident in a dusty attic of the school house. It is an absolutely, believably, horrifying piece. ‘The Woman Who Hatched A Fairy’s Egg’ may be my favorite in the collection. It is a story about self and belonging and confidence and love. And an egg found on the front step is the catalyst for it all. Simply a beautiful story. I am genuinely just very fond of ‘Mr. Singh Confronts the Minotaur’. It was well- written, fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Shady deals with the Devil are a staple of myth/folklore-based writing, and it was wonderful to see it represented in Carroll’s collection in ‘Seven For the Devil’. As usual, the deal does not go as planned for the mortals in the mix, and the protagonist scrambles to set things right. What set this story apart from others with the same theme is the protagonist- a genuinely likable person who makes human decisions- and the friend he continues to seek out, who happens to be a rocker-turned-preacher.
Grab a copy. Curl up somewhere comfortable. Enjoy your trip through familiar places turned strange in wonderful ways.
May 18, 2012
I gave this book 4.5/5 stars on InsatiableBooksluts.com (A digital ARC was provided by Candlemark and Gleam.)
Review excerpt:
"Series could be called–and, I guess, will be called, as I’m calling it that right now–adult fairy tales. Not the Disneyesque idea of a fairy tale, where everyone is a princess, a prince, or a witch, and everything is wrapped up in the happily ever after; nor, I’d say, a story à la Brothers Grimm, dark and twisted and often tragic. Rather, these stories about ordinary people finding themselves in magical circumstances bring Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to mind. (Stevie Carroll, Lewis Carroll–happy coincidence?) The stories range from sweet to sinister, all teeming with jittery undercurrents; reading Series feels a bit like walking past a cemetery at the stroke of midnight. You hold your breath and listen to your heart pound; you giggle like a loon when you’ve made it just past.
The stories center around fantastic events woven seamlessly into the fabric of our reality: a temp worker battles a dragon; a lottery winner encounters a minotaur; a grieving woman hatches a mysterious creature. The stories are set mainly in England, in cozy villages and towns where people never seem to shop at mega-marts; modern technology, while not conspicuously absent, fades into the background. Carroll’s lovely characters and their peculiar circumstances come sharply into focus without the competition of hyperrealistic elements that might distract from the fantasy. We recognize their world as our own, but blurred just a tad. Just enough to let our imaginations follow Carroll down secret paths we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise."
Read the full review on our site.
Review excerpt:
"Series could be called–and, I guess, will be called, as I’m calling it that right now–adult fairy tales. Not the Disneyesque idea of a fairy tale, where everyone is a princess, a prince, or a witch, and everything is wrapped up in the happily ever after; nor, I’d say, a story à la Brothers Grimm, dark and twisted and often tragic. Rather, these stories about ordinary people finding themselves in magical circumstances bring Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to mind. (Stevie Carroll, Lewis Carroll–happy coincidence?) The stories range from sweet to sinister, all teeming with jittery undercurrents; reading Series feels a bit like walking past a cemetery at the stroke of midnight. You hold your breath and listen to your heart pound; you giggle like a loon when you’ve made it just past.
The stories center around fantastic events woven seamlessly into the fabric of our reality: a temp worker battles a dragon; a lottery winner encounters a minotaur; a grieving woman hatches a mysterious creature. The stories are set mainly in England, in cozy villages and towns where people never seem to shop at mega-marts; modern technology, while not conspicuously absent, fades into the background. Carroll’s lovely characters and their peculiar circumstances come sharply into focus without the competition of hyperrealistic elements that might distract from the fantasy. We recognize their world as our own, but blurred just a tad. Just enough to let our imaginations follow Carroll down secret paths we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise."
Read the full review on our site.
July 16, 2012
Probably the best book of short stories I’ve read in FOREVER. Honestly, I’d kind of given up on short fiction, cos it’s not really my bag usually. This, though? This was totally my thing. Yes, not every story was totally mindblowing, but there were only one or two that just didn’t click with me. The three I mentioned in the haiku were THE BEST. Highly recommended.
Originally posted (with a review haiku) here.
Originally posted (with a review haiku) here.
August 18, 2012
Great holiday reading. Mr Singh is my hero...
March 27, 2020
Loved the Woman Who Hatched A Fairy Egg, Seven for the Devil and The Footballer's Mistress.
January 27, 2013
The Synopsis is a hundred percent correct folks! This book holds a collection stories that seem mundane at first but soon you discover the eeriness behind their initial premise. It’s different, it’s weird, and it’s so much fun.
For me, Anthologies seldom come by, so the moment I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately snatched it up and to my surprise had a blast reading this.
Some points I would like to share:
1.Buy 1 get 7
I don’t know much about math…or money for that matter actually. But when you buy this one book, you get SEVEN stories – I don’t know but that seems like a hell of a deal. These are fantastic stories too with deep characters, mythical elements, and twisting plot lines. This is a really good deal [if that didn’t seem clear already]. Let me put it in terms that most women will understand: so when you go to DSW to get that super cute pair of pink pumps you wanted, a sales clerk hands you bag of 6 other new sexy pumps for free to take home and have as new pets. Kind of AMAZING!
2.Shake things up
Because of its anthological nature, this book is a definite and [for some of us] a much needed break from the mundane. At the rate that some of use read, it’s inevitable that we get into ruts. By ruts I mean those months where you feel like you have read the same exact story in like ten different books. My longest rut was after I finished Twilight [yes I admit it]. It seemed like everything I touched after reading Twilight somehow morphed into Forks and Bella’s dimwitted head. It was awful.
Let’s not get carried away, coming back to the review. This anthology adds the right break, twist, pizzazz to you normal reading tastes. It’s perfect for those who want to discover something new but don’t want to stray too far off from their preferred genres [not unlike the time we picked up that self-help book hoping to find our new selves …yes this option is much better].
This book is best read on the porch on a dull Tuesday [not that any of us have an exciting Tuesday] sipping coffee and eating pie. Like I said, it’s time to change things up with the types of books we read and this is a great start. You’ll never know what you are missing out on without taking a shot first.
Lastly, my sincere thank you to the Stevie Carroll and the folks at Netgalley for providing me with this copy to read and review!!!
This review among others are also hanging out at Rainbows and Books
Happy Change!
For me, Anthologies seldom come by, so the moment I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately snatched it up and to my surprise had a blast reading this.
Some points I would like to share:
1.Buy 1 get 7
I don’t know much about math…or money for that matter actually. But when you buy this one book, you get SEVEN stories – I don’t know but that seems like a hell of a deal. These are fantastic stories too with deep characters, mythical elements, and twisting plot lines. This is a really good deal [if that didn’t seem clear already]. Let me put it in terms that most women will understand: so when you go to DSW to get that super cute pair of pink pumps you wanted, a sales clerk hands you bag of 6 other new sexy pumps for free to take home and have as new pets. Kind of AMAZING!
2.Shake things up
Because of its anthological nature, this book is a definite and [for some of us] a much needed break from the mundane. At the rate that some of use read, it’s inevitable that we get into ruts. By ruts I mean those months where you feel like you have read the same exact story in like ten different books. My longest rut was after I finished Twilight [yes I admit it]. It seemed like everything I touched after reading Twilight somehow morphed into Forks and Bella’s dimwitted head. It was awful.
Let’s not get carried away, coming back to the review. This anthology adds the right break, twist, pizzazz to you normal reading tastes. It’s perfect for those who want to discover something new but don’t want to stray too far off from their preferred genres [not unlike the time we picked up that self-help book hoping to find our new selves …yes this option is much better].
This book is best read on the porch on a dull Tuesday [not that any of us have an exciting Tuesday] sipping coffee and eating pie. Like I said, it’s time to change things up with the types of books we read and this is a great start. You’ll never know what you are missing out on without taking a shot first.
Lastly, my sincere thank you to the Stevie Carroll and the folks at Netgalley for providing me with this copy to read and review!!!
This review among others are also hanging out at Rainbows and Books
Happy Change!
August 11, 2019
Great set of short stories, well worth multiple re-reads. Personal favourites are The Footballer's Mistress, and Mr Singh Confronts The Minotaur. Don't expect everything to be spelled out on the page for you: the tale is as much in what is left unsaid as it is in the words you read.
Top-class writing.
Top-class writing.
Read
March 28, 2013This is a collection of short stories that I just couldn't finish. I read the first two stories, and, honestly, I just gave up. I didn't much like the way they were written, but the subjects were quite interesting. Sorry I gave up on you, book. Maybe we'll meet again under different circumstances.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews