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Kara Gillian #5.5 (Blood and Sequins)
Glitter & Mayhem
Welcome to Glitter & Mayhem, the most glamorous party in the multiverse.
Step behind the velvet rope of these fabulous Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror tales of roller rinks, nightclubs, glam aliens, party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, and debauchery.
Dance through nightclubs, roller derby with cryptids and aliens, be seduced by otherworldly creatures, and ingest cocktails that will alter your existence forever. Your hosts are the Hugo Award-winning editors John Klima (Electric Velocipede) and Lynne M. Thomas (Apex Magazine), and the Hugo-nominated editor Michael Damian Thomas (Apex Magazine).
Join glittery authors Christopher Barzak (One for Sorrow) and Daryl Gregory (Pandemonium) on the dance floor, drink cocktails with Maria Dahvana Headley (Queen of Kings: A Novel of Cleopatra, the Vampire) and Tim Pratt (Marla Mason series), and skate with Seanan McGuire (InCryptid series), Diana Rowland (Kara Gillian series), and Maurice Broaddus (The Knights of Breton Court series). The fantastic Amber Benson gets the party started with her floor-rattling introduction (Calliope Reaper-Jones series).
We’re waiting.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Amber Benson
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt
Bess, the Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky
Step behind the velvet rope of these fabulous Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror tales of roller rinks, nightclubs, glam aliens, party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, and debauchery.
Dance through nightclubs, roller derby with cryptids and aliens, be seduced by otherworldly creatures, and ingest cocktails that will alter your existence forever. Your hosts are the Hugo Award-winning editors John Klima (Electric Velocipede) and Lynne M. Thomas (Apex Magazine), and the Hugo-nominated editor Michael Damian Thomas (Apex Magazine).
Join glittery authors Christopher Barzak (One for Sorrow) and Daryl Gregory (Pandemonium) on the dance floor, drink cocktails with Maria Dahvana Headley (Queen of Kings: A Novel of Cleopatra, the Vampire) and Tim Pratt (Marla Mason series), and skate with Seanan McGuire (InCryptid series), Diana Rowland (Kara Gillian series), and Maurice Broaddus (The Knights of Breton Court series). The fantastic Amber Benson gets the party started with her floor-rattling introduction (Calliope Reaper-Jones series).
We’re waiting.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Amber Benson
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt
Bess, the Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky
346 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
36 people are currently reading
1804 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 16, 2020
I am not quite there yet..meaning not done. My review is for just two of the stories, both of which I liked. But this features many stories and it maybe a book I read all the way through and may not be..right now I am picking the specific stories I like.
These are all short Urban Fantasy stories with the common theme being Disco, Nightclubs, Nightlife, Dancing, Neon lights, Bars etc..with lots of strange stuff featured. It is not a genre I usually read much in.
I remember many years ago, I saw a special series on..I THINK it twas VH1. It featured four "twilight zone" types of stories.
One was of these rock dudes who had an accident and unwittingly fell into hell. Hell. for them, was being turned into Disco boys with afros and being forced to dance all night to Bee Gees type music. Believe it or not..it was damn creepy.
This kind of reminded me of that. They really are not that much alike but it did make me think of that.
The first story seems to be a different take on the twelve dancing princesses and really sets the stage. It is narrated by one of the girls and tells the tale of this wild world where one only exists for the night scene and the clubs.
I would have loved to visit this imaginary world when I was younger..I was quite the night club goer. Those days are in my past though and I felt sort of nostalgic reading about these clubs.
It was cool that they mentioned some clubs I know of..including the notorias and long closed "Limelight". It was cool to read about I must say.
Bu t this book is six hour s long and I am not a fan enough of this Genre, which I am only just starting ti explore, to read six hours of it. Therefore I will read some more stories at my leisure. Story number two, I could see from the beginning, held no interest for me.
Will come back and update at some point. But it maybe awhile.
These are all short Urban Fantasy stories with the common theme being Disco, Nightclubs, Nightlife, Dancing, Neon lights, Bars etc..with lots of strange stuff featured. It is not a genre I usually read much in.
I remember many years ago, I saw a special series on..I THINK it twas VH1. It featured four "twilight zone" types of stories.
One was of these rock dudes who had an accident and unwittingly fell into hell. Hell. for them, was being turned into Disco boys with afros and being forced to dance all night to Bee Gees type music. Believe it or not..it was damn creepy.
This kind of reminded me of that. They really are not that much alike but it did make me think of that.
The first story seems to be a different take on the twelve dancing princesses and really sets the stage. It is narrated by one of the girls and tells the tale of this wild world where one only exists for the night scene and the clubs.
I would have loved to visit this imaginary world when I was younger..I was quite the night club goer. Those days are in my past though and I felt sort of nostalgic reading about these clubs.
It was cool that they mentioned some clubs I know of..including the notorias and long closed "Limelight". It was cool to read about I must say.
Bu t this book is six hour s long and I am not a fan enough of this Genre, which I am only just starting ti explore, to read six hours of it. Therefore I will read some more stories at my leisure. Story number two, I could see from the beginning, held no interest for me.
Will come back and update at some point. But it maybe awhile.
September 28, 2013
Requisite Humble-Is-For-Pies disclaimer: I have a story in this.
Further disclaimer: I was having a very, very, very bad day when I decided to immerse myself in this book, and reading it went a long way towards making me feel like something more than a smear on the pavement.
Furthest disclaimer: I know and love several of the people involved in the making of this book.
So! I loved it. I did not love every single story, but I liked almost all of them, really liked a significant number, and outright passionately adored about five. I read a fair number of anthologies and this high a hit rate is pretty unusual for me. The last time I liked an anthology this much was probably when reading Mike Allen's Clockwork Phoenix books.
My absolute favourites were David Schwartz' "Apex Jump," Cat Rambo's "Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane," Tim Pratt's "Revels in the Land of Ice," Maria Dahvana Headley's "Such & Such Said to So & So," and Sofia Samatar's "Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl," so I want to talk about them at some length.
Schwartz' story is like when a cocktail manages to be so perfectly balanced between fruity sweetness and boozy bitterness that it transcends mere mixing to become more than the sum of its parts. There's a pain at the core of it that's sublimated into this ecstatic, triumphant loveliness that left me happy, and given the aforementioned very very very bad day, it was welcome and refreshing and lovely, to the point where even just thinking about it makes me smile.
Both Rambo's and Pratt's had such finely sketched characters, relationships, realizations, and dexterity in putting those elements into play with each other that I was left completely satisfied. They rock the 6K word short story form in ways that just delight me. The last line of Pratt's in particular was wonderful, and I say this as someone who spent the first half of the last decade overindulging in fairy-inspired-artist narratives.
I loved Headley and Samatar's best because in an anthology that had a large number of urban fantasy / mythic fiction offerings (including my own), theirs did things with form and voice that were very different, very textured, and more experiential than narrative in ways I adored.
I thought it was also overall a very well-curated anthology, and one that hit all my synaesthetic buttons in the right way. I've seen reviews where people describe feeling the partying to be a bit same-y, but my experience was that the anthology's stories are more light-through-prism than light reflecting off a disco-ball: the authors take the theme and direct their stories through it such that the result is a riot of colour. And also sound -- I want very much to see or make a playlist that includes every song mentioned or alluded to in the collection, because it is thick with music.
Further disclaimer: I was having a very, very, very bad day when I decided to immerse myself in this book, and reading it went a long way towards making me feel like something more than a smear on the pavement.
Furthest disclaimer: I know and love several of the people involved in the making of this book.
So! I loved it. I did not love every single story, but I liked almost all of them, really liked a significant number, and outright passionately adored about five. I read a fair number of anthologies and this high a hit rate is pretty unusual for me. The last time I liked an anthology this much was probably when reading Mike Allen's Clockwork Phoenix books.
My absolute favourites were David Schwartz' "Apex Jump," Cat Rambo's "Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane," Tim Pratt's "Revels in the Land of Ice," Maria Dahvana Headley's "Such & Such Said to So & So," and Sofia Samatar's "Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl," so I want to talk about them at some length.
Schwartz' story is like when a cocktail manages to be so perfectly balanced between fruity sweetness and boozy bitterness that it transcends mere mixing to become more than the sum of its parts. There's a pain at the core of it that's sublimated into this ecstatic, triumphant loveliness that left me happy, and given the aforementioned very very very bad day, it was welcome and refreshing and lovely, to the point where even just thinking about it makes me smile.
Both Rambo's and Pratt's had such finely sketched characters, relationships, realizations, and dexterity in putting those elements into play with each other that I was left completely satisfied. They rock the 6K word short story form in ways that just delight me. The last line of Pratt's in particular was wonderful, and I say this as someone who spent the first half of the last decade overindulging in fairy-inspired-artist narratives.
I loved Headley and Samatar's best because in an anthology that had a large number of urban fantasy / mythic fiction offerings (including my own), theirs did things with form and voice that were very different, very textured, and more experiential than narrative in ways I adored.
I thought it was also overall a very well-curated anthology, and one that hit all my synaesthetic buttons in the right way. I've seen reviews where people describe feeling the partying to be a bit same-y, but my experience was that the anthology's stories are more light-through-prism than light reflecting off a disco-ball: the authors take the theme and direct their stories through it such that the result is a riot of colour. And also sound -- I want very much to see or make a playlist that includes every song mentioned or alluded to in the collection, because it is thick with music.
July 5, 2021
This is a better than average anthology of original short fiction of a fantasy/science fiction nature with the unusual linking themes of disco, roller skating and derby, glitz and glam, glitter and mayhem that seems rooted in the last part of the previous century. None of the stories stuck out as being really bad, and several struck me as quite memorable. I liked the infusion of myth and fairy tale in the story by Christopher Barzak, the Bowie in the one by Daryl Gregory, the communication conceit in the story by Amal El-Mohtar, the spirit in the one by David J. Schwartz, the spirits in the story by Sofia Samatar, the snark in the one by Rachel Swirsky, and, especially, the psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop in the story by Maurice Broadus and Kyle S. Johnson, which also wins for best title, The Electric Spanking of the War Babies. There were two stories that fit with series I've read, one set in the White Trash Zombie universe of Diana Rowland, and my favorite in the book, an Antimony Price roller derby novel in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series. Though the disco/clubbing era was at its height a decade or so after my heyday (which involved stadiums and coliseums and classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and Yes and damn, but that was a fine decade!), I enjoyed these angsty little forays into the chaotic world of the mirror balls and screaming skates.
January 2, 2017
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire
I only read Antimony's short in this anthology so the rating is only for that. I plan to come back and check out the other stories over time.
Antimony is a character that I'm intrigued with. I admit that I'm not in love with all the roller derby stuff but I do like how there's enough there to give me the picture on what is going on and not quite too much there to make me overly bored.
As I already love the other two Price children (in this generation), I was glad to see that Antimony is on her way to becoming a favorite of mine as well. This is a fun story that shows how shes able to adapt, and problem solve. I find it a little interesting that her parents seem to be the most protective of her, versus Verity or Alex. But I think it's also partially because of how competitive and damn good Antimony is. I like that this is probably going to be something that's going to have to be figured out.
Fun story and I can't wait to read more about Antimony in the future.
I only read Antimony's short in this anthology so the rating is only for that. I plan to come back and check out the other stories over time.
Antimony is a character that I'm intrigued with. I admit that I'm not in love with all the roller derby stuff but I do like how there's enough there to give me the picture on what is going on and not quite too much there to make me overly bored.
As I already love the other two Price children (in this generation), I was glad to see that Antimony is on her way to becoming a favorite of mine as well. This is a fun story that shows how shes able to adapt, and problem solve. I find it a little interesting that her parents seem to be the most protective of her, versus Verity or Alex. But I think it's also partially because of how competitive and damn good Antimony is. I like that this is probably going to be something that's going to have to be figured out.
Fun story and I can't wait to read more about Antimony in the future.
October 7, 2013
Anthologies are like eating mystery cake. Yummy chocolate with random add ins like caramel, butterscotch, raspberry, shrimp, feet, durian, pate, caviar, or okra. Some go well, some don't, and some just don't work in this combination.
December 16, 2013
Glitter and Mayhem may only exist as an excuse to throw a glow-in-the-dark roller skating book release party at Worldcon—I am not exaggerating; that is literally how this anthology came about—but it does present a diverse collection of short stories about parties, roller derby, debauchery, glam aliens, sex, drugs, and so on. What's impressive is that the general "party" theme, however prevalent, doesn't feel repetitive, thanks to the authors' different takes and levels of adherence. Some stories revolve entirely around a thematic element, and others have one party scene and call it a day.
Favorite stories include David J. Schwartz's "Apex Jump" (alien roller derby), Jennifer Pelland's "Star Dancer" (alien belly dancer, very amusing), Cory Skerry's "Sooner Than Gold" (a thief following instructions from a magic book, very interesting concept), William Shunn & Laura Chavoen's "Subterraneans" (two women become hooked on some unusual pills), Tansy Rayner Roberts's "The Minotaur Girls" (evil roller skating club), Alan DeNiro's "Unable to Reach You" (fantastic hook, though resolution is a bit weird), Tim Pratt's "Revels in the Land of Ice" (interdimensional breach), Diana Rowland's "Blood and Sequins" (cops at a costume party get more than they bargained for), Seanan McGuire's "Bad Dream Girl" (reason I bought the anthology, fairly straightforward roller derby story that introduces Antimony Price), Amal El-Mohtar's "A Hollow Play" (Glaswegian cabaret, lovely tale of friendship and loss), and Rachel Swirsky's "All That Fairy Tale Crap" (no-holds-barred metafictional assault on princesses). Some of the others were either okay or too esoteric for me, requiring a bit more work than I was willing to give them.
Overall, though, I admired every story's sensory detail, the vibrant language that evoked colors and sounds of revelry. I also appreciated the number of queer and trans characters. The anthology may have been created on a whim, but it inspired many stories worth reading.
Favorite stories include David J. Schwartz's "Apex Jump" (alien roller derby), Jennifer Pelland's "Star Dancer" (alien belly dancer, very amusing), Cory Skerry's "Sooner Than Gold" (a thief following instructions from a magic book, very interesting concept), William Shunn & Laura Chavoen's "Subterraneans" (two women become hooked on some unusual pills), Tansy Rayner Roberts's "The Minotaur Girls" (evil roller skating club), Alan DeNiro's "Unable to Reach You" (fantastic hook, though resolution is a bit weird), Tim Pratt's "Revels in the Land of Ice" (interdimensional breach), Diana Rowland's "Blood and Sequins" (cops at a costume party get more than they bargained for), Seanan McGuire's "Bad Dream Girl" (reason I bought the anthology, fairly straightforward roller derby story that introduces Antimony Price), Amal El-Mohtar's "A Hollow Play" (Glaswegian cabaret, lovely tale of friendship and loss), and Rachel Swirsky's "All That Fairy Tale Crap" (no-holds-barred metafictional assault on princesses). Some of the others were either okay or too esoteric for me, requiring a bit more work than I was willing to give them.
Overall, though, I admired every story's sensory detail, the vibrant language that evoked colors and sounds of revelry. I also appreciated the number of queer and trans characters. The anthology may have been created on a whim, but it inspired many stories worth reading.
May 16, 2014
A fantasy anthology with a lot of references to parties and roller skating.
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster - Christopher Barzak
I liked this one. It's about 12 princes that escape through the floor of their castle to a hub realm from which they can go to dance parties in every imaginable time and dimension. One of them stays.
Apex Jump - David Schwartz
A very entertaining story about a roller derby team that gets recruited to an intergalactic bout many light years away.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell - Kat Howard
A strange story about a character who dreams death into being. She works in a club in hell.
Star Dancer - Jennifer Pelland
A story about a lesbian in a small town who unknowingly takes an alien lover who lives in a roller rink. Eventually the human becomes a "man in black", evicting illegal aliens.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane - Cat Rambo
I liked this one. It was about a closeted gay man and is best friend Anna. He introduces her to the local gay bar, where she gets a job and also ends up discovering that magic is real.
Sooner Than Gold - Cory Skerry
This is a story about a cross-dressing thief. (Transgender? I don't recall for sure.) who is also a magically linked to a bad guy who tortures him if he does not steal specific items. On assignment, he runs into a dog shifter woman, and she ends up helping free him.
Subterraneans - William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
This is a story about a couple bored 20-something women who go to a club where they take magical drugs that allow them to inhabit other people's bodies. Eventually, there's violence and a great ending.
The Minotaur Girls - Tansy Rayner Roberts
An Australian story about teens who want into a hot roller rink called the Minotaur. Once in, they discover the place is magical in the worst way.
Unable to Reach You - Alan DeNiro
I didn't like this one. It's psychedelic and blurs the lines between fantasy and delusion. A man runs a website for reporting illegal phone solicitation, then becomes the target of a smear campaign on his own site. Eventually he's either visited by magic or has a psychotic break, like his mother did.
Such & Such Said to So & So - Maria Dahvana Headley
I disliked this one so much, I skipped it. Something about cops and a bar.
Revels in the Land of Ice - Tim Pratt
This is the story of a friendship after a May-December romance. The December man is actually quite old because he spent some time in Fairie. A rift in dimensions is due soon, and he wants May to experience it.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl-
Sofia Samatar
This is the story of two undead women who act like party-girl socialites.
Blood and Sequins - Diana Rowland
LOVED this one, but I love this whole series. Boudreaux and Pellini, two not-so-great cops in the Kara Gillian series, have a hobby: competitive costume design for Mardi Gras. They are at a high-end contest when they make the bust of their lives and ALMOST get to have sex with a beautiful butterfly-body-painted woman. Then weird stuff happens involving secret government employees with superpowers of some sort.
Two-Minute Warning - Vylar Kaftan
Didn't like this one much. It's about people living inside videogames.
Inside Hides the Monster - Damien Walters Grintalis
This is the story of a dying, desperate siren. (Cursed with the need to enslave any who hear her song. She can only be free of those people when they die.) She goes to a nightclub to learn modern song so that she can lure someone to be her food, but it backfires and ends badly for her.
Bad Dream Girl - Seanan McGuire
Antimony Price is drawn into a roller derby mystery. Girls are randomly losing consciousness while in a bout, and the cause is supernatural. Someone's going to die if she doesn't figure out what creature is causing the trouble.
A Hollow Play - Amal El-Mohtar
A story of a sad, lonely gay woman from Canada living in the UK and trying to make friends. She ends up making a sacrifice for a supernatural creature she hardly knows.
Just Another Future Song- Daryl Gregory
A very trippy tale about David Bowie (I think, not certain) having his mind uploaded and corrupted in a virtual reality where people go after death. He fights back to regain his mental faculties.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies - Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
Hated this one. It's about a guy who loves roller skating. Sort of a funkadellic story set in the 70s ghetto.
All That Fairy Tale Crap - Rachel Swirsky
A twisted, dirty, funny, crude reinterpretation of the Cinderella story.
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster - Christopher Barzak
I liked this one. It's about 12 princes that escape through the floor of their castle to a hub realm from which they can go to dance parties in every imaginable time and dimension. One of them stays.
Apex Jump - David Schwartz
A very entertaining story about a roller derby team that gets recruited to an intergalactic bout many light years away.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell - Kat Howard
A strange story about a character who dreams death into being. She works in a club in hell.
Star Dancer - Jennifer Pelland
A story about a lesbian in a small town who unknowingly takes an alien lover who lives in a roller rink. Eventually the human becomes a "man in black", evicting illegal aliens.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane - Cat Rambo
I liked this one. It was about a closeted gay man and is best friend Anna. He introduces her to the local gay bar, where she gets a job and also ends up discovering that magic is real.
Sooner Than Gold - Cory Skerry
This is a story about a cross-dressing thief. (Transgender? I don't recall for sure.) who is also a magically linked to a bad guy who tortures him if he does not steal specific items. On assignment, he runs into a dog shifter woman, and she ends up helping free him.
Subterraneans - William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
This is a story about a couple bored 20-something women who go to a club where they take magical drugs that allow them to inhabit other people's bodies. Eventually, there's violence and a great ending.
The Minotaur Girls - Tansy Rayner Roberts
An Australian story about teens who want into a hot roller rink called the Minotaur. Once in, they discover the place is magical in the worst way.
Unable to Reach You - Alan DeNiro
I didn't like this one. It's psychedelic and blurs the lines between fantasy and delusion. A man runs a website for reporting illegal phone solicitation, then becomes the target of a smear campaign on his own site. Eventually he's either visited by magic or has a psychotic break, like his mother did.
Such & Such Said to So & So - Maria Dahvana Headley
I disliked this one so much, I skipped it. Something about cops and a bar.
Revels in the Land of Ice - Tim Pratt
This is the story of a friendship after a May-December romance. The December man is actually quite old because he spent some time in Fairie. A rift in dimensions is due soon, and he wants May to experience it.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl-
Sofia Samatar
This is the story of two undead women who act like party-girl socialites.
Blood and Sequins - Diana Rowland
LOVED this one, but I love this whole series. Boudreaux and Pellini, two not-so-great cops in the Kara Gillian series, have a hobby: competitive costume design for Mardi Gras. They are at a high-end contest when they make the bust of their lives and ALMOST get to have sex with a beautiful butterfly-body-painted woman. Then weird stuff happens involving secret government employees with superpowers of some sort.
Two-Minute Warning - Vylar Kaftan
Didn't like this one much. It's about people living inside videogames.
Inside Hides the Monster - Damien Walters Grintalis
This is the story of a dying, desperate siren. (Cursed with the need to enslave any who hear her song. She can only be free of those people when they die.) She goes to a nightclub to learn modern song so that she can lure someone to be her food, but it backfires and ends badly for her.
Bad Dream Girl - Seanan McGuire
Antimony Price is drawn into a roller derby mystery. Girls are randomly losing consciousness while in a bout, and the cause is supernatural. Someone's going to die if she doesn't figure out what creature is causing the trouble.
A Hollow Play - Amal El-Mohtar
A story of a sad, lonely gay woman from Canada living in the UK and trying to make friends. She ends up making a sacrifice for a supernatural creature she hardly knows.
Just Another Future Song- Daryl Gregory
A very trippy tale about David Bowie (I think, not certain) having his mind uploaded and corrupted in a virtual reality where people go after death. He fights back to regain his mental faculties.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies - Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
Hated this one. It's about a guy who loves roller skating. Sort of a funkadellic story set in the 70s ghetto.
All That Fairy Tale Crap - Rachel Swirsky
A twisted, dirty, funny, crude reinterpretation of the Cinderella story.
March 17, 2013
This novella is going to be published this summer in the anthology Glitter and Mayhem - I got an early copy of it as my thank you swag for helping back the anthology on Kickstarter, and I think it's the nicest Kickstarter perk I've had yet! Set in the same InCryptid universe as Discount Armageddon this story stars Verity's little sister Antimony, she of the pit trap fame, as she investigates mysterious goings on in her roller derby league. I've only been to roller derby once, and I spent my first few hours there utterly mystified by the rules (I was there for five hours, roller derby matches are LONG) and though I did learn the rules in the end I appreciated the fact that McGuire doesn't get all bogged down in them. The heart of roller derby is in the weaving, the slamming and the full body contact mayhem and I think she gets that over pretty well! I loved meeting Antimony properly, I love the whole hearted gusto she brings to everything she does. Hopefully Antimony will get a novel of her own someday soon.
November 18, 2017
I received a free copy of this book in return for a review, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Little cinder girls, we're raised in fire.
Either you melt and become the simpering thing you're supposed to.
Or else you temper into something calloused and unbreakable.
The book started off well, as the first couple of stories are two of my favourites. "Apex Jump" is a science fiction story about a roller derby team that gets invited to play a very unusual away match, while "Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster" is a fantasy based on the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with the princesses dancing the night away in famous night clubs from various places and times that can all be accessed from the underground palace they visit at night.
When I read themed short story collections like this one I like to read one or two stories at a time, which makes them perfect for reading while commuting by train. I was never a regular clubber and know nothing about roller derby, but I would have rated some of the stories as 5 stars for enjoyment if I had been rating them individually.
I had heard "A Hollow Play" read on a podcast, but the rest were all new to me. There was enough variety that I wasn't in danger of overdosing on night clubs and skating rinks, and plenty of references to faerie, folk tales and mythology to keep me happy. Apart from the first two stiries in the book, I especially enjoyed "Revels in the Land of Ice" and "Blood and Sequins".
Little cinder girls, we're raised in fire.
Either you melt and become the simpering thing you're supposed to.
Or else you temper into something calloused and unbreakable.
The book started off well, as the first couple of stories are two of my favourites. "Apex Jump" is a science fiction story about a roller derby team that gets invited to play a very unusual away match, while "Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster" is a fantasy based on the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with the princesses dancing the night away in famous night clubs from various places and times that can all be accessed from the underground palace they visit at night.
When I read themed short story collections like this one I like to read one or two stories at a time, which makes them perfect for reading while commuting by train. I was never a regular clubber and know nothing about roller derby, but I would have rated some of the stories as 5 stars for enjoyment if I had been rating them individually.
I had heard "A Hollow Play" read on a podcast, but the rest were all new to me. There was enough variety that I wasn't in danger of overdosing on night clubs and skating rinks, and plenty of references to faerie, folk tales and mythology to keep me happy. Apart from the first two stiries in the book, I especially enjoyed "Revels in the Land of Ice" and "Blood and Sequins".
May 2, 2017
I only bought this for Seanan Mcguire's contribution but I read it all and for the most part I loved it! It has introduced me to some new authors whose work I will be checking out in the future.
Individual ratings are as follows:
Sister Twelve... by Christopher Barzak -5/5 stars FAVOURITE
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz - 4/5 stars
With her hundred miles to hell by Kat Howard - 2/5 stars
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland - 3.5/5 stars
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo - 4/5 stars
Sooner than Gold by Cory Skerry - 1/5 stars
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen - 4/5 stars
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4/5 stars
Unable to reach you by Alan DeNiro - 3/5 stars
Such & Such said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley - 1/5 stars
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt - 3/5 stars
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter...by Sofia Samatar - 2/5 stars
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland - 4/5 stars
Two-minute warning by Vylar Kaftan - 3.5/5 stars
Inside hides the monster by Damien Walters Grintalis - 4/5 stars
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire - 5/5 stars FAVOURITE
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar - 1/5 stars
Just another future song by Daryl Gregory - 2/5 stars
The electric spanking...by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson - 2/5 stars
All that fairy tale crap by Rachel Swirsky - 5/5 stars FAVOURITE
Individual ratings are as follows:
Sister Twelve... by Christopher Barzak -5/5 stars FAVOURITE
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz - 4/5 stars
With her hundred miles to hell by Kat Howard - 2/5 stars
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland - 3.5/5 stars
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo - 4/5 stars
Sooner than Gold by Cory Skerry - 1/5 stars
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen - 4/5 stars
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4/5 stars
Unable to reach you by Alan DeNiro - 3/5 stars
Such & Such said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley - 1/5 stars
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt - 3/5 stars
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter...by Sofia Samatar - 2/5 stars
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland - 4/5 stars
Two-minute warning by Vylar Kaftan - 3.5/5 stars
Inside hides the monster by Damien Walters Grintalis - 4/5 stars
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire - 5/5 stars FAVOURITE
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar - 1/5 stars
Just another future song by Daryl Gregory - 2/5 stars
The electric spanking...by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson - 2/5 stars
All that fairy tale crap by Rachel Swirsky - 5/5 stars FAVOURITE
February 24, 2018
Skates on. Ante up.
Myths, legends, 90s industrial music and roller derby. This book has a lot going on all at once. And so much of it makes you ruminate on the clubs of your own misspent youth*. At the same time, this anthology is what you always wished those clubs would be: secret fantastic portals where you really were the hero of a dark fantasy epic that made all that time spent picking out your outfit suddenly worth it.
All anthologies are mixed bags, but what impressed me here was that the stories that were good were really, really good. Beyond good enough for me to forgive the ones that weren't.
Those stories themselves, in order:
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster: 4 stars. Clever, trippy and nostalgic. Even when it heads in an obvious direction, it's still fun and satisfying.
Apex Jump: 5 stars, one of my favorites in the collection. And I don't even like roller derby that much.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell: 4 stars. A leetle predictable, but enjoyable (and puzzling!) nonetheless. tw: animal harm.
Star Dancer 4 stars. Strange and fun, with unexpected developments and Alien Sex Fiend.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls and Anna Plane 3 stars. Once the action gets going it's good, but it took a hot minute and besides, the narrator's an uninteresting jerk.
Sooner Than Gold: 3 stars; would've been 5 but OY THAT ENDING. NO.
Subterraneans: 5 stars, tied for my favorite story in the book. Unique and unsettling and harsh and just so much early twenties, y'all.
The Minotaur Girls: 4 stars. A spectacular re-imagining of the traditional minotaur myth that gets super weird right at the end. I need to re-read this and see if I understand it yet.
Unable to Reach You: Um, 1 star. The best I can say is that MFA programs have a lot to answer for.
Such and Such Said to So & So: 2 stars. A pun that goes on far too long.
Revels in the Land of Ice: 2 stars, but very very Berkeley.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes For Drinks With the Green Girl: 5 stars, loved it, need more ghost girls everywhere immediately.
Blood and Sequins: 2 stars. There does come a point at which you can be too cryptic and it's frustrating to read. Plus I didn't buy the protagonists for a hot second.
Two-Minute Warning: ...good? I think? Could have used more dancing, and I didn't personally love it as much as some of the other stories, but it's original and clever.
Inside Hides the Monster: 5 stars and I loved it. I loved the setup and the music references and holy hell was I impressed by the ending.
Bad Dream Girl: 5 stars and my other favorite in the collection. I'd never read any Seanan McGuire before and I mentioned I'm not a huge roller derby fan, right? But this roller derby story is AMAZING. I just stopped and reread it while writing this review. The team and world is just so fully realized, snarky and fun.
A Hollow Play: 4 stars. Four tiny, beautiful melancholy stars for this amazing story about how clubs are really just a search for belonging and connection.
Just Another Future Song: 1 star. The only story in the book I legitimately could not finish.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies 3 stars but loved it for all the references to classic soul.
All That Fairy Tale Crap 2 stars. You can go for shock value as an author, and go for grunge, but not everyone's going to love that and that's me. I also didn't see where the author was trying to go with this story; it was almost like a grimy inversion of the very first story in the collection, but it just didn't work for me.
Anyway.
One thing that is solidly good about this collection is that it's positively dripping with music. Obvious, mainstream stuff like Prince, Sister Sledge, Duran Duran and Soft Cell, and as well as dark industrial stuff like Legendary Pink Dots, Front 242 and Vicious Pink, all the way through to all the soul references in "War Babies".
Plus so much Bowie that wherever the Thin White Duke went when he shed this planet, I'm fairly sure he's got a copy of this book in his travel bag.
So to that end, here's a short Spotify playlist from when the book first came out, and then, because I noticed it was missing a bunch of songs and I don't Spotify, I made this more exhaustive YouTube playlist by combing back through the book, story by story, looking for all the references. It's as complete as I could make it, and in the approximate order the songs appear in the book. Real life is for other people.
*For me that was Midtown Barfly (née Club Reverence) and Club Séance in Sacramento (trust me, it takes real commitment to do goth in the desert), the Orpheum in SF (so much vomit) and Bar Sinister in LA, where the two people least capable of navigating Los Angeles had to find a mystery donut shop and apartment complex at 1am. The me that was there is the me that loved so much about this book.
Myths, legends, 90s industrial music and roller derby. This book has a lot going on all at once. And so much of it makes you ruminate on the clubs of your own misspent youth*. At the same time, this anthology is what you always wished those clubs would be: secret fantastic portals where you really were the hero of a dark fantasy epic that made all that time spent picking out your outfit suddenly worth it.
All anthologies are mixed bags, but what impressed me here was that the stories that were good were really, really good. Beyond good enough for me to forgive the ones that weren't.
Those stories themselves, in order:
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster: 4 stars. Clever, trippy and nostalgic. Even when it heads in an obvious direction, it's still fun and satisfying.
Apex Jump: 5 stars, one of my favorites in the collection. And I don't even like roller derby that much.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell: 4 stars. A leetle predictable, but enjoyable (and puzzling!) nonetheless. tw: animal harm.
Star Dancer 4 stars. Strange and fun, with unexpected developments and Alien Sex Fiend.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls and Anna Plane 3 stars. Once the action gets going it's good, but it took a hot minute and besides, the narrator's an uninteresting jerk.
Sooner Than Gold: 3 stars; would've been 5 but OY THAT ENDING. NO.
Subterraneans: 5 stars, tied for my favorite story in the book. Unique and unsettling and harsh and just so much early twenties, y'all.
The Minotaur Girls: 4 stars. A spectacular re-imagining of the traditional minotaur myth that gets super weird right at the end. I need to re-read this and see if I understand it yet.
Unable to Reach You: Um, 1 star. The best I can say is that MFA programs have a lot to answer for.
Such and Such Said to So & So: 2 stars. A pun that goes on far too long.
Revels in the Land of Ice: 2 stars, but very very Berkeley.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes For Drinks With the Green Girl: 5 stars, loved it, need more ghost girls everywhere immediately.
Blood and Sequins: 2 stars. There does come a point at which you can be too cryptic and it's frustrating to read. Plus I didn't buy the protagonists for a hot second.
Two-Minute Warning: ...good? I think? Could have used more dancing, and I didn't personally love it as much as some of the other stories, but it's original and clever.
Inside Hides the Monster: 5 stars and I loved it. I loved the setup and the music references and holy hell was I impressed by the ending.
Bad Dream Girl: 5 stars and my other favorite in the collection. I'd never read any Seanan McGuire before and I mentioned I'm not a huge roller derby fan, right? But this roller derby story is AMAZING. I just stopped and reread it while writing this review. The team and world is just so fully realized, snarky and fun.
A Hollow Play: 4 stars. Four tiny, beautiful melancholy stars for this amazing story about how clubs are really just a search for belonging and connection.
Just Another Future Song: 1 star. The only story in the book I legitimately could not finish.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies 3 stars but loved it for all the references to classic soul.
All That Fairy Tale Crap 2 stars. You can go for shock value as an author, and go for grunge, but not everyone's going to love that and that's me. I also didn't see where the author was trying to go with this story; it was almost like a grimy inversion of the very first story in the collection, but it just didn't work for me.
Anyway.
One thing that is solidly good about this collection is that it's positively dripping with music. Obvious, mainstream stuff like Prince, Sister Sledge, Duran Duran and Soft Cell, and as well as dark industrial stuff like Legendary Pink Dots, Front 242 and Vicious Pink, all the way through to all the soul references in "War Babies".
Plus so much Bowie that wherever the Thin White Duke went when he shed this planet, I'm fairly sure he's got a copy of this book in his travel bag.
So to that end, here's a short Spotify playlist from when the book first came out, and then, because I noticed it was missing a bunch of songs and I don't Spotify, I made this more exhaustive YouTube playlist by combing back through the book, story by story, looking for all the references. It's as complete as I could make it, and in the approximate order the songs appear in the book. Real life is for other people.
*For me that was Midtown Barfly (née Club Reverence) and Club Séance in Sacramento (trust me, it takes real commitment to do goth in the desert), the Orpheum in SF (so much vomit) and Bar Sinister in LA, where the two people least capable of navigating Los Angeles had to find a mystery donut shop and apartment complex at 1am. The me that was there is the me that loved so much about this book.
December 15, 2024
I picked this up specifically for Bad Dream Girl but decided to read all 20 stories.
Combined Rating: 3.48 (Rounded down to 3)
This anthology was an exercise in mood-reading for me. There were days when I was excited to read the next story and others when I felt dragged -kicking and screaming.
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak ~ 3 Stars ~ This story is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses with a modern twist. It was okay.
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz ~ 5 Stars ~ A fun, feel-good, roller-derby story.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard ~ 2 Stars ~ While I recognized many of the mythological beings, the point of the story eluded me.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Amusing, but I couldn't give full points to anyone who disliked Duran Duran in the 80s.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo ~ 2.5 Stars ~ Good potential, terribly anticlimatic ending. Like, what was the point?
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry~ 3 Stars ~ This had outstanding potential if only it had an ending.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen ~ 4 Stars ~ More bitter than sweet but entertaining.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts ~ 4 Stars ~ Interesting concept and story. I'd be curious enough to read more.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Creepy. Interesting. Nonsensical. Trippy.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley ~ 3 Stars ~ Well, that was some unique story telling. Initially, it was slightly confusing but made more sense by the end.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Okay. Interesting.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar ~ 2 Stars ~ What!?! I mean, it started okay. The twist was interesting, but the end made absolutely no sense.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland ~ 5 Stars ~ Interesting and exciting. I wish we learned more.
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan~ 4.5 Stars ~ Interesting. Another story I wish we could explore.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis ~ 4 Stars ~ An interesting twist when predator becomes prey.
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire ~ 5 Stars ~ This was a good story; tamer than I would expect due to the circumstances, but good. I hope we learn more about Annie's teammates in upcoming stories.
The Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar ~ 4.5 Stars ~ Nice. There's not much to say other than it was both interesting and enjoyable.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Well, that was odd. A mix of horrific and amusing. I think the main character has dementia, but I'm not 100% sure.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson ~ 3 Stars ~ I have no idea what I just read. They kinda lost me after Afronaught. Just don't be Bereft of Goove.
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky ~ 1 Star ~ DNF'd Neither cute, clever, nor funny. Just crude.
Combined Rating: 3.48 (Rounded down to 3)
This anthology was an exercise in mood-reading for me. There were days when I was excited to read the next story and others when I felt dragged -kicking and screaming.
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak ~ 3 Stars ~ This story is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses with a modern twist. It was okay.
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz ~ 5 Stars ~ A fun, feel-good, roller-derby story.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard ~ 2 Stars ~ While I recognized many of the mythological beings, the point of the story eluded me.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Amusing, but I couldn't give full points to anyone who disliked Duran Duran in the 80s.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo ~ 2.5 Stars ~ Good potential, terribly anticlimatic ending. Like, what was the point?
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry~ 3 Stars ~ This had outstanding potential if only it had an ending.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen ~ 4 Stars ~ More bitter than sweet but entertaining.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts ~ 4 Stars ~ Interesting concept and story. I'd be curious enough to read more.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Creepy. Interesting. Nonsensical. Trippy.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley ~ 3 Stars ~ Well, that was some unique story telling. Initially, it was slightly confusing but made more sense by the end.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Okay. Interesting.
Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar ~ 2 Stars ~ What!?! I mean, it started okay. The twist was interesting, but the end made absolutely no sense.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland ~ 5 Stars ~ Interesting and exciting. I wish we learned more.
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan~ 4.5 Stars ~ Interesting. Another story I wish we could explore.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis ~ 4 Stars ~ An interesting twist when predator becomes prey.
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire ~ 5 Stars ~ This was a good story; tamer than I would expect due to the circumstances, but good. I hope we learn more about Annie's teammates in upcoming stories.
The Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar ~ 4.5 Stars ~ Nice. There's not much to say other than it was both interesting and enjoyable.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Well, that was odd. A mix of horrific and amusing. I think the main character has dementia, but I'm not 100% sure.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson ~ 3 Stars ~ I have no idea what I just read. They kinda lost me after Afronaught. Just don't be Bereft of Goove.
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky ~ 1 Star ~ DNF'd Neither cute, clever, nor funny. Just crude.
October 24, 2013
I can’t really top Amber Benson’s introduction to the anthology, Glitter & Mayhem, edited by John Klima, Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas. She’s pretty much got all the eye-popping, funkadelic, trippy feel to each and every one of these stories down to the very bones. All I can really do is give you a repeat. These stories bend, twist, break just about every stereotype there is – gender bending, race bending, species bending, mind bending. It’s all in here. Between roller derby, roller skating, and disco balling, I began to wonder if I was back in the ‘70s on the planet Neptune. I really felt like I needed to dust off my groove thang’. So with that said, let’s take a look at all the kickin’ stories:
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak
What a great intro to this anthology! Disco dancing, amazing twist on the fairy tale story of twelve sister princess who secretly sneak out of the palace at night to go…where? And do what? And how does it happen? Loved this story.
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz
This was such a fun spacey roller derby story, that didn’t take itself too seriously. The cover of the book seemed almost to animate this tale right out of the rink!
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard
Complex and gruesome, this story was grim and hard to follow. However, the descent into Howard’s version of Hell was by far one of the most unique I have read.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Palland
Imagine MIB only the Agents J and K are lesbians and combine that with belly dancing aliens and here you have Star Dancer. Another fun, alien dancing story.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo
Sad, tragic characters bound together in a love triangle by magic and fate, Rambo has done a great job of baring the souls of these characters.
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry
A gritty story of a man tethered to a chest and forced to perform thefts and other acts. If he fails he gets punished. This story was truly freaky and I really wanted to be able to cut the tether and free the main character.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
Partying doesn’t usually end in death, but in Subterraneans it does where the ultimate high is swapping places with other partiers. Fascinating story of thrills gone wrong resulting in revenge.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts
At its heart, The Minotaur Girls feels to me like the embodiment of the old “beauty is only skin deep” cliché. The glittery Minotaur roller club that just everyone wants to be a part of has something evil lurking beneath. A strong female lead gets to the bottom of it.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro
Julian is targeted by him own online computer service and not just by any creep, but by something far more dark and evil. Will he escape? Creepy and satisfying.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley
This story follows a cop into the depths of mystery, a woman, and alcohol. Great dialogue and voice, I felt I was in the middle of a ‘30s crime drama.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt
Imagine stepping into another world of partying, skating, dancing and never being able to leave. The party has lassoed you, even when you think you have escaped.
Bess, The Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar
What else would two party girls do in life after death, but party? An unusual take on haunting that Samatar only teases us with as we read to the end of the end of the story.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland
Two cops get dressed up to go skating during Mardi Gras and there’s bound to be blood and sequins, right? And some supernatural glitter, too.
Two-minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan
It’s amazing how much depth Kaftan gets in just a few pages about a sister who tries to drag her brother out of a computer-like game.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis
A siren who no longer has the charm ventures into the human world. Will she survive beneath the disco ball with the shrieking music and the grabbing human hands?
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire
Roller derby girls are dropping like flies under mysterious circumstances during matches. It’s up to the main character to discover if it’s just a coincidence or is there someone or something alien behind the accidents.
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar
Another complex story of unrequited love surrounding a triangle or in this case a quad of unique characters including a bird woman.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
Mr. Jones wakes weakened and amnesiac. Is he here of his own free will or is he being held captive for some unknown reason? Scary and threatening, this story has a great ending.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
When I speak of shaking my ‘groove thang’, this is the story that really yanks the chain. It’s a bit roadhouse and Foxy Brown disco all slammed into one epic about a young blood who transcends the earthly scene by way of the local skate rink.
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky
Honey, this ain’t your white gown and glass slipper Cinderella story. If Cindy was on crack, had sex with her foster-girl peers and stole from her foster mother to survive, well then, this is your Cinderella story.
Ok, so, if you like space aliens, the Hustle, wide lapels, roller rinks, girl-on-girl action, and really amazing stories, you’re probably gonna’ really like partying with Glitter & Mayhem. Get ready to get your groove on!
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak
What a great intro to this anthology! Disco dancing, amazing twist on the fairy tale story of twelve sister princess who secretly sneak out of the palace at night to go…where? And do what? And how does it happen? Loved this story.
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz
This was such a fun spacey roller derby story, that didn’t take itself too seriously. The cover of the book seemed almost to animate this tale right out of the rink!
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard
Complex and gruesome, this story was grim and hard to follow. However, the descent into Howard’s version of Hell was by far one of the most unique I have read.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Palland
Imagine MIB only the Agents J and K are lesbians and combine that with belly dancing aliens and here you have Star Dancer. Another fun, alien dancing story.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo
Sad, tragic characters bound together in a love triangle by magic and fate, Rambo has done a great job of baring the souls of these characters.
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry
A gritty story of a man tethered to a chest and forced to perform thefts and other acts. If he fails he gets punished. This story was truly freaky and I really wanted to be able to cut the tether and free the main character.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen
Partying doesn’t usually end in death, but in Subterraneans it does where the ultimate high is swapping places with other partiers. Fascinating story of thrills gone wrong resulting in revenge.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts
At its heart, The Minotaur Girls feels to me like the embodiment of the old “beauty is only skin deep” cliché. The glittery Minotaur roller club that just everyone wants to be a part of has something evil lurking beneath. A strong female lead gets to the bottom of it.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro
Julian is targeted by him own online computer service and not just by any creep, but by something far more dark and evil. Will he escape? Creepy and satisfying.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley
This story follows a cop into the depths of mystery, a woman, and alcohol. Great dialogue and voice, I felt I was in the middle of a ‘30s crime drama.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt
Imagine stepping into another world of partying, skating, dancing and never being able to leave. The party has lassoed you, even when you think you have escaped.
Bess, The Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar
What else would two party girls do in life after death, but party? An unusual take on haunting that Samatar only teases us with as we read to the end of the end of the story.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland
Two cops get dressed up to go skating during Mardi Gras and there’s bound to be blood and sequins, right? And some supernatural glitter, too.
Two-minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan
It’s amazing how much depth Kaftan gets in just a few pages about a sister who tries to drag her brother out of a computer-like game.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis
A siren who no longer has the charm ventures into the human world. Will she survive beneath the disco ball with the shrieking music and the grabbing human hands?
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire
Roller derby girls are dropping like flies under mysterious circumstances during matches. It’s up to the main character to discover if it’s just a coincidence or is there someone or something alien behind the accidents.
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar
Another complex story of unrequited love surrounding a triangle or in this case a quad of unique characters including a bird woman.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory
Mr. Jones wakes weakened and amnesiac. Is he here of his own free will or is he being held captive for some unknown reason? Scary and threatening, this story has a great ending.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson
When I speak of shaking my ‘groove thang’, this is the story that really yanks the chain. It’s a bit roadhouse and Foxy Brown disco all slammed into one epic about a young blood who transcends the earthly scene by way of the local skate rink.
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky
Honey, this ain’t your white gown and glass slipper Cinderella story. If Cindy was on crack, had sex with her foster-girl peers and stole from her foster mother to survive, well then, this is your Cinderella story.
Ok, so, if you like space aliens, the Hustle, wide lapels, roller rinks, girl-on-girl action, and really amazing stories, you’re probably gonna’ really like partying with Glitter & Mayhem. Get ready to get your groove on!
September 28, 2013
Before I start this review, I should make one thing clear: I'm the least club-going, disco-loving person I know. I think I was in a club once in my whole life, but it was too loud, and the lights were too bright, and I left as soon as it was polite. I also can't dance, don't do drugs, and consider "a great party" to be one in which the cylons manage to destroy humanity during a game of Battlestar:Galactica. All these things should probably make me hate "Glitter and Mayhem" - an anthology of disco-, drug- and party-themed science fiction and fantasy stories.
I loved it. The stories were fun and smart, showed me a glance of various worlds and people who, while quite unlike me, were still thoroughly human and fascinating (or siren and fascinating, or Peri and fascinating... you know). Large parts of American culture that featured prominently in many of the stories - like roller derby - were a bit unfamiliar to this European, but this unfamiliarity did not detract from my enjoyment.
At first I started listing which stories I liked the most, but around the tenth one I realized it's easier to say: all of them. Some resonated with me slightly less, but all were very, very good. It is not, perhaps, the deepest of anthologies, and most tales collected here do not try to show us some yet unknown facets of our humanity; but they all interest, divert and amuse, and some stay with the reader for a longer while.
I loved it. The stories were fun and smart, showed me a glance of various worlds and people who, while quite unlike me, were still thoroughly human and fascinating (or siren and fascinating, or Peri and fascinating... you know). Large parts of American culture that featured prominently in many of the stories - like roller derby - were a bit unfamiliar to this European, but this unfamiliarity did not detract from my enjoyment.
At first I started listing which stories I liked the most, but around the tenth one I realized it's easier to say: all of them. Some resonated with me slightly less, but all were very, very good. It is not, perhaps, the deepest of anthologies, and most tales collected here do not try to show us some yet unknown facets of our humanity; but they all interest, divert and amuse, and some stay with the reader for a longer while.
September 12, 2013
The stories aren't bad, but the only stand-out entry is Sofia Samatar's "Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes Out for Drinks with the Green Girl," which covers some of the same territory as Helen Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox, but in a whirl of bars and flirtations and dancing and friendships and escapes that come too late. We are fascinated by beautiful dead girls; they take their revenge.
I also liked:
Tansy Rayner Robert's "The Minotaur Girls," where a girl needs to free her friends from the labyrinth of a roller rink; Rayner Robert's urban fantasies really appeal to me. I'd love to see her do one at novel length.
Christopher Barzak's "Sisters Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster," a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."
Maria Davana Headley's "Such & Such and So & So," in which personified drinks seduce the unwary.
Jennifer Pelland's "Star Dancer," in which a bug-eyed alien just wants to dance.
The anthology was still a pleasure to read because of all the women in it -- lots of female characters, including a couple of trans women, and a lot of queer women.
I also liked:
Tansy Rayner Robert's "The Minotaur Girls," where a girl needs to free her friends from the labyrinth of a roller rink; Rayner Robert's urban fantasies really appeal to me. I'd love to see her do one at novel length.
Christopher Barzak's "Sisters Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster," a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."
Maria Davana Headley's "Such & Such and So & So," in which personified drinks seduce the unwary.
Jennifer Pelland's "Star Dancer," in which a bug-eyed alien just wants to dance.
The anthology was still a pleasure to read because of all the women in it -- lots of female characters, including a couple of trans women, and a lot of queer women.
Read
September 20, 2017Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
Bad Dream Girl, InCryptid 2.2
2 stars
As much as I love roller derby, I did not love this story.
BAD DREAM GIRL felt like it was written to fill a anthology slot, and while it kind of was, McGuire writes for anthologies all the time, and it's always been meaningful to whatever world she's adding to.
Not this time. It was all, "I don't wanna bore you with details,"--seriously, that was said at least three times--Antimony trying to figure out what kind of cryptid she was dealing with, and it ended with a confrontation that left me concerned for the youngest Price's life expectancy.
Seriously, if this is how they deal with problem creatures, how are any of them still alive?
No bueno.
Bad Dream Girl, InCryptid 2.2
2 stars
As much as I love roller derby, I did not love this story.
BAD DREAM GIRL felt like it was written to fill a anthology slot, and while it kind of was, McGuire writes for anthologies all the time, and it's always been meaningful to whatever world she's adding to.
Not this time. It was all, "I don't wanna bore you with details,"--seriously, that was said at least three times--Antimony trying to figure out what kind of cryptid she was dealing with, and it ended with a confrontation that left me concerned for the youngest Price's life expectancy.
Seriously, if this is how they deal with problem creatures, how are any of them still alive?
No bueno.
August 8, 2013
Up front I supported the Kickstarter for this book and I also happened to win a review copy off of Goodreads. I was sold on this anthology mostly because of Seanan McGuire was in it and I enjoy her stuff. What I got was a great story by her and several other stories that were great and at least one I know will be on my Hugo ballot for short story next year. There were a few stories that didn't kick with me but that seems to happen in every theme anthology that read. As much as I thought all the stories would be about roller derby there were some that were more clubbing than skating but that would work with the glitter part of the title. I probably would have rated it higher on Goodreads if I hadn't hit several stories that just didn't click with me at all.
Review copy provided by the publisher through Goodreads.
Review copy provided by the publisher through Goodreads.
October 16, 2013
Simply an amazing anthology. Get off your ass today and buy an ebook or paper copy today. So much fun queer spec fic and general fun.
September 20, 2014
I've wanted to read this for over a year, ever since I saw the table of contents on SF Signal. I didn't even know if I'd be able to get it, it was Kickstarted and I didn't know if it was something my library would end up getting, but I kept checking for a long time. I wasn't that into short stories at that point, I just wanted to read the stories by Seanan McGuire and Diana Rowland. In the last year I got hooked on short stories enough to be really excited about seven more of the authors, which made me excited to read the ones I don't know about because a) I also learned that these editors are pretty cool too and would probably pick good stories and b) finding new authors is a big part of the fun of anthologies.
Overall the book came out really very good. The cover is a stunner! Galen Dara did her usual stunning work. And I enjoyed most of the the stories and enjoyed the heck out of a few. I read it very slowly over a few weeks, but looking back at the book now I can see what a good job the editors did of creating the order of the stories and the flow of the book. The balanced the glitter and mayhem, the frantic parties more darker endeavors, like the master editors that they are. Their skill really shows in the stories that were chosen for the opener, Barzak's Sister Twelve, and the closer, Swirsky's All That Fairy Tale Crap. The emotional impact of both stories were exactly right for their positions in the book, one demonstrated perfectly one aspect of the theme and left me excited to turn the page and see what was next, the other left me feeling OK that it was time to close the book and ponder what I'd read for a while.
Christopher Barzak - Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster - A version of the twelve dancing sisters fairy tale and just the perfect story to start the book off. Maybe she's still out there, loving every minute of it.
David J. Schwartz - Apex Jump - A roller derby team's out of town game is a lot further away than they expected. A great story, lots of heart and fun. Looking back from having read the whole book now, I appreciate it maybe even a bit more. A lot of the authors in this book (and a lot of the anthologies I'm reading now) are trying to talk about gender and sexuality, which is great. But a lot of the stories are very heavy-handed. Or weird, because they happen to be writing weird science fiction. I don't know, I'm happy that so many authors are writing the future that needs to be, that's part of what will make itl happen. I just liked this story, it was very real and natural now at the same time that it was a funny science fiction adventure.
Kat Howard - With Her Hundred Miles to Hell - About a women who works in Hades, which is a nightclub, and gives people dreams or something, plus her dreams are out of control. I didn't get it. I like stories with mythology in them and it almost seemed super cool, there were some great images, but I have to understand what's happening. So close but no cigar.
Jennifer Pelland - Star Dancer - It was my music, the the woman had a couple of years on me so I can be excused for liking some of it. I wasn't screaming over Duran Duran like my friends or debating which was the cutest, no posters in my locker, but I do still have some of their music on my iPod. And Depeche Mode too. But the story was just kind of silly. Not quite sit-com silly, it wasn't actually funny. Just a but pathetic like the girl in the story was, reacting but not acting and getting a break in the end for being good at taking drugs. And what harm were the aliens a doing anyway? It just wasn't a tight, well constructed story that pulled me through, it relied too much on the supposedly exciting lesbian sex angle, and this supposedly cool girl who was cooler than everyone else in this boring town. And name dropping famous people and calling them aliens, ha ha ha.
Cat Rambo - Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane - I was disappointed that I didn't love Cat Rambo's story. I've become a big fan of hers lately. It just felt like it was trying too hard, so it hit me over the head with all of the messages and images and themes. This was one of the stories I was referring to in what I sad about Apex Jump, where it felt natural to me and this felt forced, like she was trying to write a story about her theme and the characters and story came second, so they didn't work as well. I've lived this story, in a different combination and for different reasons, I should have related to it, but it didn't connect for me.
Cory Skerry - Sooner Than Gold - A good switch-up from the other stories, it was nice to move into something more adventurous, a bit of a mystery. It had it's share of glitter and a bit of mayhem, but a darker story underneath. I did go to his website to look for more of his stories.
Subterraneans - William Shunn & Laura Chavoen - A very dark story. It fit the theme. It was easy to see how these party girls could get in over their heads. Something that felt like being in control was the opposite. it was disturbing that they didn't care at all about what they were doing to people without their consent.
Tansy Rayner Roberts - The Minotaur Girls - I've been following her Re-Reading The Empire Trilogy on Tor.com which led me to her weekly Musketeer Space serial (super fun, you should check it out), and I've read a couple of stories in anthologies that have varied in how much I liked them. I'm looking forward to trying one of her novels, just haven't gotten there yet. This helps push me in that direction, I liked it a lot. It wasn't The Best Story Ever, but I just like the way she uses language and what the story led up to for the characters. And it fit the theme of the book perfectly, maybe too perfectly, tons of glitter, lots of mayhem. I'm good with the mayhem, just not a this big of a glitter girl.
Alan DeNiro - Unable to Reach You - Too weird for me, literally weird I suspect, like the sub-genre, but I just didn't get all of it. But what I did like was the idea of a guy who works tirelessly to help people get scammers and harassers phone numbers listed and how much panic he would feel to see his own number appearing on the list and quickly rising to number one. Seeing him anxiety growing as he tried to imagine how it was possible that his number had been used to make awful harassing calls people were reporting, I could understand that. How could he stop it? His whole life and who reputation was based around using this number. The panic, that I got. I think we all worry about identity crimes, or how awful it would be to be framed for something. (Too many times seeing movies like The Fugitive and Enemy of the State. Or just reading about anyone's feelings as the bars of a jail cell closed in front of them when they were innocent. It horrifies me to imagine it.) Then the story took a very confusing turn with the aliens and it lost me.
Maria Dehvana Headly - Such & Such to So & So - Coincidentally, I happened to be reading this one at the same time that I was reading her story in Lightspeed Magazine, June 2014: Women Destroy Science Fiction! Special Issue. (Which is really a HUGE book, not a magazine edition and is super, you should get it. The fiction and non-fiction were all great, it was a lot of fun and worth the price, or you can read almost all of it online for free.) Unfortunately, I liked her story in Lightspeed a bit better. Both were really Weird, but this one was too weird for me to follow at all, I couldn't finish it. The elements seem really cool but I couldn't follow who was who or what was going on.
Tim Pratt - Revels in the Land of Ice - It was fine. A good change of pace, editing wise, more traditional urban fantasy, less frantic.
Sofia Samatar - Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks With the Green Girl - This was one of the authors that I'd learned to look forward to in the last year. But the story was too intellectual for me. It was story for people who like the same stories that the judges of the various awards would like more than a story that people who like popular fiction would like. There were things that I can appreciate on a certain level, but I didn't enjoy it.
Diana Rowland - Blood and Sequins - I can't quite say how much people who aren't fans of her Kara Gillian series will like it, but I really enjoyed it. Just the very idea of Pellini and Boudreaux sneaking in and out of contests in their fabulously bedazzled costumes is just too good and absolutely tickles me pink. I'm smiling all over again just thinking about it now, weeks after I read the story. Thank you, Diana! And the story was pretty good too. Some readers might be a bit uncertain about Boudreaux's misogynistic comments and attitude, and they rubbed me wrong too, but that's part of what makes the story work as a fan of the series. These guys are huge thorns in Kara's side, complete and total jerks early on in the series and still not so hot at this later date. And not always the best cops. So it was good to see them doing their best to do their jobs, even at the risk of their reputations. So are they now going to be in on the "classified" stuff in future novels? And will their secret be out around the station in the next book? I can't wait to find out.
Vylar Kaftan - Two-Minute Warning - Very Ender's Game, it was impossible not to compare the game the kids are playing to the battle room. It was a decent little story, nice to have some mayhem to break up the glitter. It wasn't at all what I expected from him, which is kind of neat in a way. He's another author who's frequently nominated for awards. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate that he wrote a more straight-forward story about sibling devotion and a place that technology could take them. It was only a four page story, really flash fiction.
Damien Walters Grintalis - Inside Hides the Monster - Not my favorite in the book.
Seanan McGuire - Bad Dream Girl - I kind of wish I'd read this one before reading the one in Games Creatures Play since I quickly realized as I was reading this one that this story comes first chronologically. It doesn't matter much, but I might have felt a bit more connected to the characters in the other one if I'd read this one first. Regardless, both stories are super. Once again, McGuire is my favorite in the book. Unlike most of the time with a short story that connects to a series where I'm not sure how new readers will feel, this time I'm pretty darn sure that new readers would like it as well as fans of the series. It's only loosely connected to her InCrytid series. The first two books in the series are about the oldest sister in the Price family, Verity, and the third is about the middle child, Alex, their brother. The short stories are about the youngest child, a sister who doesn't appear in the books but is occasionally and very intriguingly mentioned. I'm still hoping she'll get a book of her own, but until then these stories are a great way to get to know a little bit about her. So it's nice if you've read the books but you haven't missed much directly about the character if you haven't. You'll just laugh even harder at the mice. Anyway, the story was terrific, big on the mayhem, terrific characters, just entertaining storytelling all around. And picking roller derby as Antimony's favorite way of working out and interacting with the world, as a contrast to Verity's ballroom dancing, is just inspired. It's great for storytelling, perfect for the character, just brilliant.
Amal El-Mohtar - A Hollow Play - Another frequently nominated author. More gender issues too, it almost seems to be a requirement for this book. They felt more natural here, oh yeah, and in Seanan's, than in some others. The real woman in this story felt real, and the fantasy beings should certainly be whatever they say they are. Kind of a sad little story. I guess they should't all be boom boom glitter pop, the pacing of the book needed some ups and downs. This was a downer. It seems like the authors who are well known for writing stories that get nominated a lot wrote very odd stories for this book. Except Kaftan, his was straightforward. I'm just starting to get to know this author's work so I'm not sure what's typical for her. I've liked some stories a lot. This had things that I like. What would we give up for a friend that we love that much? Unanswered questions are killers, I do get that for sure.
Daryl Gregory - Just Another Future Song - Scary, once I realized what was going on. Like DeNiro's in a way. Not that he was framed, but that he was trapped. I liked the first half. But the end confused me, I'm not hip enough to get it, I guess.
Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson - The Electric Spanking of the War Babies - Also very weird, but at least it was from a different perspective. Why are so few people of color included in speculative fiction? A lot of the beginning of this reminded me of my childhood, the kids with the giant afros with the pick barely peeking out, Dr. J was my hero too though not in the same way probably, I was a little white girl. It was a wild and crazy story that definitely fit the theme.
Rachel Swirsky - All That Fairy Tale Crap - I'm supposed to love it, and if I don't I can just shove it. I liked it. I got the point. It was clever, sarcastic, funny and sharp. It was the dark side of Bill Willingham's Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile series, and they get plenty dark too. It will leave you thinking. And it was the perfect ending for the book, there's no denying that.
January 14, 2018
This collection is so on-point, it's awesome. It's like being inside a Bowie song. Or, ALL the Bowie songs. Sometimes almost literally, what with all the Bowie references that pepper the stories.
Some of the authors date themselves, e.g., tons of '80s references, but that is fine with me, as a child of the '80s myself. And for better or worse, the feelings and experiences captured and/or desired here are indeed kind of becoming relics of a past age.
I didn't love all the stories, but I did love at least 2/3 -- which is a pretty damn high rate for an edited collection -- and would definitely recommend this book to a variety of readers.
Some of the authors date themselves, e.g., tons of '80s references, but that is fine with me, as a child of the '80s myself. And for better or worse, the feelings and experiences captured and/or desired here are indeed kind of becoming relics of a past age.
I didn't love all the stories, but I did love at least 2/3 -- which is a pretty damn high rate for an edited collection -- and would definitely recommend this book to a variety of readers.
September 23, 2021
If 'Libs of Tik Tok' ( Twitter.com/libsoftiktok ) started 'Libs of Tik Tok do spec. fiction', it would look very similar to this. The cringe is high.
July 8, 2016
As with most short story collections, there were some stories here that I liked more than others. Nobody who knows me will be surprised that Seanan McGuire's story ranked at the favored end of the scale :)
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak - 4/5, fun and interesting take on 12 Dancing Princesses
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz - 5/5, holy crap I liked this story. It was fun, and funny, and had a couple hard pokes in the feels. Good characters and engaging writing.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard - 3/5, creepy and weird, and I feel like I didn't really get the whole thing. Maybe too deep for me? I'm feeling kind of superficial and fluffy a lot lately.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland - 3/5, Weird and amusing, and I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy this story and the main character, but drugs and tripping just hold no interest for me.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo - 5/5, Dangit Cat Rambo! stop making me cry! Pretty complex and overlapping plots to mix into a short story, lots of things going on and most of them are heart wrenching.
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry - 4/5, odd and immediately engaging. this story stands cleanly on its own but also feels like it would fit into a bigger universe that I'd like to read more of.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen - 1/5, I am seriously turned off by the idea of most of what the main characters in this story do. Mind controlling unsuspecting strangers and playing them like puppets is just squicky.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4/5, A bit of mind control in this one too, but from a totally different direction, and the protagonist is fighting the good fight against the puppeteer instead of abusing strangers.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro - 2/5, weird, kind of creepy, and I didn't really empathize with the characters. Hard for me to get into it.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley - 2/5, twisty and surreal, not really my thing. Some puns and word play so be good for you if you like that.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt - 4/5, a nice reminder that fae are beautiful but do not have your best interests in mind.
Bess, the Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar - 3/5, a little hard to get into, and there were a couple places that I felt like skipping through. Honestly, I probably would have if I hadn't just read a different story by the same author (The Red String) that I really liked, so I was hoping this one would catch me up more and it never really did.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland - 3/5, Kind of an odd little slice of life from a couple of side characters in the White Trash Zombie universe. I really liked the WTZ series, but this story felt a little abrupt and stilted.
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan - 3/5, This was interesting but feels like it needs more backstory to really get what's going on in here.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis - 4/5, Awww, poor Lygeia. I just wanna help her somehow, even though that would likely be very bad for me.
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire - 5/5, Yes! More Antimony! As usual when I read InCryptid stories, there were several sections I felt compelled to share aloud with my spouse, and several more during which I was chortling quietly (or not so quietly...).
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar - 5/5, I had not heard of Amal El-Mohtar until the day before I read this story, from a totally unrelated source. Now I wish I had heard of (and read more of) this author's work, and plan to look into doing so. This was a bittersweet story of love and loss, and despite short time had great depth of characters.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory - 5/5, I really need to go watch more David Bowie movies. Like, right now.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson - 4/5, I think this story would really benefit from visuals. Someone do it up as a graphic novel, would'ya?
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky - 4/5, Perfect choice to wrap up this collection, a fun meta-cindarella-sorta story.
Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak - 4/5, fun and interesting take on 12 Dancing Princesses
Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz - 5/5, holy crap I liked this story. It was fun, and funny, and had a couple hard pokes in the feels. Good characters and engaging writing.
With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard - 3/5, creepy and weird, and I feel like I didn't really get the whole thing. Maybe too deep for me? I'm feeling kind of superficial and fluffy a lot lately.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland - 3/5, Weird and amusing, and I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy this story and the main character, but drugs and tripping just hold no interest for me.
Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo - 5/5, Dangit Cat Rambo! stop making me cry! Pretty complex and overlapping plots to mix into a short story, lots of things going on and most of them are heart wrenching.
Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry - 4/5, odd and immediately engaging. this story stands cleanly on its own but also feels like it would fit into a bigger universe that I'd like to read more of.
Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen - 1/5, I am seriously turned off by the idea of most of what the main characters in this story do. Mind controlling unsuspecting strangers and playing them like puppets is just squicky.
The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts - 4/5, A bit of mind control in this one too, but from a totally different direction, and the protagonist is fighting the good fight against the puppeteer instead of abusing strangers.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro - 2/5, weird, kind of creepy, and I didn't really empathize with the characters. Hard for me to get into it.
Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley - 2/5, twisty and surreal, not really my thing. Some puns and word play so be good for you if you like that.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt - 4/5, a nice reminder that fae are beautiful but do not have your best interests in mind.
Bess, the Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar - 3/5, a little hard to get into, and there were a couple places that I felt like skipping through. Honestly, I probably would have if I hadn't just read a different story by the same author (The Red String) that I really liked, so I was hoping this one would catch me up more and it never really did.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland - 3/5, Kind of an odd little slice of life from a couple of side characters in the White Trash Zombie universe. I really liked the WTZ series, but this story felt a little abrupt and stilted.
Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan - 3/5, This was interesting but feels like it needs more backstory to really get what's going on in here.
Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis - 4/5, Awww, poor Lygeia. I just wanna help her somehow, even though that would likely be very bad for me.
Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire - 5/5, Yes! More Antimony! As usual when I read InCryptid stories, there were several sections I felt compelled to share aloud with my spouse, and several more during which I was chortling quietly (or not so quietly...).
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar - 5/5, I had not heard of Amal El-Mohtar until the day before I read this story, from a totally unrelated source. Now I wish I had heard of (and read more of) this author's work, and plan to look into doing so. This was a bittersweet story of love and loss, and despite short time had great depth of characters.
Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory - 5/5, I really need to go watch more David Bowie movies. Like, right now.
The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson - 4/5, I think this story would really benefit from visuals. Someone do it up as a graphic novel, would'ya?
All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky - 4/5, Perfect choice to wrap up this collection, a fun meta-cindarella-sorta story.
November 20, 2013
“Glitter and Mayhem is a speculative fiction anthology of Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, (literal) party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, and more.” Yes. Yes, it is. The call for stories was wide open, and there are a number of dark fantasy and horror stories packed into this particular night club. Like any great party, there’s an interesting mix. Within are tales of ghosts on the party circuit, interstellar roller derby leagues, and nightclubs filled with demons and Fae. These are the dreamlands, populated with the weird and the fabulous. It is an adventurous and rebellious collection pervaded with a sense that boundaries and limitations are arbitrary. Space, time, gender, consciousness: none of it is real, everything is just a matter of perspective. And if you don’t like the perspective you have, there’s a pharmaceutical solution for that. The call pulled for retro visions, but inspiration could just as easily been drawn from Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night, Lady Gaga’s Just Dance, and Pink’s Raise Your Glass. Scenes come and go, but the hunger for them remains and the beat goes on.
The challenge of this anthology is that it mixes genres so freely. Although there are thematic elements in common, the type and tone of stories varies more wildly than a lot of anthologies with clearer genre boundaries. The shifts can be a little disorienting, but then that may be part of the point, right? This effect is amplified by a couple of stories that are more tenuously connected to the central theme, but, on the whole, the glitter wins out. The individual pieces are uneven, but some are wonderful and most at least good. The editors have made good on the thematic promise and produced an entertaining and unusual collection. There were a few typos and formatting issues in the advanced review MOBI file (e.g., widows and orphans), but these may have been corrected by release.
In various ways, these stories are often about escape. Characters are trapped by supernatural curses, prejudice and societal expectations, unsatisfying relationships, shitty jobs, and the awful mundane grayness of it all. They long for a little magic in a cold and ordinary world. For acceptance. For freedom. To get past the velvet ropes to the VIP lounge, or down the rabbit hole. Something permanent would be great, but even a little taste will do if that’s the best we can hope for. We can find or lose ourselves in identity games and sensual abandon.
With the retro flavor comes a sense of nostalgia for innocent party days without consequence, when people believed cocaine was not addictive and HIV was, at most, a rumor. The anthology reminds me of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, and not just because of the roller skates. Midway through it starts to turn, moving from pure good times to the seamier side that exists in every Scene. Eventually you find out that the VIP Lounge at Studio 54 was a filthy basement storage with lawn furniture and bare mattresses on a concrete floor, and Edie Sedgwick doesn’t wake up in the morning. Structurally, the editors then choose to pull away from the uglier reality and return to happier fantasies, but even then there are stories about people trying to hold onto things after they are gone, or to the idea of things that never were. The final piece may be a recognition of the illusion and desperation of it all in the end.
Does it cohere? Not entirely. But this is about chaos, so that’s o.k. If one story is not your kind of party, turn the acid-soaked page. Take the red pill, board the Mothership, and skate beneath the mirror balls. Just for tonight, the Thin White Duke is on the stage, and tomorrow can’t come unless we let it.
[Originally published on Hellnotes.com]
The challenge of this anthology is that it mixes genres so freely. Although there are thematic elements in common, the type and tone of stories varies more wildly than a lot of anthologies with clearer genre boundaries. The shifts can be a little disorienting, but then that may be part of the point, right? This effect is amplified by a couple of stories that are more tenuously connected to the central theme, but, on the whole, the glitter wins out. The individual pieces are uneven, but some are wonderful and most at least good. The editors have made good on the thematic promise and produced an entertaining and unusual collection. There were a few typos and formatting issues in the advanced review MOBI file (e.g., widows and orphans), but these may have been corrected by release.
In various ways, these stories are often about escape. Characters are trapped by supernatural curses, prejudice and societal expectations, unsatisfying relationships, shitty jobs, and the awful mundane grayness of it all. They long for a little magic in a cold and ordinary world. For acceptance. For freedom. To get past the velvet ropes to the VIP lounge, or down the rabbit hole. Something permanent would be great, but even a little taste will do if that’s the best we can hope for. We can find or lose ourselves in identity games and sensual abandon.
With the retro flavor comes a sense of nostalgia for innocent party days without consequence, when people believed cocaine was not addictive and HIV was, at most, a rumor. The anthology reminds me of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, and not just because of the roller skates. Midway through it starts to turn, moving from pure good times to the seamier side that exists in every Scene. Eventually you find out that the VIP Lounge at Studio 54 was a filthy basement storage with lawn furniture and bare mattresses on a concrete floor, and Edie Sedgwick doesn’t wake up in the morning. Structurally, the editors then choose to pull away from the uglier reality and return to happier fantasies, but even then there are stories about people trying to hold onto things after they are gone, or to the idea of things that never were. The final piece may be a recognition of the illusion and desperation of it all in the end.
Does it cohere? Not entirely. But this is about chaos, so that’s o.k. If one story is not your kind of party, turn the acid-soaked page. Take the red pill, board the Mothership, and skate beneath the mirror balls. Just for tonight, the Thin White Duke is on the stage, and tomorrow can’t come unless we let it.
[Originally published on Hellnotes.com]
August 19, 2017
Anthology. As I was reading this book there seemed to be a theme of rollerskating lesbians but then I found out there were some other stories interspersed. I wonder if that was initially what the publisher were going for but then needed extra stories to fill it out.
The average rating is 3.33 stars. More than I thought actually.
1. Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak. 12 sisters travel through time dancing at famous and infamous clubs. One wants to stay. Good story. 3-1/2 stars.
2. Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz. Really good story about roller derby girls who find out their are fans out in space. 5 stars.
3. With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard. There's a woman that dreams death and works at the "nightclub" Hades. I was so confused reading this story. I don't really know what it's about. 2 stars just because of that. 2 stars
4. Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland. I'm about 1/2 way through this story and I still don't like it so next! No rating.
5. Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo. A selkie is captured and works as a DJ in a dance club. A patron inadvertently helps her. 3 stars.
6. Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry. Good story but it ends in a cliffhanger which I didn't appreciate. 3-1/2 stars.
7. Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen. I could not get into this story. I really tried though and got more than halfway but I kept putting the book down and it's due tomorrow. No rating.
8. The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts. A glitter skate park is more than the teenagers think. Strange story and that's saying something for this book. 3 stars.
9. Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro. Another freaky story that centers around cell phones/phones used for evil. 2-1/2 stars.
10. Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley. I didn't care for the beginning of this story, actually the first paragraph. So, did not finish. No rating.
11. Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt. A poet finds inspiration from an old friend. I enjoyed this story. 3-1/2 stars.
12. Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar. I don't know what was going on with these girls. Really strange story, but I liked it. 3-1/2 stars.
13. Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland. Loved this story! A cop loves creating costumes as a secret hobby and him and a friend enter a costume contest. While there they get propositioned, shot at, learn the minimum about some strange hidden group, and become heroes. 5 stars
14. Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan. A brother and sister play a real game of life and death. Okay. Super short. 3 stars.
15. Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis. A siren has a problem with modern music. Okay story. 3 stars.
16. Bad Dram Girl by Seanan McGuire. Another roller derby story. Someone is draining other players of their energy and Annie needs to find out who it is. Good story. 3-1/2 stars.
17. A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar. A parallel universe and lost love/friendship with a small reference to roller derby. 2-1/2 stars.
18. Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory. A rock star (I'm guessing) has been barely kept alive so now he wants to reinvent himself. Strange but good story. 3-1/2 stars.
19. The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson. I got to the word Afronauts and gave up. Too weird for me. No rating.
20. All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky. Read the first sentence and thought not for me. No rating.
The average rating is 3.33 stars. More than I thought actually.
1. Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak. 12 sisters travel through time dancing at famous and infamous clubs. One wants to stay. Good story. 3-1/2 stars.
2. Apex Jump by David J. Schwartz. Really good story about roller derby girls who find out their are fans out in space. 5 stars.
3. With Her Hundred Miles to Hell by Kat Howard. There's a woman that dreams death and works at the "nightclub" Hades. I was so confused reading this story. I don't really know what it's about. 2 stars just because of that. 2 stars
4. Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland. I'm about 1/2 way through this story and I still don't like it so next! No rating.
5. Of Selkies, Disco Balls, and Anna Plane by Cat Rambo. A selkie is captured and works as a DJ in a dance club. A patron inadvertently helps her. 3 stars.
6. Sooner Than Gold by Cory Skerry. Good story but it ends in a cliffhanger which I didn't appreciate. 3-1/2 stars.
7. Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen. I could not get into this story. I really tried though and got more than halfway but I kept putting the book down and it's due tomorrow. No rating.
8. The Minotaur Girls by Tansy Rayner Roberts. A glitter skate park is more than the teenagers think. Strange story and that's saying something for this book. 3 stars.
9. Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro. Another freaky story that centers around cell phones/phones used for evil. 2-1/2 stars.
10. Such & Such Said to So & So by Maria Dahvana Headley. I didn't care for the beginning of this story, actually the first paragraph. So, did not finish. No rating.
11. Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt. A poet finds inspiration from an old friend. I enjoyed this story. 3-1/2 stars.
12. Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl by Sofia Samatar. I don't know what was going on with these girls. Really strange story, but I liked it. 3-1/2 stars.
13. Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland. Loved this story! A cop loves creating costumes as a secret hobby and him and a friend enter a costume contest. While there they get propositioned, shot at, learn the minimum about some strange hidden group, and become heroes. 5 stars
14. Two-Minute Warning by Vylar Kaftan. A brother and sister play a real game of life and death. Okay. Super short. 3 stars.
15. Inside Hides the Monster by Damien Walters Grintalis. A siren has a problem with modern music. Okay story. 3 stars.
16. Bad Dram Girl by Seanan McGuire. Another roller derby story. Someone is draining other players of their energy and Annie needs to find out who it is. Good story. 3-1/2 stars.
17. A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar. A parallel universe and lost love/friendship with a small reference to roller derby. 2-1/2 stars.
18. Just Another Future Song by Daryl Gregory. A rock star (I'm guessing) has been barely kept alive so now he wants to reinvent himself. Strange but good story. 3-1/2 stars.
19. The Electric Spanking of the War Babies by Maurice Broaddus & Kyle S. Johnson. I got to the word Afronauts and gave up. Too weird for me. No rating.
20. All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky. Read the first sentence and thought not for me. No rating.
September 3, 2013
Glitter and Mayhem is a short story anthology with the theme of glamour, parties, nightclubs, drugs, sex and rollerskating, all with a science fiction or fantasy element. The stories are all odd, some more so than others, and there’s a wonderful mix of fun, tongue-in-cheek, scary, thoughtful and sad. An anthology with this kind of theme could have suffered from stories that are all too similar in style and feel, but here this is not the case at all; the editors have managed to collect a really interesting mix.
This collection is a huge amount of fun, but it’s also refreshingly diverse in the characters, lifestyles, relationships and sex it explores. The most obvious theme of the anthology might be glamour and parties, but I think its strongest themes are acceptance, identity, and loving yourself for who you are.
As always with anthologies, there were some stories that didn’t grab me as much as others, but overall it’s a really strong collection. There are funny stories and straightforward stories and some with very clever twists. There are fairytale themes, aliens, the supernatural, the fae, and plenty of rollerskating!
Some of my favourite stories were:
Sooner Than Gold, by Cory Skerry, in which a door could lead to anywhere, but you might not like what’s on the other side.
Subterraneans, by William Shunn and Laura Chavoen, an interesting take on body-swapping.
Such & Such Said to So & So, by Maria Dahvana Headley, which plays with language in a clever little story about drinking and addiction.
Bess, the Landlord’s Daughter, Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl, by Sofia Samatar, a very weird and well-written story.
Blood and Sequins, by Diana Rowland, an unconventional approach to the cops-take-out-the-bad-guys story.
Inside Hides the Monster, by Damien Walters Grintalis, which explores how a siren might have difficulty adapting to modern music tastes.
Bad Dream Girl, by Seanan McGuire, a really fun story about roller derby teams with some unusual members.
A Hollow Play, by Amal El-Mohtar, which asks what people might be willing to give up for what they love, and how much they really value those things.
A really enjoyable anthology with a good variety of stories and styles!
Thank you to Apex Publications for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review also appears on my blog.
February 15, 2015
This collection was really a 2 star read for me but I am bumping it up because it hosts an entire cast full of lesbian, transgender, bisexual and queer characters (no gay, intersex, asexual that I recall). There needs to be a lot more of this showing up as "normal" in fiction. Unfortunately, despite a variably diverse character list the stories themselves left me wanting.
This collection just tries too hard. It wants you to be able to taste glitter and it falls short and floats in that nebulous range of "too much" and "not enough" all at once. Most of the stories needed a toning down because they were just silly and not particularly "fun" silly, just eye rolling. At the same time most also needed a sharp spurring in the ribs. They needed to look deeper at raves and roller derby and find what makes them tick and what draws people in. The stories started to run together: superficial, short skirts, making out with random people, drug use, attempting to use language choices to make the characters sound "cool" based on the author's television research. Even the roller derby stories were silly. No camraderie, just more drug use, making out, etc. I gave up hope at the halfway mark. Thankfully there were two stories in the latter half that helped me limp to the end.
If you bought this for Seanan's story (guilty) you will be pleased. I think this story will appeal to non-Seanan fans (by which I mean, people who haven't read Seanan yet - what other kind is there?) as well. It is one of the only stories that lurks a little deeper, looking at derby as an actual sport and the relationships of people in and out of derby. A fun, light read. Well worth it. I really enjoyed getting to see more of Antimony and Artie and it made me excited for the next InCryptid novels.
The second story I found well worth the read was "Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes Out for Drinks with the Green Girl". This story actually outclassed Seanan's and I adored it and wished it would never end. Whereas other stories lagged this story's timing is brilliant and has real depth. I will be adding some Sofia Samatar books to my tbr list immediately.
A few other stories were good additions, but I can't even recall their names. Unfortunately the rest ran the gamut from "almost there!" to "meh" to unreadable (only 1 thankfully). If you can't get enough raves or roller derby no matter how well written - read on. If you would like to read an anthology with lgbtqia representation - read on. Beyond that. Proceed with caution.
This collection just tries too hard. It wants you to be able to taste glitter and it falls short and floats in that nebulous range of "too much" and "not enough" all at once. Most of the stories needed a toning down because they were just silly and not particularly "fun" silly, just eye rolling. At the same time most also needed a sharp spurring in the ribs. They needed to look deeper at raves and roller derby and find what makes them tick and what draws people in. The stories started to run together: superficial, short skirts, making out with random people, drug use, attempting to use language choices to make the characters sound "cool" based on the author's television research. Even the roller derby stories were silly. No camraderie, just more drug use, making out, etc. I gave up hope at the halfway mark. Thankfully there were two stories in the latter half that helped me limp to the end.
If you bought this for Seanan's story (guilty) you will be pleased. I think this story will appeal to non-Seanan fans (by which I mean, people who haven't read Seanan yet - what other kind is there?) as well. It is one of the only stories that lurks a little deeper, looking at derby as an actual sport and the relationships of people in and out of derby. A fun, light read. Well worth it. I really enjoyed getting to see more of Antimony and Artie and it made me excited for the next InCryptid novels.
The second story I found well worth the read was "Bess, the Landlord's Daughter, Goes Out for Drinks with the Green Girl". This story actually outclassed Seanan's and I adored it and wished it would never end. Whereas other stories lagged this story's timing is brilliant and has real depth. I will be adding some Sofia Samatar books to my tbr list immediately.
A few other stories were good additions, but I can't even recall their names. Unfortunately the rest ran the gamut from "almost there!" to "meh" to unreadable (only 1 thankfully). If you can't get enough raves or roller derby no matter how well written - read on. If you would like to read an anthology with lgbtqia representation - read on. Beyond that. Proceed with caution.
September 30, 2013
This was produced via kickstarter apparently. I didn't know that until I happened across a review, I think it was Tor.com I initially read about it. It's an Anthology that asked for submissions with a prompt of,
...which sounded like heaven to me. So I bought it for next to nothing on 'smashwords', about $3.95 or something I think, which was a steal considering one or two of the stories are worth more than that on their own.
I won't go through each story individually due to them all being well written and wonderful in their own way, but of course in every Anthology their are always the stories that you love more than others. For me I particularly enjoyed the ones that dived right into the whole 'Roller Derby' scene complete with various aliens and other strange goings on. It sent me right back to the '80s when we'd go daily to the hall in our local sports centre and stumble around the large wooden-floored hall there in an attempt not to go arse-upwards in time to the music that blasted out. I remember one lad that gained one hell of a reputation for being the best skater that ever lived. He was there all the time, whenever we arrived he would already be whizzing around, jumping over the fallen with unnatural ease and generally being a god of the rink.
I've never seen a real, proper Roller Derby but some of these stories really make me feel as though I have, while at the same time hoping I'll get the chance for real one day.
There are a few stories that didn't hit the spot with me at the time, the more serious ones usually, or those few that only very subtly hint at the whole 'Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens...' prompt given to those submitting. However, I would jump at the chance to see a 'Glitter & Mayhem 2' enter the fray and will be keeping an eye out on their website just in case another kickstarter appears. If it does, do yourself a huge favour and jump right on it ASAP. I certainly will be. In the meantime, do yourself another favour and head on over to smashwords(or any number of other sites) and download the best time you'll have since those dim and distant memories of the '80s.
Fantastic Anthology. Highly recommended. Buy it now...!
"Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, (literal) party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc."
...which sounded like heaven to me. So I bought it for next to nothing on 'smashwords', about $3.95 or something I think, which was a steal considering one or two of the stories are worth more than that on their own.
I won't go through each story individually due to them all being well written and wonderful in their own way, but of course in every Anthology their are always the stories that you love more than others. For me I particularly enjoyed the ones that dived right into the whole 'Roller Derby' scene complete with various aliens and other strange goings on. It sent me right back to the '80s when we'd go daily to the hall in our local sports centre and stumble around the large wooden-floored hall there in an attempt not to go arse-upwards in time to the music that blasted out. I remember one lad that gained one hell of a reputation for being the best skater that ever lived. He was there all the time, whenever we arrived he would already be whizzing around, jumping over the fallen with unnatural ease and generally being a god of the rink.
I've never seen a real, proper Roller Derby but some of these stories really make me feel as though I have, while at the same time hoping I'll get the chance for real one day.
There are a few stories that didn't hit the spot with me at the time, the more serious ones usually, or those few that only very subtly hint at the whole 'Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens...' prompt given to those submitting. However, I would jump at the chance to see a 'Glitter & Mayhem 2' enter the fray and will be keeping an eye out on their website just in case another kickstarter appears. If it does, do yourself a huge favour and jump right on it ASAP. I certainly will be. In the meantime, do yourself another favour and head on over to smashwords(or any number of other sites) and download the best time you'll have since those dim and distant memories of the '80s.
Fantastic Anthology. Highly recommended. Buy it now...!
April 29, 2016
Fantasy, science fiction, horror, even cyberfunk... yes, I said funk. It's all here. Glitter & Mayhem is a collection of short stories about glamour, skates, nightclubs, and weird and queer people, not all of them human. It promises a fun party full of drugs and great music, mainly David Bowie, which is not that great, really (Gene Loves Jezebel is far better, as William Shunn & Laura Chavoen can tell you), and that is what we get. Specially skates.
There's a problem with anthologies like this, based on tropes, adjusted to a type of thematic ("Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, [literal] party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc." was the prompt): Most characters are not full developed, but that doesn't mean the stories are bad. They are not. With only one exception: Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire.
Bad Dream Girl is an unbearable story about a bunch of freaks pretending to be normal people, the Munsters syndrome I'd say, a family of monsters that try too hard to fit normal society, to be the ideal mid-class american family. Boring as hell! But one story doesn't make the book. There are some really good stories here. My favorite were:
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar. A touching epistolary tale about longing, friendship and learning to move on. It's the best characerization in the entire book.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland. A detective story about tu cosplayer cops who almost get to have sex with a beautiful butterfly-body-painted woman. Full of action, strong characterization and absorbing story.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt. Good characterizations and well rounded relationships between them, to tell a story about an ill-fated romances turned into strong friendship. A really poignant story.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro. Sad and frightening story about a good man who tries to do good (reporting telephone stalkers), then become reluctant hero in his own story full of monsters and conspiracies.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland. A story about men in black and alien conspiracies. Fun, emotional, some characters are better written than others, but that's not a problem here. Oh, and Iggy Pop was an alien.
This five stories are worth the price of admission, but there are more. You must find your favorite flavors. This is a party you want to be part of.
There's a problem with anthologies like this, based on tropes, adjusted to a type of thematic ("Roller Derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, [literal] party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc." was the prompt): Most characters are not full developed, but that doesn't mean the stories are bad. They are not. With only one exception: Bad Dream Girl by Seanan McGuire.
Bad Dream Girl is an unbearable story about a bunch of freaks pretending to be normal people, the Munsters syndrome I'd say, a family of monsters that try too hard to fit normal society, to be the ideal mid-class american family. Boring as hell! But one story doesn't make the book. There are some really good stories here. My favorite were:
A Hollow Play by Amal El-Mohtar. A touching epistolary tale about longing, friendship and learning to move on. It's the best characerization in the entire book.
Blood and Sequins by Diana Rowland. A detective story about tu cosplayer cops who almost get to have sex with a beautiful butterfly-body-painted woman. Full of action, strong characterization and absorbing story.
Revels in the Land of Ice by Tim Pratt. Good characterizations and well rounded relationships between them, to tell a story about an ill-fated romances turned into strong friendship. A really poignant story.
Unable to Reach You by Alan DeNiro. Sad and frightening story about a good man who tries to do good (reporting telephone stalkers), then become reluctant hero in his own story full of monsters and conspiracies.
Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland. A story about men in black and alien conspiracies. Fun, emotional, some characters are better written than others, but that's not a problem here. Oh, and Iggy Pop was an alien.
This five stories are worth the price of admission, but there are more. You must find your favorite flavors. This is a party you want to be part of.
August 30, 2013
I was a little bit dubious about this book when I first learned about it through its kickstarter. I mean, I wasn't into disco, I didn't roller skate... I liked glitter as much as the next girl but... meh. I decided it wasn't going to be for me and carried on with my life.
Then one of my favourite short story writers, Damien Walters Grintalis, announced that she was going to have a story in Glitter and Mayhem. That made me pay more attention. I put it on my mental 'To Be Read' list and carried on with my life.
A while later an email appeared in my inbox from LibraryThing telling me that the month's giveaways were up so I went to take a look. Wouldn't you know it, there was Glitter and Mayhem, so I entered to win a review copy and carried on with my life.
When I won a copy I was pleased, I added it to my EReader and, you guessed it...
And then I started reading.
I started reading and I couldn't stop.
Collections are tricky, I often like only a small percentage of the stories in any given anthology, and I love even less. In this anthology I liked all but one and loved most of them. It's an exciting, eclectic collection of stories that kept me up reading way past my bedtime and completely enthralled.
Some of my personal favourites from Glitter and Mayhem are Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland, Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen, All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky, Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak and, of course, Damien's story Inside Hides the Monster. To tell you the truth, I adored so many stories in this book I had to stop listing favourites before I had the whole table of contents written out.
This is a fabulous collection that I recommend to anyone who likes speculative fiction. There are re-told fairy tales, science fiction flavoured derby stories, funny stories, pretty stories... The prose in many of these is so fantastic that, as an envious writer, I desperately wanted to hate the authors, but I couldn't because I was too enamored with their work.
A phenomenal collection which I highly recommend.
Then one of my favourite short story writers, Damien Walters Grintalis, announced that she was going to have a story in Glitter and Mayhem. That made me pay more attention. I put it on my mental 'To Be Read' list and carried on with my life.
A while later an email appeared in my inbox from LibraryThing telling me that the month's giveaways were up so I went to take a look. Wouldn't you know it, there was Glitter and Mayhem, so I entered to win a review copy and carried on with my life.
When I won a copy I was pleased, I added it to my EReader and, you guessed it...
And then I started reading.
I started reading and I couldn't stop.
Collections are tricky, I often like only a small percentage of the stories in any given anthology, and I love even less. In this anthology I liked all but one and loved most of them. It's an exciting, eclectic collection of stories that kept me up reading way past my bedtime and completely enthralled.
Some of my personal favourites from Glitter and Mayhem are Star Dancer by Jennifer Pelland, Subterraneans by William Shunn & Laura Chavoen, All That Fairy Tale Crap by Rachel Swirsky, Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster by Christopher Barzak and, of course, Damien's story Inside Hides the Monster. To tell you the truth, I adored so many stories in this book I had to stop listing favourites before I had the whole table of contents written out.
This is a fabulous collection that I recommend to anyone who likes speculative fiction. There are re-told fairy tales, science fiction flavoured derby stories, funny stories, pretty stories... The prose in many of these is so fantastic that, as an envious writer, I desperately wanted to hate the authors, but I couldn't because I was too enamored with their work.
A phenomenal collection which I highly recommend.
December 14, 2016
First, I figure I should point out that most of these stories were fantasy and only a handful were science fiction. If you like fantasy more, great. If you're like me and figured it'd be more science fiction based on the cover (or at least half science fiction), just know that it's not. Also, the stories were considerably less queer than I was expecting based on the title/cover. As in, I figured all of them would be, and not all of them were. So my expectations were a little off going into this.
But, there were some truly excellent stories in here. Those I enjoyed most were "Apex Jump" by David J Schwartz, "Star Dancer" by Jennifer Pelland, "Sooner Than Gold" by Cory Skerry, "The Minotaur Girls" by Tansy Rayner Roberts, "Bess the Landlord's Daughter Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl" by Sofia Samatar, and "A Hollow Play" by Amal El-Mohtar.
Most of the others I found okay, although I was surprised some of them made it into the collection because they were bad enough to be triggering. I have to point out one of those by name just because I wish I would have skipped it and it seems only fair to pass on a warning. "Subterraneans" was a glorification of both mental and physical rape, the main idea of the story being that characters could force their minds into other people's bodies and control the other body's actions. The person who was being "mounted" (yes, really, that was the word choice, people were mounts) without consent couldn't control their body and had only limited control of thought. I kept waiting for the story to turn around and show that this was being done to make a point, but that never happened. I'm still stunned a month later thinking about the fact it got published, particularly in a collection like this that otherwise looks decent. So fair warning on that one.
But, there were some truly excellent stories in here. Those I enjoyed most were "Apex Jump" by David J Schwartz, "Star Dancer" by Jennifer Pelland, "Sooner Than Gold" by Cory Skerry, "The Minotaur Girls" by Tansy Rayner Roberts, "Bess the Landlord's Daughter Goes for Drinks with the Green Girl" by Sofia Samatar, and "A Hollow Play" by Amal El-Mohtar.
Most of the others I found okay, although I was surprised some of them made it into the collection because they were bad enough to be triggering. I have to point out one of those by name just because I wish I would have skipped it and it seems only fair to pass on a warning. "Subterraneans" was a glorification of both mental and physical rape, the main idea of the story being that characters could force their minds into other people's bodies and control the other body's actions. The person who was being "mounted" (yes, really, that was the word choice, people were mounts) without consent couldn't control their body and had only limited control of thought. I kept waiting for the story to turn around and show that this was being done to make a point, but that never happened. I'm still stunned a month later thinking about the fact it got published, particularly in a collection like this that otherwise looks decent. So fair warning on that one.
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