Permeable Borders

by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Nina Kiriki Hoffman has published over 200 stories. Her stories have gained many honors, including the Writers of the Future award, Locus Award, and the Nebula Award. This current collection collects 16 of her more recent stories, as well as earlier work not previously collected. It also includes a previously unpublished story.

FINDING HOME:
Key Signatures
The Weight of Wishes

FAIRY TALES:
How I Came to Marry a Herpetologist
Strikes of the Heart
Switched

FINDING EACH OTHER:
Sourheart
Inner Child
Home For Christmas
Anger Management
Trees Perpetual of Sleep
Hostile Takeover
Here We Come A-Wandering

PERMEABLE BORDERS:
The Wisdom of Disaster
A Fault Against the Dead
The Trouble with the Truth

HOME:
Gone to Heaven Shouting

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Speculative Fiction, Sci Fi Fantasy

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s first solo novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993), won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. A Red Heart of Memories (1999, part of her “Matt Black” series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel Past the Size of Dreaming in 2001. Much of her work to date is short fiction, including “Matt Black” novella “Unmasking” (1992), nominated for a World Fantasy Award; and “Matt Black” novelette “Home for Christmas” (1995), nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards. In addition to writing, Hoffman has taught, worked part-time at a B. Dalton bookstore, and done production work on The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An accomplished fiddle player, she has played regularly at various granges near her home in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to try Hoffman’s books for literally years. Not sure how long this one has been on my TBR, but long enough. Short stories aren’t always my thing, so perhaps it wasn’t the right place to start: nonetheless, it’s what came up on my Kobo first and I thought, well, why not?

I ended up bailing, I’m afraid; it’s competent enough writing, but I didn’t get hooked on the stories or characters, and one of the stories was just unbelievably gross, with a ton of rape and rape culture. I’m sure it wasn’t intended to be approving of rape, but it’s just not a sort of story I’m interested in, and the obsession with rape in that particular story turned me off all the others. I’ll definitely try some of Hoffman’s novels, but her short story writing seems to be unequivocally not my thing.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not much of a short story reader. Novels are generally much more appealing to me. So, though I have read and loved nearly all of Hoffman's novels, this collection has been sitting on my bookshelf unread for a number of years. I am so glad that I finally took it down and read it.

Everything that I adore about Hoffman's novels is here: the interesting, lovable, imperfect characters (including several who I first met in those novels); the quiet story-telling that I can trust not to harm me (though it may, occasionally, hurt a bit); the marvelously unique and varied magical world; the palpable love of humanity and of the natural world that permeates the writing. I don't know that there was a story in the collection that didn't leave me smiling and/or misty-eyed.

No, I'm not someone who's usually fond of reading short stories, but I loved reading these.

[John Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories. About half featuring the haunted house (Past the Size of Dreaming, A Red Heart of Memories) characters. Three clever fairy tales. Magic and family resonating through all of the tales.

12 • Key Signatures • (1996) 8 pages
OK. Zita is on her own after years of going from foster home to foster home. She comes to Spores Ferry and seeks a hobby. She takes a violin class, or rather something less structured how to play the fiddle.

20 • The Weight of Wishes • (2006) 23 pages
Excellent/Very Good. Will and Beth are preparing for Christmas. They really want to make their daughter happy. She has magic power and not enough life experience to comprehend the consequences of her actions. When dad dressed as an elf slips into her room to hang her Christmas stocking she shifts him into a real elf.

44 • How I Came to Marry a Herpetologist • (1999) 7 pages
Good/VG. Every time Fanchon speaks a word a reptile or amphibian appears. A herpetologist sees/overhears her bringing one of these creatures into the world and is fascinated. He courts her. It wouldn’t be a fairy tale without giving us more information about her curse.

51 • Strikes of the Heart • (2005) 26 pages
Excellent. Kishi’s mother didn’t really want her. Laran was a soldier so she was primarily raised by her grandmother. Omara wants Kishi to follow in her footsteps and be the kingdom’s next wizard. Kishi doesn’t know what she wants and when she is called by her plant husband she accepts his offer. Her magic is now much different from that of Omara. Still powerful and with the beginnings of dementia, Omara is causing problems, ones that are getting bigger.

77 • Switched • (2004) 14 pages
Very Good+. A twist on Cinderella. This evil stepmother had read all the stories and wasn’t going to fall into those traps.

92 • Sourheart • (1993) 13 pages
Good/VG. Edmund has entered the third phase of being a witch, past the point of what can this do for me and now what can I do for it. He's gone into the mountains and is using his dowsing stick to guide him. A woman who is wary finds him. He is apologetic for being on her land and asks if there is anything he can do to make amends.

105 • Inner Child • (1996) 11 pages
Very Good. Abby wonders about the weird kid who comes to visit her two or three nights a month. Caleb is small, but he talks like an adult.

116 • Home for Christmas • (1995) 27 pages
Excellent. A wallet calls out to Matt Black for help finding its owner. It's Christmas eve, Corey and Linda canceled their visit to see Jim, so he asks Matt to spend the holiday at his apartment.

143 • Anger Management • (2012) 4 pages
Good+. Terry is on the road with a car she can't get started. Matt is walking by and helps get it started. Terry uses some of her magic on Matt.

147 • Trees Perpetual of Sleep • (1995) 19 pages
Very Good/Excellent. Terry who is really lonesome with her twin sister gone has tethered Matt. While Terry is in the woods for some ritual Matt hears a tree. It’s not a real tree but a witch who trapped himself trying to evade the draft.

166 • Hostile Takeover • (2007) 20 pages
Very Good/Excellent. Terry passes Gareth in the hall and notices that he’s a witch. He brushes her off, but she finds him again a couple weeks later. He’s in the grocery store with his mother. Terry can see why Gareth hasn’t learned how to use his power.

186 • Here We Come a-Wandering • (1996) 18 pages
Excellent/VG. This is the first chapter of Past the Size of Dreaming where Matt Black meets Edmund Reynolds. Edmund has been doing the work of Spirit for years and lately that has been being part of a wall.

204 • The Wisdom of Disaster • (2005) 26 pages
Very Good+. Irene and Naples are a retired couple who usually get a visit from their thirteen year old granddaughter every day. Today they get another visitor. A woman who was sideswiped by a car is brought to their house by a stranger. The woman speaks a strange language. Irene can converse with her without realizing she isn't speaking English.

230 • A Fault Against the Dead • (2003) 9 pages
Excellent/VG. Julia can see and talk with ghosts. Robert has been with her for eight years, including the three years she spent in a mental hospital. Tonight she’s on the beach there are five ghosts with her. She helps one sicko ghost pass on and starts retching because of the horrible things she saw. A man stops by to see if she is OK, but Robert warns her to run and get out of there.

239 • The Trouble with the Truth • (2008) 16 pages
Very Good/excellent. Julia is at school. She has made one living friend. There is a school break and she is enjoying a day to herself before going home. Her friend stops by and says he also is delaying his trip home.

256 • Gone to Heaven Shouting • (1998) 23 pages
Good+. Cyrus travels around looking for family, or sometimes just to enjoy his fiddle and the local music. At a dance in Spruce Grange he, and only he, hears a voice. He's talking to Alma and starts singing a bit of the song. She remembers it from fifty years ago. Cyrus knows the voice is from family. With Alma's memory he realizes that he must help this ghost.

[Lyssa Sue Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoffman writes these stories in a voice similar to that of Zenna Henderson. I can easily compare this story collection to "The Anything Box".

Permeable Borders has a quiet voice, it slips the chains binding down your sense of wonder. It allows you to view the reality of the stories from outside the box. One paragraph caught at my heart.. from How I came to Marry a Herpetologist... "I thought of my diamond-and-pearl-speaking sister, who had married a prince. What a beauty she was. How could any man resist a woman who was beautiful & spat wealth with every word? Did she ever know she was loved for her own self?"

This viewpoint is the core within the tales I've read so far.. poignant, often from the "evil" or "underdog's" point of view. Even the view of the granddaughter of the wizard who has aged into dementia.. when is the right time to intervene to pull power away from a beloved elder?

These stories are lyrical, dark, sweet, and compelling. I heartily recommend the works of Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I own several & would not sell a single one, each visit to them I find something more.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love NKH's work, and this collection is no exception. Like much of what she writes, it combines the ideas of magic and finding home. It starts out a little slowly, but I enjoyed most of the stories. As you get further in, characters start to reappear and stories become more intertwined. If you've read NKH's novels, you'll recognize some of the characters, notably Matt and Edmond.

Such a treat for NKH fans to have her older stories collected in a volume. Now I think it's time for me to reread her novels.

[kvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved Red Heart of Memories as much as I did, you must read this collection. Various short stories, many with the characters from RHoM and it's sequels, including Edward and Matt, filling in the gaps I've always known were there. Beautiful, sometimes sad stories, with a theme of home and kin. I particularly liked the retelling of Cinderella. Note that her first collection, Courting Disasters, is really hard to find these days, and scoop this one up. (And if you have a copy of that you are willing to lend out, please contact me.)

[milo in the woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 stars

key signatures: five stars
the weight of wishes: four stars
how i came to marry a herpetologist: five stars
strikes of the heart: four stars
switched: five stars
sour heart: four stars
inner child: four stars
home for christmas: four stars
anger management: three stars
trees perpetual of sleep: five stars
hostile takeover: five stars
here we come a-wandering: four stars
the wisdom of disaster: three stars
a fault against the dead: five stars
the trouble with the truth: five stars
gone to heaven shouting: four stars

[Dennis Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERMEABLE BORDERS by NINA KIRIKI HOFFMAN is a fantastic collection of stories about all kinds of magic and everything in the world of magic. I like reading short stories but I loved all 16 or hers. I can't really say which titles I like best because I liked them all, something very rare for the avid short story affecionado. Recently, I wrote some stories with a hint of magic in a few of them. I can only hope they will be so well received once I publish them.

I loved the matte finish of her book and both covers , front and back. The back cover is a fade and that is so magical in itself. The front cover depicts a beautiful girl who might be a water nymph, just amazing. Her choice of font and just the right spacing make her book easy to read. The editing was quite well done, although not excellent. But it is so very hard to edit something perfectly, I ought to know. Keep writing Nina, you have a rare gift.

[Cleo]

I enjoyed reading this but put it down and never came back to it. Definitely a me problem, not the book's problem.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the only new-to-this collection is "Anger Management"

AWESOME to have a new collection from Nina...

♦Key Signatures RE-read 7/6/2015
♦The Weight of Wishes RE-read 7/6/2015
♦How I Came to Marry a Herpetologist RE-read 7/7/2015
♦"Strikes of the Heart" read in Maiden Matron Crone 5/24/2005 re-read 8/9/2015
♦"Switched" read in Rotten Relations 2/19/2005 RE-read 7/6/2015 and again 9/17/2015
♦Sourheart (from The Ultimate Witch) RE-read 10/19/2015
♦Inner Child RE-read 10/20/2015
♦Home for Christmas RE-read 10/21/2015
♦Anger Management RE-read 10/22/2015
♦Trees Perpetual of Sleep (from Enchanted Forests) RE-read 10/23/2015
♦Hostile Takeover RE-read 10/25/2015
♦Here We Come A-Wandering RE-read 10/24/2015
♦The Wisdom of Disaster RE-read 10/26/2015
♦A Fault Against the Dead RE-read 7/5/2015 and aloud to Lisa 12/23/2015
♦The Trouble with the Truth RE-read 8/19/2015 and aloud to Lisa 12/23/2015
♦Gone to Heaven Shouting RE-read 10/27/2015

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of fantasy short stories

The author has been compared to Ray Bradbury and the comparison feels valid in this collection. The author's lyrical descriptions and themes of loneliness, connections, and strangeness hidden under everyday life reminded me strongly of Bradbury. But Hoffman brings a unique female perspective to her stories that really resonated with me. For example, the stories under the fairytales section include a story told from the view of an evil sister who is cursed with frogs and snakes falling out of her mouth. Yet, she finds the curse can be a blessing in unexpected ways.

Each of the stories can be read as stand alone, but many were set in the town of Spores Ferry where some people can talk to ghosts and others are born with magic. The stories deal with being different and trying to find a place in the world, and how sometimes we hurt ourselves or others in trying to fit in.

Recommended as both adult and YA fantasy or urban fantasy. If you liked the stories I highly recommend you check out her book series that also deal with similar themes: Spores Ferry, Lazelle, and Chapel Hollow series.

[Robert Nolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine story writer in the mode of Bradbury and Kelly Link. The writing is a tad too YA in style, and sex is distinctly OFF the page. Loved her novel A Red Heart of Memories. Some of the stories here are related to that book.

[Danielle Palmer]

I read “home for Christmas” in a different anthology, and liked it so much that I ordered this book to read more of Nk Hoffman. I really enjoyed “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️how I came to marry a herpetologist.” The other two fairytales in the collection I didn’t really understand. I read a handful of the other stories and they were ⭐️⭐️ or ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Bink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near normal and eerily lovely

Suspense, yes, but no horror. Tersely lyrical and a fast and very human read, with series references popping up RE her other books.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the Endeavour Award - actually I asked the library to buy it and they eventually did. But the reality is I will buy it eventually anyway - first because I love this author's work and secondly because it really is a great book. This is a collection of short stories - and it is a fairly small book - there are no novellas here - just 16 short stories. But just enough of them are interconnected that you can almost see them as being in the same universe. In fact it kind of has a vaguely Newford feel to it (which for me is a good thing). I guess I'm a sucker very simple but well written first person short fantasy stories set in modern day (aka urban fantasy even when it is in a rural setting). There are some philosophical underpinnings about what might be an acceptable life - but they pretty well hidden. I just wish this collection had been longer and that the author would write more and more books. I would happily see read a lot more stories of the recurring characters in this collection.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are new to this author (like I was), this seems a terrible place to start. While the writing is certainly capable and the story ideas are interesting, I felt like I was getting the "B sides" of the discarded ideas from things that didn't fit into her novels. Which might be great if you were already invested in these characters.

I did enjoy a few of the stories, but by the end of the collection I was regretting my commitment to finish it.

There was a good short story posted on tor dot com called "The Ghost Hedgehog". I do recommend checking that one out.

[Tanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely writing, and interesting characters, especially if you enjoy modern fantasy. One of the few authors whose words I often enjoy reading slowly, even when the pace of the story wants me to rush through it to see what happens next. Some of the phrasing and word choices had me re-reading sentences simply because I enjoyed the idea of them.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually prefer hard SF, but these wonderful short stories often had me saying wow! at the end of them. Her amazing ability with words takes you just that little bit further than you imagined, and seeing people and the world around you in new ways. I'll be looking for more of her books, and definitely looking for her longer novels.

[Cmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always excited to find a story by Nina when I pick up an anthology. But even better is a whole collection. Hoffman is a brilliant Oregon author who is often overlooked and underappreciated. Permeable Borders is a collection about place and family and magic… and if you're lucky, inanimate objects may start talking to you.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

These tales remind me why I enjoy reading Hoffman. There are some that I have read but most were new to me. I enjoyed sitting and reading one tale at a time, extending the time I could spend in her worlds.

[Michael Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What a great book! Excellent stories that tie themselves together so very well. Some of these stories could easily be expanded into their own books or series. An excellent vehicle for strong young female leads."

[David Scrimshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short urban fantasies. Just when I was starting to wish I was reading a novel instead, I hit a story that had characters from a previous story. I love collections of linked stories. And these days, I really like stories that aren't all gloomy. Like these.

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. A collection of short stories, some with shared characters. Delightful accounts of people trying to find their way in reality, when the reality they see is subtly different. Uplifting in a non-Hallmark™ way.

[Suyin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous magical and heartfelt stories.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing collection of great stories that span a number of recurring characters & series for NKH. Highly recommended if you like stories of human foibles among fantastic set dressing.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nina Kiriki Hoffman always delivers. It's great to meet new characters and re-visit old ones. Good for my soul.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short stories. Will have to check out more of her writing.

[Jessica Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work so much! I usually feel like I've gotten a high off of it, when I'm finished. I end up with such a sense of joy and peace. I know that's crazy, but...

[T.L. Merrybard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually all that into short stories but I love these!

[Leander Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book, with some stories grabbing my attention more so than others. If I had to choose a favourite, it would have to be the Christmas one (without wanting to spoil anything).