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Dancy Flammarion #1
Alabaster: Pale Horse
An albino girl wanders the sun-scorched back roads of a south Georgia summer, following the bidding of an angel or perhaps only voices in her head, searching out and slaying ancient monsters who have hidden themselves away in the lonely places of the world. Caitlin R. Kiernan first introduced Dancy Flammarion in the pages of her award-winning second novel, Threshold (2001), then went on to write several more short stories and a novella about this unlikely heroine, each a piece of what has become an epic dark fantasy narrative. Featuring illustrations by Ted Naifeh, Alabaster: Pale Horse reprints all these tales from the original hardcover collection and adds one more, "Highway 97."
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2006
25 people are currently reading
1196 people want to read
About the author
Caitlín R. Kiernan
420 books1,672 followersCaitlín Rebekah Kiernan is an Irish-born American published paleontologist and author of science fiction and dark fantasy works, including ten novels, series of comic books, and more than two hundred and fifty published short stories, novellas, and vignettes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
November 10, 2014
When I read Threshold back in 2008, I only gave it 2 stars. The story and the main characters never quite came together for me, but I did want to read more of Kiernan's work because I kinda dig the way she writes (sometimes).
The one character from Threshold which stood out, though, was Dancy, so when I was browsing for books to read, and I saw that Kiernan had a whole collection of Dancy stories, I decided to give it a go.
And I'm glad I did.
Kiernan's language, the way she writes, wraps around your brain and sort of pulls you into the ambiance and atmosphere. Unfortunately, though, it's a double-edged sword, because there are times when sparser language would be better, and while she sometimes balances the two well, there are other times where deciphering the words becomes more of a hindrance than a help. Only times, though.
Also, there are a few illustrations from Ted Naifeh, and his usual style captures the oddity of the world Dancy finds herself in. They really helped me visualize some of the creatures, like the angel, and were a nice addition to the stories.
This is a short story collection, and like all such some stories are better than others. Also, they're printed in publication order, not linear order, so a lot of the stories offhandedly reference events that you haven't read yet. Someday I might go back and read the stories in chronological order, to try and get the timeline straight in my head.
Anyway -
Overall, a decent story, and I like the character of Dancy. My only "let down", really, was that I was expecting more a horror story and this felt more like a dark urban fantasy.
I definitely plan on checking out the Alabaster graphic novels at some point, though.
The one character from Threshold which stood out, though, was Dancy, so when I was browsing for books to read, and I saw that Kiernan had a whole collection of Dancy stories, I decided to give it a go.
And I'm glad I did.
Kiernan's language, the way she writes, wraps around your brain and sort of pulls you into the ambiance and atmosphere. Unfortunately, though, it's a double-edged sword, because there are times when sparser language would be better, and while she sometimes balances the two well, there are other times where deciphering the words becomes more of a hindrance than a help. Only times, though.
Also, there are a few illustrations from Ted Naifeh, and his usual style captures the oddity of the world Dancy finds herself in. They really helped me visualize some of the creatures, like the angel, and were a nice addition to the stories.
This is a short story collection, and like all such some stories are better than others. Also, they're printed in publication order, not linear order, so a lot of the stories offhandedly reference events that you haven't read yet. Someday I might go back and read the stories in chronological order, to try and get the timeline straight in my head.
Anyway -
Overall, a decent story, and I like the character of Dancy. My only "let down", really, was that I was expecting more a horror story and this felt more like a dark urban fantasy.
I definitely plan on checking out the Alabaster graphic novels at some point, though.
May 9, 2015
This is copy 22 of 350 signed and numbered copies. Read in December 2006.
May 25, 2009
Finally out in paperback! I had been waiting for this to be published for almost a year (there's a hardcover edition, but it's hard to find and spendy) and it was SO VERY worth it. The five short stories here center around Dancy Flammarion, the mysterious albino monster-hunter you might have met earlier in Threshold. The stories reveal more of Dancy's background and of her world's creepy, creepy undercurrents to us while still leaving a deep sense of mystery intact.
Kiernan's ability to make her deeply disturbing imagery feel beautiful and yet still horrifying amazes me, and it's on display here like crazy. There's also fantastic, subtle worldbuilding - while not as overt as other fantasy writers, Kiernan slowly weaves details together in all of her novels and short stories, creating one of the most deeply felt worlds I think I've ever experienced through reading. Alabaster hints towards details from Silk and Murder of Angels at a couple of points, and it just makes me want to read more and more by her to see these tiny pieces fall together.
Far Territories also did a great job here putting together a beautiful book. The cover art wraps around the entire cover, and I think the way the front just so slightly hints at the horrors lurking behind is awesome, and in a way characteristic of exactly how I feel reading these stories. This edition contains a great afterword by Kiernan as well with its own creepy story (which actually went the farthest in not letting me sleep after I finished reading, I think!). I know I'm gushing here, but Kiernan deserves to be SO much better known, and if you're a fan of being unsettled by your books and exploring unconventional, deeply imagined fantasy worlds, you owe it to yourself to check this author out.
Kiernan's ability to make her deeply disturbing imagery feel beautiful and yet still horrifying amazes me, and it's on display here like crazy. There's also fantastic, subtle worldbuilding - while not as overt as other fantasy writers, Kiernan slowly weaves details together in all of her novels and short stories, creating one of the most deeply felt worlds I think I've ever experienced through reading. Alabaster hints towards details from Silk and Murder of Angels at a couple of points, and it just makes me want to read more and more by her to see these tiny pieces fall together.
Far Territories also did a great job here putting together a beautiful book. The cover art wraps around the entire cover, and I think the way the front just so slightly hints at the horrors lurking behind is awesome, and in a way characteristic of exactly how I feel reading these stories. This edition contains a great afterword by Kiernan as well with its own creepy story (which actually went the farthest in not letting me sleep after I finished reading, I think!). I know I'm gushing here, but Kiernan deserves to be SO much better known, and if you're a fan of being unsettled by your books and exploring unconventional, deeply imagined fantasy worlds, you owe it to yourself to check this author out.
April 1, 2007
A series of short stories all relating to the character of Dancey Flammarion, an albino girl-child who hunts really scary monsters at the direction of a terrifying angel. I definitely got the shivers reading about some of the things she encounters... the story Bainbridge ends up linking up with all the rest of Caitlin's other books and for that reason is a good thing to read.
May 10, 2024
Kiernan never fails to give me a satisfying dopamine hit of delightful dark fantasy. There's kind of something missing from this that I couldn't quite put my finger on, until I realized it might be my main criticism of Kiernan as a whole - simply not enough of what is clearly a very captivating, singular cosmic horror / weird fantasy universe... I know the whole point of cosmicism is that there's no quotidian explanation, which Kiernan is keen to remind the reader more than once here, but the glimpses they give of their world are just so damn interesting that I can't help but feel a little disappointed she hasn't written a doorstop novel completely dedicated to fleshing out and perfecting everything she does in bits and pieces throughout their bibliography. They're a rare example of a weird lit writer so good at worldbuilding that I actually want more explanation and revelation rather than just suggestion. But hey, I'm not Kiernan, and clearly this formula here works for them, so I'm not going to complain too much about getting my fill of lovingly crafted urban sci-fantasy which she's so continually adept at, especially when their characters are as enjoyable as they are.
March 15, 2014
The southern United States can be tough to write about. There are plenty of things I love and hate about the region that spawned me, and a story can fall into cliches faster than I can fry up a green tomato. Quirky and/or just plain weird characters in a southern novel are nothing new, and they are absolutely necessary to pull off a genuine southern gothic story. From Eudora Welty to Joe R. Lansdale, there is a wide and wonderful variety of stuff to sort through. Caitlín Kiernan has added another entry to the list of stellar tales with southern settings.
Years ago, Threshold was the novel that introduced me to Kiernan and one of her most fascinating characters—one Kiernan referred to in her notes as the “creepy little ‘Boo Radley’ albino girl:” Dancy Flammarion.
Alabaster: Pale Horse collects six stories about Dancy in her pre-Threshold days. Five of them were published previously in the original Alabaster, now out of print and so far outside my price range it’s not even funny, so I jumped at the chance to read them here. As a bonus, you get a sixth one.
These stories show some of Dancy’s early conflicts with the supernatural, tracing her journey from Okaloosa County, Florida, through Georgia towns of Waycross and Bainbridge, and to Savannah, where we get to find out exactly what happened with the “boy with the amber bottle” referred to in Threshold. They also reflect the changes in Dancy’s character that Kiernan has made since her first appearance—this Dancy does not quite match up with the Dancy-that-should-be because the character has evolved as the stories have come to Kiernan.
You can read them in the order in which they were published or by how they occur in Dancy’s life. Kiernan provides two separate content lists for nerds who like to do that (me, for instance).
Some may not like this character revision, and I can admit that sometimes I wouldn’t. However, I am fascinated with the character of Dancy Flammarion, and I like the Dancy in Alabaster. A lot.
The tales range from “Les Fleurs Empoisonées,” which takes Dancy to Savannah and where we get the backstory on the boy with the amber bottle, who is referred to briefly in Threshold. It also gives us an encounter with a gloriously fucked-up southern sisterhood that reminds me of every baby or wedding shower I “had” to attend in my teens, just with spells and a little cannibalism.
Savannah is not Dancy’s only stop in Georgia. Her wanderings also take her to Waycross, where she confronts a creature called the Gynander, as well as giving us our first view of Ted Naifeh’s beautiful and horrible angels, plus a stop in Bainbridge. The story of the same title provides insight on Dancy’s mother and is juxtaposed with Dancy finding herself thrown in with an ancient evil at a crumbling, abandoned church.
“Alabaster,” the title story and a favorite of mine, has Dancy stop at a gas station. She’s only hoping to be allowed to use the ladies’ room and maybe score a few canned goods for the road. The man who runs it is one of those stubborn old cusses that own rural gas stations—and he’s imprisoned something that is going to make it impossible for Dancy to just keep traveling.
In addition to the above gems, “The Well of Stars and Shadow” give a glimpse of Dancy’s young adolescence in Okaloosa County, Florida, and “Highway 97” is just a walk along a dark, deep southern highway—with a little unwelcome company, of course. Kiernan’s afterward, which details the events that inspired “Les Fleurs Empoisonées,” will suck you in as completely as any stories and may have frightened me a little more. Why? I’ve been on a road in an old broken down car on a hot, humid night. I’ve thought I’ve seen things that aren’t possible—I hope. Like Kiernan and friends, I hope I was just mistaken.
In Kiernan’s hands, what Flannery O’Connor called the “Christ-Haunted South” becomes the Angel-Haunted South. Kiernan’s angels, illustrated by Naifeh, are twisted, beautiful, horrifying, and wonderful.
You don’t have to believe in supernatural creatures to enjoy these stories—every place on the globe has it’s own mythology, and the southern U.S is ripe for monsters: all those impassable swamps and trailing spanish moss make it easy to imagine something unnatural and bizarre crawling out. H.P. Lovecraft set most of his tales in New England, but the statute of Cthulhu was found near New Orleans. There’s no telling what you’ll find in a southern swamp. Or on a backroad. My fellow southerners and I have to face it: there’s a lot more truth in Squidbillies than Steel Magnolias.
Years ago, Threshold was the novel that introduced me to Kiernan and one of her most fascinating characters—one Kiernan referred to in her notes as the “creepy little ‘Boo Radley’ albino girl:” Dancy Flammarion.
Alabaster: Pale Horse collects six stories about Dancy in her pre-Threshold days. Five of them were published previously in the original Alabaster, now out of print and so far outside my price range it’s not even funny, so I jumped at the chance to read them here. As a bonus, you get a sixth one.
These stories show some of Dancy’s early conflicts with the supernatural, tracing her journey from Okaloosa County, Florida, through Georgia towns of Waycross and Bainbridge, and to Savannah, where we get to find out exactly what happened with the “boy with the amber bottle” referred to in Threshold. They also reflect the changes in Dancy’s character that Kiernan has made since her first appearance—this Dancy does not quite match up with the Dancy-that-should-be because the character has evolved as the stories have come to Kiernan.
You can read them in the order in which they were published or by how they occur in Dancy’s life. Kiernan provides two separate content lists for nerds who like to do that (me, for instance).
Some may not like this character revision, and I can admit that sometimes I wouldn’t. However, I am fascinated with the character of Dancy Flammarion, and I like the Dancy in Alabaster. A lot.
The tales range from “Les Fleurs Empoisonées,” which takes Dancy to Savannah and where we get the backstory on the boy with the amber bottle, who is referred to briefly in Threshold. It also gives us an encounter with a gloriously fucked-up southern sisterhood that reminds me of every baby or wedding shower I “had” to attend in my teens, just with spells and a little cannibalism.
Savannah is not Dancy’s only stop in Georgia. Her wanderings also take her to Waycross, where she confronts a creature called the Gynander, as well as giving us our first view of Ted Naifeh’s beautiful and horrible angels, plus a stop in Bainbridge. The story of the same title provides insight on Dancy’s mother and is juxtaposed with Dancy finding herself thrown in with an ancient evil at a crumbling, abandoned church.
“Alabaster,” the title story and a favorite of mine, has Dancy stop at a gas station. She’s only hoping to be allowed to use the ladies’ room and maybe score a few canned goods for the road. The man who runs it is one of those stubborn old cusses that own rural gas stations—and he’s imprisoned something that is going to make it impossible for Dancy to just keep traveling.
In addition to the above gems, “The Well of Stars and Shadow” give a glimpse of Dancy’s young adolescence in Okaloosa County, Florida, and “Highway 97” is just a walk along a dark, deep southern highway—with a little unwelcome company, of course. Kiernan’s afterward, which details the events that inspired “Les Fleurs Empoisonées,” will suck you in as completely as any stories and may have frightened me a little more. Why? I’ve been on a road in an old broken down car on a hot, humid night. I’ve thought I’ve seen things that aren’t possible—I hope. Like Kiernan and friends, I hope I was just mistaken.
In Kiernan’s hands, what Flannery O’Connor called the “Christ-Haunted South” becomes the Angel-Haunted South. Kiernan’s angels, illustrated by Naifeh, are twisted, beautiful, horrifying, and wonderful.
You don’t have to believe in supernatural creatures to enjoy these stories—every place on the globe has it’s own mythology, and the southern U.S is ripe for monsters: all those impassable swamps and trailing spanish moss make it easy to imagine something unnatural and bizarre crawling out. H.P. Lovecraft set most of his tales in New England, but the statute of Cthulhu was found near New Orleans. There’s no telling what you’ll find in a southern swamp. Or on a backroad. My fellow southerners and I have to face it: there’s a lot more truth in Squidbillies than Steel Magnolias.
July 28, 2008
Caitlin R. Kiernan, Alabaster (Subterranean Press, 2006)
What I have always loved about Caitlin R. Kiernan's work is the sense of being lost; there's never quite enough explicitly stated to let the reader gain firm ground, leaving one to make the associations in one's head. And as we all know, the imagination produces scarier things than we'll ever actually see. It's the same thing that works so well in John Carpenter's best movies or Kathe Koja's early novels, but Kiernan wields it more masterfully than either when she's bringing her A game. And Alabaster is, most certainly, her A game.
Dancy Flammarion has never been a central character in Kiernan's work, but she's often on the sidelines, looking out at the events therein. In Alabaster, Kiernan switches up and makes Dancy the lead, exploring some of the avenues Dancy has hinted at in previous books. And the little albino girl with the big blade, as it turns out, is just as absorbing, if not more so, than the characters we already know so well. Guided by an angel (who might not be), she finds herself in situations that get stranger and stranger as life goes on. And considering how outright weird her first brush with the supernatural is, that's saying something. As always, what seals the deal here is Kiernan's almost delicate touch with prose, working words the way a baker kneads bread, banging them around and slapping them down on the table, with the final product achieving a paradoxical softness, with a hint of sweet to counter the sour. While Kiernan's fame has been growing over the past decade, she's still nowhere near the A-list writer she certainly deserves to be. If you're a fan of the supernatural and have not yet discovered Caitlin R. Kiernan, I suggest you do so at the earliest opportunity; for my money, she's right up there with Clive Barker and Ramsey Campbell as a purveyor of the strange and rare. ****
What I have always loved about Caitlin R. Kiernan's work is the sense of being lost; there's never quite enough explicitly stated to let the reader gain firm ground, leaving one to make the associations in one's head. And as we all know, the imagination produces scarier things than we'll ever actually see. It's the same thing that works so well in John Carpenter's best movies or Kathe Koja's early novels, but Kiernan wields it more masterfully than either when she's bringing her A game. And Alabaster is, most certainly, her A game.
Dancy Flammarion has never been a central character in Kiernan's work, but she's often on the sidelines, looking out at the events therein. In Alabaster, Kiernan switches up and makes Dancy the lead, exploring some of the avenues Dancy has hinted at in previous books. And the little albino girl with the big blade, as it turns out, is just as absorbing, if not more so, than the characters we already know so well. Guided by an angel (who might not be), she finds herself in situations that get stranger and stranger as life goes on. And considering how outright weird her first brush with the supernatural is, that's saying something. As always, what seals the deal here is Kiernan's almost delicate touch with prose, working words the way a baker kneads bread, banging them around and slapping them down on the table, with the final product achieving a paradoxical softness, with a hint of sweet to counter the sour. While Kiernan's fame has been growing over the past decade, she's still nowhere near the A-list writer she certainly deserves to be. If you're a fan of the supernatural and have not yet discovered Caitlin R. Kiernan, I suggest you do so at the earliest opportunity; for my money, she's right up there with Clive Barker and Ramsey Campbell as a purveyor of the strange and rare. ****
February 8, 2009
An incredible collection that gathers up all the short stories featuring monster-slayer Dancy Flammarion (first introduced in Kiernan's second novel Threshold, which still may be my favorite of hers), as well as "Bainbridge," an original novella. Subterranean Press has once again outdone themselves in the gorgeousness and gorgeosity of the book design, and Ted Naifeh's cover art and interior illustrations are the perfect counterpoint to the short stories within.
May 6, 2013
Wowza! The loves they are a many. Nuff said.
May 16, 2016
This book hit the ground running, then slowed to a power walk. Still damn good though.
February 25, 2014
I got a copy of this book to review through Netgalley. Thanks to Netgalley and Dark Horse for a chance to read this book. I have a number of Keirnan books on my bookshelf waiting to be read, but this is the first thing I have read by her. I thought this would be a graphic novel like Alabaster: Wolves...it is not it is a collection of short stories featuring Dancy Flammarion. Many of these stories have appeared other places, so if you are a huge fan of Keirnan you may have already read a lot of these.
This is a collection of short stories featuring Dancy Flammarion. There are a couple illustrations done by Ted Naifeh in each story. There are six stories total, they vary in length and content. I have summarized each of them below. There are two prefaces which explain the origin of the below short stories and the history behind the stories written about Dancy Flammarion. My favorite two stories of the whole bunch were Alabaster and Bainbridge.
As mentioned above, I have a couple of Kiernan's novels on my bookshelf at home, but this is my first time actually reading something written by her. These are dark urban fantasy/horror short stories about a teenage girl named Dancy who is commanded by an angel to go from place to place fighting evil and dealing out justice.
The stories are very dark. I think someone who has read the novels featuring Dancy would probably get more from reading these short stories. However, I did enjoy piecing together Dancy's background by pulling out bits and pieces through these stories.
Overall I enjoyed this book, it made me want to read more of Kiernan's books. She has a very beautiful, strange, and at times slightly ambiguous style to her story telling. It was very unique and made for an excellent read. I would recommend to those who enjoy dark fantasy and unique writing styles.
See below for more detail on the stories included.
- Les Fleurs Emposionness: (4/5 stars)
Dancy hitches a ride to a house where a bunch of truly ghoulish women reside. It seems to take place when Dancy is older.
- The well of Stars and Shadows (4/5 stars))
This story is about Dancy in her youth. She journeys through the swamp to visit an old man. He has a visitor that is something creepy and devilish
- Waycross (4/5 stars)
Dancy goes to take care of a problem involving a old monster that’s lived ages and ends up on some sort of soul journey to prove herself and escape. This seems to take place some time between Well of Stars and Shadows and Les Fleurs Empoisoness.
- Alabaster (5/5 stars)
Takes place 5 days after a fire at Bainbridge, this is an event that is referenced throughout the short stories. Dancy follows her angel to a gas station where she confronts a man and a monster and takes care of both. This is by far the most cohesive and fluid story of the bunch and I felt like it helped me understand Dancy the best. I really enjoyed it.
- Bainbridge (5/5 stars)
This story switches between Dancy going into a church to fight evil things and a story set in the 80’S about a woman name Julia Flammarion. This was a again a very cohesive story and provided excellent background on Dancy, I really enjoyed it. It was beautifully written.
- Highway 97 (4/5 stars)
Very short story about Dancy on the road to Bainbridge. She’s followed by a strange talking dog on the road. This story was more of a fragment than a full length story.
- Afterward (4/5 stars)
The afterward is an explanation of where Kiernan got the idea for In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers. It is well written and an interesting read.
This is a collection of short stories featuring Dancy Flammarion. There are a couple illustrations done by Ted Naifeh in each story. There are six stories total, they vary in length and content. I have summarized each of them below. There are two prefaces which explain the origin of the below short stories and the history behind the stories written about Dancy Flammarion. My favorite two stories of the whole bunch were Alabaster and Bainbridge.
As mentioned above, I have a couple of Kiernan's novels on my bookshelf at home, but this is my first time actually reading something written by her. These are dark urban fantasy/horror short stories about a teenage girl named Dancy who is commanded by an angel to go from place to place fighting evil and dealing out justice.
The stories are very dark. I think someone who has read the novels featuring Dancy would probably get more from reading these short stories. However, I did enjoy piecing together Dancy's background by pulling out bits and pieces through these stories.
Overall I enjoyed this book, it made me want to read more of Kiernan's books. She has a very beautiful, strange, and at times slightly ambiguous style to her story telling. It was very unique and made for an excellent read. I would recommend to those who enjoy dark fantasy and unique writing styles.
See below for more detail on the stories included.
- Les Fleurs Emposionness: (4/5 stars)
Dancy hitches a ride to a house where a bunch of truly ghoulish women reside. It seems to take place when Dancy is older.
- The well of Stars and Shadows (4/5 stars))
This story is about Dancy in her youth. She journeys through the swamp to visit an old man. He has a visitor that is something creepy and devilish
- Waycross (4/5 stars)
Dancy goes to take care of a problem involving a old monster that’s lived ages and ends up on some sort of soul journey to prove herself and escape. This seems to take place some time between Well of Stars and Shadows and Les Fleurs Empoisoness.
- Alabaster (5/5 stars)
Takes place 5 days after a fire at Bainbridge, this is an event that is referenced throughout the short stories. Dancy follows her angel to a gas station where she confronts a man and a monster and takes care of both. This is by far the most cohesive and fluid story of the bunch and I felt like it helped me understand Dancy the best. I really enjoyed it.
- Bainbridge (5/5 stars)
This story switches between Dancy going into a church to fight evil things and a story set in the 80’S about a woman name Julia Flammarion. This was a again a very cohesive story and provided excellent background on Dancy, I really enjoyed it. It was beautifully written.
- Highway 97 (4/5 stars)
Very short story about Dancy on the road to Bainbridge. She’s followed by a strange talking dog on the road. This story was more of a fragment than a full length story.
- Afterward (4/5 stars)
The afterward is an explanation of where Kiernan got the idea for In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers. It is well written and an interesting read.
August 27, 2016
Dancy Flammarion is the Queen of Weird Fiction.
This is an interesting volume and Caitlin Kiernan is a very interesting author, and both are, I would suggest, worth your attention if you are a dark fantasy, (or "weird fiction"), fan.
As I understand it, the character Dancy Flammarion first appeared in Kiernan's novel "Threshold", in 2001. She was then featured in a number of short stories. Those stories were collected in a book also titled "Alabaster", in 2006. That book is now out of print. This new book, "Alabaster: Pale Horse", is the same collection, but with a bonus short story - "Highway 97".
None of this should be confused with the comics, collected as, "Alabaster: Wolves", and later, "Alabaster: Grimmer Tales", which are deeply cool, but present a slightly different, more mature and wiser, Dancy, albeit in some of the same general stories.
Kiernan's first novel was 1998's "Silk". She has published something like 8 novels, 12 collections, and many dozens of short fictions. She has won all kinds of awards, and has been associated with a number of other influential authors, including Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling, and others. I mention this mostly because it helps set up the description of "Alabaster".
The book isn't horror, as that term is usually understood. It certainly isn't sword and sorcery. It absolutely certainly isn't gothic romance. It's hardly even what you might call supernatural. In fact, linear plotting does not appear to be something in which Kiernan is particularly interested. The stories are linked by the character Dancy, and there is a sequence of sorts, (although it is different than the order in which written, and you can follow either order when reading). Most stories contain some passing reference to events featured in other stories. You'll read a lot about Waycross and/or Savannah before you ever read those stories. The effect is very similar to what you get with H.P. Lovecraft, in which there are references to arcane books, events, characters and the "mythos" that may or may not show up in the story you are reading or even in any story at all. It's a non-linear universe of inter-related stories and references, and probably not at all intended to be fully understood.
So what you get instead is mood, atmosphere, feelings, incidents, passing characters, scenes, and episodes in the life/quest of Dancy Flammarion. And we wander the sun-scorched back roads of Georgia with Dancy, following the instructions of an angel, or maybe just crazy voices, searching out monsters and demons. The scenes are tender and grotesque, at the same time. There is action of a sort, and dark humor in the shadow of the gallows. This is southern gothic amped up to the level of surreal, and beyond, but always couched in restrained, almost poetic, writing.
At bottom it is fair to describe Kiernan as a "stylist", with Dancy Flammarion one of her great creations. Story takes a back seat to style, mood, atmosphere and effect - and that's fine by me. This is good stuff.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
This is an interesting volume and Caitlin Kiernan is a very interesting author, and both are, I would suggest, worth your attention if you are a dark fantasy, (or "weird fiction"), fan.
As I understand it, the character Dancy Flammarion first appeared in Kiernan's novel "Threshold", in 2001. She was then featured in a number of short stories. Those stories were collected in a book also titled "Alabaster", in 2006. That book is now out of print. This new book, "Alabaster: Pale Horse", is the same collection, but with a bonus short story - "Highway 97".
None of this should be confused with the comics, collected as, "Alabaster: Wolves", and later, "Alabaster: Grimmer Tales", which are deeply cool, but present a slightly different, more mature and wiser, Dancy, albeit in some of the same general stories.
Kiernan's first novel was 1998's "Silk". She has published something like 8 novels, 12 collections, and many dozens of short fictions. She has won all kinds of awards, and has been associated with a number of other influential authors, including Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling, and others. I mention this mostly because it helps set up the description of "Alabaster".
The book isn't horror, as that term is usually understood. It certainly isn't sword and sorcery. It absolutely certainly isn't gothic romance. It's hardly even what you might call supernatural. In fact, linear plotting does not appear to be something in which Kiernan is particularly interested. The stories are linked by the character Dancy, and there is a sequence of sorts, (although it is different than the order in which written, and you can follow either order when reading). Most stories contain some passing reference to events featured in other stories. You'll read a lot about Waycross and/or Savannah before you ever read those stories. The effect is very similar to what you get with H.P. Lovecraft, in which there are references to arcane books, events, characters and the "mythos" that may or may not show up in the story you are reading or even in any story at all. It's a non-linear universe of inter-related stories and references, and probably not at all intended to be fully understood.
So what you get instead is mood, atmosphere, feelings, incidents, passing characters, scenes, and episodes in the life/quest of Dancy Flammarion. And we wander the sun-scorched back roads of Georgia with Dancy, following the instructions of an angel, or maybe just crazy voices, searching out monsters and demons. The scenes are tender and grotesque, at the same time. There is action of a sort, and dark humor in the shadow of the gallows. This is southern gothic amped up to the level of surreal, and beyond, but always couched in restrained, almost poetic, writing.
At bottom it is fair to describe Kiernan as a "stylist", with Dancy Flammarion one of her great creations. Story takes a back seat to style, mood, atmosphere and effect - and that's fine by me. This is good stuff.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
April 19, 2018
See my other reviews at Never Enough Books
An albino girl wanders the sun-scorched backroads of a south Georgia summer, following the bidding of an angel - or perhaps only voices in her head - searching out and slaying ancient monsters who have hidden themselves away in the lonely places of the world.
First introduced in Caitlin R. Kiernan's second novel, Threshold, Dancy has gone on to be the unlikely heroine in several short stories and even a novella. Each story is a small piece of a larger fantasy narrative and in Alabaster they are finally gathered together in to a single volume.
I admit, dear reader, I wasn't quite sure what I was picking up when I picked Alabaster up off the shelf in my local library. In truth I had been looking for another book by the same author and ended up getting this one instead. From what I understood (or thought I understood), Dancy was a minor character in one of Kiernan's novels and this collection of short stories expand upon her background.
Having not read Threshold, I don't know if I'm correct or not. I do know, however, that these stories presume that the reader has at least a passing knowledge of Dancy. And having no prior knowledge of the character, I found myself a bit lost.
Kiernan is an excellent author, that much I do know from reading these short stories. She is able to spin a believable yarn; to give the reader information while still leaving something to the imagination. She does have the occasional penchant for run on sentences, but I have yet to read an author who doesn't.
Readers who have read Threshold and are familiar with Dancy will likely enjoy this collection. It gives glimpses in to her character and takes the reader on brief adventures. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first book in the series, but all in all I found it a nice read.
An albino girl wanders the sun-scorched backroads of a south Georgia summer, following the bidding of an angel - or perhaps only voices in her head - searching out and slaying ancient monsters who have hidden themselves away in the lonely places of the world.
First introduced in Caitlin R. Kiernan's second novel, Threshold, Dancy has gone on to be the unlikely heroine in several short stories and even a novella. Each story is a small piece of a larger fantasy narrative and in Alabaster they are finally gathered together in to a single volume.
I admit, dear reader, I wasn't quite sure what I was picking up when I picked Alabaster up off the shelf in my local library. In truth I had been looking for another book by the same author and ended up getting this one instead. From what I understood (or thought I understood), Dancy was a minor character in one of Kiernan's novels and this collection of short stories expand upon her background.
Having not read Threshold, I don't know if I'm correct or not. I do know, however, that these stories presume that the reader has at least a passing knowledge of Dancy. And having no prior knowledge of the character, I found myself a bit lost.
Kiernan is an excellent author, that much I do know from reading these short stories. She is able to spin a believable yarn; to give the reader information while still leaving something to the imagination. She does have the occasional penchant for run on sentences, but I have yet to read an author who doesn't.
Readers who have read Threshold and are familiar with Dancy will likely enjoy this collection. It gives glimpses in to her character and takes the reader on brief adventures. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first book in the series, but all in all I found it a nice read.
September 6, 2014
Alabaster: Pale Horse is a collection of short stories about an albino god-hearing, monster-killing girl stalking the deep South in ragged clothing. Sounds pretty spiffy, right? It is. It's a lot of fun.
Kiernan is a strong enough writer that she knows not to oversell any of Dancy's moral quandaries. As Dancy's life is unveiled in a series of encounters with the weird, we can recognize the humanity underneath her near-unshakable faith in her angel. The relationship between angel and girl is the crux of the collection; moreso because the reader is left wondering whether it is really just Dancy's relationship with herself.
Gushing aside, Kiernan's writing has a few quirks that, unfortunately for me, distracted from her stories. One of my issues with magical realism is that descriptions can be creative to the point of outlandishness. Never is there a sunrise in the world of magical realism: instead the heavens erupt into a riot of strawberry sherbert. After it rains, it never smells like ozone or minerals. Instead it smells like the inside of an old teacup. I interrupt my reading thinking, 'Have I ever really taken the time to smell a teacup? Maybe my cups aren't old enough. Stagnant herb water, is that what I should be getting from this?' Distracting.
Kiernan is a strong enough writer that she knows not to oversell any of Dancy's moral quandaries. As Dancy's life is unveiled in a series of encounters with the weird, we can recognize the humanity underneath her near-unshakable faith in her angel. The relationship between angel and girl is the crux of the collection; moreso because the reader is left wondering whether it is really just Dancy's relationship with herself.
Gushing aside, Kiernan's writing has a few quirks that, unfortunately for me, distracted from her stories. One of my issues with magical realism is that descriptions can be creative to the point of outlandishness. Never is there a sunrise in the world of magical realism: instead the heavens erupt into a riot of strawberry sherbert. After it rains, it never smells like ozone or minerals. Instead it smells like the inside of an old teacup. I interrupt my reading thinking, 'Have I ever really taken the time to smell a teacup? Maybe my cups aren't old enough. Stagnant herb water, is that what I should be getting from this?' Distracting.
September 19, 2014
I read and enjoyed Alabaster: Wolves, so I was hoping for more of the same. The good news is that it's got my favorite knifeketeer: teenage albino Dancy Flammarion. Her motto is "have knife, will stab". No knife? No problem, she makes do! Her stories are best described as ambiguous: Does Dancy really hear the voice of God or is she batshit insane? Are those ladies ghouls or is flaying and eating people what white people do for fun? Is that dude and his "kids" vampires or do they talk too much?
The weird news is that this isn't sequential art, it's prose. Rich, heat-drenched, weary, this-is-perfectly-normal-what-you-mean-"weird", humid prose. Caitlin Kiernan loves the deep south and loves the supernatural and it shows. The table of contents lists the stories in chronological order, if you're so inclined, but the stories are not. They bounce around. Even Dancy's mother is a main character for a little bit.
The book is peppered w/ sketches from Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Polly and the Pirates, Princess Ugg). They're great, I love his art, but some are poorly placed to reveal a bit of plot right before it's appropriate? A minor, inconsequential complaint that does not mar this fun book at all.
These stories have appeared before in other places, and you may think you've read them, but Kiernan is no slave to canon. As creator, she's free to rewrite until she is pleased, so better pick up this book to be safe.
The weird news is that this isn't sequential art, it's prose. Rich, heat-drenched, weary, this-is-perfectly-normal-what-you-mean-"weird", humid prose. Caitlin Kiernan loves the deep south and loves the supernatural and it shows. The table of contents lists the stories in chronological order, if you're so inclined, but the stories are not. They bounce around. Even Dancy's mother is a main character for a little bit.
The book is peppered w/ sketches from Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Polly and the Pirates, Princess Ugg). They're great, I love his art, but some are poorly placed to reveal a bit of plot right before it's appropriate? A minor, inconsequential complaint that does not mar this fun book at all.
These stories have appeared before in other places, and you may think you've read them, but Kiernan is no slave to canon. As creator, she's free to rewrite until she is pleased, so better pick up this book to be safe.
October 17, 2022
The twist at the end of "Threshold", the novel in which Kiernan introduced Dancy Flammarion, made it almost impossible for stories about the albino girl to be set after that novel. But the novel hinted of a lot of stories worth telling before we met Dancy and even if we heard some of them, a lot of them remained unexplored. So when Kiernan decided to revisit her heroine (who was supposed to be just a one-novel character), she delved into her past and went to tell stories of monsters - both supernatural and human. The first edition of this collection was published in 2006. Its limited edition was accompanied by a chapbook containing an extra story (as Subterranean Press often occasionally do). When the book was reissued in 2020, it added that extra story into the book properly so the second edition gained an extra story.
Kiernan provides an introduction (spoiler-free so safe to read before the book) and two separate tables of contents - one which orders the stories in their publication order (the book is ordered that way) and one which orders them in chronological order inside of the stories themselves (except for that extra story which should be elsewhere in that later order but I suspect that they missed that when they were adding it for the second edition...). The 6 stories are connected not just by Darcy being there but also by characters knowing what happened in earlier events. If you prefer not to get spoiled, you should probably read the book in the alternative order - the publishing order is almost the opposite of the internal chronological one. On the other hand we know that Dancy makes it to Birmingham, Alabama for "Threshold" so we know she would live through all these prequel stories. But that is a problem for any writer writing prequels. And even if you know she must survive, most of the stories manage to keep the tension high enough.
Kiernan's style is a lot more straight forward here than it was in "Threshold". While some of the stories jump around in time, the different sections are actually marked and dated - which is very different from the novel's way of story telling. But let's talk about the stories:
"Les Fleurs Empoisonnées" (originally published in 2002 as "In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers" because the publisher requested a title which sounded less French) opens the collection but is the last of the stories chronologically and it mentions the events of the rest of the stories. Dancy, having earned quite of a reputation as the monster killing albino girl by now, is sent by her angel to a house where a group of women who perform monstrous acts. So how does our teenager get to the house? She hitchhikes of course. Add a dead girl, a talking bear and an actual evil hiding in the house (and a bottle you really don't want to open) and you have a pretty solid horror story. The fact that a lot of people seem to have additional motives for their actions adds to the story quite nicely.
"The Well of Stars and Shadows" is the earliest story chronologically, set almost a decade earlier when Dancy is still a girl, living in the swamps of Florida with her mother and grandmother. She visits an old man - the same way she had done it numerous times before. But this time she is about to see her first monster. In a way, this is the origin story of Dancy although it needs to be combined with Julia's story for all in Dancy's character to make sense.
"Waycross" is set before "Les Fleurs Empoisonnées"(the earlier story in the collection even mentions the end of this one) and after all the other stories in the collection. For the first time we see something that may hint at the monsters not being real - but just as in "Threshold", the reader is almost sure to consider the mundane psychiatric clinic as the nightmare. Dancy is sent after another evil (if you see a pattern, it is because the pattern is indeed there) and ends up having to deal with her own internal demons after the bad guy opens a box (unnamed but clearly designed after Pandora's box and similar myths).
"Alabaster" takes us again back in time, before "Waycross" and just days after the Bainbridge incident and we finally learn what all references about a gas station were about. There is a real evil, there is a wicked old man and there is fire. By now, pretty standard for the stories about Dancy. According to the introduction, the original story was written in 2003 but the one published here is actually an expanded version from 2004.
"Bainbridge" finally fills the gaps in the story of that incident. Her first monster after she burns the cabin she grew up in (the story of that incident is in "Threshold"), it is told in alternating chapters with the story of the near drawing of Julia, Dancy's mother, in 1982. The story manages to complete and tie together all the dangling threads and stories which had been hinted at through the collection and the novel - adding even more to Dancy's backstory.
"Highway 97" is the original opening of "Bainbridge" which for some reason got ejected from the story and then published separately (even Kiernan does not remember why). It is a lot milder than the rest of the stories and has a talking dog which tries to convince Dancy not to go to Bainbridge.
The afterword, titled "Afterword: On the Road to Jefferson" discussed how she got the idea for "In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers". Because it was printed initially when the story was called that way, the afterword keeps referring to it this way even if it named "Les Fleurs Empoisonnées" in the collection. It was mildly interesting but ultimately skippable.
Despite the repetitiousness of the main plots, the details and the language actually make this collection work and not be as tedious as it could have become under other circumstances. Not perfect by any means but pretty readable (although some of the scenes are grotesque and can cause nightmares if one is so inclined. The illustrations by Ted Naifeh fit the tone of the book perfectly and add to atmosphere.
Kiernan provides an introduction (spoiler-free so safe to read before the book) and two separate tables of contents - one which orders the stories in their publication order (the book is ordered that way) and one which orders them in chronological order inside of the stories themselves (except for that extra story which should be elsewhere in that later order but I suspect that they missed that when they were adding it for the second edition...). The 6 stories are connected not just by Darcy being there but also by characters knowing what happened in earlier events. If you prefer not to get spoiled, you should probably read the book in the alternative order - the publishing order is almost the opposite of the internal chronological one. On the other hand we know that Dancy makes it to Birmingham, Alabama for "Threshold" so we know she would live through all these prequel stories. But that is a problem for any writer writing prequels. And even if you know she must survive, most of the stories manage to keep the tension high enough.
Kiernan's style is a lot more straight forward here than it was in "Threshold". While some of the stories jump around in time, the different sections are actually marked and dated - which is very different from the novel's way of story telling. But let's talk about the stories:
"Les Fleurs Empoisonnées" (originally published in 2002 as "In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers" because the publisher requested a title which sounded less French) opens the collection but is the last of the stories chronologically and it mentions the events of the rest of the stories. Dancy, having earned quite of a reputation as the monster killing albino girl by now, is sent by her angel to a house where a group of women who perform monstrous acts. So how does our teenager get to the house? She hitchhikes of course. Add a dead girl, a talking bear and an actual evil hiding in the house (and a bottle you really don't want to open) and you have a pretty solid horror story. The fact that a lot of people seem to have additional motives for their actions adds to the story quite nicely.
"The Well of Stars and Shadows" is the earliest story chronologically, set almost a decade earlier when Dancy is still a girl, living in the swamps of Florida with her mother and grandmother. She visits an old man - the same way she had done it numerous times before. But this time she is about to see her first monster. In a way, this is the origin story of Dancy although it needs to be combined with Julia's story for all in Dancy's character to make sense.
"Waycross" is set before "Les Fleurs Empoisonnées"(the earlier story in the collection even mentions the end of this one) and after all the other stories in the collection. For the first time we see something that may hint at the monsters not being real - but just as in "Threshold", the reader is almost sure to consider the mundane psychiatric clinic as the nightmare. Dancy is sent after another evil (if you see a pattern, it is because the pattern is indeed there) and ends up having to deal with her own internal demons after the bad guy opens a box (unnamed but clearly designed after Pandora's box and similar myths).
"Alabaster" takes us again back in time, before "Waycross" and just days after the Bainbridge incident and we finally learn what all references about a gas station were about. There is a real evil, there is a wicked old man and there is fire. By now, pretty standard for the stories about Dancy. According to the introduction, the original story was written in 2003 but the one published here is actually an expanded version from 2004.
"Bainbridge" finally fills the gaps in the story of that incident. Her first monster after she burns the cabin she grew up in (the story of that incident is in "Threshold"), it is told in alternating chapters with the story of the near drawing of Julia, Dancy's mother, in 1982. The story manages to complete and tie together all the dangling threads and stories which had been hinted at through the collection and the novel - adding even more to Dancy's backstory.
"Highway 97" is the original opening of "Bainbridge" which for some reason got ejected from the story and then published separately (even Kiernan does not remember why). It is a lot milder than the rest of the stories and has a talking dog which tries to convince Dancy not to go to Bainbridge.
The afterword, titled "Afterword: On the Road to Jefferson" discussed how she got the idea for "In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers". Because it was printed initially when the story was called that way, the afterword keeps referring to it this way even if it named "Les Fleurs Empoisonnées" in the collection. It was mildly interesting but ultimately skippable.
Despite the repetitiousness of the main plots, the details and the language actually make this collection work and not be as tedious as it could have become under other circumstances. Not perfect by any means but pretty readable (although some of the scenes are grotesque and can cause nightmares if one is so inclined. The illustrations by Ted Naifeh fit the tone of the book perfectly and add to atmosphere.
October 16, 2020
Kudzu, swamps, and the sun-scorched back roads of Georgia. This is a collection of short stories featuring Dancy Flammarion, a young albino girl traveling through the gothic deep south. She's guided by a sword wielding angel that only she can she see and tasked with destroying creatures of darkness.
Two stories stood out for me, Waycross and Alabaster. The story-telling seemed more direct in these two. All the stories were moody and eerie but I felt like I was missing something from the others. I liked the descriptions most of the time but found some of the sentences to be overly long and wordy. The stories are presented in the order that they were written but there is also a list of the stories in chronological order.
I'm fascinated by the the character, her connection with the angel, and the creatures haunting the south. So even though not all the stories connected with me I'll be sticking with Dancy and reading the comics from Dark Horse next.
Two stories stood out for me, Waycross and Alabaster. The story-telling seemed more direct in these two. All the stories were moody and eerie but I felt like I was missing something from the others. I liked the descriptions most of the time but found some of the sentences to be overly long and wordy. The stories are presented in the order that they were written but there is also a list of the stories in chronological order.
I'm fascinated by the the character, her connection with the angel, and the creatures haunting the south. So even though not all the stories connected with me I'll be sticking with Dancy and reading the comics from Dark Horse next.
July 2, 2009
Kiernan can write, no question about it. She is excellent at painting a surreal picture ripe with menace. This collection of stories was beautiful yet keenly disturbing. Reading it is like that feeling when you know someone is right behind you but they haven't announced themselves yet. The longer the feeling lasts, the worse it feels. Dancy is a very unusual protagonist, one I grew quite fond of. I'm not sure she's completely sane, but the things she's faced, who can blame her. Take a plunge into the frightening worlds that Kiernan has created, but I'd read it during the daytime if I were you.
February 24, 2016
Short fiction is Kiernan's preferred format, but, as she says, you can't make a living writing short fiction. This is a collection of all of the stories of a character she discovered while writing a novel, the title of which escapes me. The stories are extraordinary. Full of what I have come to call, "Kiernanisms". See my reviews of her novels if you want to get the full sense of just who CRK is. She is, without doubt, the best writer of the English language I have read in years. She has the courage in her writing that Faulkner claimed Hemingway lacked. You actually have to have a dictionary handy because she uses some words you will have to look up. READ THIS BOOK!
September 30, 2009
I have to admit, the monster-killer Darcy Flammarion was not my favorite character in Threshold and the first time I read "Alabaster" I felt more sympathy for the 'panther' than the protagonist. Alabaster makes me reconsider my opinion, though, and not just for the gorgeous Ted Naifeh illustrations. "Alabaster" and "Bainbridge" reminds us just why people used to greet visitations from angels with terror, but in all of the stories it's never entirely clear just who the real monsters are, or what they want.
Kiernan's prose is polished, dark and gorgeous. Definitely recommended.
Kiernan's prose is polished, dark and gorgeous. Definitely recommended.
September 20, 2008
This is my third book of Kiernan's to read, and either it was better than the other two, or her style has finally "clicked" for me. I found Dancy a captivating character, and the vagueness and shadowed suggestions that bothered me about the other two books seemed to be a positive attribute here. I know that this short book has made me move Threshold to near the top of my "to read" pile after I had abandoned it a couple of chapters in several years ago.
September 20, 2015
After hunting the web for a hard copy of this book, I was hooked on the collection of tales that made up "Alabaster". Caitlin R. Kiernan had renewed my belief in both monsters and angels; along with a little lingering doubt of whether the motives of each are truly benign or malicious.
May 21, 2014
amazing stories.
sets the reader just outside of reality.
read them in the order presented.
sets the reader just outside of reality.
read them in the order presented.
October 8, 2022
Re-read Oct. 2022 as I now have a physical copy.
April 25, 2018
This was weird.
I grabbed this book because it was displayed at my library and the cover instantly captured me. The art in this volume is nothing short of gorgeous, and oftentimes downright creepy.
As for the writing, it was . . . okay. One thing I caution is that you should really, really obey the author's note at the beginning that says to read the stories in the order she suggests rather than the order presented by the book. I ignored this because often writers are mistaken about their own work and it just seemed easier to read front to back; I'm smart, I could figure it out.
And I did . . . mostly. But I think it would have made a more entertaining read to go in the order Kiernan suggests. In general, I found the writing to be a little stilted and a little formal. Very occasionally, it gets personal to the characters, but most of the time we're a step back, being told the story from a mostly dispassionate narrator's POV. While most of these stories take place in the south, the dialect is sparse; sometimes, a character will throw in an "I reckon" or an "ain't," but there are also long stretches where I forgot that sometimes the characters talk like that--mostly, it's inconsistent, at least to my ears.
As far as characters go, Dancy is pretty bland. She is badass and sympathetic, but she doesn't have motivation, quirks, desires, etc. I liked her, but I didn't really enjoy reading about her. Most of the other characters are evil, and they were all pretty interesting.
I wouldn't normally break down the individual stories in a review, but I felt so vastly different about each of them that I don't really know how to talk about the piece as a whole, so here goes:
"Les Fleurs Empoisonnees"--this story is really long and I honestly didn't understand some of it. It is entirely likely that that is reader error, and there were some parts that I really liked in the story, but overall it didn't do much for me.
"The Well of Stars and Shadow"--easily the best of the lot. Terrifying, simple, and gripping.
"Waycross"--I mostly enjoyed this one; it's interesting to see Dancy's failure and I liked seeing more of her backstory as well.
"Alabaster"--I liked this one; it was creepy, short, and interesting.
"Bainbridge"--ugh, this one almost made me DNF. It's so long, and weaves in multiple different POVs and storylines that don't all seem to connect. We have Dancy trying to kill another demon, which was fine; Dancy's mother before Dancy is born, which was some of my favorite parts of the entire book; and a weird fantasy politics section about a demon queen? I enjoyed the plotline where Dancy kills the demon in this one; the demoness was scary and Dancy's her usual angsty self. I loved the sections about Dancy's mom; they were so real, and I connected with her very easily. I wish the whole book was like this. But what was up with that jarringly different demon court bit? I have no idea what it had to do with the rest of the book and it was so fucking boring to get through. I ended up skimming the last couple sections of it because I just did not care.
So, yeah, kind of a mixed bag overall. This book came out in 2006, and I feel like if I had found it back then, when I was an angsty Hot-Topic-shopping teenager myself, it might have been one of my favorite books. But now I am old, and endlessly practical, and I just didn't find this that compelling overall. Recommended for tortured goths and those who really, really like dark fantasy.
I grabbed this book because it was displayed at my library and the cover instantly captured me. The art in this volume is nothing short of gorgeous, and oftentimes downright creepy.
As for the writing, it was . . . okay. One thing I caution is that you should really, really obey the author's note at the beginning that says to read the stories in the order she suggests rather than the order presented by the book. I ignored this because often writers are mistaken about their own work and it just seemed easier to read front to back; I'm smart, I could figure it out.
And I did . . . mostly. But I think it would have made a more entertaining read to go in the order Kiernan suggests. In general, I found the writing to be a little stilted and a little formal. Very occasionally, it gets personal to the characters, but most of the time we're a step back, being told the story from a mostly dispassionate narrator's POV. While most of these stories take place in the south, the dialect is sparse; sometimes, a character will throw in an "I reckon" or an "ain't," but there are also long stretches where I forgot that sometimes the characters talk like that--mostly, it's inconsistent, at least to my ears.
As far as characters go, Dancy is pretty bland. She is badass and sympathetic, but she doesn't have motivation, quirks, desires, etc. I liked her, but I didn't really enjoy reading about her. Most of the other characters are evil, and they were all pretty interesting.
I wouldn't normally break down the individual stories in a review, but I felt so vastly different about each of them that I don't really know how to talk about the piece as a whole, so here goes:
"Les Fleurs Empoisonnees"--this story is really long and I honestly didn't understand some of it. It is entirely likely that that is reader error, and there were some parts that I really liked in the story, but overall it didn't do much for me.
"The Well of Stars and Shadow"--easily the best of the lot. Terrifying, simple, and gripping.
"Waycross"--I mostly enjoyed this one; it's interesting to see Dancy's failure and I liked seeing more of her backstory as well.
"Alabaster"--I liked this one; it was creepy, short, and interesting.
"Bainbridge"--ugh, this one almost made me DNF. It's so long, and weaves in multiple different POVs and storylines that don't all seem to connect. We have Dancy trying to kill another demon, which was fine; Dancy's mother before Dancy is born, which was some of my favorite parts of the entire book; and a weird fantasy politics section about a demon queen? I enjoyed the plotline where Dancy kills the demon in this one; the demoness was scary and Dancy's her usual angsty self. I loved the sections about Dancy's mom; they were so real, and I connected with her very easily. I wish the whole book was like this. But what was up with that jarringly different demon court bit? I have no idea what it had to do with the rest of the book and it was so fucking boring to get through. I ended up skimming the last couple sections of it because I just did not care.
So, yeah, kind of a mixed bag overall. This book came out in 2006, and I feel like if I had found it back then, when I was an angsty Hot-Topic-shopping teenager myself, it might have been one of my favorite books. But now I am old, and endlessly practical, and I just didn't find this that compelling overall. Recommended for tortured goths and those who really, really like dark fantasy.
February 6, 2021
I’m probably going to catch a lot of flack for this, I don’t much care. When I start a book I usually skip over whatever the author has to say about the story. I read what one specific author has to say but I skip by what other authors have to say. I want to dive straight into the story and escape reality for awhile.
However, I may have learned my lesson with this book. I should have read what the author had to say, it turns out it was a bit important. I should have finished this book in one day. As I began reading it I found myself getting pretty confused. Go back to the beginning and start again. About two stories in I figured out why I kept getting so confused, the beginning is actually the ending. As you go further into the story it starts to make sense. At least that is my take on it.
The author is able to transport you into the world they wanted to create. After much confusion, I truly enjoyed this world.
However, I may have learned my lesson with this book. I should have read what the author had to say, it turns out it was a bit important. I should have finished this book in one day. As I began reading it I found myself getting pretty confused. Go back to the beginning and start again. About two stories in I figured out why I kept getting so confused, the beginning is actually the ending. As you go further into the story it starts to make sense. At least that is my take on it.
The author is able to transport you into the world they wanted to create. After much confusion, I truly enjoyed this world.
July 30, 2017
I stumbled upon Alabaster at my local library/workplace by accident. sometimes during my lunch break, I like to look in our Science Fiction/paranormal section and see what book I may stumble upon that seems interesting. I've found some really great books this way and Alabaster is no exception.
Filled with short stories of a unique and unlikely heroine, Dancy goes around killing things that go bump in the night. But she doesn't do it all willey nilley, no; Dancy gets orders from an Angel that tells her where and what to kill. Tired, but Obedient, Dancy does her job and she does it well.
If there is one thing to warn you about is that this book is not linear. It reads as scattered fragments of Dancy's life/journey, but everything is connected.
Caitlín Kiernan's writing style is flawless and gripping. I will most certainly be looking for more of her work.
Filled with short stories of a unique and unlikely heroine, Dancy goes around killing things that go bump in the night. But she doesn't do it all willey nilley, no; Dancy gets orders from an Angel that tells her where and what to kill. Tired, but Obedient, Dancy does her job and she does it well.
If there is one thing to warn you about is that this book is not linear. It reads as scattered fragments of Dancy's life/journey, but everything is connected.
Caitlín Kiernan's writing style is flawless and gripping. I will most certainly be looking for more of her work.
February 19, 2025
Kiernan, Caitlín - Alabaster
Collected adventures of Kiernan’s recurring character, Dancy Flammarion.
All are set in north Florida through southern Georgia, as Miss Dancy follows instructions from her angel.
While I truly enjoy Ms Kiernan, I must have over twenty books by her, this one, not so much.
Oh, the writing is mesmerizing, drenched in oppressive humidity and suffocating kudzu.
But angels and demons and heavenly battles, no thank you. Even though I live with someone who fiercely believes we all have guardian angels.
There is also a chapter on the fading belles, vanishing grace and gentility.
That era, those folks, vanished fifty years ago. “Ma’am” “Sir” “You’re welcome” along with civility and politeness are as common as the snipe nowadays, so that section rang false for me.
Next book will be better. One lives with hope.
Collected adventures of Kiernan’s recurring character, Dancy Flammarion.
All are set in north Florida through southern Georgia, as Miss Dancy follows instructions from her angel.
While I truly enjoy Ms Kiernan, I must have over twenty books by her, this one, not so much.
Oh, the writing is mesmerizing, drenched in oppressive humidity and suffocating kudzu.
But angels and demons and heavenly battles, no thank you. Even though I live with someone who fiercely believes we all have guardian angels.
There is also a chapter on the fading belles, vanishing grace and gentility.
That era, those folks, vanished fifty years ago. “Ma’am” “Sir” “You’re welcome” along with civility and politeness are as common as the snipe nowadays, so that section rang false for me.
Next book will be better. One lives with hope.
July 6, 2021
This is a collection of short stories (published by Subterranean Press) that focus around a monster-hunting girl that apparently shows up in one of Kiernan's other novels, "Threshold." I haven't read that one yet. The stories are written in present tense which threw me off a bit, but I actually really like Kiernan's prose and storytelling style.
She does take the angle of being overly vague so you fill in the gaps, rather than giving you concrete answers to most things, so if you don't like that kind of storytelling then you probably won't enjoy it. But I thought it was intriguing enough. Kiernan built an interesting world of monsters and angels set in the deep south of the US. And since these are short stories, they're pretty low commitment.
She does take the angle of being overly vague so you fill in the gaps, rather than giving you concrete answers to most things, so if you don't like that kind of storytelling then you probably won't enjoy it. But I thought it was intriguing enough. Kiernan built an interesting world of monsters and angels set in the deep south of the US. And since these are short stories, they're pretty low commitment.
September 27, 2018
I discovered the first comics series about Dancy Flammarion (“Alabaster: Wolves”) a few years back and was enthralled with the idea of her character. I’ve been wanting to read the original Alabaster collection for a long time, and I finally got ahold of a copy. I gotta say: it was better than I was expecting. I was assuming it’d be a cool horror collection about a haunted girl fighting demons in a hostile world, and boy did it fucking deliver. But it also gave deeply moving backstory, and Kiernan is a PHENOMENAL writer, which I wasn’t expecting. (Not that I doubted her capabilities, more that I go into most books assuming the writers’ prose will be relatively unremarkable.)
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