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The Proper Thing and Other Stories
From the end of the world to the beginning, with a nice charcuterie plate to sustain us on the way, it’s time for another journey through the eccentric, eclectic short fiction of Seanan McGuire. From dangerous holidays to the beauty of the library, from the power of cheese to the power of love, this volume will take you from the past to the future, sometimes on the same page.
Learn about the insecurities of the superheroic world, and how hard some people will work to survive the end of absolutely everything. Discover what everyone knows, and watch what happens when the cultural foundations are pulled from under your favorite cuisine. See what people will do when all else is lost, and watch what happens on the day the music dies.
And when all that is through, visit our magical cheese shop for something truly delicious, impossible and unique. We have a little something for everyone in our box of delights. Don’t be afraid—just reach in, and choose a treat to improve and enhance your day.
We’ve been waiting for another trip to the store on the corner, where they sell Wensleydale and wishes side by side. Come along now, let’s go.
Learn about the insecurities of the superheroic world, and how hard some people will work to survive the end of absolutely everything. Discover what everyone knows, and watch what happens when the cultural foundations are pulled from under your favorite cuisine. See what people will do when all else is lost, and watch what happens on the day the music dies.
And when all that is through, visit our magical cheese shop for something truly delicious, impossible and unique. We have a little something for everyone in our box of delights. Don’t be afraid—just reach in, and choose a treat to improve and enhance your day.
We’ve been waiting for another trip to the store on the corner, where they sell Wensleydale and wishes side by side. Come along now, let’s go.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2024
82 people are currently reading
834 people want to read
About the author
Seanan McGuire
508 books17.2k followersHi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 8, 2024
Seanan McGuire moves in mysterious ways. Her mind is a thing of wonder and beauty, and I kind of want to examine it under the microscope, (which, given the subject matter she sometimes writes, she should not consider that to be macabre, at all—plus, I’m joking).
I had recently finished the short story anthology “Wink”, edited by Henry Herz, when I saw Ms. McGuire’s book come available on NetGalley. Her story in “Wink” was disturbing to the max, but I still read it with horrified fascination and wanted to see where she’d go next.
This anthology stacks UP. It’s so, so good. Yeah, there were a couple of tales in here that didn’t grab me as much, but by far the majority of them were amazing. Where does she come up with this stuff??
The author’s forewords about each story are so informative, and I enjoyed the background knowledge as I dove into the tales.
Here are my very favorites:
“Now Rest, My Dear” - Seanan perfectly captures the magical comfort and peace a library can give, and blessed is the child who grows up cherishing the library as a safe haven, where those who enter can lose themselves in fantastical new worlds, until they are jarred abruptly back to reality by the clock nearing 5pm (or 6, or even 9pm). This story takes me right back to my own childhood, where my siblings and I were taken to the library on a regular basis, where my mother had to limit each of us to ten books, probably because we couldn’t physically carry more than that on our own, and/or because she didn’t want us losing them and accruing fines. We have since grown up to adore books, and I am truly grateful for it.
“In the Land of Rainbows and Ash” - This one got me right in the feels. It really matters who or what you encounter first when you step through that magical doorway. Best be careful.
“Phantoms of the Midway” - I did not grow up roaming the carnivals. We had Cedar Point forty-five minutes away (Cleveland, baby), and it was too expensive to go to except maybe every other year. My parents didn’t want us going on rides that were iffy, and they considered most carnival rides to be iffy.
However, in this story, the author really makes you feel what it would be like to be a child of the carnival. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the boundaries, the edges where the lights don’t quite reach. I think we all remember what it’s like to be in that awkward space where you’re not a child anymore, but you’re not quite an adult, either—and you’re just itching to break some of those inexplicable-to-you rules that are beginning to chafe.
“Under the Sea of Stars” - Oh my gosh, I adored this one. All I will say is that it’s about the Bolton Strid in England, and it is absolutely a must-read.
“What Everyone Knows” - This is a fascinating take on monsters of the embiggened variety. Yes, that’s the technical term. I personally wouldn’t do what the MC did, but I was enthralled reading about it.
“Sweet as Sugar Candy” - A very few of us do one thing and do it very well. We don’t need to be the leaders, but we do need to be left alone.
“Pedestal” - Speaking of needing to be left alone…
And finally, “The Proper Thing” itself. This is a longer tale, and it takes you places you never thought you would go. It delves into what it means to be human, and it’s a perfect way to end the anthology.
There are many more stories, and once you finish this book, you will see that my favorites tend to be the fairytales, myths and the fantastical come to life, rather than the ones set more in the real world, although I do enjoy the latter from time to time. This anthology is a good mix of both sets, and I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy when it becomes available (very soon!) on April 30th.
Thank you to NetGalley, Subterranean Press and the inimitable Ms. McGuire for the advance copy for me to feast upon early. All opinions are my own.
I had recently finished the short story anthology “Wink”, edited by Henry Herz, when I saw Ms. McGuire’s book come available on NetGalley. Her story in “Wink” was disturbing to the max, but I still read it with horrified fascination and wanted to see where she’d go next.
This anthology stacks UP. It’s so, so good. Yeah, there were a couple of tales in here that didn’t grab me as much, but by far the majority of them were amazing. Where does she come up with this stuff??
The author’s forewords about each story are so informative, and I enjoyed the background knowledge as I dove into the tales.
Here are my very favorites:
“Now Rest, My Dear” - Seanan perfectly captures the magical comfort and peace a library can give, and blessed is the child who grows up cherishing the library as a safe haven, where those who enter can lose themselves in fantastical new worlds, until they are jarred abruptly back to reality by the clock nearing 5pm (or 6, or even 9pm). This story takes me right back to my own childhood, where my siblings and I were taken to the library on a regular basis, where my mother had to limit each of us to ten books, probably because we couldn’t physically carry more than that on our own, and/or because she didn’t want us losing them and accruing fines. We have since grown up to adore books, and I am truly grateful for it.
“In the Land of Rainbows and Ash” - This one got me right in the feels. It really matters who or what you encounter first when you step through that magical doorway. Best be careful.
“Phantoms of the Midway” - I did not grow up roaming the carnivals. We had Cedar Point forty-five minutes away (Cleveland, baby), and it was too expensive to go to except maybe every other year. My parents didn’t want us going on rides that were iffy, and they considered most carnival rides to be iffy.
However, in this story, the author really makes you feel what it would be like to be a child of the carnival. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the boundaries, the edges where the lights don’t quite reach. I think we all remember what it’s like to be in that awkward space where you’re not a child anymore, but you’re not quite an adult, either—and you’re just itching to break some of those inexplicable-to-you rules that are beginning to chafe.
“Under the Sea of Stars” - Oh my gosh, I adored this one. All I will say is that it’s about the Bolton Strid in England, and it is absolutely a must-read.
“What Everyone Knows” - This is a fascinating take on monsters of the embiggened variety. Yes, that’s the technical term. I personally wouldn’t do what the MC did, but I was enthralled reading about it.
“Sweet as Sugar Candy” - A very few of us do one thing and do it very well. We don’t need to be the leaders, but we do need to be left alone.
“Pedestal” - Speaking of needing to be left alone…
And finally, “The Proper Thing” itself. This is a longer tale, and it takes you places you never thought you would go. It delves into what it means to be human, and it’s a perfect way to end the anthology.
There are many more stories, and once you finish this book, you will see that my favorites tend to be the fairytales, myths and the fantastical come to life, rather than the ones set more in the real world, although I do enjoy the latter from time to time. This anthology is a good mix of both sets, and I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy when it becomes available (very soon!) on April 30th.
Thank you to NetGalley, Subterranean Press and the inimitable Ms. McGuire for the advance copy for me to feast upon early. All opinions are my own.
April 28, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the early copy of this anthology. Below is my honest review.
More from Seanan McGuire? Absolutely yes. Many of these shorties were published through her Patreon, so I've read them before, but definitely had to pick this one up.
My favorite was either the one with the magical cheeses (the Proper Thing) or the one with the creatures of the dark going against the creatures of the light (Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon). Phantoms of the Midway was a favorite too. I'd love more from these worlds!
If you like wild and weird and wonderful short stories and novellas, this anthology should scratch your itch.
Highly recommended.
More from Seanan McGuire? Absolutely yes. Many of these shorties were published through her Patreon, so I've read them before, but definitely had to pick this one up.
My favorite was either the one with the magical cheeses (the Proper Thing) or the one with the creatures of the dark going against the creatures of the light (Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon). Phantoms of the Midway was a favorite too. I'd love more from these worlds!
If you like wild and weird and wonderful short stories and novellas, this anthology should scratch your itch.
Highly recommended.
November 27, 2025
Magic Cheese
I'm rating this five stars on the basis of The Proper Thing, which I read as a Patreon reward.
I wonder, is this a collection of her Patreon stories, or is there new stuff?
Here, from Subterranean Press, is the Table of Contents.
Blog review.
I'm rating this five stars on the basis of The Proper Thing, which I read as a Patreon reward.
I wonder, is this a collection of her Patreon stories, or is there new stuff?
Here, from Subterranean Press, is the Table of Contents.
Table of Contents:Most of these look familiar, but there may be one or two I haven't read.
Introduction
Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events
Now Rest, My Dear
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
Heart of Straw
The Levee Was Dry
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow
Good Night, Sleep Tight
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of The Moon
Phantoms of the Midway
File and Forget
Under the Sea of Stars
Vegetables and Vaccines
Come Marching In
Foundational Education
Ratting
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World
What Everyone Knows
Belief
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final
Sweet as Sugar Candy
On the Side
Pedestal
The Proper Thing
Blog review.
March 2, 2025
This is a very big collection of two dozen excellent stories, most of which were previously unknown to me. It revisits many of McGuire's favorites topics, such as Halloween and superheroes and pandemics and carnivals and portals and, curiously, cheese. My favorites were Now Rest, My Dear (a lovely library story), Pedestal (an excellent superhero story), The Levee Was Dry (rock'n'roll can never die), Under the Sea of Stars (an atypical Victorian-style tale), and, well, it would be easier if I just listed the ones I didn't like, but I can't think of any. The book ends with the titular novella, which is a very interesting look at the idea of magical shops, and maybe what David Brin's Uplift universe would look like with magic instead of science, mixed with a lot of cheese appreciation. McGuire is extremely prolific but almost always manages to produce innovative and fascinating stories. She has fresh takes on established tropes and writes science fiction, horror, and fantasy with equal facility and excellence, both humorous and tragic, not to mention peopling them with great characters.
April 13, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for allowing me to read this!
One of my favorite things about Seanan McGuire's releases with Subterranean Press is that she writes introductions to each of the stories giving you a glimpse into the writing process and her thoughts while working on them.
I also appreciate McGuire saying Laughter at the Academy had a different vibe, and how these stories are from a different era post-COVID. A lot of stories were available in different books and a few were posted on her Patreon.
Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - If you've read anything Seanan McGuire, you know her penchant for scientific apocalypse stuff and how much detail goes into it. Her research is incredible and she goes into so much detail. This is just a fun little alphabet story of the various ways this shop offers to end the world.
Now Rest, My Dear - A BEAUTIFUL story about libraries and the impact they have on children
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? - A child wakes up each morning and their mother asks them if they would like to play a game. As the child navigates the games, they learn about feelings
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - McGuire says this isn't a Wayward Children story, but it so easily could be, especially with that ending.
Heart of Straw - A Halloween adventure with three friends who are growing up and finding out who they are. While trick or treating they run into two more kids, and have some very interesting conversations.
The Levee Was Dry - Five minutes into the future, a virus is unleashed with nanobots that humanity has been using. This virus causes people to immediately lose the ability to hear music the exact second they reach the age of 35. Our protagonist navigates this future with her family.
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - McGuire's twist on the legend of Snegurochka. This would fit in perfectly with her Indexing series.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - In her introduction for this story, McGuire mentions she read a news story about a bedbug outbreak at a library. TW for that because, while this was brilliant, I felt so itchy the entire time.
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - Another story that would brilliantly fit in with the Indexing series. There's a war between the children of the moon and the children of light. And one side is making advances in the fight.
Phantoms of the Midway - I just happened to read this a few weeks ago in the Mythic Dream! A genderbent retelling of Hades x Persephone, following two characters, one of whom lives with a traveling circus. On their most recent stop, she meets someone who makes her question everything.
File and Forget - McGuire's take on the corporate espionage between two companies that could also be five minutes into the future with the way we're headed. I loved the bioreactive documents; McGuire's brain is just something else.
Under the Sea of Stars - It's so cool seeing shades of McGuire's other works in her fiction. This could go well in the Rolling in the Deep universe, where a team explores the Bolton Strid and our protagonist has more of a connection to it than she could've guessed
Vegetables and Vaccines - If you read In the Kingdom of Needle and Bone, you've gotten a dose (haha) of this story. A traveling train of scientists in dystopian USA is attempting to help a population who have embraced the antivaccination movement. Particularly terrifying because, yeah, this could happen
Come Marching In - I felt a particular way about this story because I myself am mentally ill, and this story deals with a future where, since everyone keeps blaming gun violence on mental illness, there's a registry. Furthermore, you have to be tested and placed on it, unless, of course, you can afford to have a doctor give you a clean bill of health
Foundational Education - A girl tests into a very good university, with a few stipulations
Ratting - This one still managed to hit close to home in 2024. A disease has ravaged the world and split it, almost literally, into those who have money and those who don't. Those who don't are considered expendable and fenced in to do the labor for the haves. When a few of the have-nots get sick, they gather in groups and go "ratting" in the neighborhood of the haves.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - McGuire does these superhero / time travel / doomed world stories so well. This one she calls a "conversation" with Superman and it deals with the main character being in love, her brother's obsession with Superman comics, and, of course, the state of the world
What Everyone Knows - This felt like such a McGuire story, somewhere her brain would go and think about and write. A Godzilla-like monster comes out of the sea, destroys a city, and is killed. The protagonist happens upon one of the monster's eggs and hatches a child from it
Belief - I don't know if you can be a fan of McGuire's and not care about the same things she does, so when she mentioned in the forward that this was about the postal service and the state of it, you could tell this was gonna be a passionate but brutal look into McGuire's mind and how it could go
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - I happened to be reading Good Night, Sleep Tight at work, and, as luck would have it, I read this one at work too. McGuire imagines what would happen if rabies goes airborn and it's every bit as terrifying as you could imagine.
Sweet as Sugar Candy - A woman opens a bakery specializing in marshmallows and an old school recipe. Her partner in her college cooking class offers to find investors for the shop, much to her chagrin.
On the Side - I think this was possibly one of the more surprising stories and definitely a pretty neat one. Five minutes into the future, certain foods and spices have been cracked down on, leading to food trucks serving food under the radar, and our protagonist dreams of being able to serve and eat avocados again one day
Pedestal - Another superhero story and one McGuire said she'd love to return to some day, and I hope she does. Alice has the ability to command clones of herself from mirrors. Due to sexism in the superhero industry, she usually has to go without a mask, which makes her mundane, day to day existence pretty hard to navigate, and all she wanted to do in this story was buy some ice cream
The Proper Thing - The titlular story and the longest in the book! Fantastic, but I feel like that's synonymous with Seanan McGuire really. There's a special shop you can't get to easily that sells cheese with magical properties, staffed by people who might be more than they let on. One day, the shop is robbed and Maisie, our hero, is left to sort out the mess the villains left for her...
One of my favorite things about Seanan McGuire's releases with Subterranean Press is that she writes introductions to each of the stories giving you a glimpse into the writing process and her thoughts while working on them.
I also appreciate McGuire saying Laughter at the Academy had a different vibe, and how these stories are from a different era post-COVID. A lot of stories were available in different books and a few were posted on her Patreon.
Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - If you've read anything Seanan McGuire, you know her penchant for scientific apocalypse stuff and how much detail goes into it. Her research is incredible and she goes into so much detail. This is just a fun little alphabet story of the various ways this shop offers to end the world.
Now Rest, My Dear - A BEAUTIFUL story about libraries and the impact they have on children
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? - A child wakes up each morning and their mother asks them if they would like to play a game. As the child navigates the games, they learn about feelings
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - McGuire says this isn't a Wayward Children story, but it so easily could be, especially with that ending.
Heart of Straw - A Halloween adventure with three friends who are growing up and finding out who they are. While trick or treating they run into two more kids, and have some very interesting conversations.
The Levee Was Dry - Five minutes into the future, a virus is unleashed with nanobots that humanity has been using. This virus causes people to immediately lose the ability to hear music the exact second they reach the age of 35. Our protagonist navigates this future with her family.
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - McGuire's twist on the legend of Snegurochka. This would fit in perfectly with her Indexing series.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - In her introduction for this story, McGuire mentions she read a news story about a bedbug outbreak at a library. TW for that because, while this was brilliant, I felt so itchy the entire time.
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - Another story that would brilliantly fit in with the Indexing series. There's a war between the children of the moon and the children of light. And one side is making advances in the fight.
Phantoms of the Midway - I just happened to read this a few weeks ago in the Mythic Dream! A genderbent retelling of Hades x Persephone, following two characters, one of whom lives with a traveling circus. On their most recent stop, she meets someone who makes her question everything.
File and Forget - McGuire's take on the corporate espionage between two companies that could also be five minutes into the future with the way we're headed. I loved the bioreactive documents; McGuire's brain is just something else.
Under the Sea of Stars - It's so cool seeing shades of McGuire's other works in her fiction. This could go well in the Rolling in the Deep universe, where a team explores the Bolton Strid and our protagonist has more of a connection to it than she could've guessed
Vegetables and Vaccines - If you read In the Kingdom of Needle and Bone, you've gotten a dose (haha) of this story. A traveling train of scientists in dystopian USA is attempting to help a population who have embraced the antivaccination movement. Particularly terrifying because, yeah, this could happen
Come Marching In - I felt a particular way about this story because I myself am mentally ill, and this story deals with a future where, since everyone keeps blaming gun violence on mental illness, there's a registry. Furthermore, you have to be tested and placed on it, unless, of course, you can afford to have a doctor give you a clean bill of health
Foundational Education - A girl tests into a very good university, with a few stipulations
Ratting - This one still managed to hit close to home in 2024. A disease has ravaged the world and split it, almost literally, into those who have money and those who don't. Those who don't are considered expendable and fenced in to do the labor for the haves. When a few of the have-nots get sick, they gather in groups and go "ratting" in the neighborhood of the haves.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - McGuire does these superhero / time travel / doomed world stories so well. This one she calls a "conversation" with Superman and it deals with the main character being in love, her brother's obsession with Superman comics, and, of course, the state of the world
What Everyone Knows - This felt like such a McGuire story, somewhere her brain would go and think about and write. A Godzilla-like monster comes out of the sea, destroys a city, and is killed. The protagonist happens upon one of the monster's eggs and hatches a child from it
Belief - I don't know if you can be a fan of McGuire's and not care about the same things she does, so when she mentioned in the forward that this was about the postal service and the state of it, you could tell this was gonna be a passionate but brutal look into McGuire's mind and how it could go
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - I happened to be reading Good Night, Sleep Tight at work, and, as luck would have it, I read this one at work too. McGuire imagines what would happen if rabies goes airborn and it's every bit as terrifying as you could imagine.
Sweet as Sugar Candy - A woman opens a bakery specializing in marshmallows and an old school recipe. Her partner in her college cooking class offers to find investors for the shop, much to her chagrin.
On the Side - I think this was possibly one of the more surprising stories and definitely a pretty neat one. Five minutes into the future, certain foods and spices have been cracked down on, leading to food trucks serving food under the radar, and our protagonist dreams of being able to serve and eat avocados again one day
Pedestal - Another superhero story and one McGuire said she'd love to return to some day, and I hope she does. Alice has the ability to command clones of herself from mirrors. Due to sexism in the superhero industry, she usually has to go without a mask, which makes her mundane, day to day existence pretty hard to navigate, and all she wanted to do in this story was buy some ice cream
The Proper Thing - The titlular story and the longest in the book! Fantastic, but I feel like that's synonymous with Seanan McGuire really. There's a special shop you can't get to easily that sells cheese with magical properties, staffed by people who might be more than they let on. One day, the shop is robbed and Maisie, our hero, is left to sort out the mess the villains left for her...
March 31, 2025
God I seriously can’t get over how much I adore Seanan’s quirky, yet enthralling writing style. It was so nice to dive into stories of hers that I had never even heard of!
I also really love how she took every opportunity she got to shit on trump, rich people, and capitalism! Legend behavior. I thought her criticisms on how we’re treating our planet and how we’re treating each other as humans beings were really stark and eye opening.
It was nice to get a little break every now and then but I did appreciate more than anything how she challenged big issues.
Also the novella at the end about a magic cheese shop and animals becoming humans. So fun. Felt like reading a Wayward Children book. Great time.
I also really love how she took every opportunity she got to shit on trump, rich people, and capitalism! Legend behavior. I thought her criticisms on how we’re treating our planet and how we’re treating each other as humans beings were really stark and eye opening.
It was nice to get a little break every now and then but I did appreciate more than anything how she challenged big issues.
Also the novella at the end about a magic cheese shop and animals becoming humans. So fun. Felt like reading a Wayward Children book. Great time.
July 29, 2024
Mini blurb: A compendium of all McGuire's favourite things to write about and then some: viruses/apocalypses, libraries, dead girls, (unforgiving) portal universes, (so-called) monsters, Halloween, carnivals, (murderous) mermaids, winter personifications, (socially challenged/harassed) superheroes...familiar topics given an endless series of new twists. Oh, and cheese too, this time. So much cheese.
***
Seanan McGuire's second mixed-content collection after Laughter at the Academy offers a reprint of some stories she contributed to other anthologies, and a number of her Patreon ones. Given the variety of themes and tones, there were at least a couple that I could have done without (Under the Sea of Stars, because, in the author's own words, it's "structured like a Victorian adventure narrative" - well done, but not my thing; Goodnight, Sleep Tight, because BUGS OVERLOAD 😨). But the rest more than made up for those, and left me in awe. Awe of the million ways McGuire can circle back to familiar themes and tropes and craft a fresh narrative; awe of the way she never fails to make you care for her characters (and oh, her children feel SO REAL); awe of her ability to convey a message without losing sight of the story, or to wrap the first in the second, not the other way around (I wish she had been called to write for the Thirteenth Doctor...). Some of my favourites: Heart of Straw (about retaining the innocence of childhood, and the price you pay); The Levee Was Dry (a smart, heartbreaking metaphor for the tendency to lose the ability to appreciate new music after a certain age. It hit SO CLOSE to home...); Phantoms of the Midway (about growing up, and, well, what the title says - it gave me strong Ghost Roads vibes...); Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World (two women at the end of the world and time paradoxes); What Everyone Knows (the definition of "monster" is subjective, and sometimes, love is unconditional); The Proper Thing (a short novella about what it means to be human, with Wayward Children undertones, a hint of time travel and a whole lot of magic cheese. And yes, all these things go well together 😉). But a lot of these stories also address racism, eugenics, cultural appropriation, social divides, and of course anti-vax madness, and I'm so grateful for that (though I'm afraid these dystopias and apocalypses are a tad too plausible, and McGuire is being a prophet far more than a conscience-awakener...).
Note: definitive review (due to time commitments, I've decided not to write full-length reviews anymore for short stories, novellas and anthologies, except in special cases or unless they're part of a series...yeah, this is nowhere as long as my full-length reviews...go figure).
***
Seanan McGuire's second mixed-content collection after Laughter at the Academy offers a reprint of some stories she contributed to other anthologies, and a number of her Patreon ones. Given the variety of themes and tones, there were at least a couple that I could have done without (Under the Sea of Stars, because, in the author's own words, it's "structured like a Victorian adventure narrative" - well done, but not my thing; Goodnight, Sleep Tight, because BUGS OVERLOAD 😨). But the rest more than made up for those, and left me in awe. Awe of the million ways McGuire can circle back to familiar themes and tropes and craft a fresh narrative; awe of the way she never fails to make you care for her characters (and oh, her children feel SO REAL); awe of her ability to convey a message without losing sight of the story, or to wrap the first in the second, not the other way around (I wish she had been called to write for the Thirteenth Doctor...). Some of my favourites: Heart of Straw (about retaining the innocence of childhood, and the price you pay); The Levee Was Dry (a smart, heartbreaking metaphor for the tendency to lose the ability to appreciate new music after a certain age. It hit SO CLOSE to home...); Phantoms of the Midway (about growing up, and, well, what the title says - it gave me strong Ghost Roads vibes...); Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World (two women at the end of the world and time paradoxes); What Everyone Knows (the definition of "monster" is subjective, and sometimes, love is unconditional); The Proper Thing (a short novella about what it means to be human, with Wayward Children undertones, a hint of time travel and a whole lot of magic cheese. And yes, all these things go well together 😉). But a lot of these stories also address racism, eugenics, cultural appropriation, social divides, and of course anti-vax madness, and I'm so grateful for that (though I'm afraid these dystopias and apocalypses are a tad too plausible, and McGuire is being a prophet far more than a conscience-awakener...).
Note: definitive review (due to time commitments, I've decided not to write full-length reviews anymore for short stories, novellas and anthologies, except in special cases or unless they're part of a series...yeah, this is nowhere as long as my full-length reviews...go figure).
April 30, 2024
*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
This book is a hefty tome of weird, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics (there's more than a few pandemic-centric stories here, too). I feel like story collections can be hit-or-miss, but I love Seanan McGuire's writing and creativity and, for the most part, I loved a lot of the stories in this collection. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how many of them I enjoyed. The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up specifically in a post-Trump world. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy.
I think the one thing I would've liked is for there to be a bit more shuffling around of certain stories so that two pandemic stories or library stories weren't quite so close back-to-back. It just became a bit easier to compare the two when they occurred so closely after one another (and while I realize that there's only so much space, this is quite a chunky short story collection and I think there's a bit more room to move things around). I think it'd be better to make them stand on their own merits.
Other than that, if you're someone who feels frustrated by the political landscape, loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with a bit of bite, pick up this collection.
This book is a hefty tome of weird, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics (there's more than a few pandemic-centric stories here, too). I feel like story collections can be hit-or-miss, but I love Seanan McGuire's writing and creativity and, for the most part, I loved a lot of the stories in this collection. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how many of them I enjoyed. The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up specifically in a post-Trump world. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy.
I think the one thing I would've liked is for there to be a bit more shuffling around of certain stories so that two pandemic stories or library stories weren't quite so close back-to-back. It just became a bit easier to compare the two when they occurred so closely after one another (and while I realize that there's only so much space, this is quite a chunky short story collection and I think there's a bit more room to move things around). I think it'd be better to make them stand on their own merits.
Other than that, if you're someone who feels frustrated by the political landscape, loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with a bit of bite, pick up this collection.
August 12, 2025
Wonderful. I skipped two stories (subjects I have trouble enjoying in fiction; I'm sure they were as great as Seanan's writing always is) but the rest were hit after hit. I especially loved the titular story (which may have been long enough to be a novella?) that closed the book. Magic cheese!! It's like she wrote it for me specifically.
August 9, 2024
I've been going through this bit by bit over the last month or so, which has involved a major move in. It was a fantastic treat and stress relief whenever I picked it up, and I got to finish the title story on the deck of the new place last night. It's like the charcuterie board on the cover - a fantastic selection of treats for your curiosity, and hey, maybe there's something else in there, or maybe the cheese is a backdoor for a pandemic, you never know! Definitely pick this up.
August 6, 2024
thank you ms. mcguire for taking up so much shelf space and always giving me so many treats to read
Read
September 10, 2024DNF
I read half and only liked Now Rest My Dear - it’s giving miss honey and Matilda but slow burn
I read half and only liked Now Rest My Dear - it’s giving miss honey and Matilda but slow burn
to-read-owned
July 18, 2024Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events:
An "alphabet story" of 26 vignettes and a love letter to cinematic apocalypse. The premise of a store that offers various apocalypses for purchase is amusing, but reading through what's essentially a catalog is less fun. Would have liked to see more creative entries. 2.5-3/5
Now Rest, My Dear:
A love letter to libraries, reminiscent of the beginning of Matilda and the safety to be found in well-maintained third places. 2.5/5
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?:
A story about growing up and the complex feelings between a child and parent, through the lens of an AI. This one made me miss my mom. 3.5/5
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash:
Similar vibes to the Wayward Children series, a 9yo girl goes through a portal to be used up so the world can be revitalized. 3.5/5
Heart of Straw:
Honestly feeling sad about how little luck I'm having so far with this collection by one of my favourite authors. This had a Peter Pan/Lost Boys feel to it, but make it Halloween. 2/5
The Levee Was Dry:
An interesting little thought experiment based on the idea that most adults seem to freeze their music tastes at the peak of their adolescence. 3.5/5
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow:
Short, simple, my favourite so far. A Snegurochka retelling that feels reminiscent of the parents in Down Among the Sticks and Bones . 3.5-4/5
Good Night, Sleep Tight:
Bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs. 3/5
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon:
"The scary stories are more than happy to tell themselves, given time to do so, given an audience to listen."
When human hubris outgrows fairytales. This one reminded me of The Cabin in the Woods if they failed on purpose and it was told from the POV of one of the nightmare monsters. 3/5
Phantoms of the Midway:
A sapphic Hades and Persephone retelling taking place at a carnival, first seen in The Mythic Dream. I couldn't really tell you any of the stories that appear in that collection as I read it several years ago on a long drive, but I could feel this filling into the hollow shape it'd carved in my memory as I read it. 3.5-4/5
File and Forget:
This felt too much like irl politics and made me sad and grumpy to be reminded of all the worst parts of modern America. Unrated, but grumpy.
Under the Sea of Stars:
Eerie and a little bit brutal. This definitely lit up my imagination and got me more excited to visit one of her imagined drowned worlds in the upcoming wayward children entry. 3.5-4/5
Vegetables and Vaccines:
Come Marching In:
Foundational Education:
Ratting:
Love in the Days of a Doomed World:
What Everyone Knows:
Belief:
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final:
Sweet as Sugar Candy:
On the Side:
Pedestal:
The Proper Thing:
An "alphabet story" of 26 vignettes and a love letter to cinematic apocalypse. The premise of a store that offers various apocalypses for purchase is amusing, but reading through what's essentially a catalog is less fun. Would have liked to see more creative entries. 2.5-3/5
Now Rest, My Dear:
A love letter to libraries, reminiscent of the beginning of Matilda and the safety to be found in well-maintained third places. 2.5/5
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?:
A story about growing up and the complex feelings between a child and parent, through the lens of an AI. This one made me miss my mom. 3.5/5
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash:
Similar vibes to the Wayward Children series, a 9yo girl goes through a portal to be used up so the world can be revitalized. 3.5/5
Heart of Straw:
Honestly feeling sad about how little luck I'm having so far with this collection by one of my favourite authors. This had a Peter Pan/Lost Boys feel to it, but make it Halloween. 2/5
The Levee Was Dry:
An interesting little thought experiment based on the idea that most adults seem to freeze their music tastes at the peak of their adolescence. 3.5/5
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow:
Short, simple, my favourite so far. A Snegurochka retelling that feels reminiscent of the parents in Down Among the Sticks and Bones . 3.5-4/5
Good Night, Sleep Tight:
Bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs bugs. 3/5
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon:
"The scary stories are more than happy to tell themselves, given time to do so, given an audience to listen."
When human hubris outgrows fairytales. This one reminded me of The Cabin in the Woods if they failed on purpose and it was told from the POV of one of the nightmare monsters. 3/5
Phantoms of the Midway:
A sapphic Hades and Persephone retelling taking place at a carnival, first seen in The Mythic Dream. I couldn't really tell you any of the stories that appear in that collection as I read it several years ago on a long drive, but I could feel this filling into the hollow shape it'd carved in my memory as I read it. 3.5-4/5
File and Forget:
This felt too much like irl politics and made me sad and grumpy to be reminded of all the worst parts of modern America. Unrated, but grumpy.
Under the Sea of Stars:
Eerie and a little bit brutal. This definitely lit up my imagination and got me more excited to visit one of her imagined drowned worlds in the upcoming wayward children entry. 3.5-4/5
Vegetables and Vaccines:
Come Marching In:
Foundational Education:
Ratting:
Love in the Days of a Doomed World:
What Everyone Knows:
Belief:
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final:
Sweet as Sugar Candy:
On the Side:
Pedestal:
The Proper Thing:
June 8, 2025
Mixed feelings on this collection. I do enjoy McGuire's writing style and I was looking forward to this collection, but in retrospect I think stories that worked well for me when they were in a collection of other people's writing as well work less well when in a collection of just McGuire. Her writing style starts to grate a little bit, and some of the stories feel repetitive - the same tropes, same imagery, repeated over and over again. Her voice sometimes verges on pretentious, which mostly I don't mind, but then sometimes it tips over the line into condescension, or worse, straight-up corniness. A lot of the "XYZ is now illegal" stories unfortunately fall into that last one. I definitely did still enjoy some of the stories here, but this is a collection that suffers from leading too much of it in one sitting.
Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - alphabetical vignettes of apocalypses. This is more a concept than a story but it's quick and a nice fun way to ease you into the collection. 3/5
Now Rest, My Dear - a girl grows up in the library, spending afternoons with a librarian who turns out to be a ghost. Cute concept, little bit weird that . I do love a library though. 4/5
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? - AI learned emotions by playing video games. I do like some scifi and in a collection of mostly fantasy, this was a nice exception. That being said, I don't think it was that original. 3/5
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - portal fantasy where the kids die in order to keep the princess alive. Dark fairy tale, classic McGuire story. This is a solid one, 4/5.
Heart of Straw - trick-or-treaters are spirited away by a mysterious magical stranger. Not much to this one, 2/5.
The Levee Was Dry - people become incapable of learning new music when they turn 35. I guess it's an interesting enough concept but it also kind of makes no sense at all. 2/5
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - babysitter melts a family who are emotionally neglecting their kids. So many unrealistic kids in this collection. This one was alright, 4/5
Good Night, Sleep Tight - library makes an ancient pact with bedbugs for the power to stay running. Grossness factor is pretty good, other than that there's not much to the story. 3/5
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - monsters in the dark against a city of lights. This one was soooo corny that it was hard to even get into it. 1/5
Phantoms of the Midway - carnival ghost girl. 4/5
File and Forget - secretary spies working for companies that are trying to betray each others' secrets. Also pretty corny but this one works a little better than the other at least. 3/5
Under the Sea of Stars - evil mermaids in the Bolton Strid. Actually a really solid story, I liked the historical fiction element and there's a good amount of creepiness. 5/5
Vegetables and Vaccines - after a pandemic apocalypse, what's left of the CDC travels around the country on a train. 4/5
Come Marching In - anyone with any sort of mental health diagnosis has to be put on a registry. Not that original and also doesn't make a lot of sense. I think the dystopian stories in this collection were among the weakest. 2/5
Foundational Education - scholarship student makes a demon deal. Nice plot twist, other than that not that memorable. 3/5
Ratting - another pandemic story, this one with a wall between rich and poor. Boring, 2/5.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - superman and climate change and time travel. I wish we spent more pagecount on the time travel because the rest of this story was forgettable. 2/5
What Everyone Knows - woman rescues and hatches baby Godzilla. This one I liked a lot, 5/5.
Belief - ode to the post office. Another boring one. 2/5
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - airborne rabies. After the other pandemic stories in this collection, this one doesn't really offer anything different. 3/5
Sweet as Sugar Candy - marshmallow cannibalism witchcraft. Predictable but in a fun way. 4/5
On the Side - ethnic food is made illegal. Come on. 1/5
Pedestal - miserable superhero story about the downsides of fame. Also predictable but not in a fun way. 3/5
The Proper Thing - this final piece was actually more of a novella, about a magic cheese shop that employs animals-turned-human, like the coachmen in Cinderella. After the store is robbed, a fox girl has to go on a quest to get the cheese back. I thought this was definitely stronger than some of the other stories in here, and the extra page time was good for it. Still though, I thought the story didn't totally hang together and not all of it made sense. Maisie is in love with the shop owner (? why?) but also resents him. The rules of the shop weren't super clear and weren't explained well. The reveal of is weirdly underwhelming because he had never been mentioned before, and also we barely see an emotional reaction from Maisie about it. I wish we'd seen more of the actual cheese magic and less worldbuilding-esque musings that don't really go anywhere. 3/5
Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - alphabetical vignettes of apocalypses. This is more a concept than a story but it's quick and a nice fun way to ease you into the collection. 3/5
Now Rest, My Dear - a girl grows up in the library, spending afternoons with a librarian who turns out to be a ghost. Cute concept, little bit weird that . I do love a library though. 4/5
Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? - AI learned emotions by playing video games. I do like some scifi and in a collection of mostly fantasy, this was a nice exception. That being said, I don't think it was that original. 3/5
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - portal fantasy where the kids die in order to keep the princess alive. Dark fairy tale, classic McGuire story. This is a solid one, 4/5.
Heart of Straw - trick-or-treaters are spirited away by a mysterious magical stranger. Not much to this one, 2/5.
The Levee Was Dry - people become incapable of learning new music when they turn 35. I guess it's an interesting enough concept but it also kind of makes no sense at all. 2/5
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - babysitter melts a family who are emotionally neglecting their kids. So many unrealistic kids in this collection. This one was alright, 4/5
Good Night, Sleep Tight - library makes an ancient pact with bedbugs for the power to stay running. Grossness factor is pretty good, other than that there's not much to the story. 3/5
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - monsters in the dark against a city of lights. This one was soooo corny that it was hard to even get into it. 1/5
Phantoms of the Midway - carnival ghost girl. 4/5
File and Forget - secretary spies working for companies that are trying to betray each others' secrets. Also pretty corny but this one works a little better than the other at least. 3/5
Under the Sea of Stars - evil mermaids in the Bolton Strid. Actually a really solid story, I liked the historical fiction element and there's a good amount of creepiness. 5/5
Vegetables and Vaccines - after a pandemic apocalypse, what's left of the CDC travels around the country on a train. 4/5
Come Marching In - anyone with any sort of mental health diagnosis has to be put on a registry. Not that original and also doesn't make a lot of sense. I think the dystopian stories in this collection were among the weakest. 2/5
Foundational Education - scholarship student makes a demon deal. Nice plot twist, other than that not that memorable. 3/5
Ratting - another pandemic story, this one with a wall between rich and poor. Boring, 2/5.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - superman and climate change and time travel. I wish we spent more pagecount on the time travel because the rest of this story was forgettable. 2/5
What Everyone Knows - woman rescues and hatches baby Godzilla. This one I liked a lot, 5/5.
Belief - ode to the post office. Another boring one. 2/5
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - airborne rabies. After the other pandemic stories in this collection, this one doesn't really offer anything different. 3/5
Sweet as Sugar Candy - marshmallow cannibalism witchcraft. Predictable but in a fun way. 4/5
On the Side - ethnic food is made illegal. Come on. 1/5
Pedestal - miserable superhero story about the downsides of fame. Also predictable but not in a fun way. 3/5
The Proper Thing - this final piece was actually more of a novella, about a magic cheese shop that employs animals-turned-human, like the coachmen in Cinderella. After the store is robbed, a fox girl has to go on a quest to get the cheese back. I thought this was definitely stronger than some of the other stories in here, and the extra page time was good for it. Still though, I thought the story didn't totally hang together and not all of it made sense. Maisie is in love with the shop owner (? why?) but also resents him. The rules of the shop weren't super clear and weren't explained well. The reveal of is weirdly underwhelming because he had never been mentioned before, and also we barely see an emotional reaction from Maisie about it. I wish we'd seen more of the actual cheese magic and less worldbuilding-esque musings that don't really go anywhere. 3/5
October 30, 2024
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5
A collection of short stories (Yay!) from one of the best urban fantasy authors out there? Wonderful!!
I don't read a lot of magazines anymore so I rely on collections and anthologies to get my fix of short fiction. And since I have such a backlog of ARCs, I generally only read books of short stories when I get them as ARCs now. So getting a copy of Seanan McGuire's latest (and only second?!) collection of short works is truly memorable.
There is not a bad story in this bunch. One wouldn't expect there to be, given that McGuire selected the collection, choosing "some of my best stories, and some of my favorite stories, and a few of my weirdest thrown in for good measure. It is the scope of me, and it’ll be a few years before we can do this again."
Not only is there not a weak story here, I can't say that there was anything that stood out above the others - it truly is a marvelous, even collection.
Of course most readers of Seanan McGuire know that she can write in a variety of genres (her writing as Mira Grant is phenomenal) but with these stories we see McGuire spread her literary wings even more. I was particularly fond of the story "Pedestal" in which a superhero, Alice, tries to go about doing an ordinary thing (shopping) when she's accosted. She doesn't want to use her powers but the rude man might be leaving her no choice. I would love to read more in this world. Really.
One of the best things about a collection like this - a collection by an author whose work you really like - is reading the author's notes about the story; how it was written, when it was written, why it was written, etc. McGuire's notes add to the enjoyment of this collection.
This collection contains the following:
Introduction
"Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events"
"Now Rest, My Dear"
"Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?"
"In the Land of Rainbows and Ash"
"Heart of Straw"
"The Levee Was Dry"
"Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow"
"Good Night, Sleep Tight"
"Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of The Moon"
"Phantoms of the Midway"
"File and Forget"
"Under the Sea of Stars"
"Vegetables and Vaccines"
"Come Marching In"
"Foundational Education"
"Ratting"
"Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World"
"What Everyone Knows"
"Belief"
"So Sharp, So Bright, So Final"
"Sweet as Sugar Candy"
"On the Side"
"Pedestal"
"The Proper Thing"
Looking for a good book? Seanan McGuire's collection of short stories, The Proper Thing and Other Stories, is an outstanding mix of fiction. McGuire fans will definitely want to read this, but this will be enjoyed by any fans of short stories and fantasy readers.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
A collection of short stories (Yay!) from one of the best urban fantasy authors out there? Wonderful!!
I don't read a lot of magazines anymore so I rely on collections and anthologies to get my fix of short fiction. And since I have such a backlog of ARCs, I generally only read books of short stories when I get them as ARCs now. So getting a copy of Seanan McGuire's latest (and only second?!) collection of short works is truly memorable.
There is not a bad story in this bunch. One wouldn't expect there to be, given that McGuire selected the collection, choosing "some of my best stories, and some of my favorite stories, and a few of my weirdest thrown in for good measure. It is the scope of me, and it’ll be a few years before we can do this again."
Not only is there not a weak story here, I can't say that there was anything that stood out above the others - it truly is a marvelous, even collection.
Of course most readers of Seanan McGuire know that she can write in a variety of genres (her writing as Mira Grant is phenomenal) but with these stories we see McGuire spread her literary wings even more. I was particularly fond of the story "Pedestal" in which a superhero, Alice, tries to go about doing an ordinary thing (shopping) when she's accosted. She doesn't want to use her powers but the rude man might be leaving her no choice. I would love to read more in this world. Really.
One of the best things about a collection like this - a collection by an author whose work you really like - is reading the author's notes about the story; how it was written, when it was written, why it was written, etc. McGuire's notes add to the enjoyment of this collection.
This collection contains the following:
Introduction
"Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events"
"Now Rest, My Dear"
"Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?"
"In the Land of Rainbows and Ash"
"Heart of Straw"
"The Levee Was Dry"
"Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow"
"Good Night, Sleep Tight"
"Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of The Moon"
"Phantoms of the Midway"
"File and Forget"
"Under the Sea of Stars"
"Vegetables and Vaccines"
"Come Marching In"
"Foundational Education"
"Ratting"
"Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World"
"What Everyone Knows"
"Belief"
"So Sharp, So Bright, So Final"
"Sweet as Sugar Candy"
"On the Side"
"Pedestal"
"The Proper Thing"
Looking for a good book? Seanan McGuire's collection of short stories, The Proper Thing and Other Stories, is an outstanding mix of fiction. McGuire fans will definitely want to read this, but this will be enjoyed by any fans of short stories and fantasy readers.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2024
This book is hard for me to review. Like with any anthology, there were stories that I absolutely loved and others that just weren't my cup of tea. I will say, though, that even the ones that I didn't like kept me engaged. McGuire has a real talent for pulling the reader into a story, fully enveloping them in it, and making the real world disappear. I really liked that McGuire had an intro before each story. It was nice to get some insight into them. My favorite stories are listed below.
Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - This was a bit of a “choose your own apocalypse." It was a fun, yet slightly terrifying, way to start the anthology.
Now Rest, My Dear - This was an emotional and whimsical love letter to libraries.
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - I really enjoyed this one. While it isn’t a 'Wayward Children' story, it very much felt like one.
Heart of Straw - An ordinary Halloween night of trick-or-treating turns out to be anything but ordinary.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - This was another story about the library, only this time, with more bugs. Yikes!
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - I thought this was one of the best stories in the anthology. It's set in a dystopian world where night and darkness are forbidden. There’s no place for the monsters in the shadows, but the monsters fight back. I loved the connection to Snow White.
Under the Sea of Stars - This story is about the horrors found in the Bolton Strid. I loved the historical setting of this one.
What Everyone Knows - This was an emotional story about Kaiju. I loved it.
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - A rabies outbreak causes a zombie-like apocalypse. Terrifying because it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Pedestal - This was a superhero story that delved into the cost of celebrity. I really enjoyed this one. I thought her superpower was really interesting and would love to read more set in this world.
The Proper Thing - This was the longest story in the anthology and the best. It’s McGuire at her finest. I'll just say one thing: magic cheese.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - This was a bit of a “choose your own apocalypse." It was a fun, yet slightly terrifying, way to start the anthology.
Now Rest, My Dear - This was an emotional and whimsical love letter to libraries.
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - I really enjoyed this one. While it isn’t a 'Wayward Children' story, it very much felt like one.
Heart of Straw - An ordinary Halloween night of trick-or-treating turns out to be anything but ordinary.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - This was another story about the library, only this time, with more bugs. Yikes!
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - I thought this was one of the best stories in the anthology. It's set in a dystopian world where night and darkness are forbidden. There’s no place for the monsters in the shadows, but the monsters fight back. I loved the connection to Snow White.
Under the Sea of Stars - This story is about the horrors found in the Bolton Strid. I loved the historical setting of this one.
What Everyone Knows - This was an emotional story about Kaiju. I loved it.
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - A rabies outbreak causes a zombie-like apocalypse. Terrifying because it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Pedestal - This was a superhero story that delved into the cost of celebrity. I really enjoyed this one. I thought her superpower was really interesting and would love to read more set in this world.
The Proper Thing - This was the longest story in the anthology and the best. It’s McGuire at her finest. I'll just say one thing: magic cheese.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
April 19, 2024
**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**
Actual rating: 3.5
Subterranean Press presents The Proper Thing and Other Stories, a collection of short works by Seanan McGuire. There are 24 pieces of fiction in this anthology along with accompanying illustrations for each. The stories chosen were written by McGuire between 2016 and 2022. None of the featured stories are exclusive to this collection aside from McGuire's introduction to the collection and her introductions for each piece. Many of the collected pieces were originally available on Patreon. The chosen works span the genre of speculative fiction to include fantasy, scifi, and horror.
I always mention this in my anthology reviews, but there will always be stories a reader is more or less attached to. I will say that this is the third (I think) collection of Seanan McGuire's works specifically that I have read, and I love how she does short fiction. Even if the story doesn't connect for me, I love McGuire's crafting of words and worlds.
Given that I read Laughter at the Academy, the previous Subterranean Press Seanan McGuire anthology, one can't help but to compare the two. I would say that overall this anthology is a bit more bleak as a whole as it includes writing generated during the pandemic. Nothing included in this anthology got under 3 stars for me, but likewise nothing got over 4 stars either. My personal highlights were as follows:
- Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events (an alphabet story which is a format I love)
- Now Rest, My Dear
- In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
- Vegetables and Vaccines
Overall, this was a cohesive collection that I was happy to have the opportunity to read early. I will undoubtedly continue to read Seanan McGuire's works in the future.
Actual rating: 3.5
Subterranean Press presents The Proper Thing and Other Stories, a collection of short works by Seanan McGuire. There are 24 pieces of fiction in this anthology along with accompanying illustrations for each. The stories chosen were written by McGuire between 2016 and 2022. None of the featured stories are exclusive to this collection aside from McGuire's introduction to the collection and her introductions for each piece. Many of the collected pieces were originally available on Patreon. The chosen works span the genre of speculative fiction to include fantasy, scifi, and horror.
I always mention this in my anthology reviews, but there will always be stories a reader is more or less attached to. I will say that this is the third (I think) collection of Seanan McGuire's works specifically that I have read, and I love how she does short fiction. Even if the story doesn't connect for me, I love McGuire's crafting of words and worlds.
Given that I read Laughter at the Academy, the previous Subterranean Press Seanan McGuire anthology, one can't help but to compare the two. I would say that overall this anthology is a bit more bleak as a whole as it includes writing generated during the pandemic. Nothing included in this anthology got under 3 stars for me, but likewise nothing got over 4 stars either. My personal highlights were as follows:
- Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events (an alphabet story which is a format I love)
- Now Rest, My Dear
- In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
- Vegetables and Vaccines
Overall, this was a cohesive collection that I was happy to have the opportunity to read early. I will undoubtedly continue to read Seanan McGuire's works in the future.
May 2, 2024
The Proper Things and Other Stories is an absolutely amazing collection of must read stories that both enrich other works by Seanan and beautifully stands on its own.
This is a fascinating collection of weirdly interesting, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics. I absolutely love Seanan’s writing, world building and creativity. I loved these stories and it is truly a great collection. It truly is a wonderful way to explore this author and visit her worlds.
The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up in an ever changing world fraught with political uncertainty. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy. All the things I love about this author who never reads to explore the hard topics in a way that always leaves redemption n the pages. I find it poetically brilliant so few authors can craft in this manner so fully and completely.
This collection truly shines because although vastly different each story stands on its own merits and can be enjoyed for the story it brings to the table. Sone are dark others joyful and yo me all satisfied me. I do believe I mentioned I am a truly devoted fan so this is well if it where a kitchen it’s a Chef’s Kiss 💋!
If you are someone who loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with depth, pick up this collection. It us to be treasured at least for sure by me!!
This is a fascinating collection of weirdly interesting, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics. I absolutely love Seanan’s writing, world building and creativity. I loved these stories and it is truly a great collection. It truly is a wonderful way to explore this author and visit her worlds.
The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up in an ever changing world fraught with political uncertainty. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy. All the things I love about this author who never reads to explore the hard topics in a way that always leaves redemption n the pages. I find it poetically brilliant so few authors can craft in this manner so fully and completely.
This collection truly shines because although vastly different each story stands on its own merits and can be enjoyed for the story it brings to the table. Sone are dark others joyful and yo me all satisfied me. I do believe I mentioned I am a truly devoted fan so this is well if it where a kitchen it’s a Chef’s Kiss 💋!
If you are someone who loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with depth, pick up this collection. It us to be treasured at least for sure by me!!
May 9, 2024
I can happily say its amazing. Each story has a small forward with a snippet of background. I would like to thank NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the arc. All opinions given are of my own volition.
This collection just released on 4/30 and is 100% worth picking up. So far a few of my favorite stories have been Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse, Now Rest my Dear, and Heart of Straw. Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse is just what it sounds like. Its an Alphabetical Catalog, with notes of delectably wry whit. Now Rest My Dear is one of the stories that takes place in a library. Its magical and unusually soothing for one of her stories. Heart of Straw explores the possibilities of Halloween. Its a portal fantasy but not connected the Wayward Children Series. I adore Halloween and this story scratched a brain itch I didn't know I had until now.
I am generally not a short story person but I have really enjoyed picking up a story in between tasks and taking a small brain break to a new world/reality. The snippets of background given before each story is a treat and adds nuance to the stories. The stories are unique and range from fantasy to light horror. There are content warnings before each story for those that need them and it is an incredibly nice touch. The Proper Think and Other Stories is a perfect book to pick up for anyone wanting to sample Seanan McGuire's work or who needs a break from the mundane.
This collection just released on 4/30 and is 100% worth picking up. So far a few of my favorite stories have been Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse, Now Rest my Dear, and Heart of Straw. Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse is just what it sounds like. Its an Alphabetical Catalog, with notes of delectably wry whit. Now Rest My Dear is one of the stories that takes place in a library. Its magical and unusually soothing for one of her stories. Heart of Straw explores the possibilities of Halloween. Its a portal fantasy but not connected the Wayward Children Series. I adore Halloween and this story scratched a brain itch I didn't know I had until now.
I am generally not a short story person but I have really enjoyed picking up a story in between tasks and taking a small brain break to a new world/reality. The snippets of background given before each story is a treat and adds nuance to the stories. The stories are unique and range from fantasy to light horror. There are content warnings before each story for those that need them and it is an incredibly nice touch. The Proper Think and Other Stories is a perfect book to pick up for anyone wanting to sample Seanan McGuire's work or who needs a break from the mundane.
October 30, 2024
[book journal transplant]
This is a verrrryyyy mixed bag, some I really liked, some really scared me, and some were just copy-and-pasted same story over and over again.
A good 1/3 of the collection was [instance of prejudice or inequality] solved by murder in very similar ways. On their own, those stories are really impactful and snappy, but in a collection surrounded by its peers, the repetition shows much more. Overall, there were more misses than hits for me, but more than a few of those were personal preference (my anxiety cannot handle pandemic stories). There were also a few I really enjoyed though, including and especially the titular novella.
Specific story ratings:
Unrated:
-Fresh as the Newly-Fallen Snow (because it freaked me out so much I cannot rate it fairly)
-Another one I can't remember that I skipped lol
2 stars:
-Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events
-The Levee was Dry
-Foundational Education
-Belief
-On the side
3 stars:
-Mother, Mother, Will You Play with Me?
-In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
-Good Night, Sleep Tight
-Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon
-Sweet as Sugar Candy
4 stars:
-Ratting
-Phantoms of the Midway
-File and Forget
-Under a Sea of Stars
-Come Marching In
-Heart of Straw
-Now Rest, My Dear
5 stars:
-Vegetables and Vaccines
-Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World
-What Everyone Knows (my fav!!)
-Pedestal
-The Proper Thing
This is a verrrryyyy mixed bag, some I really liked, some really scared me, and some were just copy-and-pasted same story over and over again.
A good 1/3 of the collection was [instance of prejudice or inequality] solved by murder in very similar ways. On their own, those stories are really impactful and snappy, but in a collection surrounded by its peers, the repetition shows much more. Overall, there were more misses than hits for me, but more than a few of those were personal preference (my anxiety cannot handle pandemic stories). There were also a few I really enjoyed though, including and especially the titular novella.
Specific story ratings:
Unrated:
-Fresh as the Newly-Fallen Snow (because it freaked me out so much I cannot rate it fairly)
-Another one I can't remember that I skipped lol
2 stars:
-Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events
-The Levee was Dry
-Foundational Education
-Belief
-On the side
3 stars:
-Mother, Mother, Will You Play with Me?
-In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
-Good Night, Sleep Tight
-Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon
-Sweet as Sugar Candy
4 stars:
-Ratting
-Phantoms of the Midway
-File and Forget
-Under a Sea of Stars
-Come Marching In
-Heart of Straw
-Now Rest, My Dear
5 stars:
-Vegetables and Vaccines
-Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World
-What Everyone Knows (my fav!!)
-Pedestal
-The Proper Thing
July 2, 2024
Coatfield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - 3
A different apocalypse for every letter of the alphabet.
Now Rest, My Dear - 4
A young girl spends her summers at the library.
Mother, Mother Will You Play with Me? - 4
A child plays games to learn about the world.
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - 4
Wayward children, but not.
Heart of Straw - 3
Kids go trick or treating.
The Levee was Dry - 3
Nobody can hear any new recorded music after they turn 35.
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - 3
A new babysitter tells her charges a story.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - 3
Don't mess with the library's budget.
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - DNF
People eliminate darkness. I did not like the writing on this one.
Phantoms of the Midway - 2
A carnival girl leaves her carnival and falls in instalove with a ghost.
File and Forget - 1
Soda wars.
Under the Sea of Stars - 3.5
An expedition below a river.
Vegetables and Vaccines - 2.5
Pandemic story with minimal dialogue.
Come Marching In - 3
A glimpse into an America with a mental health registry.
Foundational Education - 1
Seanan McGuire is jealous of people who went to college and weren't poor.
Ratting - 2.5
Pandemic America segregated into rich and poor.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - 2.5
It's the end of the world.
What Everyone Knows - 3
An idiot decides to raise a kaiju.
Belief - 1.5
An 11-year-old girls is uncomfortably obsessed with the post office.
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - 3.5
Rabies pandemic.
Sweet as Sugar Candy - 4
A woman makes marshmallows.
On the Side - 3
A dystopian America where only foods deemed "white American" are allowed.
Pedestal - 4
A superhero just wants to buy some ice cream.
The Proper Thing - 3
A magic cheese shop gets robbed.
Some of these stories really made me question if I even like Seanan McGuire. Some of them have what I find to be a very awkward writing style, especially for dialogue. People do not talk how she writes them talking. Some of these stories were pretty good, but most were mediocre or less for me and I don't find this collection worth it. If you are a huge fan of the author, you'll probably love it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for an advance copy.
A different apocalypse for every letter of the alphabet.
Now Rest, My Dear - 4
A young girl spends her summers at the library.
Mother, Mother Will You Play with Me? - 4
A child plays games to learn about the world.
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - 4
Wayward children, but not.
Heart of Straw - 3
Kids go trick or treating.
The Levee was Dry - 3
Nobody can hear any new recorded music after they turn 35.
Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - 3
A new babysitter tells her charges a story.
Good Night, Sleep Tight - 3
Don't mess with the library's budget.
Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - DNF
People eliminate darkness. I did not like the writing on this one.
Phantoms of the Midway - 2
A carnival girl leaves her carnival and falls in instalove with a ghost.
File and Forget - 1
Soda wars.
Under the Sea of Stars - 3.5
An expedition below a river.
Vegetables and Vaccines - 2.5
Pandemic story with minimal dialogue.
Come Marching In - 3
A glimpse into an America with a mental health registry.
Foundational Education - 1
Seanan McGuire is jealous of people who went to college and weren't poor.
Ratting - 2.5
Pandemic America segregated into rich and poor.
Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - 2.5
It's the end of the world.
What Everyone Knows - 3
An idiot decides to raise a kaiju.
Belief - 1.5
An 11-year-old girls is uncomfortably obsessed with the post office.
So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - 3.5
Rabies pandemic.
Sweet as Sugar Candy - 4
A woman makes marshmallows.
On the Side - 3
A dystopian America where only foods deemed "white American" are allowed.
Pedestal - 4
A superhero just wants to buy some ice cream.
The Proper Thing - 3
A magic cheese shop gets robbed.
Some of these stories really made me question if I even like Seanan McGuire. Some of them have what I find to be a very awkward writing style, especially for dialogue. People do not talk how she writes them talking. Some of these stories were pretty good, but most were mediocre or less for me and I don't find this collection worth it. If you are a huge fan of the author, you'll probably love it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for an advance copy.
May 7, 2024
For those craving an exhilarating literary escape, "The Proper Thing and Other Stories" by Seanan McGuire is a must-read. McGuire's collection offers a captivating journey through a diverse array of tales, from the edge of apocalypse to the dawn of creation. With themes ranging from superhero insecurities to the transformative power of love, McGuire skillfully blends the fantastical with the familiar. Each story is a literary gem, promising an enchanting and thought-provoking experience for readers. So, if you're ready for an adventure unlike any other, dive into "The Proper Thing and Other Stories" and prepare to be spellbound.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
March 1, 2025
amazing, as always
Seaman McGuire never disappoints. I have read her series and loved them. This is my first time coming across her short stories. Ms. McGuire’s short stories are just as filling as her series. How she keeps coming up with ideas I have not come across before is simply incredible. These stories can really make you think. As she states herself, some of her best, favorite, and a few of her weirdest stories thrown in for good measure. I totally agree. Such treasures! I am looking forward to finding more of her gems. She is definitely one of my favorite authors.
Seaman McGuire never disappoints. I have read her series and loved them. This is my first time coming across her short stories. Ms. McGuire’s short stories are just as filling as her series. How she keeps coming up with ideas I have not come across before is simply incredible. These stories can really make you think. As she states herself, some of her best, favorite, and a few of her weirdest stories thrown in for good measure. I totally agree. Such treasures! I am looking forward to finding more of her gems. She is definitely one of my favorite authors.
January 2, 2026
I've talked enough about my opinion on short stories, how they walk the line in between a gut punch and quiet bemusement for me, how a short story cannot screw around and must go right for the throat. Well. There are two dozen stories, and I think every one hit the jugular. If you've read much of McGuire's work, there are familiar topics. They give you a burst of warm comfortable feelings, like an old friend stopping to visit unexpectedly. And the last story is full of magical cheeses, so that's automatically a winner.
May 1, 2024
The Proper Thing and Other Stories is a great collection that showcases the author’s work very well. Nothing in this collection was bad, and even the ones that I felt less about, I could appreciate what was being done. The art was also a great touch at the beginning of each story.
Personal favorites were:
The Proper Thing
Now Rest, My Dear
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
Belief
Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Personal favorites were:
The Proper Thing
Now Rest, My Dear
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
Belief
Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2024
NetGalley ARC
I've been reading Seanan McGuire since the first October Day novel. Because this is a compendium of McGuire's entire career, the stories feel a little disjointed. I appreciated her forwards to each story. I had honestly forgotten that McGuire is such an excellent horror writer. In recent years I've mostly been reading October Day and Wayward Children books. Her horror stories read like fables, and the endings still came as a surprise.
I've been reading Seanan McGuire since the first October Day novel. Because this is a compendium of McGuire's entire career, the stories feel a little disjointed. I appreciated her forwards to each story. I had honestly forgotten that McGuire is such an excellent horror writer. In recent years I've mostly been reading October Day and Wayward Children books. Her horror stories read like fables, and the endings still came as a surprise.
April 29, 2024
I think it’s going to appeal more to people who like the Mira Grant side of the author’s works than the Seanan McGuire side. It goes to a lot of fairly dark places. Excellent stories of course, it’s Seanan McGuire, but if you’re not in a good place for going dark places today maybe save it for another day…. Or just embrace the darkness.
July 8, 2024
I do love me some Seanan McGuire. And her short stories almost never disappoint. The raw emotions found in just a few pages of a story is an amazing feat. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for some quick reads that pack quite a wallop.
July 21, 2024
I really enjoyed the first half of this collection, which were stories that were either creepy or about infections or societal collapse or both. The second half struggled to hold my interest as it leaned stronger into fantasy (in particular, hated the post office story).
August 7, 2024
Love her short stories
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