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Sourdough Universe
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings
Welcome back to the magic and pathos of Angela Slatter’s exquisitely imagined tales.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings returns to the world of Sourdough and Other Stories (Tartarus, 2010), introducing readers to the tales that came before. Stories where coffin-makers work hard to keep the dead beneath; where a plague maiden steals away the children of an ungrateful village; where poison girls are schooled in the art of assassination; where pirates disappear from the seas; where families and the ties that bind them can both ruin and resurrect and where books carry forth fairy tales, forbidden knowledge and dangerous secrets.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is enhanced by eighty-six pen-and-ink illustrations by artist Kathleen Jennings.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings returns to the world of Sourdough and Other Stories (Tartarus, 2010), introducing readers to the tales that came before. Stories where coffin-makers work hard to keep the dead beneath; where a plague maiden steals away the children of an ungrateful village; where poison girls are schooled in the art of assassination; where pirates disappear from the seas; where families and the ties that bind them can both ruin and resurrect and where books carry forth fairy tales, forbidden knowledge and dangerous secrets.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is enhanced by eighty-six pen-and-ink illustrations by artist Kathleen Jennings.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2014
26 people are currently reading
1920 people want to read
About the author
Angela Slatter
190 books821 followersAngela Slatter is the author of the urban fantasy novels Vigil (2016) and Corpselight (2017), as well as eight short story collections, including The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales, Sourdough and Other Stories, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, and A Feast of Sorrows: Stories. She has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, and six Aurealis Awards.
Angela’s short stories have appeared in Australian, UK and US Best Of anthologies such The Mammoth Book of New Horror, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Best Horror of the Year, The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror, and The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction. Her work has been translated into Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Romanian. Victoria Madden of Sweet Potato Films (The Kettering Incident) has optioned the film rights to one of her short stories.
She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South 2009 and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop 2006, and in 2013 she was awarded one of the inaugural Queensland Writers Fellowships. In 2016 Angela was the Established Writer-in-Residence at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth.
Her novellas, Of Sorrow and Such (from Tor.com), and Ripper (in the Stephen Jones anthology Horrorology, from Jo Fletcher Books) were released in October 2015.
The third novel in the Verity Fassbinder series, Restoration, will be released in 2018 by Jo Fletcher Books (Hachette International). She is represented by Ian Drury of the literary agency Sheil Land for her long fiction, by Lucy Fawcett of Sheil Land for film rights, and by Alex Adsett of Alex Adsett Publishing Services for illustrated storybooks.
Angela’s short stories have appeared in Australian, UK and US Best Of anthologies such The Mammoth Book of New Horror, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Best Horror of the Year, The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror, and The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction. Her work has been translated into Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Romanian. Victoria Madden of Sweet Potato Films (The Kettering Incident) has optioned the film rights to one of her short stories.
She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South 2009 and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop 2006, and in 2013 she was awarded one of the inaugural Queensland Writers Fellowships. In 2016 Angela was the Established Writer-in-Residence at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth.
Her novellas, Of Sorrow and Such (from Tor.com), and Ripper (in the Stephen Jones anthology Horrorology, from Jo Fletcher Books) were released in October 2015.
The third novel in the Verity Fassbinder series, Restoration, will be released in 2018 by Jo Fletcher Books (Hachette International). She is represented by Ian Drury of the literary agency Sheil Land for her long fiction, by Lucy Fawcett of Sheil Land for film rights, and by Alex Adsett of Alex Adsett Publishing Services for illustrated storybooks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
July 29, 2024
Dudo que llegue el día en que un libro de Angela Slatter no se merezca sus 5 estrellazas (por no darle 500).
Esta antología de historias cortas sirve como precuela de «Masa madre y otros relatos» pero como ocurre con las historias de Slatter no importa mucho cuándo y en qué orden leas sus libros. Llegados a cierto punto todas las historias y personajes te sonarán vagamente por su manera de entrelazarlo todo sutilmente (o directamente) y cuando la leas te sentirás en casa.
Al menos eso es lo que me ha pasado a mi. Si sumamos que este volumen se ha sentido más como una novela que una antología (con varios personajes, objetos y lugares seguidos durante diferentes generaciones) y el amor por los libros prohibidos y mágicos que desprende.... pues podéis entender por qué lo he amado tanto.
Si os gustan las historias oscuras y con tintes góticos, que visitan el lado oscuro de la mitología y los cuentos de hadas siempre desde el punto de vista de mujeres resilientes y reales... tenéis que leer a Angela Slatter.
Esta antología de historias cortas sirve como precuela de «Masa madre y otros relatos» pero como ocurre con las historias de Slatter no importa mucho cuándo y en qué orden leas sus libros. Llegados a cierto punto todas las historias y personajes te sonarán vagamente por su manera de entrelazarlo todo sutilmente (o directamente) y cuando la leas te sentirás en casa.
Al menos eso es lo que me ha pasado a mi. Si sumamos que este volumen se ha sentido más como una novela que una antología (con varios personajes, objetos y lugares seguidos durante diferentes generaciones) y el amor por los libros prohibidos y mágicos que desprende.... pues podéis entender por qué lo he amado tanto.
Si os gustan las historias oscuras y con tintes góticos, que visitan el lado oscuro de la mitología y los cuentos de hadas siempre desde el punto de vista de mujeres resilientes y reales... tenéis que leer a Angela Slatter.
March 28, 2017
Always clear and hauntingly beautiful, Angela Slatter can be realistically called one of the masters of the short fiction form, balancing earthy and detailed characters and settings that suck you in against chillingly dreadful stories of degradation, revenge, and magic.
Each story is poetry, but what really gets to me is the fact that each story in this collection, as with Sourdough, are connected.
Not all of them are obviously connected, and in fact, between these two books, they range over great spans of time and different towns and cities, not to mention so many different characters who sometimes show up as old people in other's tales or towns whose fates have gone the way of the dodo... usually because of the envents in the previous story.
Can I recommend this even more, and gloriously so? Absolutely! I'm a huge fan of world building in all its formats, but this stuff is the thing of cathedral stained glass and carefully tended trellises of roses.... with a very, very, dark bent.
I know people keep saying that she's been retelling old myths and fairy tales, but I want to say that she's gone one or two steps further. She's created brand new myths to enrich and enhance the old, even writing with such heart and passion as to put all other similar attempts to shame.
I can see myself reading and rereading these books for a very long time to come. They're so rich and wild and vibrant and deep. Because there's so much going on beneath the surface and in the wild world in general, and we're stuck within a very limited PoV locked within her own extremely interesting story, it's often hard to figure out exactly *when* we are in the wider tales, save for key events that show up in brief conversations or expositions, but one thing is certain: careful reading and perahps a rather large diagram or two can probably lay it all out for us.
Angela Slatter is a very clear and beautiful writer. That bears repeating. She's also telling some of the most haunting tales I've ever read.
But here's the best part: she never assumes we're stupid. She leaves the lion's share of the undercroft for us to explore for ourselves while the main characters dance above the graves of this old church.
Each story is poetry, but what really gets to me is the fact that each story in this collection, as with Sourdough, are connected.
Not all of them are obviously connected, and in fact, between these two books, they range over great spans of time and different towns and cities, not to mention so many different characters who sometimes show up as old people in other's tales or towns whose fates have gone the way of the dodo... usually because of the envents in the previous story.
Can I recommend this even more, and gloriously so? Absolutely! I'm a huge fan of world building in all its formats, but this stuff is the thing of cathedral stained glass and carefully tended trellises of roses.... with a very, very, dark bent.
I know people keep saying that she's been retelling old myths and fairy tales, but I want to say that she's gone one or two steps further. She's created brand new myths to enrich and enhance the old, even writing with such heart and passion as to put all other similar attempts to shame.
I can see myself reading and rereading these books for a very long time to come. They're so rich and wild and vibrant and deep. Because there's so much going on beneath the surface and in the wild world in general, and we're stuck within a very limited PoV locked within her own extremely interesting story, it's often hard to figure out exactly *when* we are in the wider tales, save for key events that show up in brief conversations or expositions, but one thing is certain: careful reading and perahps a rather large diagram or two can probably lay it all out for us.
Angela Slatter is a very clear and beautiful writer. That bears repeating. She's also telling some of the most haunting tales I've ever read.
But here's the best part: she never assumes we're stupid. She leaves the lion's share of the undercroft for us to explore for ourselves while the main characters dance above the graves of this old church.
September 1, 2016
Imagine yourself as a six years old rug rat with a burning passion for everything ghastly and ghostly: haunted houses, satyrs, enchanted hills, strange gaunt gentlemen, more haunted stuff and so on. Now imagine that your uncle is Ray Russell. Once a week you will visit him at his house and there you will spend all day looking with wide-eyes at those shelves with old, musty, dusty books. Please, uncle Ray, read me a story, you will say. And Uncle Ray will open a book and he will read you a story from The Bitterwood Bible. A World Fantasy Award winner, my child, he will add, trying to impress you. And of course you are impressed. And so you will listen to Uncle Ray reading you a story from this famed tome of wonder. Now, I have to admit I wished my uncle was Ray Russell and also wish I were a youngster again. But: alas, alas. I had a fine time with The Bitterwood Bible. I would call it a splendid example of girly dark fantasy. Nothing pejorative. A whimsical, picturesque, very imaginative book with plenty to offer but with no teeth.
March 29, 2024
La reseña completa en https://inthenevernever.blogspot.com/...
«Si aún tuviera voz, gritaría».
Que Angela Slatter se ha convertido en una de mis autoras favoritas no es una sorpresa para ninguno de los seguidores del blog. Desde que leí a la escritora australiana en 2021 gracias a la publicación de Masa madre (y otros relatos) por Dilatando Mentes, me ha ido conquistando cada vez más. Fascinación que no ha parado de crecer luego de disfrutar de De conjuros y otras penas (Duermevela, 2022) y El rumor de los huesos (Minotauro, 2023). Por eso hoy les quiero recomendar su nueva colección de cuentos: La biblia de Bosque Amargo (y otros relatos). Una antología alucinante con trece historias en la que regresamos al atrayente y oscuro mundo que conocimos en Masa madre (y que comparten los tres libros que hasta ahora se habían publicado en español).
«Si aún tuviera voz, gritaría».
Que Angela Slatter se ha convertido en una de mis autoras favoritas no es una sorpresa para ninguno de los seguidores del blog. Desde que leí a la escritora australiana en 2021 gracias a la publicación de Masa madre (y otros relatos) por Dilatando Mentes, me ha ido conquistando cada vez más. Fascinación que no ha parado de crecer luego de disfrutar de De conjuros y otras penas (Duermevela, 2022) y El rumor de los huesos (Minotauro, 2023). Por eso hoy les quiero recomendar su nueva colección de cuentos: La biblia de Bosque Amargo (y otros relatos). Una antología alucinante con trece historias en la que regresamos al atrayente y oscuro mundo que conocimos en Masa madre (y que comparten los tres libros que hasta ahora se habían publicado en español).
January 25, 2025
9/10✨Es una antología de relatos bastante oscura (más de lo que esperaba) pero con una exquisitez en las conexiones entre los relatos que me han dejado sorprendida.
Me ha encantado que las mujeres se ayuden las unas a las otras (no todas.. pero bueno) y que sean mujeres empoderadas a pesar de las adversidades, aunque en algunas circunstancias me he enfadado por las injusticias que tienen que vivir.
La pluma de la autora es absolutamente maravillosa, y estoy deseando seguir leyéndola.
Y lo que más me ha gustado de toda la experiencia ha sido leerlo en conjunto con mis chicas porque si no llega a ser por ellas la mayoría de conexiones no las hubiera descubierto
Me ha encantado que las mujeres se ayuden las unas a las otras (no todas.. pero bueno) y que sean mujeres empoderadas a pesar de las adversidades, aunque en algunas circunstancias me he enfadado por las injusticias que tienen que vivir.
La pluma de la autora es absolutamente maravillosa, y estoy deseando seguir leyéndola.
Y lo que más me ha gustado de toda la experiencia ha sido leerlo en conjunto con mis chicas porque si no llega a ser por ellas la mayoría de conexiones no las hubiera descubierto
August 15, 2015
Originally published at Risinghadow.
Angela Slatter's The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings was a pleasant surprise for me, because it's an excellent collection of dark fantasy stories and dark fairy-tale-like stories for adults. As a long time fan of the darker and literary side of speculative fiction I can mention that this collection is a unique and rewarding reading experience to those who love literary dark fantasy stories.
Because I was deeply impressed by the author's stories and her writing style, I have to mention that I'm compelled to use superlatives in this review. The use of superlatives is warranted when writing about this collection, because it's difficult to find similar kind of beautifully written short story collections. I was so impressed by this collection that I read it twice before I began to write this review.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a World Fantasy Award 2015 nominee for the best short story collection. In my opinion, it deserves to be a nominee for this prestigious award, because it's one of the best and most original fantasy short story collections published during the recent years (the beautifully written and atmospheric stories set it apart from its contemporaries).
In The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, Angela Slatter returns to the world of Sourdough and Other Stories (Tartarus Press, 2010). This collection is a prequel to Sourdough and Other Stories, but it can be read as a standalone collection. I haven't had an opportunity to read Sourdough and Other Stories yet, so I can't say anything about it and how the stories in this collection are connected to its contents, but I'm sure that readers who are familiar with it will enjoy this collection.
Depending on the reader, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings can be classified either as a short story collection or as a mosaic novel, because the stories are connected to each other in interesting ways. All of the stories are set in the same world and some of them feature overlapping characters.
This collection contains the following thirteen stories:
- 'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter'
- 'The Maiden in the Ice'
- 'The Badger Bride'
- 'The Burnt Moon'
- 'By My Voice I Shall Be Known'
- 'The Undone and the Divine'
- 'The Night Stair'
- 'Now, All Pirates are Gone'
- 'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls'
- 'The Bitterwood Bible'
- 'Terrible as an Army with Banners'
- 'By the Weeping Gate'
- 'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight'
If you think of yourself as a fan of dark fantasy and literary fiction, you should read these stories as soon as possible, because you owe it to yourself to read them. These stories offer a unique reading experience to readers who want quality, style and substance from their dark fantasy stories.
Here's more information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter':
- A beautifully written story about a spurned Hepsibah Ballantyne who's the only coffin-maker in Great Glimmerton.
- This story contains many elements that together form a stunning display of imagination and stylish storytelling.
'The Maiden in the Ice':
- A story about Rikke who finds a young woman in the ice at the lake.
- An excellent story with a fairy-tale-like atmosphere.
'The Badger Bride':
- A story about Gytha who is a copyist working on an ancient and mysterious book. While working on the book, Gytha notices that a badger is outside in the snow and rescues him.
- This is a strong and beautifully told fantasy story with a seducingly dark atmosphere.
- This story was originally published in Strange Tales IV (Tartarus Press, 2014).
'The Burnt Moon':
- A story about Hafwen who lives in Southarp. Hafwen is considered to be a witch.
- This is a memorable story about witchcraft, fire and rats.
- This story alone is proof of Angela Slatter's writing skills, because she writes fluently about what kind of cruelties happen to Hafwen.
'By My Voice I Shall Be Known':
- A perfectly told story about unfaithful love and terrifying vengeance.
- This dark story is excellent in every possible way, because the author writes unflinchingly about a woman who uses dark magic to avenge what has happened to her.
- In my opinion, this story alone is proof of the author's writing skills.
'The Undone and the Divine':
- In this story, the daughter of the woman who had a part in the downfall of Southarp visits Southarp.
- The author writes fluently about how the daughter deals with different things.
'The Night Stair':
- An unconventional vampire story about Adlisa who is the day-daughter for the Lord and the Lady. Adlisa tries to seek revenge, but suddenly she notices that her whole life has changed.
- This is one of the best and most original vampire stories I've ever read, because it's a refreshingly different kind of a vision about vampires.
'Now, All Pirates are Gone':
- A beautifully bittersweet and compelling story about Maude, her pirate ship and her crew.
- The author writes fascinatingly about what has happened to the pirates and how they have met their fates.
'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls':
- A brilliantly dark story about a school in which girls are trained to murder people who have wronged their families.
- This is one of the finest and most captivating stories in this collection.
'The Bitterwood Bible':
- This is a tale of what happens to Murciana when she does what her master tells her to do.
- This story offers an interesting glimpse into the origins of the Bitterwood Bible, which is a book full of different kinds of spells.
'Terrible as an Army with Banners':
- A beautifully written recounting of the last days of the Citadel at Cwen's Reach, which has been a home for the Little Sisters of Florian.
- This is one of the best stories in this collection, because the author writes well about what happens to the Citadel and how it is devastated.
'By the Weeping Gate':
- A memorable story about a family of prostitutes, a young woman called Nel and the mysterious Viceroy.
- This is a brilliant retelling of 'The Robber Bridegroom', which is an old German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight':
- This story continues the story of Nel who appeared in the previous story.- Nel searches for the mysterious and dangerous Viceroy.
- This is an atmospheric story with an excellent ending.
'The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter' is a beautifully written story about Hepsibah Ballantyne who's a coffin-maker. She is haunted by her father and yearns for Lucette D'Aguillar whose father has died. The author writes well about Hepsibah's feelings and work, because she delivers a story that has a beautifully dark atmosphere and a disturbing ending. Death and lust go captivatingly hand in hand in this story, because the author tells of Hepsibah's lustful feelings towards Lucette and how far she will go to have her.
'The Maiden in the Ice' is a dark fairy tale about Rikke who finds a young woman in the ice at the lake. When the young woman's body melts she seems to be alive again and Rikke begins to follow her. What Rikke finds out about the young woman's existence is strange, but she keeps it a secret. When the young woman is abused, she wreaks vengeance upon the villagers and steals their children. This story has one of the best endings I've ever seen in fantasy stories, because the ending is beautifully bittersweet. I think that many readers will most likely think of the old saying "you reap what you sow" when they reach the end of this story.
It was fascinating to read 'The Badger Bride', because it's a story about Gytha who copies books. Gytha finds herself copying a book that turns out to be a grimoire, a book of the craft that contains powerful spells. When she is working on the book, she rescues a badger and forms a relationship with him. This beautifully written fantasy story impressed me, because it has everything I hope to find in compelling and original adult fantasy. It's one of the best stories I've read this year.
'By My Voice I Shall Be Known' is a dark and touching story about love and vengeance. In this story, a woman who has been forsaken for another woman uses dark magic to avenge what has happened to her. It was captivating to read about what the woman did and how she felt about the happenings in her life. The rusalky added fascinating eeriness to this story.
'The Night Stair' is an exceptionally good and original vampire story. I've read many vampire stories and I can say that this story is among the best I've ever read, because it's wholly different from other stories. Reading about Adlisa's life and experiences among the undead Lord and the Lady was fascinating, because Adlisa seeked revenge only to find out that her whole life has changed in a radical way. The relationship between the Lord and the Lady was thrillingly twisted, because they played games with each other in a perverse way.
I was impressed by 'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls', because it's a story about a school for girls who receive training in how to murder people. The girls learn how to deliver death to people who have wronged their families. The author writes about the school, the girls and their training in a fascinating way and lures her readers into a world of family honour and murder. This story gradually builds up into a powerful tale that seduces readers with its darkness and strangeness.
I enjoyed reading 'The Bitterwood Bible', because it tells of the origins of the ancient book full of spells. Reading about Murciana and her life was rewarding, because this story sheds light on many interesting things.
'Terrible as an Army with Banners' is one of the best stories in this collection, because it tells of the devastation of the Citadel at Cwen's Reach. The author writes captivatingly about the happenings from the point of view of Goda who writes a letter to her sister. In her letter, she tells of what has happened to the Citadel so that the knowledge of its downfall shall not perish. It was fascinating for me to read about how books were removed from the Citadel and how valuable tomes were destroyed in order to prevent them from getting into wrong hands.
'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight' brings this collection to a close with style as well as excellence. It's a beautifully written story about Nel's determined search for the mysterious and dangerous Viceroy who has murdered many women. This story wraps up many things and features familiar characters (Hepsibah Ballantyne etc) from the previous stories.
When I read 'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight', I noticed that its title features a nod to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, because the translation of its original Egyptian name is "Book of Coming Forth by Day". This was interesting, because references to the Egyptian Book of the Dead are rare in modern fantasy stories (at this moment I only recall seeing this book mentioned in Showtime's dark fantasy TV series Penny Deadful).
In my opinion, these stories have a lot in common with the old fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm, because they're dark and exquisitely beautiful stories. They're wonderfully dark and seducing fairy tales for adults who love the darker side of fantasy fiction and enjoy reading literary prose. It isn't often that speculative fiction readers have an opportunity read something as good as this, because Angela Slatter has a distinct sense of darkness and style that separates her from other authors and puts her into a class of her own. Her way of writing about the happenings and the characters is truly amazing and mesmerising.
One of reasons why I love this collection is that Angela Slatter doesn't resort to cheap and common tricks to entertain her readers. She trusts that her readers are intelligent and want to mesmerised by beautifully told stories.
I was amazed at the complex characterisation, because the author has created intriguing characters who are driven by human emotions and feelings. Love, loss, fear, regret and vengeance are important parts of their lives and have an impact on how they deal with different situations and things. They all live and try to survive in a beautifully strange world where magic is real. I found it fascinating that the author revealed bits and pieces of some of the characters' lives throughout the collection (it was enjoyable and rewarding to read about the characters' lives and fates).
The worldbuilding is intricate and exquisite. Angela Slatter has created a fantastical world that feels natural, realistic and believable. Her fantasy world is inhabited by different kinds of people who deal with many things from ordinary life and enchantments to dark magic and sorcery. It's a beautiful yet terrifying world where bad things can happen to people. The author breathes life into her fantasy world by creating an enchanting - and at times chilling - atmosphere that captures the reader's heart and mind.
Angela Slatter has an exceptional skill of creating immersive and addictive stories. She weaves spellbinding stories that are so compelling that you find yourself wholly immersed in their strange world and forget the passing of time for a while. When you read these stories, you'll feel like you're reading about a real world that truly exists and has its own customs, traditions and superstitions.
It's great that the author has infused her stories with intriguing folkloric and mythological elements. She writes spellbindingly about the Erl-King, his daughter and the shadow trees that are doorways to the underground kingdom of the Erl-King.
The author writes beautiful and evocative literary prose that shines with nuances and impresses readers with its eloquence. She's clearly one of the most talented writers of literary prose ever to grace the field of speculative fiction, because the literary merits of her stories are remarkably superior to many other stories.
The stories in this collection are intriguingly connected to each other. When you read all of them, you'll notice how certain names and characters appear in different stories and how the happenings relate to one another. I think that many readers will be pleasantly surprised by how these stories are connected and what is revealed about the happenings and the characters, because the stories form an impressive and vivid vision of a fictional world.
It's interesting that books play an important part in this collection, because some of the stories center around books and forbidden knowledge contained in them. The descriptions of these books and the places where they are kept are enchanting.
This book contains beautiful and detailed pen-and-ink illustrations by Kathleen Jennings (there's something wonderfully old-fashioned about these illustrations). They will please readers who appreciate fine art and beautiful illustrations. I'll also mention that the illustration on the cover of the hardcover edition looks gorgeous. It's great that the publisher has invested time into creating this kind of a beautiful book, because there are many readers who love well-created books.
The introduction by Stephen Jones and the afterword by Lisa L. Hannett are interesting and worth reading.
I give The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings full five stars on the scale from one to five stars. In my opinion, it deserves all the praise it gets, because the quality of the prose and the charming darkness of the stories is something to behold. It's a stunning and unique short story collection.
This was the first time that I read a short story collection by Angela Slatter, but it won't be the last time, because I enjoyed her stories. I intend to read her previous short story collections (Sourdough and Other Stories and The Girl With No Hands and Other Tales) as soon as possible.
Angela Slatter's The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a short story collection of exceptional beauty, grace and style. It should be part of everybody's speculative fiction collection, because it's difficult to find better and more beautiful dark fantasy fiction. If you love eloquent literary prose, beautifully written stories and dark fantasy, please read this collection immediately. I can guarantee that you won't regret reading it - in fact, you'll be wondering why you haven't read it sooner.
Very highly recommended!
Angela Slatter's The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings was a pleasant surprise for me, because it's an excellent collection of dark fantasy stories and dark fairy-tale-like stories for adults. As a long time fan of the darker and literary side of speculative fiction I can mention that this collection is a unique and rewarding reading experience to those who love literary dark fantasy stories.
Because I was deeply impressed by the author's stories and her writing style, I have to mention that I'm compelled to use superlatives in this review. The use of superlatives is warranted when writing about this collection, because it's difficult to find similar kind of beautifully written short story collections. I was so impressed by this collection that I read it twice before I began to write this review.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a World Fantasy Award 2015 nominee for the best short story collection. In my opinion, it deserves to be a nominee for this prestigious award, because it's one of the best and most original fantasy short story collections published during the recent years (the beautifully written and atmospheric stories set it apart from its contemporaries).
In The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, Angela Slatter returns to the world of Sourdough and Other Stories (Tartarus Press, 2010). This collection is a prequel to Sourdough and Other Stories, but it can be read as a standalone collection. I haven't had an opportunity to read Sourdough and Other Stories yet, so I can't say anything about it and how the stories in this collection are connected to its contents, but I'm sure that readers who are familiar with it will enjoy this collection.
Depending on the reader, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings can be classified either as a short story collection or as a mosaic novel, because the stories are connected to each other in interesting ways. All of the stories are set in the same world and some of them feature overlapping characters.
This collection contains the following thirteen stories:
- 'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter'
- 'The Maiden in the Ice'
- 'The Badger Bride'
- 'The Burnt Moon'
- 'By My Voice I Shall Be Known'
- 'The Undone and the Divine'
- 'The Night Stair'
- 'Now, All Pirates are Gone'
- 'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls'
- 'The Bitterwood Bible'
- 'Terrible as an Army with Banners'
- 'By the Weeping Gate'
- 'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight'
If you think of yourself as a fan of dark fantasy and literary fiction, you should read these stories as soon as possible, because you owe it to yourself to read them. These stories offer a unique reading experience to readers who want quality, style and substance from their dark fantasy stories.
Here's more information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
'The Coffin-Maker's Daughter':
- A beautifully written story about a spurned Hepsibah Ballantyne who's the only coffin-maker in Great Glimmerton.
- This story contains many elements that together form a stunning display of imagination and stylish storytelling.
'The Maiden in the Ice':
- A story about Rikke who finds a young woman in the ice at the lake.
- An excellent story with a fairy-tale-like atmosphere.
'The Badger Bride':
- A story about Gytha who is a copyist working on an ancient and mysterious book. While working on the book, Gytha notices that a badger is outside in the snow and rescues him.
- This is a strong and beautifully told fantasy story with a seducingly dark atmosphere.
- This story was originally published in Strange Tales IV (Tartarus Press, 2014).
'The Burnt Moon':
- A story about Hafwen who lives in Southarp. Hafwen is considered to be a witch.
- This is a memorable story about witchcraft, fire and rats.
- This story alone is proof of Angela Slatter's writing skills, because she writes fluently about what kind of cruelties happen to Hafwen.
'By My Voice I Shall Be Known':
- A perfectly told story about unfaithful love and terrifying vengeance.
- This dark story is excellent in every possible way, because the author writes unflinchingly about a woman who uses dark magic to avenge what has happened to her.
- In my opinion, this story alone is proof of the author's writing skills.
'The Undone and the Divine':
- In this story, the daughter of the woman who had a part in the downfall of Southarp visits Southarp.
- The author writes fluently about how the daughter deals with different things.
'The Night Stair':
- An unconventional vampire story about Adlisa who is the day-daughter for the Lord and the Lady. Adlisa tries to seek revenge, but suddenly she notices that her whole life has changed.
- This is one of the best and most original vampire stories I've ever read, because it's a refreshingly different kind of a vision about vampires.
'Now, All Pirates are Gone':
- A beautifully bittersweet and compelling story about Maude, her pirate ship and her crew.
- The author writes fascinatingly about what has happened to the pirates and how they have met their fates.
'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls':
- A brilliantly dark story about a school in which girls are trained to murder people who have wronged their families.
- This is one of the finest and most captivating stories in this collection.
'The Bitterwood Bible':
- This is a tale of what happens to Murciana when she does what her master tells her to do.
- This story offers an interesting glimpse into the origins of the Bitterwood Bible, which is a book full of different kinds of spells.
'Terrible as an Army with Banners':
- A beautifully written recounting of the last days of the Citadel at Cwen's Reach, which has been a home for the Little Sisters of Florian.
- This is one of the best stories in this collection, because the author writes well about what happens to the Citadel and how it is devastated.
'By the Weeping Gate':
- A memorable story about a family of prostitutes, a young woman called Nel and the mysterious Viceroy.
- This is a brilliant retelling of 'The Robber Bridegroom', which is an old German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight':
- This story continues the story of Nel who appeared in the previous story.- Nel searches for the mysterious and dangerous Viceroy.
- This is an atmospheric story with an excellent ending.
'The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter' is a beautifully written story about Hepsibah Ballantyne who's a coffin-maker. She is haunted by her father and yearns for Lucette D'Aguillar whose father has died. The author writes well about Hepsibah's feelings and work, because she delivers a story that has a beautifully dark atmosphere and a disturbing ending. Death and lust go captivatingly hand in hand in this story, because the author tells of Hepsibah's lustful feelings towards Lucette and how far she will go to have her.
'The Maiden in the Ice' is a dark fairy tale about Rikke who finds a young woman in the ice at the lake. When the young woman's body melts she seems to be alive again and Rikke begins to follow her. What Rikke finds out about the young woman's existence is strange, but she keeps it a secret. When the young woman is abused, she wreaks vengeance upon the villagers and steals their children. This story has one of the best endings I've ever seen in fantasy stories, because the ending is beautifully bittersweet. I think that many readers will most likely think of the old saying "you reap what you sow" when they reach the end of this story.
It was fascinating to read 'The Badger Bride', because it's a story about Gytha who copies books. Gytha finds herself copying a book that turns out to be a grimoire, a book of the craft that contains powerful spells. When she is working on the book, she rescues a badger and forms a relationship with him. This beautifully written fantasy story impressed me, because it has everything I hope to find in compelling and original adult fantasy. It's one of the best stories I've read this year.
'By My Voice I Shall Be Known' is a dark and touching story about love and vengeance. In this story, a woman who has been forsaken for another woman uses dark magic to avenge what has happened to her. It was captivating to read about what the woman did and how she felt about the happenings in her life. The rusalky added fascinating eeriness to this story.
'The Night Stair' is an exceptionally good and original vampire story. I've read many vampire stories and I can say that this story is among the best I've ever read, because it's wholly different from other stories. Reading about Adlisa's life and experiences among the undead Lord and the Lady was fascinating, because Adlisa seeked revenge only to find out that her whole life has changed in a radical way. The relationship between the Lord and the Lady was thrillingly twisted, because they played games with each other in a perverse way.
I was impressed by 'St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls', because it's a story about a school for girls who receive training in how to murder people. The girls learn how to deliver death to people who have wronged their families. The author writes about the school, the girls and their training in a fascinating way and lures her readers into a world of family honour and murder. This story gradually builds up into a powerful tale that seduces readers with its darkness and strangeness.
I enjoyed reading 'The Bitterwood Bible', because it tells of the origins of the ancient book full of spells. Reading about Murciana and her life was rewarding, because this story sheds light on many interesting things.
'Terrible as an Army with Banners' is one of the best stories in this collection, because it tells of the devastation of the Citadel at Cwen's Reach. The author writes captivatingly about the happenings from the point of view of Goda who writes a letter to her sister. In her letter, she tells of what has happened to the Citadel so that the knowledge of its downfall shall not perish. It was fascinating for me to read about how books were removed from the Citadel and how valuable tomes were destroyed in order to prevent them from getting into wrong hands.
'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight' brings this collection to a close with style as well as excellence. It's a beautifully written story about Nel's determined search for the mysterious and dangerous Viceroy who has murdered many women. This story wraps up many things and features familiar characters (Hepsibah Ballantyne etc) from the previous stories.
When I read 'Spells for Coming Forth by Daylight', I noticed that its title features a nod to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, because the translation of its original Egyptian name is "Book of Coming Forth by Day". This was interesting, because references to the Egyptian Book of the Dead are rare in modern fantasy stories (at this moment I only recall seeing this book mentioned in Showtime's dark fantasy TV series Penny Deadful).
In my opinion, these stories have a lot in common with the old fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm, because they're dark and exquisitely beautiful stories. They're wonderfully dark and seducing fairy tales for adults who love the darker side of fantasy fiction and enjoy reading literary prose. It isn't often that speculative fiction readers have an opportunity read something as good as this, because Angela Slatter has a distinct sense of darkness and style that separates her from other authors and puts her into a class of her own. Her way of writing about the happenings and the characters is truly amazing and mesmerising.
One of reasons why I love this collection is that Angela Slatter doesn't resort to cheap and common tricks to entertain her readers. She trusts that her readers are intelligent and want to mesmerised by beautifully told stories.
I was amazed at the complex characterisation, because the author has created intriguing characters who are driven by human emotions and feelings. Love, loss, fear, regret and vengeance are important parts of their lives and have an impact on how they deal with different situations and things. They all live and try to survive in a beautifully strange world where magic is real. I found it fascinating that the author revealed bits and pieces of some of the characters' lives throughout the collection (it was enjoyable and rewarding to read about the characters' lives and fates).
The worldbuilding is intricate and exquisite. Angela Slatter has created a fantastical world that feels natural, realistic and believable. Her fantasy world is inhabited by different kinds of people who deal with many things from ordinary life and enchantments to dark magic and sorcery. It's a beautiful yet terrifying world where bad things can happen to people. The author breathes life into her fantasy world by creating an enchanting - and at times chilling - atmosphere that captures the reader's heart and mind.
Angela Slatter has an exceptional skill of creating immersive and addictive stories. She weaves spellbinding stories that are so compelling that you find yourself wholly immersed in their strange world and forget the passing of time for a while. When you read these stories, you'll feel like you're reading about a real world that truly exists and has its own customs, traditions and superstitions.
It's great that the author has infused her stories with intriguing folkloric and mythological elements. She writes spellbindingly about the Erl-King, his daughter and the shadow trees that are doorways to the underground kingdom of the Erl-King.
The author writes beautiful and evocative literary prose that shines with nuances and impresses readers with its eloquence. She's clearly one of the most talented writers of literary prose ever to grace the field of speculative fiction, because the literary merits of her stories are remarkably superior to many other stories.
The stories in this collection are intriguingly connected to each other. When you read all of them, you'll notice how certain names and characters appear in different stories and how the happenings relate to one another. I think that many readers will be pleasantly surprised by how these stories are connected and what is revealed about the happenings and the characters, because the stories form an impressive and vivid vision of a fictional world.
It's interesting that books play an important part in this collection, because some of the stories center around books and forbidden knowledge contained in them. The descriptions of these books and the places where they are kept are enchanting.
This book contains beautiful and detailed pen-and-ink illustrations by Kathleen Jennings (there's something wonderfully old-fashioned about these illustrations). They will please readers who appreciate fine art and beautiful illustrations. I'll also mention that the illustration on the cover of the hardcover edition looks gorgeous. It's great that the publisher has invested time into creating this kind of a beautiful book, because there are many readers who love well-created books.
The introduction by Stephen Jones and the afterword by Lisa L. Hannett are interesting and worth reading.
I give The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings full five stars on the scale from one to five stars. In my opinion, it deserves all the praise it gets, because the quality of the prose and the charming darkness of the stories is something to behold. It's a stunning and unique short story collection.
This was the first time that I read a short story collection by Angela Slatter, but it won't be the last time, because I enjoyed her stories. I intend to read her previous short story collections (Sourdough and Other Stories and The Girl With No Hands and Other Tales) as soon as possible.
Angela Slatter's The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a short story collection of exceptional beauty, grace and style. It should be part of everybody's speculative fiction collection, because it's difficult to find better and more beautiful dark fantasy fiction. If you love eloquent literary prose, beautifully written stories and dark fantasy, please read this collection immediately. I can guarantee that you won't regret reading it - in fact, you'll be wondering why you haven't read it sooner.
Very highly recommended!
August 19, 2025
He leido estos relatos antes de su predecesor, "Masa Madre", no se si ha sido un acierto o un error, me quedo con la nota de la autora de que pretendía ser una continuación y se convirtió en una precuela, en la que se gesta el universo de su otra colección de relatos anteriormente nombrada.
Los relatos todos ellos ambientadas en el Bosque Amargo y su universo son fantásticos, algunos guardan relación entre ellos, todos forman un universo mágico, oscuro, opresor con un marcado estilo gótico.
La autora tiene la maravillosa capacidad para introducirnos en cada uno de ellos de una manera brillsnte, con una prosa exquisita y una ambientación sublime.
Personajes muy potentes, la mayoría de ellos femeninos, están muy bien desarrollados y provocarán en el lector sentimientos encontrados, algunos los he sentido mas cercanos y otros mas repudiantes.
Piratas, bandidos, monjes, heroínas, órdenes de culto ancestrales se reúnen en esta antología para de, manera fantástica, con una prosa envolvente, lírica y coral describirnos y relatarnos escenas duras, opresivas y agónicas.
Una lectura muy recomendable para amantes de la fantasía gótica y que gusten de adentrarse en un mundo de fantasía que no esta muy lejos de nuestra realidad.
Los relatos todos ellos ambientadas en el Bosque Amargo y su universo son fantásticos, algunos guardan relación entre ellos, todos forman un universo mágico, oscuro, opresor con un marcado estilo gótico.
La autora tiene la maravillosa capacidad para introducirnos en cada uno de ellos de una manera brillsnte, con una prosa exquisita y una ambientación sublime.
Personajes muy potentes, la mayoría de ellos femeninos, están muy bien desarrollados y provocarán en el lector sentimientos encontrados, algunos los he sentido mas cercanos y otros mas repudiantes.
Piratas, bandidos, monjes, heroínas, órdenes de culto ancestrales se reúnen en esta antología para de, manera fantástica, con una prosa envolvente, lírica y coral describirnos y relatarnos escenas duras, opresivas y agónicas.
Una lectura muy recomendable para amantes de la fantasía gótica y que gusten de adentrarse en un mundo de fantasía que no esta muy lejos de nuestra realidad.
July 6, 2025
Nota: 4 sobre 5
Premisa:
Antología de relatos ambientada en el universo de Masa Madre. Adentrarse en ella es someterse a la oscuridad, a la magia, a unos personajes poderosos, desde piratas hasta vampiros, animales que se convierten en seres humanos o libros valiosos que guardan llaves de conocimiento.
Opinión:
Es asombrosa la facilidad que tienen algunos autores para conseguir que, una vez que caes en sus redes, no quieras habitar en otros mundos que no sean los que han salido de su cabeza. Aunque sean territorios inhóspitos con peligros acuciantes en los que sobrevivirías menos tiempo del que necesitarías para procesarlo. Da igual, cuando te enredas en una de sus historias te sientes como en casa, ese lugar al que consigues escapar cuando toda tu rutina te amenaza.
Angela es una de ellas y este universo el claro ejemplo de ambientación opresora que fideliza y magnetiza. Quizá el gancho completen esos personajes tan inolvidables, o esas tramas que se entrelazan de formas más directa o implícita. Puede también que la responsabilidad la tengan esos elementos fantásticos que abanderan a nuestra imaginación en este viaje de ficción seleccionado.
He de reconocer que he intentado buscar conexiones esbozadas y sentir unidad y coherencia. Pero soy consciente de que ha sido un error. No podemos pretender amoldar lo incontrolable y encajarlo en nuestro sistema de procesamiento. Ni se disfruta ni se valora de la misma forma. Es mejor dejarse llevar y sentirse desconcertado a la vez que intrigado. Quizá ese sea el estado anímico adecuado o en el que la autora pretende situarnos.
Cómo no, la lectura dando lecciones, siempre que hay apertura y disposición para el aprendizaje. Y no sólo eso, sino proveyendo momentos de vínculo, refugio, emoción y admiración. No me queda nada suyo por leer, así que cultivaré la paciencia y revisaré las novedades de forma recurrente. Creo que no tardará en llegar.
Premisa:
Antología de relatos ambientada en el universo de Masa Madre. Adentrarse en ella es someterse a la oscuridad, a la magia, a unos personajes poderosos, desde piratas hasta vampiros, animales que se convierten en seres humanos o libros valiosos que guardan llaves de conocimiento.
Opinión:
Es asombrosa la facilidad que tienen algunos autores para conseguir que, una vez que caes en sus redes, no quieras habitar en otros mundos que no sean los que han salido de su cabeza. Aunque sean territorios inhóspitos con peligros acuciantes en los que sobrevivirías menos tiempo del que necesitarías para procesarlo. Da igual, cuando te enredas en una de sus historias te sientes como en casa, ese lugar al que consigues escapar cuando toda tu rutina te amenaza.
Angela es una de ellas y este universo el claro ejemplo de ambientación opresora que fideliza y magnetiza. Quizá el gancho completen esos personajes tan inolvidables, o esas tramas que se entrelazan de formas más directa o implícita. Puede también que la responsabilidad la tengan esos elementos fantásticos que abanderan a nuestra imaginación en este viaje de ficción seleccionado.
He de reconocer que he intentado buscar conexiones esbozadas y sentir unidad y coherencia. Pero soy consciente de que ha sido un error. No podemos pretender amoldar lo incontrolable y encajarlo en nuestro sistema de procesamiento. Ni se disfruta ni se valora de la misma forma. Es mejor dejarse llevar y sentirse desconcertado a la vez que intrigado. Quizá ese sea el estado anímico adecuado o en el que la autora pretende situarnos.
Cómo no, la lectura dando lecciones, siempre que hay apertura y disposición para el aprendizaje. Y no sólo eso, sino proveyendo momentos de vínculo, refugio, emoción y admiración. No me queda nada suyo por leer, así que cultivaré la paciencia y revisaré las novedades de forma recurrente. Creo que no tardará en llegar.
September 18, 2014
Angela Slatter has, along with her regular partner in fiction Lisa L Hannett, been one of those authors I have collected yet never really got around to reading due to the reviewing pile taking precedence over the personal reading pile. Sure, I have read single stories on occasion, enough to know that the money I have put down on her other collections is well spent. The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings from Tartarus, is then the first collection that I have read in its entirety. It’s also possibly the first mosaic novel that I have read.
It works well, both as a collection of separate stories and as collected narrative. One of things that is hard to do within in a short story and which our best writers often achieve, is creating that sense of a wider realised secondary world within a small word count.
What I think the mosaic format allows Slatter to do is give herself some wiggle room for story and style and let the layering effect of drip fed world details in each separate tale slowly envelope the reader to give us that realised world That isn’t to say that Slatter isn’t doing a grand job of combining style, story and detail within each tale but that structurally the envelope of the mosaic helps in some cases to accentuate the impact of certain stories, while at the same time containing deviations is form and style in others.
In Terrible as an Army with Banners, Slatter crafts an effective piece of epistolary fiction. It’s distinct from many of the stories in the collection in terms of tone and style but works equally well in maintaining a sense of increasing dread and darkness. Likewise The Maiden in the Ice meshed together horror elements that reminded me of The Ring with a a clever riff on a well known folktale.
The Bitterwood Bible is a neat package that has allowed Slatter to explore, examine and re-imagine the fairy/folktale milieu. There’s a balance achieved here too; I never felt that I needed to rush through the stories to the larger resolution. I was able to enjoy each of the tales as a separate entity and I suspect that were I to reread it as Lisa Hannett suggests in the afterword and focus more on the connections between each story, I would have another equally pleasant and slightly different experience.
I am left feeling the beneficiary of sumptuous and stylish storytelling, Slatter, I suspect is at her best here.
This book was supplied by Tartarus Press.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I am a Judge for this years Aurealis Awards and some of the stories contained in this volume are eligible. Hence my review only comments on those not eligible and on how the collection works as a mosaic novel.
It works well, both as a collection of separate stories and as collected narrative. One of things that is hard to do within in a short story and which our best writers often achieve, is creating that sense of a wider realised secondary world within a small word count.
What I think the mosaic format allows Slatter to do is give herself some wiggle room for story and style and let the layering effect of drip fed world details in each separate tale slowly envelope the reader to give us that realised world That isn’t to say that Slatter isn’t doing a grand job of combining style, story and detail within each tale but that structurally the envelope of the mosaic helps in some cases to accentuate the impact of certain stories, while at the same time containing deviations is form and style in others.
In Terrible as an Army with Banners, Slatter crafts an effective piece of epistolary fiction. It’s distinct from many of the stories in the collection in terms of tone and style but works equally well in maintaining a sense of increasing dread and darkness. Likewise The Maiden in the Ice meshed together horror elements that reminded me of The Ring with a a clever riff on a well known folktale.
For a while she tries to keep her eyes firmly fixed on her destination, on the silver-ash clump of sedge not so far—yet so very far—away. But the panic she’s tamped down hard gets the better of her, and she looks to the sparkling, treacherous ground upon which she moves, seeking the cracks, the veins, the fissures that are surely forming there.
But what she sees is something entirely different.
An oval face; skin sallow—in the sun it will become olive; dark-flecked, large eyes; thick straight brows; an unbalanced mouth, the top lip thin, the bottom full; and hair as black as Rikke has ever seen. Black as nightmares, black as a cunning woman’s cat, black as the water she is trying to escape. Older than Rikke, caught between girl and woman, and suspended in the solid lake as if she’s a statue, standing; head titled back, one arm reaching up, the other pointing downward.
from The Maiden in the Ice.
The Bitterwood Bible is a neat package that has allowed Slatter to explore, examine and re-imagine the fairy/folktale milieu. There’s a balance achieved here too; I never felt that I needed to rush through the stories to the larger resolution. I was able to enjoy each of the tales as a separate entity and I suspect that were I to reread it as Lisa Hannett suggests in the afterword and focus more on the connections between each story, I would have another equally pleasant and slightly different experience.
I am left feeling the beneficiary of sumptuous and stylish storytelling, Slatter, I suspect is at her best here.
This book was supplied by Tartarus Press.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I am a Judge for this years Aurealis Awards and some of the stories contained in this volume are eligible. Hence my review only comments on those not eligible and on how the collection works as a mosaic novel.
January 31, 2025
Primer libro de 13 relatos en el mundo de Angela Slatter. Son una serie de relatos que se conectan entre sí, y en el que vamos conociendo a nuestras protagonistas, sus vidas donde a veces toman buenas y malas decisiones, son personajes muy grises, y están envueltos en un mundo medieval lleno de leyendas, seres mágicos y brujería.
Hay situaciones en las que sentiremos la injusticia y la rabia, otras en las que disfrutaremos la venganza y otras en las que se nos dibujará una sonrisa.
He disfrutado mucho el ir enlazando los nombres de personajes y ciudades entre los relatos, e ir desgranando el punto en común entre ellos.
Muchas ganas de seguir con Masa madre, otro libro de relatos en este mundo que actúa como continuación a este.
Hay situaciones en las que sentiremos la injusticia y la rabia, otras en las que disfrutaremos la venganza y otras en las que se nos dibujará una sonrisa.
He disfrutado mucho el ir enlazando los nombres de personajes y ciudades entre los relatos, e ir desgranando el punto en común entre ellos.
Muchas ganas de seguir con Masa madre, otro libro de relatos en este mundo que actúa como continuación a este.
May 3, 2024
.
📚 La biblia de bosque amargo
♀️ Ángela Slatter
📕 Fisico. Ejemplar de Masa Crítica por @babelioenespanol
_________________________
⭐4⭐
WoW! Desde que vi este libro publicado en @dilantandomentes me quedé anonadada. La portada no da mucha información pero me llamaba mucho la atención.
Cuando Babelio incluyo en su lista de Masa Crítica esta editorial me hizo muy feliz y por suerte me tocó este libro. ¡y qué libro! Nunca había leído algo así.
¿Qué nos encontramos en La biblia de bosque amargo? Un sin fin de mujeres relacionadas entre si pero no. Trece relatos en los que crean una historia increíble. Cuando lo empecé a leer me dejó confundida y es que habla de personajes en otro relatos relacionando historias , a veces no temporalmente, creando leyendas. Es increíble.
Al principio te deja muy confundidx, no sabes si son relatos, no sabes si es una historia con saltos en el tiempo, no sabes si es que falta algo. Lo que si sabes es que quieres saber más y que no se acabe. La autora te sumerge de tal manera de no puedes parar de leer. Me pasó igual que con Los chicos del valle, lo he leído muuuuy le to para disfrutar de cada relato.
Hace unos dias @bordequetequieroborde subió un reel explicando porqué le gustaba esta autora y es que puedo entender el hype. Tiene otro libro de la misma editorial titulado "Masa Madre". En cuanto pueda me haré con él porque me he quedado con ganas de más.
Si no habéis leído a la autora os invito a hacerlo. Si os gusta la fantasía, con un toque oscuro, los relatos y que os dejen con las ganas de saber más, este es un buen comienzo para meternos en el mundo de Angela Slatter.
✴️ ¿ Lo leerías?
✴️ ¿ Conocías a la autora?
📚 La biblia de bosque amargo
♀️ Ángela Slatter
📕 Fisico. Ejemplar de Masa Crítica por @babelioenespanol
_________________________
⭐4⭐
WoW! Desde que vi este libro publicado en @dilantandomentes me quedé anonadada. La portada no da mucha información pero me llamaba mucho la atención.
Cuando Babelio incluyo en su lista de Masa Crítica esta editorial me hizo muy feliz y por suerte me tocó este libro. ¡y qué libro! Nunca había leído algo así.
¿Qué nos encontramos en La biblia de bosque amargo? Un sin fin de mujeres relacionadas entre si pero no. Trece relatos en los que crean una historia increíble. Cuando lo empecé a leer me dejó confundida y es que habla de personajes en otro relatos relacionando historias , a veces no temporalmente, creando leyendas. Es increíble.
Al principio te deja muy confundidx, no sabes si son relatos, no sabes si es una historia con saltos en el tiempo, no sabes si es que falta algo. Lo que si sabes es que quieres saber más y que no se acabe. La autora te sumerge de tal manera de no puedes parar de leer. Me pasó igual que con Los chicos del valle, lo he leído muuuuy le to para disfrutar de cada relato.
Hace unos dias @bordequetequieroborde subió un reel explicando porqué le gustaba esta autora y es que puedo entender el hype. Tiene otro libro de la misma editorial titulado "Masa Madre". En cuanto pueda me haré con él porque me he quedado con ganas de más.
Si no habéis leído a la autora os invito a hacerlo. Si os gusta la fantasía, con un toque oscuro, los relatos y que os dejen con las ganas de saber más, este es un buen comienzo para meternos en el mundo de Angela Slatter.
✴️ ¿ Lo leerías?
✴️ ¿ Conocías a la autora?
July 3, 2022
Nicely printed and illustrated book.
Crisp yet lyrical prose.
Sharp dialogues.
Plots spread from allegorical to absurd, with sufficient cruelty and macabre to infuse a bluish tinge to all of them.
Pretty frustrating as well, since nobody got any justice, or redemption, or anything at the end, or beginning, or the middle— which are difficult to differentiate in any case.
A beautifully morbid and hollow package, in short.
I think, with respect to Ms. Slatter's writings I am fast approaching the level attained by James Bond during the word-association test.
Waiting for one book to ring the word before I say, 'Done!'
Crisp yet lyrical prose.
Sharp dialogues.
Plots spread from allegorical to absurd, with sufficient cruelty and macabre to infuse a bluish tinge to all of them.
Pretty frustrating as well, since nobody got any justice, or redemption, or anything at the end, or beginning, or the middle— which are difficult to differentiate in any case.
A beautifully morbid and hollow package, in short.
I think, with respect to Ms. Slatter's writings I am fast approaching the level attained by James Bond during the word-association test.
Waiting for one book to ring the word before I say, 'Done!'
October 29, 2024
Oficialmente dentro de la secta Slatter.
February 11, 2019
TW: sexual assault, parental abuse
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a remarkable short story collection with sharp prose, dark edges, and feminist themes. All that said, I, strangely enough, didn’t love it as much as Angela Slatter’s previous collection, Sourdough and Other Stories. It might be a difference in expectations. I had no expectations for Sourdough but high expectations for The Bitterwood Bible. But I also found myself tiring of repeated stories dealing with sexual assault in similar ways.
“The Maiden in the Ice” (tw: sexual assault) is the backstory to a character we see in Sourdough, Ella. A little girl named Rikke finds a young woman frozen in the ice of the river… but she’s still alive and there’s something strange about her.
But that’s so similar to another story in the collection, “The Burnt Moon” (tw: sexual assault). Here, the beautiful young Hafwen is raped by the miller, and instead of receiving any sort of justice, the town decides to burn Hafwen as a witch. Hafwen’s mother then takes vengeance into her own hands. Both these stories wind up being about a woman who is assaulted, a town who looks the other way, and the subsequent punishment brought down on the townspeople. It just feels unnecessary, and it makes me start to wonder about the way sexual assault is used in relation to this collection’s dark feminist themes.
I’m similarly a bit conflicted about “The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter.” It’s a wonderfully creepy tale with a twisted as heck protagonist named Hepsibah Ballantyne. Only I’m also super glad this wasn’t the only story with a queer protagonist because Hepsibah is pretty darn rapey and it started to remind me of the predatory lesbian stereotype. She shows up in another story as seducing schoolgirls and it’s not something that sits very comfortably with me.
Thankfully, we get a non-creepy queer lady leading “Now, All Pirates Are Gone.” She’s a pirate captain who noticed that after what looks like a series of bad luck (but which might be something more insidious), she’s essentially the last pirate boat left sailing. Now would be a good time to retire, but she’s gotten wind of a hidden treasure of unimaginable wealth…
I’ve referenced this in passing, but the stories of The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings are interconnected. They all take place in the same world, some share the same city or town, and some of the same characters appear throughout the collection. Indeed, as the stories go on, you begin to realize that there’s an overarching villain flitting through the edges of these recountings and a group of women who set themselves opposite him. It’s marvelously clever and brilliantly realized.
“By My Voice I Shall Be Known”, for instance, leads directly to the events of “Now, All Pirates Are Gone.” A simple seamstress has given all her love and money to a budding merchant who promises to marry her once he’s established. He betrays her, and she exacts vengeance… not only upon him but upon his new wife. I wasn’t thrilled that her method of vengeance was to attack another woman, but the story acknowledges that and makes it clear she’s an anti-heroine, not a heroine.
“The Badger Bride” tells of Gytha, the daughter of Hafwen from “The Burnt Moon.” She’s a copiest and bookbinder who has been given the task of copying out a book of magical spells. It reminds me a bit of Ursula Vernon’s work but darker. The self-same magical book comes up later in “The Bitterwood Bible,” where you find out how it came to be and the story of a girl called Murciana. Her story intersects with the Little Sisters of Florian, who are the closest the collection comes to having an overarching protagonist. The Little Sisters of Florian are dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, seeking out books, storing a library in their citadel, and making copies to be sent out into the world. I love the idea for the Little Sisters so much!
“St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls” follows a young member of the Little Sisters sent to infiltrate a school for assassin-brides. Here, girls are trained to kill their husbands and in-laws on the wedding night or afterward, in return for long-held family grievances. While so many of the stories in the collection take root from vengeance, the acts of revenge of St Dymphna’s School are presented as petty and the students so eager to rush to fulfill their duty that they don’t even think of surviving after the assassinations. But our protagonist isn’t meant to be an assassin — she’s come looking for a book on poison. “St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls” was one of my favorite of the stories. The concept of assassin-brides and quests for books is so awesome, how could I not love it?
However, my favorite story of the collection is a vampire tale, “The Night Stair.” Adlisa wants vengeance (see, I told you vengeance was a common denominator) for her sisters, who were both chosen to become the daughter of the Lord and Lady. The Lady has a madness that drives her to try and replace her lost child with a mortal girl from the town she rules over. But these girls walk a thin line, and no one can remember the last time a girl lasted longer than two years before the Lady eventually killed her. Adlisa has a plan, and it involves becoming the Lady’s daughter. It’s a darkly glinting story that I just adored. It’s got to be one of my all-time favorite vampire short stories!
There were a few other stories in the collection, but I’m going to stop here. This review is long enough already, and I think you’ve gotten a feel for what this collection holds. While I didn’t love The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings quite as much as the other collection by Slatter I’ve read, it’s still a marvelously written, compelling set of stories. I really wish Slatter was better known, and I hope she finds the audience she deserves!
Review from The Illustrated Page.
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings is a remarkable short story collection with sharp prose, dark edges, and feminist themes. All that said, I, strangely enough, didn’t love it as much as Angela Slatter’s previous collection, Sourdough and Other Stories. It might be a difference in expectations. I had no expectations for Sourdough but high expectations for The Bitterwood Bible. But I also found myself tiring of repeated stories dealing with sexual assault in similar ways.
“The Maiden in the Ice” (tw: sexual assault) is the backstory to a character we see in Sourdough, Ella. A little girl named Rikke finds a young woman frozen in the ice of the river… but she’s still alive and there’s something strange about her.
But that’s so similar to another story in the collection, “The Burnt Moon” (tw: sexual assault). Here, the beautiful young Hafwen is raped by the miller, and instead of receiving any sort of justice, the town decides to burn Hafwen as a witch. Hafwen’s mother then takes vengeance into her own hands. Both these stories wind up being about a woman who is assaulted, a town who looks the other way, and the subsequent punishment brought down on the townspeople. It just feels unnecessary, and it makes me start to wonder about the way sexual assault is used in relation to this collection’s dark feminist themes.
I’m similarly a bit conflicted about “The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter.” It’s a wonderfully creepy tale with a twisted as heck protagonist named Hepsibah Ballantyne. Only I’m also super glad this wasn’t the only story with a queer protagonist because Hepsibah is pretty darn rapey and it started to remind me of the predatory lesbian stereotype. She shows up in another story as seducing schoolgirls and it’s not something that sits very comfortably with me.
Thankfully, we get a non-creepy queer lady leading “Now, All Pirates Are Gone.” She’s a pirate captain who noticed that after what looks like a series of bad luck (but which might be something more insidious), she’s essentially the last pirate boat left sailing. Now would be a good time to retire, but she’s gotten wind of a hidden treasure of unimaginable wealth…
I’ve referenced this in passing, but the stories of The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings are interconnected. They all take place in the same world, some share the same city or town, and some of the same characters appear throughout the collection. Indeed, as the stories go on, you begin to realize that there’s an overarching villain flitting through the edges of these recountings and a group of women who set themselves opposite him. It’s marvelously clever and brilliantly realized.
“By My Voice I Shall Be Known”, for instance, leads directly to the events of “Now, All Pirates Are Gone.” A simple seamstress has given all her love and money to a budding merchant who promises to marry her once he’s established. He betrays her, and she exacts vengeance… not only upon him but upon his new wife. I wasn’t thrilled that her method of vengeance was to attack another woman, but the story acknowledges that and makes it clear she’s an anti-heroine, not a heroine.
“The Badger Bride” tells of Gytha, the daughter of Hafwen from “The Burnt Moon.” She’s a copiest and bookbinder who has been given the task of copying out a book of magical spells. It reminds me a bit of Ursula Vernon’s work but darker. The self-same magical book comes up later in “The Bitterwood Bible,” where you find out how it came to be and the story of a girl called Murciana. Her story intersects with the Little Sisters of Florian, who are the closest the collection comes to having an overarching protagonist. The Little Sisters of Florian are dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, seeking out books, storing a library in their citadel, and making copies to be sent out into the world. I love the idea for the Little Sisters so much!
“St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls” follows a young member of the Little Sisters sent to infiltrate a school for assassin-brides. Here, girls are trained to kill their husbands and in-laws on the wedding night or afterward, in return for long-held family grievances. While so many of the stories in the collection take root from vengeance, the acts of revenge of St Dymphna’s School are presented as petty and the students so eager to rush to fulfill their duty that they don’t even think of surviving after the assassinations. But our protagonist isn’t meant to be an assassin — she’s come looking for a book on poison. “St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls” was one of my favorite of the stories. The concept of assassin-brides and quests for books is so awesome, how could I not love it?
However, my favorite story of the collection is a vampire tale, “The Night Stair.” Adlisa wants vengeance (see, I told you vengeance was a common denominator) for her sisters, who were both chosen to become the daughter of the Lord and Lady. The Lady has a madness that drives her to try and replace her lost child with a mortal girl from the town she rules over. But these girls walk a thin line, and no one can remember the last time a girl lasted longer than two years before the Lady eventually killed her. Adlisa has a plan, and it involves becoming the Lady’s daughter. It’s a darkly glinting story that I just adored. It’s got to be one of my all-time favorite vampire short stories!
There were a few other stories in the collection, but I’m going to stop here. This review is long enough already, and I think you’ve gotten a feel for what this collection holds. While I didn’t love The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings quite as much as the other collection by Slatter I’ve read, it’s still a marvelously written, compelling set of stories. I really wish Slatter was better known, and I hope she finds the audience she deserves!
Review from The Illustrated Page.
June 16, 2024
Sabía que me iba a gustar, pero no sabía que me iba a volver completamente loco. Los cuentos aquí recogidos han invocado a mujeres fascinantes. Una hermandad, una especie de aquelarre, una conjunto de fuerzas que me han subyugado por completo.
Cada historia se contiene a sí misma y a su vez forma parte de un todo mucho más grande. Cada afluente cuenta con su propio curso y el río del que forman parte es este libro en su totalidad, que a la vez junto con otros libros, desembocan en el mismo mar que es ese universo que Angela Slatter ha creado. Un universo donde todo remite a otro algo, a otra historia, a otra mujer que también sufrió y que ahora, 300 años después, va a vengarse.
Los cuentos de Angela Slatter son como relojes que forman parte del catálogo de una misma tienda. Cada uno va a su ritmo, cada uno entiende las pausas de forma diferente. Pero cuando el relojero mira todos dan las 12 en el mismo exacto momento. No sé si lo que aquí sucede es literatura o música orquestada, pero la señora Slatter puede contar con todo mi oro si lo necesita.
Hay tantos libros en este libro. Tantas mujeres con hambre de conocimiento. Ninguna es una damisela en apuros. Y cuando algo atenta contra sus vidas, son ellas mismas quienes toman el control de la situación para no quedar sepultadas por el miedo o el odio de la mirada masculina que las atenaza.
No sé qué decir sin parecer un fanboy, pero leed a Angela Slatter. DilatandoMentes tiene publicada dos colecciones de cuentos. Duermevelas tiene en su haber dos de sus novelas. Y también Minotauro tiene una novela publicada al castellano. No hay excusas para que no formemos un culto a su nombre o una legión de estudiosos de su obra para indagar en las conexiones que se establecen entre sus personajes.
Lo digo muy en serio, hay un antes y un después de Angela Slatter.
Cada historia se contiene a sí misma y a su vez forma parte de un todo mucho más grande. Cada afluente cuenta con su propio curso y el río del que forman parte es este libro en su totalidad, que a la vez junto con otros libros, desembocan en el mismo mar que es ese universo que Angela Slatter ha creado. Un universo donde todo remite a otro algo, a otra historia, a otra mujer que también sufrió y que ahora, 300 años después, va a vengarse.
Los cuentos de Angela Slatter son como relojes que forman parte del catálogo de una misma tienda. Cada uno va a su ritmo, cada uno entiende las pausas de forma diferente. Pero cuando el relojero mira todos dan las 12 en el mismo exacto momento. No sé si lo que aquí sucede es literatura o música orquestada, pero la señora Slatter puede contar con todo mi oro si lo necesita.
Hay tantos libros en este libro. Tantas mujeres con hambre de conocimiento. Ninguna es una damisela en apuros. Y cuando algo atenta contra sus vidas, son ellas mismas quienes toman el control de la situación para no quedar sepultadas por el miedo o el odio de la mirada masculina que las atenaza.
No sé qué decir sin parecer un fanboy, pero leed a Angela Slatter. DilatandoMentes tiene publicada dos colecciones de cuentos. Duermevelas tiene en su haber dos de sus novelas. Y también Minotauro tiene una novela publicada al castellano. No hay excusas para que no formemos un culto a su nombre o una legión de estudiosos de su obra para indagar en las conexiones que se establecen entre sus personajes.
Lo digo muy en serio, hay un antes y un después de Angela Slatter.
March 20, 2025
Who wins, my love of Slatter or low tolerance for short stories? I’m not actually sure.
November 7, 2025
La cuadratura del círculo. Menudo mundo ha creado esta mujer, que maravilla de relatos. Necesito más ❤️
January 22, 2019
Unlike the first anthology of hers I read, this one was disappointing. I didn't care much for any of the short stories, and there was a repeat of one of the stories I liked in the previous collection. It's a weirder, cruder, and more unpolished collection that's also become repetitive thematically.
August 16, 2024
Enlace a la reseña:
https://consuleoluegoexisto.com/2024/...
https://consuleoluegoexisto.com/2024/...
April 27, 2025
[3,25/5]
La hija del fabricante de ataúdes ☆☆☆☆
La joven atrapada en el hielo ☆☆
La novia del tejón ☆☆☆
La luna encendida ☆☆☆,5
Por mi voz seré conocida ☆☆☆☆
Lo que está por hacer y lo divino ☆☆☆,5
La escalera nocturna ☆☆☆,5
Ahora, todos los piratas han desaparecido ☆☆
Escuela de Santa Dimpna ☆☆
La Biblia de Bosque Amargo ☆☆☆
Tan terrible como un ejército ☆☆☆☆
Junto a la puerta de los lamentos ☆☆☆☆
Hechizos para ver nacer un nuevo día ☆☆☆☆
Hace ya unos meses que leí esta antología, mi primer acercamiento a la obra de Angela Slatter, y desde entonces no he dejado de sentir que, a pesar de haberlo puntuado en base a la media de todos los relatos, se merece más. Siento que las tres estrellas que le di no le hacen justicia, que me gustó más de lo que refleja esa puntuación. Es por esto que voy a empezar este reseña redondeando ese 3,25 a 4. Dicho queda.
La Biblia de Bosque Amargo compone, junto a Masa Madre (y otros relatos), la bilogía de Masa Madre. Un universo de fantasía oscura atrayente, intrincado y bello. Todos los relatos están relacionados entre sí a pesar de ser autoconclusivos, y esa es otra de las razones por las que he decidido subirle la puntuación, por lo maravillosamente bien hilado que está todo el libro. Me ha recordado muchísimo a El señor de la noche, otro libro que me enamoró en su día y que os recomiendo si os gusta este subgénero.
Slatter bebe muchísimo de los cuentos de hadas y el folclore, creando todo un mundo que parece tan real como el nuestro. Un mundo horrible muchas veces, pero bello a la vez, con infinidad de matices, con una fuerte presencia femenina y donde la sororidad y la resiliencia de todas ellas brilla también con fuerza.
Al ser una precuela de Masa Madre es, además, perfecto para adentrarse en este universo. Así que, como ya dije, si os gustan las historias oscuras, sin duda tenéis que darle una oportunidad a esta autora.
La hija del fabricante de ataúdes ☆☆☆☆
La joven atrapada en el hielo ☆☆
La novia del tejón ☆☆☆
La luna encendida ☆☆☆,5
Por mi voz seré conocida ☆☆☆☆
Lo que está por hacer y lo divino ☆☆☆,5
La escalera nocturna ☆☆☆,5
Ahora, todos los piratas han desaparecido ☆☆
Escuela de Santa Dimpna ☆☆
La Biblia de Bosque Amargo ☆☆☆
Tan terrible como un ejército ☆☆☆☆
Junto a la puerta de los lamentos ☆☆☆☆
Hechizos para ver nacer un nuevo día ☆☆☆☆
Hace ya unos meses que leí esta antología, mi primer acercamiento a la obra de Angela Slatter, y desde entonces no he dejado de sentir que, a pesar de haberlo puntuado en base a la media de todos los relatos, se merece más. Siento que las tres estrellas que le di no le hacen justicia, que me gustó más de lo que refleja esa puntuación. Es por esto que voy a empezar este reseña redondeando ese 3,25 a 4. Dicho queda.
La Biblia de Bosque Amargo compone, junto a Masa Madre (y otros relatos), la bilogía de Masa Madre. Un universo de fantasía oscura atrayente, intrincado y bello. Todos los relatos están relacionados entre sí a pesar de ser autoconclusivos, y esa es otra de las razones por las que he decidido subirle la puntuación, por lo maravillosamente bien hilado que está todo el libro. Me ha recordado muchísimo a El señor de la noche, otro libro que me enamoró en su día y que os recomiendo si os gusta este subgénero.
Slatter bebe muchísimo de los cuentos de hadas y el folclore, creando todo un mundo que parece tan real como el nuestro. Un mundo horrible muchas veces, pero bello a la vez, con infinidad de matices, con una fuerte presencia femenina y donde la sororidad y la resiliencia de todas ellas brilla también con fuerza.
Al ser una precuela de Masa Madre es, además, perfecto para adentrarse en este universo. Así que, como ya dije, si os gustan las historias oscuras, sin duda tenéis que darle una oportunidad a esta autora.
April 3, 2025
La bilogía compuesta por Masa Madre y La biblia de bosque amargo de la australiana Angela Slatter, constituye un increíble universo de fantasía oscura donde los cuentos de hadas tradicionales toman una perspectiva moderna y feminista cargada de simbolismo y magia.
Estas dos antologías de relatos cortos, género en el que la autora sin duda mejor se maneja, constan de 16 y 13 narraciones cortas respectivamente. Aunque funcionan como entes independientes, el universo Masa madre va más allá del simple cuento, creando una compleja red de interconexiones entre historias y personajes, que le hace adquirir la cuasi forma de novela. Tal es la potencia del universo Masa Madre que podemos encontrar su sesgo incluso en otros libros de la autora.
Hadas, brujas, trolls, monjas, muñecos vivientes, niños robados, matrimonios malditos, castillos, princesas… sirven de carta de presentación para tratar temas de hondo calado humano como la venganza, el amor, la muerte o la traición. Una lectura plagada de folklore mitológico y leyendas, con fuerte presencia de los personajes femeninos, un mapa de mujeres fuertes y poderosas, donde la sororidad rompe fuertemente con el aspecto clásico de los cuentos más tradicionales.
La ambientación es también excepcional, el toque medieval o mágico da poder a la narración haciéndola envolvente y atemporal. Aunque no son relatos de terror propiamente dichos, subyace una cierta sensación de desasosiego, crueldad y perversidad que contrasta fuertemente con el carácter poético del estilo narrativo.
Esoterismo, magia, brujería… un mundo inmersivo del cual ya no querrás volver a salir. Si todo esto lo completamos con las preciosas ediciones ilustradas, que @dilatandomentes nos regala, la experiencia lectora se torna doblemente gratificante. Angela Slatter ha sido uno de mis descubrimientos del año y se queda ya conmigo para siempre. Recomendadísimo.
Estas dos antologías de relatos cortos, género en el que la autora sin duda mejor se maneja, constan de 16 y 13 narraciones cortas respectivamente. Aunque funcionan como entes independientes, el universo Masa madre va más allá del simple cuento, creando una compleja red de interconexiones entre historias y personajes, que le hace adquirir la cuasi forma de novela. Tal es la potencia del universo Masa Madre que podemos encontrar su sesgo incluso en otros libros de la autora.
Hadas, brujas, trolls, monjas, muñecos vivientes, niños robados, matrimonios malditos, castillos, princesas… sirven de carta de presentación para tratar temas de hondo calado humano como la venganza, el amor, la muerte o la traición. Una lectura plagada de folklore mitológico y leyendas, con fuerte presencia de los personajes femeninos, un mapa de mujeres fuertes y poderosas, donde la sororidad rompe fuertemente con el aspecto clásico de los cuentos más tradicionales.
La ambientación es también excepcional, el toque medieval o mágico da poder a la narración haciéndola envolvente y atemporal. Aunque no son relatos de terror propiamente dichos, subyace una cierta sensación de desasosiego, crueldad y perversidad que contrasta fuertemente con el carácter poético del estilo narrativo.
Esoterismo, magia, brujería… un mundo inmersivo del cual ya no querrás volver a salir. Si todo esto lo completamos con las preciosas ediciones ilustradas, que @dilatandomentes nos regala, la experiencia lectora se torna doblemente gratificante. Angela Slatter ha sido uno de mis descubrimientos del año y se queda ya conmigo para siempre. Recomendadísimo.
December 20, 2024
Mi querida Angela Slatter 🖤
Este mundo que ha creado en el que (por ahora en español) se incluyen Masa madre, De conjuros y otras penas, La biblia de bosque amargo y El rumor de los huesos, es mi lugar feliz total ✨ Cuentos oscuros con mujeres increíbles y sororidad. Es que…No puedo pedir más 😍
Esta es la antología que me quedaba por leer, pero que en verdad es el preludio de Masa madre y nos pone en contexto sobre lo que veremos a continuación. Habrá personajes que se vendrán con nosotras a Masa madre y algunos que se quedarán aquí, en La biblia de bosque amargo. He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura porque ha sido en LC y cada vez que leíamos íbamos súper atentas: subrayando nombres, lugares, objetos que pudieran luego aparecer de nuevo, memorizando personajes secundarios por si luego no lo son tanto. Ha sido muy divertido y me ha gustado mucho compartirlo con ellas. Pero es que sabía que iba a lo seguro, sabía que me iba a gustar, que me volvería a enamorar y que me quedaría con las ganas de permanecer siempre en esos bosques y esos mares que tan bien nos describe Angela.
Por leer en español ya solamente me queda El rumor de los huesos. Y después tocará leerla en inglés, ¡o no! ¡¿Quién sabe?! Quizás nos la vuelvan a editar por España 😏
Este mundo que ha creado en el que (por ahora en español) se incluyen Masa madre, De conjuros y otras penas, La biblia de bosque amargo y El rumor de los huesos, es mi lugar feliz total ✨ Cuentos oscuros con mujeres increíbles y sororidad. Es que…No puedo pedir más 😍
Esta es la antología que me quedaba por leer, pero que en verdad es el preludio de Masa madre y nos pone en contexto sobre lo que veremos a continuación. Habrá personajes que se vendrán con nosotras a Masa madre y algunos que se quedarán aquí, en La biblia de bosque amargo. He disfrutado muchísimo de esta lectura porque ha sido en LC y cada vez que leíamos íbamos súper atentas: subrayando nombres, lugares, objetos que pudieran luego aparecer de nuevo, memorizando personajes secundarios por si luego no lo son tanto. Ha sido muy divertido y me ha gustado mucho compartirlo con ellas. Pero es que sabía que iba a lo seguro, sabía que me iba a gustar, que me volvería a enamorar y que me quedaría con las ganas de permanecer siempre en esos bosques y esos mares que tan bien nos describe Angela.
Por leer en español ya solamente me queda El rumor de los huesos. Y después tocará leerla en inglés, ¡o no! ¡¿Quién sabe?! Quizás nos la vuelvan a editar por España 😏
January 23, 2016
I'll be a dissenting voice: I thought her prose was lovely (most of the time) but that the stories themselves weren't particularly engaging and tended to run together. For a fuller explanation, see here.
September 11, 2014
An excellent read. If you like fairy tale worlds, ghostly apparitions and horrific environments, read this book. This is Slatter at her best and believe me that really is saying about. Angela Slatter is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors.
February 21, 2015
My thoughts on this incredible short story collection (or mosaic novel) can be found here -
http://writerandcritic.podbean.com/e/... -
episode 42 of the Writer and the Critic podcast.
http://writerandcritic.podbean.com/e/... -
episode 42 of the Writer and the Critic podcast.
August 1, 2016
I'm breathless and set adrift. I feel myself buoyed on gently lapping waves, in this world of Angela Slatter's making. The delicacy of words as tactile creatures wraps around me. Oh, how I've missed how luscious stories can be.
July 9, 2024
¡Hola lectores!
Quiero hablarles de un libro genial que acabo de leer: "La biblia de Bosque Amargo (y otros relatos)" de Angela Slatter. Si te gusta la fantasía oscura, este libro te va a encantar. Es una colección de trece cuentos llenos de brujas, fantasmas y magia, con una atmósfera fascinante e inquietante.
Desde el primer cuento, te sumerges en Lodellan, un lugar donde cada historia está conectada, creando una especie de novela mosaico. Los personajes van apareciendo y reapareciendo, y cada relato añade más profundidad al mundo creado por Slatter. Su forma de escribir es tan rica y detallada que cada escenario y personaje parecen cobrar vida.
Lo que más me gusta es cómo cada cuento es único pero a la vez está conectado con los demás. Por ejemplo, "La hija del fabricante de ataúdes" es oscura y cautivadora, mientras que "La joven atrapada en el hielo" es un cuento de hadas con un toque agridulce. Aunque no todas las historias tienen finales felices, todas dejan una impresión duradera.
Los temas de amor, venganza y búsqueda de identidad están presentes en todos los relatos. En "La novia del tejón" y "La luna encendida", Slatter mezcla lo sobrenatural con lo humano de manera brillante. La estructura tipo muñeca rusa, con personajes e historias que se cruzan, enriquece la lectura y añade profundidad.
Además de la magnífica escritura, la edición del libro está bellamente ilustrada y la traducción es excelente, manteniendo la esencia de la obra original. El prólogo de Stephen Jones y el posfacio de Lisa L. Hannett añaden valor, ofreciendo perspectivas adicionales sobre el universo de Slatter.
En resumen, "La biblia de Bosque Amargo" es una lectura obligada para los amantes de la fantasía oscura. Angela Slatter demuestra ser una narradora increíble, combinando lo macabro con lo bello de una forma única. Si buscas una colección de cuentos que te atrape y te haga pensar, este libro es para ti. Cada historia te sumerge en un mundo lleno de magia y misterio, donde la venganza, el amor y la traición están siempre presentes.
Quiero hablarles de un libro genial que acabo de leer: "La biblia de Bosque Amargo (y otros relatos)" de Angela Slatter. Si te gusta la fantasía oscura, este libro te va a encantar. Es una colección de trece cuentos llenos de brujas, fantasmas y magia, con una atmósfera fascinante e inquietante.
Desde el primer cuento, te sumerges en Lodellan, un lugar donde cada historia está conectada, creando una especie de novela mosaico. Los personajes van apareciendo y reapareciendo, y cada relato añade más profundidad al mundo creado por Slatter. Su forma de escribir es tan rica y detallada que cada escenario y personaje parecen cobrar vida.
Lo que más me gusta es cómo cada cuento es único pero a la vez está conectado con los demás. Por ejemplo, "La hija del fabricante de ataúdes" es oscura y cautivadora, mientras que "La joven atrapada en el hielo" es un cuento de hadas con un toque agridulce. Aunque no todas las historias tienen finales felices, todas dejan una impresión duradera.
Los temas de amor, venganza y búsqueda de identidad están presentes en todos los relatos. En "La novia del tejón" y "La luna encendida", Slatter mezcla lo sobrenatural con lo humano de manera brillante. La estructura tipo muñeca rusa, con personajes e historias que se cruzan, enriquece la lectura y añade profundidad.
Además de la magnífica escritura, la edición del libro está bellamente ilustrada y la traducción es excelente, manteniendo la esencia de la obra original. El prólogo de Stephen Jones y el posfacio de Lisa L. Hannett añaden valor, ofreciendo perspectivas adicionales sobre el universo de Slatter.
En resumen, "La biblia de Bosque Amargo" es una lectura obligada para los amantes de la fantasía oscura. Angela Slatter demuestra ser una narradora increíble, combinando lo macabro con lo bello de una forma única. Si buscas una colección de cuentos que te atrape y te haga pensar, este libro es para ti. Cada historia te sumerge en un mundo lleno de magia y misterio, donde la venganza, el amor y la traición están siempre presentes.
December 27, 2023
«The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings» de Angela Slatter nos sumerge en un mundo de cuentos de hadas oscuros y retorcidos, reminiscentes de los hermanos Grimm pero enriquecidos con elementos folklóricos y mitológicos asombrosos. Su habilidad para crear un universo complejo, hermoso y aterrador, lleno de magia oscura y seres fantásticos, es verdaderamente excepcional.
Cada cuento es una joya única en la que la autora crea cuidadosamente elementos mágicos y folklóricos, transportándonos a lugares encantados. Este reino está lleno de magia oscura, hechicería, venganza y seres fantásticos que dan vida a cada página.
La prosa de Slatter crea una atmósfera encantadora que te sumerge en escenarios y personajes terrenales, guiándonos hábilmente a través de historias escalofriantes y mágicas. Cada relato se entrelaza de manera magistral, permitiendo que nombres reaparezcan en diferentes contextos y los acontecimientos se relacionen de manera ingeniosa.
Angela Slatter demuestra ser una maestra de los cuentos cortos, y para los amantes de la fantasía oscura, estas bellas historias son un tesoro que, al descubrirlas, te harán preguntarte dónde han estado todo este tiempo.
Cada cuento es una joya única en la que la autora crea cuidadosamente elementos mágicos y folklóricos, transportándonos a lugares encantados. Este reino está lleno de magia oscura, hechicería, venganza y seres fantásticos que dan vida a cada página.
La prosa de Slatter crea una atmósfera encantadora que te sumerge en escenarios y personajes terrenales, guiándonos hábilmente a través de historias escalofriantes y mágicas. Cada relato se entrelaza de manera magistral, permitiendo que nombres reaparezcan en diferentes contextos y los acontecimientos se relacionen de manera ingeniosa.
Angela Slatter demuestra ser una maestra de los cuentos cortos, y para los amantes de la fantasía oscura, estas bellas historias son un tesoro que, al descubrirlas, te harán preguntarte dónde han estado todo este tiempo.
August 28, 2025
I’ll begin by saying that I’m reading Slatter’s two most famous books the wrong way round. I haven’t yet got to Sourdough and Other Stories, which though written before this, was a prequel to it. I don’t think it matters too much.
These are a set of linked stories in which where coffin makers strive to keep the dead underground, where a plague maiden steals away the children of an ungrateful village, where pirates disappear from the seas, where families and the ties that bind them can be enough to resurrect, and where certain books contain dark fairy tales, forbidden knowledge and dangerous secrets.
Slatter is strong on folklore and witchcraft, with an element of feminism, and clearly influenced by Angela Carter, though her writing is a little lighter than Carter’s. There’s a variety in the quality of stories, but the best ones, The Coffin Makers Daughter, The Maiden in the Ice, and St Dymphna’s School, show Slatter to be a contemporary young British writer of horror to watch out for.
These are a set of linked stories in which where coffin makers strive to keep the dead underground, where a plague maiden steals away the children of an ungrateful village, where pirates disappear from the seas, where families and the ties that bind them can be enough to resurrect, and where certain books contain dark fairy tales, forbidden knowledge and dangerous secrets.
Slatter is strong on folklore and witchcraft, with an element of feminism, and clearly influenced by Angela Carter, though her writing is a little lighter than Carter’s. There’s a variety in the quality of stories, but the best ones, The Coffin Makers Daughter, The Maiden in the Ice, and St Dymphna’s School, show Slatter to be a contemporary young British writer of horror to watch out for.
March 13, 2025
Este ha sido mi primer contacto con el universo literario de Masa madre de Angela Slatter. Sabía que todos los relatos estaban ambientados en el mismo universo, pero no me esperaba que fueran a estar tan interconectados unos con otros. Ha sido una grata sorpresa porque es sin duda uno de los puntos fuertes del libro, que te invita una y otra vez a volver atrás, a rebuscar nombres y detalles, a hacerte pequeños esquemas para no perderte en las relaciones entre unos personajes y otros. Como bien se dice en el posfacio, “es un libro que exige (y recompensa) la relectura”.
Las historias de La Biblia del Bosque Amargo y otros relatos tienen una atmósfera de cuentos de hadas oscuros, con protagonistas femeninas grises que intentan por muy diferentes y creativos medios escapar de la opresión a la que se ven sometidas, cumplir sus planes de venganza y preservar conocimientos para la posteridad.
Las historias de La Biblia del Bosque Amargo y otros relatos tienen una atmósfera de cuentos de hadas oscuros, con protagonistas femeninas grises que intentan por muy diferentes y creativos medios escapar de la opresión a la que se ven sometidas, cumplir sus planes de venganza y preservar conocimientos para la posteridad.
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