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Rhonda Parrish's Magical Menageries
Scarecrow
Hay-men, mommets, tattie bogles, kakashi, tao-tao—whether formed of straw or other materials, the tradition of scarecrows is pervasive in farming cultures around the world. The scarecrow serves as decoy, proxy, and effigy—human but not human. We create them in our image and ask them to protect our crops and by extension our very survival, but we refrain from giving them the things a creation might crave—souls, brains, free-will, love. In Scarecrow, fifteen authors of speculative fiction explore what such creatures might do to gain the things they need or, more dangerously, think they want.
Within these pages, ancient enemies join together to destroy a mad mommet, a scarecrow who is a crow protects solar fields and stores long-lost family secrets, a woman falls in love with a scarecrow, and another becomes one. Encounter scarecrows made of straw, imagination, memory, and robotics while being spirited to Oz, mythological Japan, other planets, and a neighbor’s back garden. After experiencing this book, you’ll never look at a hay-man the same.
Featuring all new work by Jane Yolen, Andrew Bud Adams, Laura Blackwood, Amanda Block, Scott Burtness, Amanda C. Davis, Megan Fennell, Kim Goldberg, Katherine Marzinsky, Craig Pay, Sara Puls, Holly Schofield, Virginia Carraway Stark, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.
Within these pages, ancient enemies join together to destroy a mad mommet, a scarecrow who is a crow protects solar fields and stores long-lost family secrets, a woman falls in love with a scarecrow, and another becomes one. Encounter scarecrows made of straw, imagination, memory, and robotics while being spirited to Oz, mythological Japan, other planets, and a neighbor’s back garden. After experiencing this book, you’ll never look at a hay-man the same.
Featuring all new work by Jane Yolen, Andrew Bud Adams, Laura Blackwood, Amanda Block, Scott Burtness, Amanda C. Davis, Megan Fennell, Kim Goldberg, Katherine Marzinsky, Craig Pay, Sara Puls, Holly Schofield, Virginia Carraway Stark, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.
206 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2015
3 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
Rhonda Parrish
106 books243 followersRhonda Parrish has the attention span of a magpie. Not only can she not focus on a single project at a time, but she also fails at sticking to one genre or even one type of writing (she does manage to stay true to one hockey team, though – Let’s go Oilers!). Perhaps best known for her work as an anthology editor – the Ottawa Review of Books called her “Canada’s best-known and most prolific speculative fiction anthologist” – Rhonda also works as a short story writer, novelist, game writer and a poet. She has been honoured to be included in a handful of ‘Best of’ anthologies, earn a coveted starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and be shortlisted for several awards including the Rhysling Award, the Aurora Award, the Dwarf Stars Award and Alberta Book Publishing Awards.
Most of her work falls under the speculative fiction umbrella but she has also penned paranormal non-fiction and non-speculative work.
In an effort to impose some order in her chaos, these days most of her short fiction and poetry is published directly through her Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/RhondaParrish .
More information about her, updates and calls for submission are posted on her website http://www.rhondaparrish.com/home/.
Most of her work falls under the speculative fiction umbrella but she has also penned paranormal non-fiction and non-speculative work.
In an effort to impose some order in her chaos, these days most of her short fiction and poetry is published directly through her Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/RhondaParrish .
More information about her, updates and calls for submission are posted on her website http://www.rhondaparrish.com/home/.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 20, 2015
Scarecrow is another atmospheric installment in Rhonda Parrish's Magical Menageries series. It is bookended by writing which evokes The Wizard of Oz, beginning with Jane Yolen's thoughtful poem, "Scarecrow Hangs" and ending with a bang from Scott Burtness's "If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix". (And what an ending!) In between are a consistently well-written but unique selection of stories exploring the theme of scarecrows and what it means to be human. My favorites were Kristina Wojtaszek's love story, "A Fist Full of Straw", Laura Blackwood's sensitive examination of those self-defeating voices we hear inside our heads, "Black Birds", and the regretful "Scarecrow Progressions (Rubber Duck Remix)" by Sara Puls. This is the second Magical Menageries collection I've read, and I can't wait to read more!
November 27, 2015
This is some more awesomeness from the Magical Menageries series. Living scarecrows don't freak me out like anthropomorphic birds do (which is maybe weird, no?), so I appreciated this installment better than the last. But that's like saying, "Oh, yeah, I totally loved the triple chocolate ice cream better than the double chocolate ice cream."
I love the range of stories. I love the different voices. I love the clear world-building. I love the carefully constructed table-of-contents--the last story was placed perfectly, in my opinion. I think I might have shrieked out loud when it finished.
Go, run, buy this anthology. And the other ones. Do it now!
I love the range of stories. I love the different voices. I love the clear world-building. I love the carefully constructed table-of-contents--the last story was placed perfectly, in my opinion. I think I might have shrieked out loud when it finished.
Go, run, buy this anthology. And the other ones. Do it now!
November 7, 2016
An excellent spooky read for the season. As is always the case in anthologies, I enjoyed some more than others. My favorites were the opening story, "Kakashi and Crow" by Megan Fennell, "Judge and Jury" by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, "Edith and I" by Virginia Carraway Stark, the haunting "Only the Land Remembers" by Amanda Block, and the closing story "If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix by Scott Burtness, both hilarious and horrifying. Overall, a solidly entertaining collection.
September 1, 2015
So much fun!
What a wonderful blend of spec fiction genres. Very impressed with each author's interpretation of "scarecrow" and the stories they wove around those interpretations.
This is a perfect late-summer/autumn read!
What a wonderful blend of spec fiction genres. Very impressed with each author's interpretation of "scarecrow" and the stories they wove around those interpretations.
This is a perfect late-summer/autumn read!
July 19, 2016
The third in the Magical Menagerie series and yet another satisfying collection of stories. I'm most impressed by the quality of writing in this one, based upon a rather difficult subject matter from which to conceive. Fairies and the mythology of birds is one thing, but scarecrows? The collection connects closely to the previous book, but also stands on its own. This series is also allowing me to discover new writers I want to read more of.
August 21, 2022
This anthology is part of the “Magical Menageries” series, each volume focusing on a different type of critter. A previous volume, Corvidae, dealt with crows of various types. Thus it’s not surprising that there’s a collection featuring their archenemies. While the aesthetic of humanoid beings of straw lends itself to horror, some of the stories are more fantasy and science fiction, working with a loose definition.
There are fifteen pieces, starting with “Scarecrow Hangs” by Jane Yolen, a short poem about conciliation, which references the Oz books. The final story is “If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix” by Scott Burtness, which also references Oz, as the “scarecrow” is meant to cow winged aliens. Its Tin Man has been trying to educate the Scarecrow to impress their Dorothy, but the lesson might be a little too literal.
Standouts include “Judge and Jury” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, a sequel to her story in Corvidae. Researcher Junsuke Hirata was murdered and hung up on a scarecrow post by an animal rights protestor gone horribly wrong. Now he’s a ghost that returns to that post every morning. He can only affect the living world in very small ways, and Junsuke doesn’t believe in murder, but with the help of the crows and a medium, he might be able to take a poetic revenge.
“The Straw Samurai” by Andrew Bud Adams takes place in a fantasy Japan inhabited by tribes of animal people and one outcast human child. Tengu children create the straw man as part of a bargain with her for a magic stick, but it turns out to be more dangerous than anyone had dreamed. The ending has the human child finding a home, of sorts.
“Only the Land Remembers” by Amanda Block is a dark tale set in a religious community periodically menaced by Crows, evil spirits who must be driven away by a volunteer. This year, a young woman named Grace Palmer is chosen from among those stepping forward. I caught the metaphor pretty early on in the story.
A couple of the stories have scarecrows as lovers, or people turning into scarecrows.
Content note: some of these stories do dip into the horror well, with all the usual cautions applying. High school and up readers should be okay.
This is a decent themed collection for fans of scarecrows and related topics. It might make a good Falloween gift for someone who likes spooky stories.
There are fifteen pieces, starting with “Scarecrow Hangs” by Jane Yolen, a short poem about conciliation, which references the Oz books. The final story is “If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix” by Scott Burtness, which also references Oz, as the “scarecrow” is meant to cow winged aliens. Its Tin Man has been trying to educate the Scarecrow to impress their Dorothy, but the lesson might be a little too literal.
Standouts include “Judge and Jury” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, a sequel to her story in Corvidae. Researcher Junsuke Hirata was murdered and hung up on a scarecrow post by an animal rights protestor gone horribly wrong. Now he’s a ghost that returns to that post every morning. He can only affect the living world in very small ways, and Junsuke doesn’t believe in murder, but with the help of the crows and a medium, he might be able to take a poetic revenge.
“The Straw Samurai” by Andrew Bud Adams takes place in a fantasy Japan inhabited by tribes of animal people and one outcast human child. Tengu children create the straw man as part of a bargain with her for a magic stick, but it turns out to be more dangerous than anyone had dreamed. The ending has the human child finding a home, of sorts.
“Only the Land Remembers” by Amanda Block is a dark tale set in a religious community periodically menaced by Crows, evil spirits who must be driven away by a volunteer. This year, a young woman named Grace Palmer is chosen from among those stepping forward. I caught the metaphor pretty early on in the story.
A couple of the stories have scarecrows as lovers, or people turning into scarecrows.
Content note: some of these stories do dip into the horror well, with all the usual cautions applying. High school and up readers should be okay.
This is a decent themed collection for fans of scarecrows and related topics. It might make a good Falloween gift for someone who likes spooky stories.
October 24, 2021
This anthology got off to a good start with Kakashi and Crow by Megan Fennel. The contrast between the two characters made the story, more than the plot. The plot was a cool adventure with a bit of horror thrown in.
The middle stories had a wide variety of styles and genres, including fairy tales, myths, horror and science fiction. I was surprised by the variety of different types of scarecrows, and the types of stories. Out of all the stories, only one was a let-down, but not because it was badly written, but because it would have made a better novella. The anthology as a whole was well done with many good editorial choices.
The final story If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix by Scott Burtness was a fantastic way to end the book. What a kick in the pants!
The middle stories had a wide variety of styles and genres, including fairy tales, myths, horror and science fiction. I was surprised by the variety of different types of scarecrows, and the types of stories. Out of all the stories, only one was a let-down, but not because it was badly written, but because it would have made a better novella. The anthology as a whole was well done with many good editorial choices.
The final story If I Only Had an Autogenic Cognitive Decision Matrix by Scott Burtness was a fantastic way to end the book. What a kick in the pants!
December 16, 2017
The world of the Scarecrow now has many different faces. Before reading this book I only thought of the Scarecrow from The Wizard of OZ, The Stand and off the Batman comics. I love the many ideas the authors came up with. The Judge and Jury was my favorite out of all of them. I've met Scott Burtness many times who has a story within this book. He sold it to me in person and I was not disappointed.
October 23, 2021
This anthology is a delight for anyone who loves those creepy protectors of the fields. Only two entries here reference the Scarecrow from the Oz books; the rest are original stories drawing on Japanese and Native American folklore as much as more familiar Western European and Celtic ideas of what a scarecrow is. Two of the tales are even romances, though bittersweet ones. Highly recommended for any fans of darker fantasy.
January 2, 2023
Some absolutely golden stories in here. The second and last tales were my favorites (the 1st I'd love to see turned into a book). But they're all top quality. Really interesting takes on the scarecrow theme.
July 14, 2025
Review to follow
November 15, 2016
Do you ever read a book and afterwards sit there stunned? A few weeks later I still have one word to describe this book. Damn. Day-um.
Yes, I’m friends with Rhonda. I look forward to reading anything she touches. But this was a surprise. The editor does a lot; comes up with the concept, reads all the submissions, (maybe) pick the cover art, suggests edits to the authors, and much more I don’t even know about. I’ve seen some of these author names pop up from other projects Rhonda has worked on but playing favorites isn’t her thing; she’ll always pick what she thinks is the best work.
Variety – There’s a good mix within the anthology. Story lengths, settings, time periods, mechanical scarecrows, straw scarecrows… you get the idea.
Pacing – Each piece is well-paced. Every single story felt like it was building to a conclusion of some kind.
I feel like this is one of those very vague reviews. I guess because it is; I’m no pointing to any one story which is better than another. Each person’s experience of this anthology is going to be different. There’s truly enough variety that I’m sure anyone picking this up will find a story that sticks with them.
Yes, I’m friends with Rhonda. I look forward to reading anything she touches. But this was a surprise. The editor does a lot; comes up with the concept, reads all the submissions, (maybe) pick the cover art, suggests edits to the authors, and much more I don’t even know about. I’ve seen some of these author names pop up from other projects Rhonda has worked on but playing favorites isn’t her thing; she’ll always pick what she thinks is the best work.
Variety – There’s a good mix within the anthology. Story lengths, settings, time periods, mechanical scarecrows, straw scarecrows… you get the idea.
Pacing – Each piece is well-paced. Every single story felt like it was building to a conclusion of some kind.
I feel like this is one of those very vague reviews. I guess because it is; I’m no pointing to any one story which is better than another. Each person’s experience of this anthology is going to be different. There’s truly enough variety that I’m sure anyone picking this up will find a story that sticks with them.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews