Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers: Magical Tales of Love and Seduction

by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor), Dave Smeds

A stunning anthology of sensuous short fiction and magical erotica explores the seductive world of mysterious, mythic sirens--men and women--who draw readers into a forbidden zone of fantasy and desire, in works by Jane Yolen, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Swanwick, Tanith Lee, and other outstanding writers

A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and Rain • (1998) • short story by Dave Smeds
Ashes on Her Lips • (1998) • short story by Edward Bryant
Attachments • (1998) • short story by Pat Murphy
Bird Count • (1998) • short story by Jane Yolen
Broke Heart Blues • (1998) • short story by Joyce Carol Oates
Heat • (1998) • poem by Melissa Lee Shaw
In the Season of Rains • (1998) • novelette by Ellen Steiber
Introduction (Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers) • (1998) • essay by Terri Windling
Midnight Express • (1998) • short story by Michael Swanwick
Mirrors • (1998) • short story by Garry Kilworth
My Lady of the Hearth • (1998) • short story by Storm Constantine
No Human Hands to Touch • (1998) • short story by Elizabeth E. Wein
O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee • (1998) • short story by Brian Stableford
Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer • (1998) • short fiction by Wendy Froud
Private Words • (1998) • novelette by Mark W. Tiedemann
Taking Loup • (1998) • short story by Bruce Glassco
Tastings • (1998) • short story by Neil Gaiman
The Eye of the Storm • (1998) • novelette by Kelley Eskridge
The Faerie Cony-Catcher • (1998) • short story by Delia Sherman
The House of Nine Doors • (1998) • short story by Ellen Kushner
The Light That Passes Through You • (1998) • short story by Conrad Williams
The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove • (1998) • novelette by Doris Egan
Wolfed • (1998) • short story by Tanith Lee

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Romance, Erotica, Horror, Paranormal

404 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll pretty much buy anything Datlow and Windling edit. It's always bound to be good stuff.

Anyway, the theme here is sexy/erotic fantasy.

Contents:

Introduction by Terri Windling
In the same basic format as all of Windling's intro, it gives a quick history and folklore-centered background of erotica in traditional tales.

My Lady of the Hearth [Magravandias Chronicles] by Storm Constantine
Unlucky in love, a wealthy young man prays to the cat goddess... and his housecat is transformed into the shape of a beautiful woman. She's still mentally a cat though... which leads to some awkwardness.

The Faerie Cony-catcher by Delia Sherman
A version of the traditional tale where an unwary young man meets a beautiful faerie and is taken under the hill to meet her Queen. Pretty standard, and with less drama/heartache than many renditions of this theme.

Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates
Doesn't really belong in this collection, in my opinion. An excerpt from a novel. Written in exaggerated fashion, it describes a young man in traditional America that everyone, teens and matrons alike, is infatuated with.

Wolfed by Tanith Lee
A happy sexual fantasy, transposing the tropes of Little Red Riding Hood onto a bar pickup scene. Everyone is beautiful and wealthy and game for anything... making it a real fantasy. Lovely fun, though.

Ashes on Her Lips by Edward Bryant
Well, that's a little ew. In my personal opinion. Strangely, I read about a case like this in the news just recently. Or somewhere. Oh, here it is. It was on "My Strange Addiction." Maybe this woman read this story. http://perezhilton.com/2011-08-06-my-...

Mirrors by Garry Kilworth
In an unnamed Asian country, a tourist with an unexpected layover is lured into a brothel for an "extra-special" fantasy. It starts off lovely, but things take a disturbing turn. I really felt that more could have been done with this set-up.

Midnight Express by Michael Swanwick
On a train through Fairyland, a naive traveler encounters a seductive Sphinx. I don't really enjoy this "one-side-of-the-conversation" narrative structure, but it was still kinda fun.

No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein
Wow! Nasty, evil, and HOT, all rolled into one! I love Wein's writing. I've always thought it was strange and peculiar that it's marketed as YA - and now that I find out that, according to her, she's had to refrain from writing stuff like THIS into her books to cater to those sensitive YA sensibilities... well, THAT is a true shame.
This is a incest/psychological manipulation drama between Morgan LeFay and Mordred (different names here) that gives background to her Arthurian trilogy.

Attachments by Pat Murphy
Could be subtitled, "The Death of Chang and Eng." Historical fiction rather than fantasy, but Murphy is an excellent writer.

In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber
This reminded me a lot of Charles de Lint, with its Southwest-flavored 'urban' fantasy feel. A man with a commitment issue meets a supernatural female spirit, and gets what's coming to him (?). (Really, it just seems that he gets doomed to continue as he's been.)

Bird Count by Jane Yolen
A woman abandons her annoying, dependent boyfriend to run off with a mysterious and wild bird-man.

A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and Rain by Dave Smeds
A group of refugees from Faerie, trapped in the modern world, are willing to do just about anything to maintain a safe haven for themselves. A wealthy widower contracts for one of them to pretend to be his dead wife. But he's not completely heartless, and gradually he realizes that the situation is kinda *wrong*.

Tastings by Neil Gaiman
Whoo! It's an anthology with a Real Story by Gaiman, not just a brief poem! And it's Explicit! And psychological-vampire-y!
A male escort who somehow always knows exactly what his partners want meets a female celebrity for sex... but gets a lot more than he bargained for.


The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan
It's difficult to have an ongoing relationship with a seductive female vampire - especially when the longer you stay together, the more addicted and weak the human becomes. But these two make a good go of it. Really rather sweet.

Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw
The format of a poem, but it's really a story. An erotic version of the tale of a witch who turns men to stone. And a man so overcome with lust that he actually won't fight the enchantment.

The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge
This story is included in Eskridge's short-story collection, "Dangerous Space," so I'd read it before. No problem, because Eskridge is an amazing author, and I love, love, love this story. Four fighters form themselves into a guard unit, navigate the hazards of sex and violence, and eventually become private guards to a very unusual prince.

O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford
Hmm. I think the author was just struck by the title phrase. Kind of about La Belle Dame Sans Merci and a knight... but it's not very memorable.

The Light That Passes Through You by Conrad Williams
On a whim, a man calls up his old highschool girlfriend to see how she's doing. Next thing you know, she shows up on his doorstep looking all strung out. More vampire-y themes here. And although it doesn't say so explicitly, leaves me with the thought that sometimes the past is best left in the past.

Private Words by Mark W. Tiedemann
A weird menage-a-trois, lived through letters. Rather disturbing.

The House of Nine Doors by Ellen Kushner
Yay Ellen Kushner! She is so awesome. And this is a lovely sexual fantasy set in the world of Riverside (I believe). A must for fans of 'Swordspoint' etc.
And I am truly disappointed that the concept Kushner mentions in her note here never came to fruition... a shared-world fantasy series set in an exotic brothel. Sigh. Rejected by publishers. Why?

Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud
Wendy Froud is known more for her sculptures than her writing, but this is a short but lovely little myth.

Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco
If women could take a drug that turned them into werewolves, gender dynamics in our society would change.

[Marquise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing anthology, I'd not have expected one by Datlow & Windling to be this mediocre as I'd generally found the previous ones good, or at least containing a few short stories I enjoyed.

This one has 22 short stories and poems with the common theme of relationships between a non-human/supernatural character and a human one. Summed up like that, it sounds like the editors were going for an anthology of Beauty and the Beast stories like what they attempted with their anthology The Beastly Bride but more paranormal than beastly. Unfortunately, they weren't at their best in picking the stories for this anthology.

The full title of this anthology has this bit: Tales of Love and Seduction. Excuse me if I protest at the misleading title and the lack of sensible criteria, because most of the short stories included here are neither of love nor of seduction. In fact, there's short stories about rape by the protagonist, mother-son incest, at least two about bestiality, and at least three about prostitution (three! These authors must have a whore fetish or something), hermaphrodite sex, and so on. What a tremendous failure it is as an erotica anthology trying to be sold as loving and sexy; if honesty were to be applied, the truth would be that this is an anthology of kinky and deviant sexual practices.

I felt bored by the stories that I only have three to name as those I liked best:

- "My lady of the hearth," by Storm Constantine (3.5)
- "O for a fiery gloom and thee," by Brian Stableford (4)
- "Persephone," by Wendy Froud (3.5)

These I hated, witha brief word on the reasons:
- "Broke heart blues," by Joyce Carol Oates (Dull)
- "Wolfed," by Tanith Lee (Prostitutes)
- "No human hands to touch," by Elizabeth Wein (Rape, incest fantasies)
- "In the season of rains," by Ellen Steiber (Wrong use of Spanish)
- "Bird Count," by Jane Yolen (Bestiality, rapey undertones)
- "The House of Nine Doors," by Ellen Kushner (Prostitutes again, this time gay ones. And this wasn't a short story but a sample chapter from Kushner's novel. Can editors please stop baiting readers with samples in anthologies?)

And these left me indifferent:
- "The faerie cony-catcher," by Delia Sherman
- "Midnight express," by Michael Swanwick
- "Ashes on her lips," by Edward Bryant
- "Mirrors," by Garry Kilworth
- "Attachments," by Pat Murphy)
- "A wife of acorn, leaf and rain," by Dave Smeds
- "Tastings," by Neil Gaiman
- "The sweet of bitter bark and burning clove," by Doris Egan
- "Heat," by Melissa Lee Shaw
- "The eye of the storm," by Kelley Eskridge
- "The light that passes through you," by Conrad Williams
- "Private Words," by Mark W. Tiedemann
- "Taking loup," by Bruce Glassco

[Sheila]

3 stars--I liked the book. Although I think this is one of Datlow's weakest collections, the strength of my favorite story ("The Eye of the Storm" by Kelley Eskridge) made me glad to have read this book. Individual ratings follow.

My Lady of the Hearth by Storm Constantine: 2 stars.
The Faerie Cony-catcher by Delia Sherman: 3 stars.
Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates: 1 star. No real story structure or ending.
Wolfed by Tanith Lee: 3 stars.
Ashes on Her Lips by Edward Bryant: 2 stars.
Mirrors by Garry Kilworth: 2 stars.
Midnight Express by Michael Swanwick: 2 stars.
No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein: 4 stars. This is a Greek tragedy, with all the violence, dramatics, and nasty sex that implies. I enjoyed the darkness of the tale.
Attachments by Pat Murphy: 3 stars.
In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber: 3 stars.
Bird Count by Jane Yolen: 3 stars.
A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and Rain by Dave Smeds: 1 star. Yuck--I didn't like that this story focused on the male narrator rather than the LITERAL SEX SLAVE he had LITERALLY TIED TO HIM. It felt like the story wanted us to feel pity for him, or happy he was letting go of his grief. Nope, sorry.
Tastings by Neil Gaiman: 2 stars. Neil Gaiman writing erotica feels weird... just me?
The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan: 4 stars. Different and scary vampire mythos.
Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw: 2 stars.
The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge: 5 stars. Loved this fantasy story about loneliness, connections, and characters. I'd read a whole novel.
O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford: 3 stars.
The Light That Passes Through You by Conrad Williams: 2 stars.
Private Words by Mark W. Tiedemann: 4 stars. I enjoyed the central concept of this story.
The House of Nine Doors by Ellen Kushner: 3 stars.
Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud: 2 stars.
Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco: 3 stars.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

These titles were copied from Althea Ann's excellent review.

Liked:
1. My Lady of the Hearth by Storm Constantine
4. Wolfed by Tanith Lee
8. No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein
10. In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber
12. A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and Rain by Dave Smeds
13. Tastings by Neil Gaiman
14. The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan
16. The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge
21. Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud
22. Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco

Mediocre:
2. The Faerie Cony-catcher by Delia Sherman
5. Ashes on Her Lips by Edward Bryant
9. Attachments by Pat Murphy
11. Bird Count by Jane Yole

Disliked:
3. Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates
6. Mirrors by Garry Kilworth
7. Midnight Express by Michael Swanwick
15. Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw
17. O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford
18. The Light That Passes Through You by Conrad Williams
19. Private Words by Mark W. Tiedemann
20. The House of Nine Doors by Ellen Kushner

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is clearly a collection of erotic stories, it is the creativeness of the stories that garners attention in this collection. I would consider this a queer collection; even the stories between a man and a woman hold something quite out of the ordinary.

Probably the most memorable story for me is "Attachments" by Pat Murphy, which centers on conjoined twins, specifically Chang and Eng Bunker.

While I usually lose interest or momentum in the middle of collections, this one I have turned back to, as the stories are just that creative.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid collection. A few stories fell flat but some were terrific. I enjoyed it

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a wide range of what's interpreted as either "powerful woman" or "seduction" in this anthology, but sometimes that works. I enjoyed the range and felt that overall the stories were quite strong. The one that blew me away most was The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge, and I was devastated to find that the piece from her was not from a longer novel, nor has she written much else. Other highlights: Wolfed by Tanith Lee, No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth Wein, Tastings by Neil Gaiman, Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw and Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco.

Individuals story ratings & reviews (best not read if you don't want spoilers!!):

The Lady of the Hearth by Storm Constantine - 3.5 stars. Cat love. Gotta let a cat be a cat.
The Faerie Cony-Catcher by Delia Sherman - 3.5 stars. Old timey style writing and trick that turns treat at the end. Sweet.
John Reddy Heart by Joyce Carol Oates - 3 stars. Not sure I get it? Something about first loves and the lust of teenage boys?
Wolfed by Tanith Lee - 4 stars. Sexy retelling of Red Riding Hood, with role reversal. Hot.
Ashes on Her Lips by Edward Bryant - 3.5 stars. Poignant, with light horror. That's an interesting way to deal with grief.
Mirrors by Garry Kilworth - 3 stars. Whoa. Crazy story of fantasy sex & death only ruined by the awkward use of "orientals."
Midnight Express by Michael Swanwick - 2 stars. Short, cute and fun about a traveler roped into sex with some kind of lion beast fairy woman.
No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein - 4 stars. Whoa. Dark and incest-y, Odysseus style.
Attachments by Pat Murphy - 2 stars. About those conjoined twins, possibly based on real life?
In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber - 2.5 stars. I liked the atmosphere of the southwest but story & ending a little on the nose.
Bird Count by Jane Yolen - 3 stars. Birds are better than men, even beautiful ones, right?
A Wife of Acorn, Leaf and Rain by Dave Smeds - 3.5 stars. Grief again, but nice politics of faerie in the background.
Tastings by Neil Gaiman - 4 stars. Haha, whoa. Great how this story makes you switch sympathies from beginning to end, and leaves you on a disquieted note.
The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan - 4 stars. PI in love with a vampire. Great story, leaves you wanting more.
Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw - 4 stars. Torture! Marble statutes never been so hot, and in free verse too.
The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge - 5 stars for personal reasons: gender & sexuality stuff! What may be a weakness - and also a disappointment: this felt like it should have been a novel. Yet no novel exists!
O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford - 3 stars. Thick with symbolism of faerie vs "empire" England. They long for each other but can't have - I think.
The Light That Passes Through You by Conrad Williams - 2 stars? Not sure I can even rate this?? Whaaaaaa? Something about abortion & loss?
Private Words by Mark E Tiedemann - 4 stars. Not sure what I make of it, but obviously I like the alignment of characters. I'll be thinking of this one for a while.
The House of Nine Doors: the Man Who Came but Did Not Go by Ellen Kushner - 3.5 stars. No conflict but a nice surprise. Simple and sweet, makes you want the longer version Kushner hints at.
Persephone, or Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud - 2 stars. So short! A nice extended image but not much else.
Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco - 4 stars. Loved the gender power reversal. Super well done.

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loaned to me by a friend, I did not know what to expect - and that's what I got. This collection of 22 short stories, some by very famous authors, goes from very sexy to creepy to thought-bending. I liked some of the stories a lot, and some of them, not so much. Not a bad way to sample these authors and see if you might like their longer works.

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

22 stories that combine fantasy with erotica by exploring seductive, magical, unearthly lovers and romances. Datlow and Windling, especially in combination, are accomplished anthologists, but this is the closest I've come to disappointed with their work. For one, only three stories feature queer relationships (two others have them in background roles); the heteronormativity is toxic and uncreative, a particular oversight in a collection of strange love. (Compare to something like Caitlín R. Kiernan's phenomenal The Ammonite Violin & Others.) At its worst, the heteronormativity is damning: the stories are magical and strange only because the attractive, desirable women have power that threatens their everyman partners. For another, the collection has an unforgivably slow start: you can skip the first seven stories and miss nothing.

There's a marked improvement with the first standout story: Elizabeth E. Wein's "No Human Hands to Touch," an unlovable, intimate retelling of Morgan LeFay's relationship with Mordred. Doris Egan's "The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove" is less profound, but successfully explores power dynamics, violence, and sensuality. Kelley Eskridge's "The Eye of the Storm" is my favorite, no contest--its exploration of violence, sensuality, poly dynamics, and the balance between personal need and social interaction is engrossing. The unique concept and sympathetic, quiet execution of Mark Tiedemann's "Private Words" makes for the last standout story. I found this collection worth it for those four, but the rest is passable at best and a waste of time at worst. I don't recommend it--

--But for finding Eskridge's short fiction, I'm glad I read it.

[Moataz Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

مع مقدمة نييل جايمان، وبداية القصة ويمكن لحد نصفها، ماكنتش قادر أشوف إزاي نييل جايمان مش شايفها بتكسفه بعد ما خلّصها زي ما كان شايفها في الأول.
لكن بعد ما قرأت النهاية - بالذات النهاية - أدركت إنها مش قصة إيروتيكية قد ما هي قصة بترسم خطوط كتير في كلمات قليلة عن الشخصيتين اللي فيها بطريقة هتخليك مبلم شوية بعد ما تخلصها وهتقرا النهاية تاني.
قصة رائعة.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the story collections of Datlow and Windling.

These stories are sultry and erotic and very well written. I was pleasantly surprised to find one by Neil Gaiman, a favorite author of mine.

[Meredith is a hot mess]

Note to self:

Contains Wolfed by Tanith Lee.

I'd also like to read:

No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein

Tastings by Neil Gaiman

Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud

Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco

[Cozette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection with surprising characters.

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

More erotic than the books I usually read, but I still liked the collection. My favorite story was "The Light That Passes Through You."

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consistently excellent, sexy stories with few exceptions.

[Megan]

I really enjoyed the introduction. The first story was alright, but the second gave me a headache. I'll come back to this when I've got more time.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection isn’t quite toe curling, it isn’t quite horrific, but a nice mix between the two. It makes you think about the weirdness of sexuality. And the uniqueness of those things that go bump in the night. And thrive upon our sexual, deepest, darkest desires. I was honestly expecting this to be a little more of an uncomfortable read. However, mostly, I just found it intriguing.

This is a great collection of some very familiar authors, and some very new authors. It was a good way to depart from the realities of the world and be entertained by the imaginations of some very creative people. It wasn’t necessarily my favourite collection ever, the thread tying each of these tales together wasn’t as distinct as other collections. But it was a seriously enjoyable journey regardless.

This is definitely a collection that I’ll pick up again at some point in the future. It’s fun, light and easy. Also, there are a number of authors that I still need to hunt out books for… I enjoyed each and everyone of these stories.

For individual reviews, head to: https://earthandskye.org/sirens-and-o...

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stimulating anthology of twenty-two short stories which, as a whole, touches on many aspects of human sexuality. There is some very well-written erotica in this collection. In many of the stories the sexual mechanics are per se the main feature with a touch of the unusual, supernatural or otherwise. The better stories tended to focus on the less physical aspects – obsessive desire, suspended reason, and the horror of insatiability.

My favorite contribution was Joyce Carol Oates’ “Broke Heart Blues”. Other impactful pieces were the Introduction by Terri Windling and the stories: “My Lady of the Hearth” by Storm Constantine; “Heat” by Melissa Lee Shaw; and “The Eye of the Storm” by Kelley Eskridge.

[Sara]

Mirrors
the mountin far away from what we want
far from our dream love
and the mountin far haigh
what after all that mirrors
dark fire
dust dream
river of tears
still two birds make thee way
but the haert was melting
i swear that the gun has his fire
over that mounting with close eyes
and that cat sleep saondly
ask what
past
fueter
all the sense talk that somthing happind
shutter life

[Asaria · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5 -> 1
Did I know it's an anthology full of erotic retellings of fairy tales? To a certain extent. Usually, I can get through this kind of books if there is at least some resemblance of plot or the descriptions of doing the do are utterly hilarious (In the end I'm Jin-ping-Mei and de Sade reader survivor!). Most are simple smuts without any saving grace, but I liked one or two stories.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked most of the stories which is rare for me in collections. Especially enjoyed Tastings by Neil Gaiman (also in his Smoke and Mirrors collection), The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan and Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco.

[Kei · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so psyched to see a Datlow/Windling short story compilation that I hadn't read that I didn't stop to consider the subject matter.

Through no fault of its own, I couldn't make it through this.

[Ceilidhchaos · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the poorest collections Datlow and Windling have ever edited. Do not recommend.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent anthology of romance novel short stories. Rather more furry-adjacent stuff than I anticipated.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

i only read some of the stories. not the entire book.

[Jennifer]

I have realized I have a hard time reviewing books with a collection of short stories from different authors. This is no exception. The story about cinders stuck out in this collection.

[begemot]

Only read:

- the introduction;

- the following stories:

1. “My Lady of the Hearth” by Storm Constantine - very good. I mean, it’s a very male-oriented story - the women, in general, as well as the cat-woman at the center of the story, in particular, are reduced to sexual objects. The whole point of their existence is basically to satisfy the male protagonist’s sexual fantasies, which at some point start to include having sex with his cat (sure, not as different species, but still). For all that, the story is well written and well paced, which kept me reading despite a lot of eye rolls and unintentionally laughable paragraphs.

2. “The Faerie Cony-catcher” by Delia Sherman - very good. The faux-archaic language is disorienting, both due to the vocabulary (specifically, the use of words that still exist, but to indicate a meaning that is no longer attached to them) and weird grammar (I’m not sure how accurate this is, since it’s necessarily an imitation). But it does create the necessary atmosphere - both mediaeval and fairytalesque. That being said, I can’t say I like Nick, the protagonist, who is all to eager to accept sexual favors in return for getting a thorn out of a girl’s foot - I mean, seriously? And then he’s upset that she tricked him? I also don’t understand why she would want to help him get out of the Faerie land after that, let alone fall in love with him. I also didn’t appreciate the racist and sexist language (brown skin (which somehow turns white towards the end) is by default uglier or inferior to white skin, lust is “male”, fear is “female”). I was expecting the twist at the end to be slightly different, and Nick’s reaction to be the complete opposite - I’m glad I was wrong on that last one, as I liked the ending.

3. “Broke Heart Blues” by Joyce Carol Oates - good. The story feels unfinished - so, what exactly was happening with the kid? Was it a temporary condition or was he going to have this effect for the rest of his life? Was he himself a demon/incubus or possessed by one? To what end? Also, I hated the writing style, whatever it’s called - stream of consciousness? The dodgy grammar and run-on sentences in some places made things harder to understand.

4. “Wolfed” by Tanith Lee - bad. Both in terms of writing (unnecessarily flowery/veiled language all over the place, which I think is supposed to create some kind of a special atmosphere, but due to ambiguity, ends up sounding hilarious) and the plot, which non-existing. Could’ve been an interesting take on the Red Riding Hood, but doesn’t realize that potential due to pointlessness of the story.

5. “Ashes on Her Lips” by Edward Bryant - meh. If you want to be high-browed about it, you could say the story is about a woman processing her grief for the man she loved. What it actually is about is a woman using the ashes of her lover to cover the genitals of other men to have sex with and both her and those men getting off on that. Not sure if she tells the men what the powder they are using actually is, my guess is she doesn’t. Oh, there is also a box with a feline gargoyle on it, that she uses to keep the ashes. The box has very little utility in the story, despite being mentioned a lot - it could have just been tacked on to give the story a “mysterious”, “otherworldly” vibe that barely warrants in it being included in this collection.

6. “Mirrors” by Garry Kilworth - good. Creepy, keeps reader’s attention. Not sure if there was a deeper point to this - I missed it, if so. One theory I have is that Walt raped and murdered an “oriental” woman at some point in his military career and this was him living out that buried experience through an extended hallucination. I don’t actually think that was what the author had in mind, but who knows. The big problem with the story was the nauseating racism - the word “oriental” appears countless times, with all sorts of cliches, at times mixed in with some misogyny (the women in Asia apparently are all “diminutive” and such women look “submissive”). I was waiting to see if there would be something in the story that blows up these stereotypes, which would indicate that this was part of intentional negative characterization of the protagonist. But that didn’t happen. The woman “killing” Walt could have been it, except he still refers to the proprietor as “oriental man” afterwards and is expecting a bunch of “oriental men with meat cleavers” to rush into the room. So, yeah. Fuck that.

7. “Midnight Express” by Michael Swanwick - good. Weird, but funny. A take on the story about the traveller and riddle of the Sphinx that takes an abrupt turn 1/3rd or so into the story.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most anthologies there were a few really great stories and a few duds with the rest being mostly enjoyable.

My Lady of the Hearth by Storm Constantine | 3 stars (***) Interesting concept.
The Faerie Cony-catcher by Delia Sherman | 3 stars (***) Loved the twist at the end!
Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates | 2 stars (**) Disjointed and forgettable. Meh.
Wolfed by Tanith Lee | 3 stars (***) A fun take on Little Red Riding Hood
Ashes on Her Lips by Edward Bryant | 2 stars (**) A bit squicky, but not horrible.
Mirrors by Garry Kilworth | 1 star (*) This one did nothing for me.
Midnight Express by Michael Swanwick | 3 stars (***) Odd format, but fun.
No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein | 4 stars (****) Very disturbing, but well done and hot.
Attachments by Pat Murphy | 2 stars (**) It was okay. Nothing special though.
In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber | 3 stars (***) Entertaining, but it could have been better.
Bird Count by Jane Yolen | 4 stars (****) I love Yolen's work, and this is no exception.
A Wife of Acorn, Leaf, and Rain by Dave Smeds | 3 stars (***) I liked the concept, but I just didn't feel it.
Tastings by Neil Gaiman | 3 stars (***) Good, but I was hoping for amazing.
The Sweet of Bitter Bark and Burning Clove by Doris Egan | 4 stars (****) Vampire story - yay! Quite enjoyable.
Heat by Melissa Lee Shaw | 3 stars (***) This poem actually worked better than I expected.
The Eye of the Storm by Kelley Eskridge | 5 stars (*****) I think this one was my favorite.
O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford | 1 star (*) Boring!
The Light That Passes Through You by Conrad Williams | 3 stars (***) Vampiresque (is that even a word?). Good, but not great.
Private Words by Mark W. Tiedemann | 5 stars (*****) Despite being a bit confusing at times and leaving the ending up in the air, I loved the entire concept of this one.
The House of Nine Doors by Ellen Kushner | 4 stars (****) Delicious fun!
Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer by Wendy Froud | 3.5 stars (***) More of vignette....
Taking Loup by Bruce Glassco | 3 stars (***) I feel like I should rate this one higher simply for the thought-provoking concept.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very many good stories in this book. I skipped a number of them.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[SmokingMirror · Rating 3 out of 5]

1.0 Tanith Lee "Wolfed" For me this story was so bad that I wondered if Tanith meant it to be that way. Instead of her usual narrative skill and erotic style, "Wolfed" is mechanical in treatment of subject matter. It's smarmy, an adjective I never would have associated with Tanith Lee.

5.0 The Elizabeth Wein story is amazing, an Arthurian story filled with pain and eroticism and the unexpected. It really took me aback when I first read it. This anthology is very uneven, but it gets 3 rather than 2 stars because of this story.