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Wicked Wonders
The award-winning author of The Green Glass Sea returns with smart and subversive new tales
A rebellious child identifies with Maleficent instead of Sleeping Beauty. Best friends Anna and Corry share one last morning on Earth. A solitary woman inherits a penny arcade haunted by a beautiful stranger. A prep-school student requires more than luck when playing dice with a faerie. Ladies who lunch—dividing one last bite of dessert—delve into new dimensions of quantum politeness. At summer camp, a young girl discovers the heartbreak of forbidden love.
Whether on a habitat on Mars or in a boardinghouse in London, discover Ellen Klages’ wicked, wondrous adventures full of cheeky wit, empathy, and courage.
A rebellious child identifies with Maleficent instead of Sleeping Beauty. Best friends Anna and Corry share one last morning on Earth. A solitary woman inherits a penny arcade haunted by a beautiful stranger. A prep-school student requires more than luck when playing dice with a faerie. Ladies who lunch—dividing one last bite of dessert—delve into new dimensions of quantum politeness. At summer camp, a young girl discovers the heartbreak of forbidden love.
Whether on a habitat on Mars or in a boardinghouse in London, discover Ellen Klages’ wicked, wondrous adventures full of cheeky wit, empathy, and courage.
284 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2017
50 people are currently reading
2071 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Klages
74 books244 followersEllen Klages was born in Ohio, and now lives in San Francisco.
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
June 7, 2017
A collection of short stories with whimsical story lines. The first story is about Lizzie who sees Sleeping Beauty with her parents at a drive in and sympathizes with Maleficent, much to everyone else's chagrin. The second one is about Corrine spending her last night in town with her best friend Anna before her family is sent into space forever. The third one is about Annabel and Midge who meet up at a cafe to share a brownie which they continuously split up more and more. The fourth tale is about Becka's first sleepover with her friend Jamie who introduces her to a hidden world inside her closet. Then we get to read about Polly who is visiting her Dad in London during the summer. Polly's dad is a magician and the two spend the summer bonding over the science behind the various tricks and illusions. The sixth is about Jo who moves back home after her father dies and a women she meets who moves in names Aurora who draws out an uncanny familiarity for Jo. Then we have Rachel who is waiting for her friend when a housekeeper at their boarding school offers to play a game with her, leading her on a strange adventure. Then we have Franny, who is a cartographer who uses origami to create maps that bend space and can open passages. Then we have the story of Zoe, an astronaut on a mission to mars who has a complication arise on their journey, one that leave Zoe with a decision to make which others try to make for her. Next we meet Isabel who has a head for math and wanders into the house of a disabled boy who provides Isabel with puzzles to solve. Okay and there's four more stories but honestly now I'm just getting lazy and I want to stop writing summaries. The only story I truly enjoyed was the one with Becka and Jamie's sleepover. The rest of the stories just didn't do anything for me. I also think there was something about the writing that made it lacking, like I just didn't feel like I was being pulled into the stories and I didn't really care about the characters. Also a lot of the plotlines felt a little so what to me, like the one about Corrine's last day and the one about Polly and her dad even the one about summer camp. The stories with Polly and Patty were the two longest and I kind of had a difficult time making it through them because I just felt so bored the whole time. It might just be a personal preference thing since everyone else seems to have enjoyed the collection more than I did. I appreciate what the author was trying to do and the stories are whimsical but I didn't really care for them.
May 12, 2017
This short fiction collection was just published May 9, 2017. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
In Wicked Wonders (2017), Ellen Klages has assembled an impressive collection of her short stories. Although almost all of these stories have been previously published (the sole exception is “Woodsmoke”), most of them appeared in anthologies and are unlikely to be familiar to most readers. These fourteen stories run the gamut from non-fiction (“The Scary Ham”) to straight fiction (“Hey, Presto,” “Household Management” and “Woodsmoke”) to science fiction and fantasy. They’re often bittersweet or wistful and frequently surreal; tales of ordinary lives in which the fantastical or unexpected element sneaks up and taps you on the shoulder, and when you turn around the world has shifted.
Several tales in Wicked Wonders are reminiscent of certain of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, in which conventional American suburban life takes a sharp turn toward the fanciful. Even the non-speculative stories have a chimerical feel to them. Many of the stories look at the world through the eyes of a child or teenage girl, in a sympathetic but clear-eyed manner. Klages’ young characters are girls trying to find their place in life, often misfits, and bravely dealing with burdens that life has passed out to them.
In “The Education of a Witch” (4 stars), we experience life from the point of view of Lizzy, a preschool-aged, intelligent girl with a spark of mischief. Lizzy lives in the suburbs, an only child who lives a relatively ordinary life, until two things happen: She sees the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty, and the character who captures her interest and loyalty is the evil witch Maleficent. And a new baby joins Lizzy’s family, an interloper who steals the time and attention of her parents. It’s a story that can be interpreted in different ways; Lizzy is both sympathetic and alarming, and certain things may be just her imagination … but perhaps not. In her story notes at the end, Klages comments that this story is almost entirely autobiographical.
“Amicae Aeternum” (3.5 stars): Eleven year old Corrine is spending her last day in her town, trying to imprint every precious detail on her memory ― the texture of asphalt, the smell of fresh-mowed grass, the sight of a cat ― before her family leaves forever. Hardest to leave is her best friend Anna. The science fiction element, when it finally hits, is thought-provoking, especially Corry’s list of twenty reasons why where she is going sucks.
“Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox” (4 stars): A humorous short story, in which Annabel and Midge meet at a café to share a brownie, which they carefully cut in half, and again, and yet again. It’s eyebrow-raising, how many times they can divide the brownie … but one might have expected something of this sort from Stephen Hawking’s bastard daughter. The story, like their dessert, is a slight confection, but the ending made me laugh out loud. In her story notes, Klages discloses that she borrowed the characters and the dry, witty tone from a 1941 short story by Dorothy Parker, “The Standard of Living.”
“Singing on a Star” (4.5 stars): Another tale from the point of view of a young girl, five year old Becka, who goes spend the night with her friend Jamie on her first sleepover. When they’re alone in Jamie’s bedroom, Jamie puts a lemon-yellow record on her portable record player, and the song creates magic, literally: Jamie’s closet door opens to an elevator that takes the girls down to a strange, jazzy city, where a never-before-seen brand of candy bar tastes amazing, but there’s something odd going on. It’s an eerie and disturbing tale, another one open to various interpretations.
“Hey, Presto” (3.5 stars): Polly, a high school age student-athlete, resents her father, a stage magician who’s hardly part of her life since her mother died several years ago and Polly was sent to a boarding school. When they’re together during the holidays, her father tends to be busy with theater performances and working in his workshop on new tricks. Now her father wants Polly to spend the summer with him in London. When one of his assistants quits, Polly agrees to step in. She finds not only that magic has a science, but that she and her father have more in common than she expected. It’s a feel-good tale that opens a window on an interesting and unusual lifestyle.
“Echoes of Aurora” (3 stars): Jo Norwood, a newly retired woman, returns to her family home in a dying summer tourist town after the death of her father ― a home that was once a penny arcade, with a dying oak tree in the yard. And Aurora, a mysterious, copper-haired woman dancing to the music of the nickelodeon who moves into Jo’s life and heart. It’s a haunting melding of vivid details from an old-fashioned, small-town carnival and a relationship that somehow feels like it cannot last.
“Friday Night and St. Cecilia’s” (4 stars): Rachel is grounded at her boarding school for the weekend, but mostly she feels badly that she’s been abandoned by her friend Addie. The new housekeeper, an aging dumpling of a woman, offers to play backgammon with Rachel. Mrs. Llewelyn pulls out an odd set of iridescent blue-green dice, Rachel loses … and she finds herself in a strange room, with a certain Professor Plum in the Conservatory. That’s not so bad, but a real-life Chutes and Ladders is nightmarish, and Rachel finds that the danger and the stakes are higher than she could have imagined when she first rolled Mrs. Llewelyn’s dice. But “rules are rules.” It’s an amusing but tense riff on classic board games.
“Caligo Lane” (4.5 stars): In this wonderful story, which was published on Tor.com, Franny combines mapmaking and origami and the San Francisco fog to create a magical work of art that both consumes life and rescues it. The detailed description of Franny’s creation of her origami-like map is enchanting, but there is an ominous backdrop of World War II and a heavy price that must be paid. It’s a haunting and heartfelt tale of love and loss as well as creation. It’s my favorite story in this collection.
“Goodnight Moons” (4 stars): In one of the pure science fictional tales in this collection, Zoë, a woman astronaut, is one of six people chosen for a seventeen-month long exploratory space mission to Mars. On day 37 of the mission, while still in their spaceship, Zoë gets a very mixed surprise. She reluctantly makes a choice … then finds that choice has been taken from her by others. Klages explores the fall-out in this poignant, subtly feminist tale.
“Gone to the Library” (4.5 stars): Yet another young girl in a suburban life that shifts into the fantastical. In the post-WWII era, 8 year old Isabel Flanagan lives with her widowed mother in a home she turned into a boarding house after Izzy’s father died in the war. Izzy explores outside of her yard, though a rusty gate, and down a path that leads to a home where a young, partially disabled boy lives. Izzy gradually realizes that not only does this boy need her, but that their fathers shared a connection. Her gift for mathematical games may have the power to effect a rescue. The magical element of math was a delight, but there’s an ominous undertone here for me as well, though I’m not sure it was intended by Klages.
“Household Management” (3 stars): A brief but amusing riff on a familiar character in Victorian England, from an unexpectedly twisted point of view.
“Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl” (3 stars): In Napoleonic France, Natto the thief hears a story about a French Pearl hidden in a wizard’s lair ― a pearl worth a thousand royals to the emperor! Clearly this pearl needs to be liberated from the wizard so it can benefit Natto. But the pearl, though valuable, isn’t what Natto envisions, and Natto’s taking on some adversaries who may get the best of him. This is another humorous tale, based around a fictionalized version of a historic culinary discovery.
“Woodsmoke” (3.5 stars) is the non-speculative story of a unique friendship at a summer girl’s camp in 1963. Twelve year old Patty has been coming to Wokanda for several years, but this year is special: her parents are going on an extended business trip, so she will be staying for the entire summer ― and she’s delighted about it. She’s not so delighted when she finds out that a new girl, Margaret, will also be staying for the summer, but gradually the two become close. The story meanders along, like a dreamy summer, until it unexpectedly turns around and bites you at the end. “Woodsmoke” evokes the songs, activities and friendships of summer camp, which will resonate especially with readers who’ve experienced such camps and have nostalgic feelings about them.
“The Scary Ham” (4 stars) is a non-fictional vignette from Klages’ life. It’s a hilarious story about a smoked ham that hung in the basement of her father’s home for 20 years, getting moldier and grosser every year. After their father’s death, Klages and her sister realize that something needs to be done with the ham. Personally, I really liked her sister’s Viking funeral proposal.
Wicked Wonders includes a forward by Karen Joy Fowler and also an insightful afterword by Klages, “Why I Write Short Fiction,” which includes this delightful insight into her creative process:
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you!
In Wicked Wonders (2017), Ellen Klages has assembled an impressive collection of her short stories. Although almost all of these stories have been previously published (the sole exception is “Woodsmoke”), most of them appeared in anthologies and are unlikely to be familiar to most readers. These fourteen stories run the gamut from non-fiction (“The Scary Ham”) to straight fiction (“Hey, Presto,” “Household Management” and “Woodsmoke”) to science fiction and fantasy. They’re often bittersweet or wistful and frequently surreal; tales of ordinary lives in which the fantastical or unexpected element sneaks up and taps you on the shoulder, and when you turn around the world has shifted.
Several tales in Wicked Wonders are reminiscent of certain of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, in which conventional American suburban life takes a sharp turn toward the fanciful. Even the non-speculative stories have a chimerical feel to them. Many of the stories look at the world through the eyes of a child or teenage girl, in a sympathetic but clear-eyed manner. Klages’ young characters are girls trying to find their place in life, often misfits, and bravely dealing with burdens that life has passed out to them.
In “The Education of a Witch” (4 stars), we experience life from the point of view of Lizzy, a preschool-aged, intelligent girl with a spark of mischief. Lizzy lives in the suburbs, an only child who lives a relatively ordinary life, until two things happen: She sees the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty, and the character who captures her interest and loyalty is the evil witch Maleficent. And a new baby joins Lizzy’s family, an interloper who steals the time and attention of her parents. It’s a story that can be interpreted in different ways; Lizzy is both sympathetic and alarming, and certain things may be just her imagination … but perhaps not. In her story notes at the end, Klages comments that this story is almost entirely autobiographical.
“Amicae Aeternum” (3.5 stars): Eleven year old Corrine is spending her last day in her town, trying to imprint every precious detail on her memory ― the texture of asphalt, the smell of fresh-mowed grass, the sight of a cat ― before her family leaves forever. Hardest to leave is her best friend Anna. The science fiction element, when it finally hits, is thought-provoking, especially Corry’s list of twenty reasons why where she is going sucks.
“Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox” (4 stars): A humorous short story, in which Annabel and Midge meet at a café to share a brownie, which they carefully cut in half, and again, and yet again. It’s eyebrow-raising, how many times they can divide the brownie … but one might have expected something of this sort from Stephen Hawking’s bastard daughter. The story, like their dessert, is a slight confection, but the ending made me laugh out loud. In her story notes, Klages discloses that she borrowed the characters and the dry, witty tone from a 1941 short story by Dorothy Parker, “The Standard of Living.”
“Singing on a Star” (4.5 stars): Another tale from the point of view of a young girl, five year old Becka, who goes spend the night with her friend Jamie on her first sleepover. When they’re alone in Jamie’s bedroom, Jamie puts a lemon-yellow record on her portable record player, and the song creates magic, literally: Jamie’s closet door opens to an elevator that takes the girls down to a strange, jazzy city, where a never-before-seen brand of candy bar tastes amazing, but there’s something odd going on. It’s an eerie and disturbing tale, another one open to various interpretations.
“Hey, Presto” (3.5 stars): Polly, a high school age student-athlete, resents her father, a stage magician who’s hardly part of her life since her mother died several years ago and Polly was sent to a boarding school. When they’re together during the holidays, her father tends to be busy with theater performances and working in his workshop on new tricks. Now her father wants Polly to spend the summer with him in London. When one of his assistants quits, Polly agrees to step in. She finds not only that magic has a science, but that she and her father have more in common than she expected. It’s a feel-good tale that opens a window on an interesting and unusual lifestyle.
“Echoes of Aurora” (3 stars): Jo Norwood, a newly retired woman, returns to her family home in a dying summer tourist town after the death of her father ― a home that was once a penny arcade, with a dying oak tree in the yard. And Aurora, a mysterious, copper-haired woman dancing to the music of the nickelodeon who moves into Jo’s life and heart. It’s a haunting melding of vivid details from an old-fashioned, small-town carnival and a relationship that somehow feels like it cannot last.
“Friday Night and St. Cecilia’s” (4 stars): Rachel is grounded at her boarding school for the weekend, but mostly she feels badly that she’s been abandoned by her friend Addie. The new housekeeper, an aging dumpling of a woman, offers to play backgammon with Rachel. Mrs. Llewelyn pulls out an odd set of iridescent blue-green dice, Rachel loses … and she finds herself in a strange room, with a certain Professor Plum in the Conservatory. That’s not so bad, but a real-life Chutes and Ladders is nightmarish, and Rachel finds that the danger and the stakes are higher than she could have imagined when she first rolled Mrs. Llewelyn’s dice. But “rules are rules.” It’s an amusing but tense riff on classic board games.
“Caligo Lane” (4.5 stars): In this wonderful story, which was published on Tor.com, Franny combines mapmaking and origami and the San Francisco fog to create a magical work of art that both consumes life and rescues it. The detailed description of Franny’s creation of her origami-like map is enchanting, but there is an ominous backdrop of World War II and a heavy price that must be paid. It’s a haunting and heartfelt tale of love and loss as well as creation. It’s my favorite story in this collection.
“Goodnight Moons” (4 stars): In one of the pure science fictional tales in this collection, Zoë, a woman astronaut, is one of six people chosen for a seventeen-month long exploratory space mission to Mars. On day 37 of the mission, while still in their spaceship, Zoë gets a very mixed surprise. She reluctantly makes a choice … then finds that choice has been taken from her by others. Klages explores the fall-out in this poignant, subtly feminist tale.
“Gone to the Library” (4.5 stars): Yet another young girl in a suburban life that shifts into the fantastical. In the post-WWII era, 8 year old Isabel Flanagan lives with her widowed mother in a home she turned into a boarding house after Izzy’s father died in the war. Izzy explores outside of her yard, though a rusty gate, and down a path that leads to a home where a young, partially disabled boy lives. Izzy gradually realizes that not only does this boy need her, but that their fathers shared a connection. Her gift for mathematical games may have the power to effect a rescue. The magical element of math was a delight, but there’s an ominous undertone here for me as well, though I’m not sure it was intended by Klages.
“Household Management” (3 stars): A brief but amusing riff on a familiar character in Victorian England, from an unexpectedly twisted point of view.
“Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl” (3 stars): In Napoleonic France, Natto the thief hears a story about a French Pearl hidden in a wizard’s lair ― a pearl worth a thousand royals to the emperor! Clearly this pearl needs to be liberated from the wizard so it can benefit Natto. But the pearl, though valuable, isn’t what Natto envisions, and Natto’s taking on some adversaries who may get the best of him. This is another humorous tale, based around a fictionalized version of a historic culinary discovery.
“Woodsmoke” (3.5 stars) is the non-speculative story of a unique friendship at a summer girl’s camp in 1963. Twelve year old Patty has been coming to Wokanda for several years, but this year is special: her parents are going on an extended business trip, so she will be staying for the entire summer ― and she’s delighted about it. She’s not so delighted when she finds out that a new girl, Margaret, will also be staying for the summer, but gradually the two become close. The story meanders along, like a dreamy summer, until it unexpectedly turns around and bites you at the end. “Woodsmoke” evokes the songs, activities and friendships of summer camp, which will resonate especially with readers who’ve experienced such camps and have nostalgic feelings about them.
“The Scary Ham” (4 stars) is a non-fictional vignette from Klages’ life. It’s a hilarious story about a smoked ham that hung in the basement of her father’s home for 20 years, getting moldier and grosser every year. After their father’s death, Klages and her sister realize that something needs to be done with the ham. Personally, I really liked her sister’s Viking funeral proposal.
Wicked Wonders includes a forward by Karen Joy Fowler and also an insightful afterword by Klages, “Why I Write Short Fiction,” which includes this delightful insight into her creative process:
I cannot create on a keyboard. I scribble images, crumple pages, toss them across the room. I make some pictograms, cross them out, draw big loopy lines that tether sentences to marginal notes as if they were zeppelins. Eventually, I get a keeper, a few words, a paragraph that is strong enough to anchor other prose. Another sentence crawls out of the ooze and onto dry land, grows legs, begins to explore new territory, and I follow.There are also several pages of story notes, in which she explains some of the inspirations and ideas behind each of the stories in this collection. The insights here are fascinating and illuminating, as are Klages’ tales themselves. They’re well worth reading.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you!
March 21, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
I've never read Ellen Klages before, but I can definitely say that she has a talent for understated and richly-drawn character tales.
These aren't meant to blow you away with reveals, but they are subtle and powerful explorations of youth (mostly) and they're definitely good for nostalgia.
A great deal of them will have slight magical twists, but I've got the impression that they're mostly nostalgic histories of Americana. It's mild and slightly subversive and the kinds of reveals are almost always social or personality.
It's nice.
Not particularly the kind of fiction I generally go for, and I generally liked the future SF in this collection better, especially the one about a baby on Mars, but I can easily say that all of these stories are very well written. Quality. :)
I've never read Ellen Klages before, but I can definitely say that she has a talent for understated and richly-drawn character tales.
These aren't meant to blow you away with reveals, but they are subtle and powerful explorations of youth (mostly) and they're definitely good for nostalgia.
A great deal of them will have slight magical twists, but I've got the impression that they're mostly nostalgic histories of Americana. It's mild and slightly subversive and the kinds of reveals are almost always social or personality.
It's nice.
Not particularly the kind of fiction I generally go for, and I generally liked the future SF in this collection better, especially the one about a baby on Mars, but I can easily say that all of these stories are very well written. Quality. :)
September 24, 2017
If you think short stories are not for you, read this book.
From the first page I was instantly immersed in the magical and vibrant worlds of Wicked Wonders. The author has this amazing talent of writing short stories that leave you with enough closure to feel satisfied, but also include an intriguing enough premise to have you musing and daydreaming about the stories for weeks on end! Only a master storyteller could make glimpses of other worlds feel so complete.
I also really enjoyed the end chapters, where the author explained why she writes short fiction and the included blurb about her inspiration for each short story in the collection. I wish more books did this as it was so interesting to read about.
Overall this is great collection from an award winning author, and while not every story includes magic, every story is magical.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
Check out more of my reviews here
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
From the first page I was instantly immersed in the magical and vibrant worlds of Wicked Wonders. The author has this amazing talent of writing short stories that leave you with enough closure to feel satisfied, but also include an intriguing enough premise to have you musing and daydreaming about the stories for weeks on end! Only a master storyteller could make glimpses of other worlds feel so complete.
I also really enjoyed the end chapters, where the author explained why she writes short fiction and the included blurb about her inspiration for each short story in the collection. I wish more books did this as it was so interesting to read about.
Overall this is great collection from an award winning author, and while not every story includes magic, every story is magical.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
Check out more of my reviews here
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2017
These 15 collected stories marvelously reveal the wonder and possibilities of our imagination during childhood. A couple are realistic portrayals of special moments in a girl’s life, which the author admits in the afterword are autobiographical. The one that captivated me brings to life the freedom, adventure, and special friendships that arise at summer camp. In another, a preschooler, faced with the competition of a newborn sibling, gets a needed sense of empowerment through the choice of a witch puppet as an imaginary playmate. Other stories put a human face on neglected situations from typical science fiction scenarios. For example, one has a young girl saying goodbye to all the things she loves on Earth before she and her family embark on a space trip to colonize another planet. Another imagines what it might be like for a female astronaut when she turns up pregnant during on a trip to Mars But the majority of the stories fall embrace the forms and elements of fantasies, some with mythological overtones, others seeming like fresh takes on a fairy tale.
One that did some magic on me correspond to wish-fulfillment among children as a means to dispel the limitations of ordinary reality. In “Singing on a Star”, an 11-year old girl on a sleepover with a friend takes a ride on an elevator which is a portal to another world, one where you can accept candy from strangers and watch trains bound for wonderful places. In another tale of wish fulfillment (not even a true fantasy), “Hey, Presto!”, a 15-year old girl visiting her stage-magician father in London gets the chance to help him with a vanishing act and apply her chemistry skills in a way that saves him from his enemies. My two favorites have more involved stories the lead the characters through a mind-expanding evolution in their fate. In my favorite, “Echoes of Aurora”, a woman comes to grieve and dispose of the penny arcade her father ran when she was growing up, which reawakens memories of her formative years and opens a new door to love and a weird and wonderful attunement to the makers of cave art thousands of years before. The other tale that enthralled me the most, “Gone to the Library”, a teen-aged girl in the 50s who loves math gets inspired by the inventor of computer programming, Grace Hopper, who is staying with her academic parents for a conference, and with an odd neighbor kid take up the task of using the power of numbers to conjure up a universe creation scenario found in the ancient history section of the library.
Through reads like this I am well on the way to surmounting my bias against short stories (they tend to leave me wanting more). My last effective experience along this line was with the collection "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" by Karen Russell. In the afterword, Klages shares on her inspirations and methods as an author who favors the short story format:
A good one is compact and complete, a telling little slice of life, capturing a moment in time that—for the character—defines her, changes her, is the tipping point for all that will follow. Picture yourself walking down a street at dusk, passing by an open front door. Perhaps you see a family at dinner, arguing. Perhaps you see a brief kiss. Just a sliver of a stranger’s life before you walk on. That house will never be the same for you.
…When I write, I try to capture one of those pivotal moments. If I succeed, I have shifted the reader’s view of the world, just a little.
I am coming to appreciate the potency of short stories to do a lot where every sentence has to fit precisely, and a tale’s beginnings and endings make a world that points the reader beyond the frame:
When do I know a story is finished? When the last line feels inevitable. Not predictable II hope), but the moment when the door to that stranger’s house closes, leaving the reader satisfied, but also musing and pondering.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
One that did some magic on me correspond to wish-fulfillment among children as a means to dispel the limitations of ordinary reality. In “Singing on a Star”, an 11-year old girl on a sleepover with a friend takes a ride on an elevator which is a portal to another world, one where you can accept candy from strangers and watch trains bound for wonderful places. In another tale of wish fulfillment (not even a true fantasy), “Hey, Presto!”, a 15-year old girl visiting her stage-magician father in London gets the chance to help him with a vanishing act and apply her chemistry skills in a way that saves him from his enemies. My two favorites have more involved stories the lead the characters through a mind-expanding evolution in their fate. In my favorite, “Echoes of Aurora”, a woman comes to grieve and dispose of the penny arcade her father ran when she was growing up, which reawakens memories of her formative years and opens a new door to love and a weird and wonderful attunement to the makers of cave art thousands of years before. The other tale that enthralled me the most, “Gone to the Library”, a teen-aged girl in the 50s who loves math gets inspired by the inventor of computer programming, Grace Hopper, who is staying with her academic parents for a conference, and with an odd neighbor kid take up the task of using the power of numbers to conjure up a universe creation scenario found in the ancient history section of the library.
Through reads like this I am well on the way to surmounting my bias against short stories (they tend to leave me wanting more). My last effective experience along this line was with the collection "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" by Karen Russell. In the afterword, Klages shares on her inspirations and methods as an author who favors the short story format:
A good one is compact and complete, a telling little slice of life, capturing a moment in time that—for the character—defines her, changes her, is the tipping point for all that will follow. Picture yourself walking down a street at dusk, passing by an open front door. Perhaps you see a family at dinner, arguing. Perhaps you see a brief kiss. Just a sliver of a stranger’s life before you walk on. That house will never be the same for you.
…When I write, I try to capture one of those pivotal moments. If I succeed, I have shifted the reader’s view of the world, just a little.
I am coming to appreciate the potency of short stories to do a lot where every sentence has to fit precisely, and a tale’s beginnings and endings make a world that points the reader beyond the frame:
When do I know a story is finished? When the last line feels inevitable. Not predictable II hope), but the moment when the door to that stranger’s house closes, leaving the reader satisfied, but also musing and pondering.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
April 14, 2019
Ellen Klages is one of my favourite authors of short fiction, for the very simple reason that Ellen Klages makes me believe in magic.
Each and every story here has magic running through it (not excluding, and perhaps especially the nonfiction piece about the scary ham). There's the more literal magic called up in Caligo Lane, where origami folds much more than just paper - and if you're wanting more from that world, definitely have a look at Passing Strange, which takes place in the same universe, and remains one of my favourite stories of all time. Or perhaps the magic of a summer spent on the cusp between childhood and adulthood is more your speed, with all the breathless wonder and heartbreak that such threshold moments can bring?
There's scary magic that offers too much too soon, comforting magic that protects the exploited and persecuted, transformational magic that turns a potato into a battery, magic that brings isolation and magic that pulls two estranged pieces back into a new whole. But underlying each of them run the words of the author herself: There are many kinds of magic; each of them brings unanticipated change, opening doors whose thresholds can only be crossed once.
Each and every story here has magic running through it (not excluding, and perhaps especially the nonfiction piece about the scary ham). There's the more literal magic called up in Caligo Lane, where origami folds much more than just paper - and if you're wanting more from that world, definitely have a look at Passing Strange, which takes place in the same universe, and remains one of my favourite stories of all time. Or perhaps the magic of a summer spent on the cusp between childhood and adulthood is more your speed, with all the breathless wonder and heartbreak that such threshold moments can bring?
There's scary magic that offers too much too soon, comforting magic that protects the exploited and persecuted, transformational magic that turns a potato into a battery, magic that brings isolation and magic that pulls two estranged pieces back into a new whole. But underlying each of them run the words of the author herself: There are many kinds of magic; each of them brings unanticipated change, opening doors whose thresholds can only be crossed once.
July 23, 2017
"I am a writer, and writers are magpies. 'Ooh! Shiny' Some of those shinies are distractions, but others are just the right size or shape for me to add to the jumble of flotsam and fragments that I am slowly building into a mental nest where I will - I hope - hatch a story."
Oh, Ellen Klages, you have hatched the most beautiful and diverse collection of stories! No two are alike -- I don't think two of the stories are even set in the same decade, as they range from the 1940's to the far off future in outer space. But they are stitched together by theme: echoes of what it's like to grow up as a young girl in America, the complexities of womanhood (past or present) and the human experience in general; thus making up a magnificent quilt of mismatched patches -- a rainbow of characters, settings, and messages that are indeed, each in their own way, wickedly wonderful.
As Klages notes in the afterword, these stories are sprinkled with "'Easter-eggs' for sharp-eyed readers" , which was my favorite aspect of her style. The book became not just a jackpot of short stories -- ranging from sparkling magical realism, to plot-twist driven sci-fi, to glorious high fantasy -- but a treasure hunt as well. (Side-note: Though I very much prefer physical books, reading this collection on my Kindle app (and therefore having immediate access to a translator and Wikipedia) was perfect for assisting me with these "clues" that Klages drops here and there.) If you don't catch them, the story won't be lost on you, but picking up on them enhances the experience exponentially, and will guarantee to make you say "Ahhhh!" out loud. So be on the look-out for these "Easter-eggs" throughout the collection!
I won't review all of the short stories individually, but I will comment on my favorites, will try to explain why I loved them, and will also point out the handful of stories that didn't work for me. For your pleasure, all of these "mini-reviews" are free of major spoilers.
The stories I loved:
Amicae Aeternum ~ This story begins by describing a detail-oriented, grumpy pre-teen riding her bike and walking around her suburb in the very early morning. We know that this is her last day on Earth, but we do not know why. Suddenly, with a single sentence and a brilliant "aha! moment", it is transformed into a speculative science fiction story that leaves you beaming with questions and wishing there was more. This was the first story in the collection that made me realize how brilliant Klages is in her craft, and how much I was looking forward to the rest of the stories.
Hey, Presto! ~ I believe this was the only tale in the collection that didn't have any kind of magic or science fiction element. Ironically, it is about a magician and his daughter. At its core, this story was about science as well as a father/daughter relationship. The specific scientific and technical terms used made me realize how much there is to be learned from Klages's stories. Affirming this was her admission in the afterword that she sometimes does an extreme amount of research (sometimes lasting years!) before completing a story. If you are paying attention to the finer details, there is a lot to learn in this collection, from quantum physics (Mrs. Zeno's Paradox) and secret magic squares (Gone To The Library), to the recipe for exploding paint (Hey, Presto! ) and the origins of margarine (Sponda The Suet Girl).
Caligo Lane & Goodnight Moons ~ These two stories were by far my favorite of all of Wicked Wonders.They are both spectacularly unique, and both have twists you'll never see coming. The former is about a cartographer/reclusive/witch who lives in foggy San Francisco in the early 1940's. She uses maps and origami to create different portals on Earth. If that's not goals..I don't really know what is. Not to mention the language in this story (and really, most of her stories) is so lush and beautiful: "Where there had once been landmarks -- hillsides and buildings and signs -- there is only a soft wall, as if she stands inside a great gray pearl. San Francisco is a different city when the clouds come to earth". Something else I noticed in Caligo Lane that is the factor that makes Klages's stories come to life is the tiny details she throws in. This is something that is often lost in short fiction, which I believe greatly impacts the feel of it. Franny, our heroine of Caligo Lane, takes a break from her work and makes tea, or "reads a magazine, listens to Roosevelt on the radio." It is these type of nuances that bring characters up off of the page.
In the later, Goodnight Moons, a science-fiction story of six astronauts zooming off to Mars on a pioneer mission, there is also a huge twist involving an unexpected stow-away. And it's not what you're expecting.Goodnight Moons has sometimes been regarded as a feminist viewpoint, but Klages are argued the later (I wholeheartedly agree). For me, this was the most beautiful and the saddest story in the collection. (Be sure to look sharp for "Easter Eggs" in this one...hints: search Wikipedia for the name of the spaceship they take to Mars (if you don't already know what it means) and pay close attention to the extra crew member's name!)
Sponda the Suet Girl ~ This is by far the longest and therefore was the most engaging for me. Though I am beginning to truly love the art of the short story, I am still often baffled and angered by the sudden abrupt endings that I suppose are inevitable occurrences in short fiction. It is also notable that this story, despite the title suggesting otherwise, is the only story in the collection with a male main character, who is a thief named Natto. However, the story revolves around cunning trickster Sponda, who ultimately outsmarts Natto. I dubbed this story a "feminist fairy tale" . Klages explains in the afterword how much this high fantasy tale was out of her wheelhouse, but to me it is extremely clever and enjoyable.
The ones I didn't like:
Singing on a Star & Friday Night at St. Ceclia's ~ Though both of these stories were vastly different, they both shared a common trope: a young girl somehow suddenly finds herself in a magical world, dimension, what-have-you. While this has been done thousands of times since Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, it is probably my favorite set-up for a story -- both from my childhood and now. However, neither of these stories really worked for me. They moved too fast, and the magic was introduced in such a sudden way that it doesn't feel believable. Admittedly, some of the other stories in this collection are shorter, or are similarly paced, but these two were just off for me. Still, I didn't hate them. They were decent padding between the other, more well-written and memorable stories.
Household Management ~ I loved where this was going at first, especially as I am currently embarking on reading all of Doyle's Sherlock novels, but this ended so abruptly that I thought there was a page (or several) missing from the book. I think this was a huge missed opportunity to give voice to a minor character in the Sherlock Holmes books.
The Scary Ham ~ "One of these things is not like the other..." This was a short piece of non-fiction about Klages's family. To me, the collection would have been so much better off ending with the huge plot twist at the end of the storyWoodsmoke. Honestly, I think my mouth was still agape with the previous story's twist, and, in comparison, this tiny memoir piece was boring and just didn't fit into the collection at all.
Despite a few of the stories missing the mark for me, the ones I love very much overpower the ones I dislike. There are stories in this collection that I would (and will) read again and again, and have already passed on to friends. I cannot wait to read more of Klages's work, particularly her short story Passing Strange which includes my new favorite witch from Caligo Lane as well as Polly, the magician's daughter from Hey, Presto! Says Klages: "I thought it would be nice if my imaginary friends met each other," which to me, is what writing fiction is all about.
*Thank you to Ingram Publisher Services and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
~~~
My first review copy approval from Edelweiss! Eep! Happy bookworm. Have been dying to read this!
Oh, Ellen Klages, you have hatched the most beautiful and diverse collection of stories! No two are alike -- I don't think two of the stories are even set in the same decade, as they range from the 1940's to the far off future in outer space. But they are stitched together by theme: echoes of what it's like to grow up as a young girl in America, the complexities of womanhood (past or present) and the human experience in general; thus making up a magnificent quilt of mismatched patches -- a rainbow of characters, settings, and messages that are indeed, each in their own way, wickedly wonderful.
As Klages notes in the afterword, these stories are sprinkled with "'Easter-eggs' for sharp-eyed readers" , which was my favorite aspect of her style. The book became not just a jackpot of short stories -- ranging from sparkling magical realism, to plot-twist driven sci-fi, to glorious high fantasy -- but a treasure hunt as well. (Side-note: Though I very much prefer physical books, reading this collection on my Kindle app (and therefore having immediate access to a translator and Wikipedia) was perfect for assisting me with these "clues" that Klages drops here and there.) If you don't catch them, the story won't be lost on you, but picking up on them enhances the experience exponentially, and will guarantee to make you say "Ahhhh!" out loud. So be on the look-out for these "Easter-eggs" throughout the collection!
I won't review all of the short stories individually, but I will comment on my favorites, will try to explain why I loved them, and will also point out the handful of stories that didn't work for me. For your pleasure, all of these "mini-reviews" are free of major spoilers.
The stories I loved:
Amicae Aeternum ~ This story begins by describing a detail-oriented, grumpy pre-teen riding her bike and walking around her suburb in the very early morning. We know that this is her last day on Earth, but we do not know why. Suddenly, with a single sentence and a brilliant "aha! moment", it is transformed into a speculative science fiction story that leaves you beaming with questions and wishing there was more. This was the first story in the collection that made me realize how brilliant Klages is in her craft, and how much I was looking forward to the rest of the stories.
Hey, Presto! ~ I believe this was the only tale in the collection that didn't have any kind of magic or science fiction element. Ironically, it is about a magician and his daughter. At its core, this story was about science as well as a father/daughter relationship. The specific scientific and technical terms used made me realize how much there is to be learned from Klages's stories. Affirming this was her admission in the afterword that she sometimes does an extreme amount of research (sometimes lasting years!) before completing a story. If you are paying attention to the finer details, there is a lot to learn in this collection, from quantum physics (Mrs. Zeno's Paradox) and secret magic squares (Gone To The Library), to the recipe for exploding paint (Hey, Presto! ) and the origins of margarine (Sponda The Suet Girl).
Caligo Lane & Goodnight Moons ~ These two stories were by far my favorite of all of Wicked Wonders.They are both spectacularly unique, and both have twists you'll never see coming. The former is about a cartographer/reclusive/witch who lives in foggy San Francisco in the early 1940's. She uses maps and origami to create different portals on Earth. If that's not goals..I don't really know what is. Not to mention the language in this story (and really, most of her stories) is so lush and beautiful: "Where there had once been landmarks -- hillsides and buildings and signs -- there is only a soft wall, as if she stands inside a great gray pearl. San Francisco is a different city when the clouds come to earth". Something else I noticed in Caligo Lane that is the factor that makes Klages's stories come to life is the tiny details she throws in. This is something that is often lost in short fiction, which I believe greatly impacts the feel of it. Franny, our heroine of Caligo Lane, takes a break from her work and makes tea, or "reads a magazine, listens to Roosevelt on the radio." It is these type of nuances that bring characters up off of the page.
In the later, Goodnight Moons, a science-fiction story of six astronauts zooming off to Mars on a pioneer mission, there is also a huge twist involving an unexpected stow-away. And it's not what you're expecting.Goodnight Moons has sometimes been regarded as a feminist viewpoint, but Klages are argued the later (I wholeheartedly agree). For me, this was the most beautiful and the saddest story in the collection. (Be sure to look sharp for "Easter Eggs" in this one...hints: search Wikipedia for the name of the spaceship they take to Mars (if you don't already know what it means) and pay close attention to the extra crew member's name!)
Sponda the Suet Girl ~ This is by far the longest and therefore was the most engaging for me. Though I am beginning to truly love the art of the short story, I am still often baffled and angered by the sudden abrupt endings that I suppose are inevitable occurrences in short fiction. It is also notable that this story, despite the title suggesting otherwise, is the only story in the collection with a male main character, who is a thief named Natto. However, the story revolves around cunning trickster Sponda, who ultimately outsmarts Natto. I dubbed this story a "feminist fairy tale" . Klages explains in the afterword how much this high fantasy tale was out of her wheelhouse, but to me it is extremely clever and enjoyable.
The ones I didn't like:
Singing on a Star & Friday Night at St. Ceclia's ~ Though both of these stories were vastly different, they both shared a common trope: a young girl somehow suddenly finds herself in a magical world, dimension, what-have-you. While this has been done thousands of times since Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, it is probably my favorite set-up for a story -- both from my childhood and now. However, neither of these stories really worked for me. They moved too fast, and the magic was introduced in such a sudden way that it doesn't feel believable. Admittedly, some of the other stories in this collection are shorter, or are similarly paced, but these two were just off for me. Still, I didn't hate them. They were decent padding between the other, more well-written and memorable stories.
Household Management ~ I loved where this was going at first, especially as I am currently embarking on reading all of Doyle's Sherlock novels, but this ended so abruptly that I thought there was a page (or several) missing from the book. I think this was a huge missed opportunity to give voice to a minor character in the Sherlock Holmes books.
The Scary Ham ~ "One of these things is not like the other..." This was a short piece of non-fiction about Klages's family. To me, the collection would have been so much better off ending with the huge plot twist at the end of the storyWoodsmoke. Honestly, I think my mouth was still agape with the previous story's twist, and, in comparison, this tiny memoir piece was boring and just didn't fit into the collection at all.
Despite a few of the stories missing the mark for me, the ones I love very much overpower the ones I dislike. There are stories in this collection that I would (and will) read again and again, and have already passed on to friends. I cannot wait to read more of Klages's work, particularly her short story Passing Strange which includes my new favorite witch from Caligo Lane as well as Polly, the magician's daughter from Hey, Presto! Says Klages: "I thought it would be nice if my imaginary friends met each other," which to me, is what writing fiction is all about.
*Thank you to Ingram Publisher Services and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
~~~
My first review copy approval from Edelweiss! Eep! Happy bookworm. Have been dying to read this!
August 30, 2019
After reading the wonderful Passing Strange I wanted to get my eyes on more Ellen Klages and lucky for me Scribd had a short story collection on offer. Wicked Wonders is a wonderful collection of 14 beautifully rendered little gems. Klages’ storytelling is smart, charming, magical and captivating; something to come back to again and again.
5 Stars
5 Stars
Read
May 24, 2017Amazing oddities and fantastic flights of fancy dominate this fabulous collection of tales. A haunted penny arcade, faeries, and rebellious children are just part of the fun in these clever stories. Klages has been putting out incredible work for years and years – most recently The Green Glass Sea – and it would be wonderful to see her get a bigger audience and more recognition.
Backlist bump: You Have Never Been Here by Mary Rickert
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: You Have Never Been Here by Mary Rickert
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
March 7, 2019
This is a collection of 14 short stories by Ellen Klages. This collection is speculative fiction, but I’ll categorize a lot of them as magical realism.
Ellen Klage’s writing is absolutely beautiful, and I’d recommend this collection for that alone, but my average of this collection evens to about 3.17 rounded down to 3 stars. Below you can see my ratings of the individual stories and a brief sentence of my thoughts on the story.
The Education of a Witch ★★★★.5
This was the story of a young girl who after watching Sleeping Beauty at a movie drive in becomes completely obsessed with Malificent. I loved the discussion and how the story was told. A very strong story to start out with.
Amicae Aeternum ★★★★
This is a sort of Bucket list type story between two friends who’s spending their last time together before one of them is going into space.
I enjoyed this one a lot, it was well told and I liked both of the characters.
Mrs. Zenox Paradox ★★.5
I’m not exactly sure where this story wanted to go, it was incredibly short (only 4 pages) and so it never sucked me in.
Singing on a Star ★★★★
This is about a young girl who gets into a strange adventure in a neighbourhood she’s never been in, and everything is not exactly as you might think. I really enjoyed this, I’ve found her stories from children's perspectives have been extremely great.
Hey, Presto! ★★★★.5
This follows a young girl who wants to study science and is going to spend her Summer vacation in London with her Father who’s a magician, but she finds there’s a lot more to her father’s business and she find herself absorbed in creating her own magic show.
Echoes of Aurora ★★★
This is one where I should have written down my thoughts after I finished it. I can’t remember what this story was about, but I think it’s a small town thing and maybe about a Carnival.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s ★★★★.5
Do you love boardgames? What if you were thrown into a world full of boardgames, and you were a miniture piece and had to win the games in order to get out?
This was really amazing! I absolutely loved this. I was sucked into this story from the first line!
Caligo Lane ★★★
This is another one of those I have a hard time remembering, sadly. I gave it 3 stars, so I definitely didn’t hate it. I know it’s set in San Fransisco and revolving around the Golden Gate Bridge.
Goodnight Moons ★★★★
This a well told story about a woman who becomes pregnant in space. I liked how this story was told.
Gone to the Library ★★★★★
This was the only 5 star read from me, doesn’t the title tell you enough? This story was so well told, and I want you to go into it knowing as little as possible.
Household Management ★★
This was another really short one, and again it just didn’t work for me
Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl ★★★
This was one of the longest stories of the collection, but I didn’t super enjoy it. It is a story about how a strange person comes to the town, and in order to protect themselves, the town citizens does things to make the visitor think he’s extremely ill and not able to travel on.
Woodsmoke ★★★★.5
This is a story set in an all girls Summer Camp, and it follows the friendship of two bunk mates and I adored this story, it was so close to a 5 star rating for me.
The Scary Ham ★★★
This story was extremely weird, and I’m not sure what to think of it, honestly.
Ellen Klage’s writing is absolutely beautiful, and I’d recommend this collection for that alone, but my average of this collection evens to about 3.17 rounded down to 3 stars. Below you can see my ratings of the individual stories and a brief sentence of my thoughts on the story.
The Education of a Witch ★★★★.5
This was the story of a young girl who after watching Sleeping Beauty at a movie drive in becomes completely obsessed with Malificent. I loved the discussion and how the story was told. A very strong story to start out with.
Amicae Aeternum ★★★★
This is a sort of Bucket list type story between two friends who’s spending their last time together before one of them is going into space.
I enjoyed this one a lot, it was well told and I liked both of the characters.
Mrs. Zenox Paradox ★★.5
I’m not exactly sure where this story wanted to go, it was incredibly short (only 4 pages) and so it never sucked me in.
Singing on a Star ★★★★
This is about a young girl who gets into a strange adventure in a neighbourhood she’s never been in, and everything is not exactly as you might think. I really enjoyed this, I’ve found her stories from children's perspectives have been extremely great.
Hey, Presto! ★★★★.5
This follows a young girl who wants to study science and is going to spend her Summer vacation in London with her Father who’s a magician, but she finds there’s a lot more to her father’s business and she find herself absorbed in creating her own magic show.
Echoes of Aurora ★★★
This is one where I should have written down my thoughts after I finished it. I can’t remember what this story was about, but I think it’s a small town thing and maybe about a Carnival.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s ★★★★.5
Do you love boardgames? What if you were thrown into a world full of boardgames, and you were a miniture piece and had to win the games in order to get out?
This was really amazing! I absolutely loved this. I was sucked into this story from the first line!
Caligo Lane ★★★
This is another one of those I have a hard time remembering, sadly. I gave it 3 stars, so I definitely didn’t hate it. I know it’s set in San Fransisco and revolving around the Golden Gate Bridge.
Goodnight Moons ★★★★
This a well told story about a woman who becomes pregnant in space. I liked how this story was told.
Gone to the Library ★★★★★
This was the only 5 star read from me, doesn’t the title tell you enough? This story was so well told, and I want you to go into it knowing as little as possible.
Household Management ★★
This was another really short one, and again it just didn’t work for me
Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl ★★★
This was one of the longest stories of the collection, but I didn’t super enjoy it. It is a story about how a strange person comes to the town, and in order to protect themselves, the town citizens does things to make the visitor think he’s extremely ill and not able to travel on.
Woodsmoke ★★★★.5
This is a story set in an all girls Summer Camp, and it follows the friendship of two bunk mates and I adored this story, it was so close to a 5 star rating for me.
The Scary Ham ★★★
This story was extremely weird, and I’m not sure what to think of it, honestly.
May 7, 2017
A few minutes ago, I finished this, the first dead-tree book I've read in what seems like (but cannot possibly be) years. By way of disclaimer, this is one of three physical books I received recently for review purposes, and in fairness, I probably would have passed right over it in a store. After all, judging by the cover, it looks very much unlike my usual fare.
That would have been a grave error.
Not because the labeling is deceptive, or because the tales fit into my usual wheelhouse; neither is true. But I would have missed out on a truly excellent set of stories from an author to whom I've had precious little previous exposure. (Hugo readers should remember her as the coauthor of "Wakulla Springs." I did not, but as soon as I saw that credit at the end of the book, I thought, "Of course.")
These stories reminded me frequently of Ray Bradbury's best, in the way they take an iconic vision of (usually) mid-20th-century rural America and gently, quietly, subtly infuse it with that element of the fantastic that as children I believe we were all convinced was just around the corner, hiding behind the next tree, waiting to be discovered in a dusty box tucked away in a forgotten corner of the attic of our childhood home. There is a peace and a stillness that seeps from the pages, settling into place like the blanket a parent drapes over you when you're half asleep and three-quarters dreaming.
This is not to say that this is an assemblage of drearily wistful, somber tales, not at all. Oh, make no mistake, there's an element of longing in many of the stories, but liberally leavened with joy and laughter. Lizzie and Polly have long careers of mischief ahead of them, if I'm any judge, and the sly contest of wits between Sponda's associates and Natto is as outright hilarious as that between Rachel and Mrs. Llewelyn is ominous. There is a dark thrill upon recognizing just whose London household is being managed, and in seeing this new perspective on him. And yet, how can your heart not ache with Jo's and Peete's as you sense the doom stalking their stolen idylls? Despite the wonders both have witnessed, the dread that descends upon Zöe and young Becka will strike a chord with anyone who has stood on the precipice of an irrevocable decision and wondered how they will find the strength to face the next hour, let alone the next morning, if they discover they have chosen poorly.
This is the sixty-ninth book I've read this year. It is the first of them that I have given five full stars. It well and truly earned them.
That would have been a grave error.
Not because the labeling is deceptive, or because the tales fit into my usual wheelhouse; neither is true. But I would have missed out on a truly excellent set of stories from an author to whom I've had precious little previous exposure. (Hugo readers should remember her as the coauthor of "Wakulla Springs." I did not, but as soon as I saw that credit at the end of the book, I thought, "Of course.")
These stories reminded me frequently of Ray Bradbury's best, in the way they take an iconic vision of (usually) mid-20th-century rural America and gently, quietly, subtly infuse it with that element of the fantastic that as children I believe we were all convinced was just around the corner, hiding behind the next tree, waiting to be discovered in a dusty box tucked away in a forgotten corner of the attic of our childhood home. There is a peace and a stillness that seeps from the pages, settling into place like the blanket a parent drapes over you when you're half asleep and three-quarters dreaming.
This is not to say that this is an assemblage of drearily wistful, somber tales, not at all. Oh, make no mistake, there's an element of longing in many of the stories, but liberally leavened with joy and laughter. Lizzie and Polly have long careers of mischief ahead of them, if I'm any judge, and the sly contest of wits between Sponda's associates and Natto is as outright hilarious as that between Rachel and Mrs. Llewelyn is ominous. There is a dark thrill upon recognizing just whose London household is being managed, and in seeing this new perspective on him. And yet, how can your heart not ache with Jo's and Peete's as you sense the doom stalking their stolen idylls? Despite the wonders both have witnessed, the dread that descends upon Zöe and young Becka will strike a chord with anyone who has stood on the precipice of an irrevocable decision and wondered how they will find the strength to face the next hour, let alone the next morning, if they discover they have chosen poorly.
This is the sixty-ninth book I've read this year. It is the first of them that I have given five full stars. It well and truly earned them.
May 26, 2017
I've never read Ellen Klages before, not that I can remember, but the short stories collected here are so good! I'm surprised I haven't come across her before. The stories I liked best captured what it feels like to be a child. My favorite of these is the very first piece--"The Education of a Witch"--about a little girl who identifies with Maleficent more than Sleeping Beauty. I also enjoyed "Woodsmoke," about two girls at summer camp.
Overall, Klages stories are grounded in realism, with hints of the weird or strange. They're sweet and powerful and fun, and I'll be seeking out more of her work.
Oh, and she has my favorite addition to any short story collection--author notes at the end!
The Education of a Witch: A little girl watches Disney's Sleeping Beauty for the first time and falls in love with Maleficent. Who wouldn't? When her mom gives birth to a new baby sister, she comes to identify and rely on Maleficent even more. This is a great, realistic portrayal of a preschool child's perspective. That preschool teacher really needs to pick and chose her battles. 4.5/5
Amicae Aeternum: A girl tries to experience everything on her list of 'lasts,' as her family prepares to go to space. Liked this a lot. 4/5
Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox: 2 women meet for lunch, and try to split a brownie. Cute very short piece. 3/5
Singing on a Star: A little girl has her first slumber party, but the other girl has a secret: an elevator that leads into another dimension. Another cute story. She writes young children very well. 4/5
Hey, Presto: A magician's daughter wants to be a chemist, not a magician. Until she spends a summer with her father, and finds out how much science it takes to be a magician. Fun story. 4/5
Echoes of Aurora: A woman returns to her father's home after he's died, and remembers her childhood when he ran a carnival. But someone awaits her at her father's house. Good premise, but wanted to 'see' more (a little too much exposition). 3/5
Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s: A student at St. Cecilia's makes a bet with the janitor while playing backgammon, and then gets literally swept into various board games. Good premise. 3.5/5
Caligo Lane: A girl practices origami magic during WWII. I loved the premise, but it seemed the story didn't actually happen until the very end. Most of it was describing the magic. 3/5
Goodnight Moons: A woman who dreamed of going to Mars finally has her dream come true, only to discover she's pregnant once she's on the way. Again, excellent premise. This felt like an outline for a story versus a complete story, but I would LOVE to read this in a more fleshed out version! 3.5/5
Gone to the Library: A little girl goes into the forbidden woods behind her house, and discovers a secret garden and a mansion, where she makes a friend who has an unexpected connection to her family, and challenges her math skills. Great story. 4/5
Household Management: A Sherlock Holmes story. 3/5
Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl: 2 women trick a thief on the hunt for a pearl that will make him rich. 4/5
Woodsmoke: Peete loves going to summer camp, where she can actually be herself and no longer try to be the perfect girl her mom wants her to be. At this year's camp, she and a new girl Maggie become best friends. I really loved the characters in this one; it reminded me of my own best friend in 4th grade. 4.5/5
The Scary Ham: After a father dies, his three adult daughters have to decide what to do with the ham that's been in the basement for decades. 2.5/5
Afterword: Why I Write Short Fiction: I love reading about a writer's process! 5/5
Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, Klages stories are grounded in realism, with hints of the weird or strange. They're sweet and powerful and fun, and I'll be seeking out more of her work.
Oh, and she has my favorite addition to any short story collection--author notes at the end!
The Education of a Witch: A little girl watches Disney's Sleeping Beauty for the first time and falls in love with Maleficent. Who wouldn't? When her mom gives birth to a new baby sister, she comes to identify and rely on Maleficent even more. This is a great, realistic portrayal of a preschool child's perspective. That preschool teacher really needs to pick and chose her battles. 4.5/5
Amicae Aeternum: A girl tries to experience everything on her list of 'lasts,' as her family prepares to go to space. Liked this a lot. 4/5
Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox: 2 women meet for lunch, and try to split a brownie. Cute very short piece. 3/5
Singing on a Star: A little girl has her first slumber party, but the other girl has a secret: an elevator that leads into another dimension. Another cute story. She writes young children very well. 4/5
Hey, Presto: A magician's daughter wants to be a chemist, not a magician. Until she spends a summer with her father, and finds out how much science it takes to be a magician. Fun story. 4/5
Echoes of Aurora: A woman returns to her father's home after he's died, and remembers her childhood when he ran a carnival. But someone awaits her at her father's house. Good premise, but wanted to 'see' more (a little too much exposition). 3/5
Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s: A student at St. Cecilia's makes a bet with the janitor while playing backgammon, and then gets literally swept into various board games. Good premise. 3.5/5
Caligo Lane: A girl practices origami magic during WWII. I loved the premise, but it seemed the story didn't actually happen until the very end. Most of it was describing the magic. 3/5
Goodnight Moons: A woman who dreamed of going to Mars finally has her dream come true, only to discover she's pregnant once she's on the way. Again, excellent premise. This felt like an outline for a story versus a complete story, but I would LOVE to read this in a more fleshed out version! 3.5/5
Gone to the Library: A little girl goes into the forbidden woods behind her house, and discovers a secret garden and a mansion, where she makes a friend who has an unexpected connection to her family, and challenges her math skills. Great story. 4/5
Household Management: A Sherlock Holmes story. 3/5
Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl: 2 women trick a thief on the hunt for a pearl that will make him rich. 4/5
Woodsmoke: Peete loves going to summer camp, where she can actually be herself and no longer try to be the perfect girl her mom wants her to be. At this year's camp, she and a new girl Maggie become best friends. I really loved the characters in this one; it reminded me of my own best friend in 4th grade. 4.5/5
The Scary Ham: After a father dies, his three adult daughters have to decide what to do with the ham that's been in the basement for decades. 2.5/5
Afterword: Why I Write Short Fiction: I love reading about a writer's process! 5/5
Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2017
Received to review via Tachyon
I was really interested to read more of Klages’ work after reading Passing Strange. I think I’ve read one or two short stories before — one of the stories in here was definitely familiar — but I hadn’t consciously connected the author to them, if that makes any sense. Klages is a careful writer, as her afterword shows: she moves the words around until they’re just right, pays attention to pace and rhythm and all of that. It works: her stories are all readable and all seem to fit perfectly within the form.
There’s something eerie and wistful and tender in almost all of these stories, bar one or two that are more mischievous than anything. I was pleased to meet some of the characters from Passing Strange again, particularly, and get some more detail on the paper-folding magic which is alluded to there. But my favourite of the stories was probably the least speculative: ‘Woodsmoke’, which features two girls on the cusp of adolescence, at a summer camp. I won’t say too much about it, but it felt real and wistful, and the ending avoided any kind of saccharine sweetness, touching something real instead.
It’s a good collection of stories, and I also enjoy the fact that there’s a section included on where each story came from and giving more details. There were one or two bits I hadn’t noticed about the stories, which is always fun to learn.
If you enjoy short stories, this is definitely a good collection; if you enjoy Ellen Klages’ work, doubtless you know what you’re in for. Either way, Passing Strange is also worth a look…
Originally reviewed for breathesbooks.com.
I was really interested to read more of Klages’ work after reading Passing Strange. I think I’ve read one or two short stories before — one of the stories in here was definitely familiar — but I hadn’t consciously connected the author to them, if that makes any sense. Klages is a careful writer, as her afterword shows: she moves the words around until they’re just right, pays attention to pace and rhythm and all of that. It works: her stories are all readable and all seem to fit perfectly within the form.
There’s something eerie and wistful and tender in almost all of these stories, bar one or two that are more mischievous than anything. I was pleased to meet some of the characters from Passing Strange again, particularly, and get some more detail on the paper-folding magic which is alluded to there. But my favourite of the stories was probably the least speculative: ‘Woodsmoke’, which features two girls on the cusp of adolescence, at a summer camp. I won’t say too much about it, but it felt real and wistful, and the ending avoided any kind of saccharine sweetness, touching something real instead.
It’s a good collection of stories, and I also enjoy the fact that there’s a section included on where each story came from and giving more details. There were one or two bits I hadn’t noticed about the stories, which is always fun to learn.
If you enjoy short stories, this is definitely a good collection; if you enjoy Ellen Klages’ work, doubtless you know what you’re in for. Either way, Passing Strange is also worth a look…
Originally reviewed for breathesbooks.com.
May 2, 2022
A very nice collection. Picked up on a whim from the (then) new-book shelf, and liked it more than I expected to. If you like whimsical short fiction, you should try this one.
The real review to read is Tadiana's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And here are three stories from the collection that I found online:
"The Scary Ham": https://www.tor.com/2014/05/22/the-sc...
"Caligo Lane": https://www.tor.com/2016/12/20/caligo...
"Amicae Aeternum": https://www.tor.com/2015/03/05/amicae...
The real review to read is Tadiana's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And here are three stories from the collection that I found online:
"The Scary Ham": https://www.tor.com/2014/05/22/the-sc...
"Caligo Lane": https://www.tor.com/2016/12/20/caligo...
"Amicae Aeternum": https://www.tor.com/2015/03/05/amicae...
May 13, 2017
Ellen Klages is one of those authors whose name sounds vaguely familiar but I'm not entirely sure if I've ever read anything by her before. But this was really lovely and I'm definitely going to search out some more of her work.
Several of these had that mid-century, small town America vibe that felt a little reminiscent of Ray Bradbury at times - but with more strong female roles and less ickyness.
My hands down favorite is "Goodnight Moons" - the story of a long term expedition to Mars, with a little surprise on board.
Just a really lovely story that's beautiful and horrific at the same time. It's haunting, and I'm going to remember it for a long time.
Another striking one from the collection is "Woodsmoke" about two girls' friendship at a summer camp. I'm not even sure if "striking" is a good thing, or a bad thing in this case.
A couple of other standouts were "Education of a Witch" (the entire reason I got this collection in the first place) and "Echos of Aurora." See status updates for individual story notes.
The story "Goodnight, Moons" alone makes the collection worth it, but there's not a truly bad story
in the lot. Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to review it.
Several of these had that mid-century, small town America vibe that felt a little reminiscent of Ray Bradbury at times - but with more strong female roles and less ickyness.
My hands down favorite is "Goodnight Moons" - the story of a long term expedition to Mars, with a little surprise on board.
Just a really lovely story that's beautiful and horrific at the same time. It's haunting, and I'm going to remember it for a long time.
Another striking one from the collection is "Woodsmoke" about two girls' friendship at a summer camp. I'm not even sure if "striking" is a good thing, or a bad thing in this case.
A couple of other standouts were "Education of a Witch" (the entire reason I got this collection in the first place) and "Echos of Aurora." See status updates for individual story notes.
The story "Goodnight, Moons" alone makes the collection worth it, but there's not a truly bad story
in the lot. Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to review it.
September 17, 2017
I would say that Ellen Klages has a wonderful storytelling voice, but what I mean is all of her storytelling voices: the one that tells stories with child protagonists that are definitely not children's stories, for example, or the one that tells the very non-fictional story of the scary ham. A delightful collection.
October 4, 2018
Ellen is a friend, and I'm also a fan of her work, but I haven't tracked down her short stories over the years, so it was great to have so many of them in one place.
Just about all of the stories are good and some are excellent. Reading so many of them together makes it crystal clear that Ellen is doing something quite different from most contemporary SF and fantasy authors: these stories are not only mostly set in the mid-20th century, they also have mid-20th century norms. When characters have sex, it's behind a gauze curtain. When there's violence, it's offstage, and no one gets hurt. I can imagine readers, teachers, and librarians rather desperate for a book like this (though they certainly have to be comfortable with various kinds of queer -- especially Lesbian -- content).
Highlights for me included "Amicae Aeternum," about a pre-teen girl whose family is taking her onto a generation ship ... so she will never see her world again. I've read dozens of generation ship stories and novels, but never one that focused on what it would mean to be roped into that life when you're too young to make your own decisions; "Caligo Lane," a beautifully atmospheric San Francisco story with a lot more political punch than meets the immediate eye; and "Woodsmoke," a completely different way of examining a summer-camp friendship. And just to step outside of the mid-century America narrative (as Ellen says in her afterword), "Goodnight Moons" is a pure science fiction story which tells a completely different story about astronauts going to Mars.
Girls and women are almost always front and center in Ellen's stories, as are the fine details of daily life in a variety of places. These are very quick reads, and a lovely counterweight to so much else that we read and see--both in fiction and in the real world.
Just about all of the stories are good and some are excellent. Reading so many of them together makes it crystal clear that Ellen is doing something quite different from most contemporary SF and fantasy authors: these stories are not only mostly set in the mid-20th century, they also have mid-20th century norms. When characters have sex, it's behind a gauze curtain. When there's violence, it's offstage, and no one gets hurt. I can imagine readers, teachers, and librarians rather desperate for a book like this (though they certainly have to be comfortable with various kinds of queer -- especially Lesbian -- content).
Highlights for me included "Amicae Aeternum," about a pre-teen girl whose family is taking her onto a generation ship ... so she will never see her world again. I've read dozens of generation ship stories and novels, but never one that focused on what it would mean to be roped into that life when you're too young to make your own decisions; "Caligo Lane," a beautifully atmospheric San Francisco story with a lot more political punch than meets the immediate eye; and "Woodsmoke," a completely different way of examining a summer-camp friendship. And just to step outside of the mid-century America narrative (as Ellen says in her afterword), "Goodnight Moons" is a pure science fiction story which tells a completely different story about astronauts going to Mars.
Girls and women are almost always front and center in Ellen's stories, as are the fine details of daily life in a variety of places. These are very quick reads, and a lovely counterweight to so much else that we read and see--both in fiction and in the real world.
November 12, 2020
This was such an awesome collection of short stories! I’ve never read anything by Ellen Klages but I definitely will after reading this. If you’ve ever read any of my reviews for a Jacob M. Appel anthology, you’ll know how much I love his work. This anthology had that same type of feeling and tone. There are some stories with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and magical realism but even with those aspects the stories really just feel like real people experiencing very real emotions in what feel like very real scenarios. I can’t really say which of these stories were my favorite because I really did love all of them. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys character driven short stories.
ARC received via Netgalley. All opinions are expressly my own.
ARC received via Netgalley. All opinions are expressly my own.
March 14, 2017
Ellen Klages' short fiction has won several awards, including a Nebula, as well being short-listed for Hugo, Nebula, and John. W. Campbell awards, but her work is new to me. Wicked Wonders is a short-story collection of lyrical fantasy tales (mostly) starring young girls and childhood itself. With elements of historical and modern fantasy, and science fiction, there's a little something for everyone in this collection.
Klages' stories are lovely, strange, and sad things. Some are quite funny, most are clever, and they are all cultivated by these beautiful details that capture a mood of magic. Beware: These stories will evoke memories of your own childhood, or at least garner nostalgia for a childhood dream. Most of these are slow to start, but they stick with you for days. The collection concludes with author story notes, which in the least offer a fun insight, but some of which also provide a greater appreciation.
Easily half of the collection are 4 or 5-star works, but my absolute favorites can be collated into these categories:
Stories that show the quiet human element of science fiction —
-“Amicae Aeternum”, in which a young girl spends a last night with her best friend before she leaves on a generation starship.
-“Goodnight Moons”, in which an pregnant astronaut must raise her child on Mars, never to return home to Earth.
Stories that capture the magic and possibility of science —
-“Hey Presto!", a historical fantasy, in which a young girl who loves science bonds with her magician father, and discovers the chemistry of stage magic.
-“Gone to the Library”, in which a little girl finds the power and protection of tic-tac-toe and mathematics on the back of a giant turtle.
Stories that feature the blurred lines between magic and reality —
-“Education of a Witch”, in which a little girl identifies with Maleficent, instead of Sleeping Beauty, because she's interesting and powerful, has her own castle, and can turn into a dragon whenever she wants.
-“Singing on a Star”, in which a little girl finds a record that will turn her closet into a doorway to a magical realm of mysterious city streets and trains, and untried candy bars.
Highly recommended as a subtle feminist collection. If you enjoy strong or subversive female protagonists in speculative fiction, this collection is for you!
readwellreviews.com
Thanks for Netgalley and Tachyon publications for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Klages' stories are lovely, strange, and sad things. Some are quite funny, most are clever, and they are all cultivated by these beautiful details that capture a mood of magic. Beware: These stories will evoke memories of your own childhood, or at least garner nostalgia for a childhood dream. Most of these are slow to start, but they stick with you for days. The collection concludes with author story notes, which in the least offer a fun insight, but some of which also provide a greater appreciation.
Easily half of the collection are 4 or 5-star works, but my absolute favorites can be collated into these categories:
Stories that show the quiet human element of science fiction —
-“Amicae Aeternum”, in which a young girl spends a last night with her best friend before she leaves on a generation starship.
-“Goodnight Moons”, in which an pregnant astronaut must raise her child on Mars, never to return home to Earth.
Stories that capture the magic and possibility of science —
-“Hey Presto!", a historical fantasy, in which a young girl who loves science bonds with her magician father, and discovers the chemistry of stage magic.
-“Gone to the Library”, in which a little girl finds the power and protection of tic-tac-toe and mathematics on the back of a giant turtle.
Stories that feature the blurred lines between magic and reality —
-“Education of a Witch”, in which a little girl identifies with Maleficent, instead of Sleeping Beauty, because she's interesting and powerful, has her own castle, and can turn into a dragon whenever she wants.
-“Singing on a Star”, in which a little girl finds a record that will turn her closet into a doorway to a magical realm of mysterious city streets and trains, and untried candy bars.
Highly recommended as a subtle feminist collection. If you enjoy strong or subversive female protagonists in speculative fiction, this collection is for you!
readwellreviews.com
Thanks for Netgalley and Tachyon publications for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
May 22, 2017
I hadn't read any of Klages' work until getting my hands on Passing Strange last year (silly David) so was very pleased to be able to catch up (not least because in two of the stories we meet characters from that book). It is great that the book lived up to expectations in every way.
These are serious, funny, tough, tender and varied stories. Above all, they have heart and offer hope. In many, women or - especially - girls - struggle with constraints, actual or impending loss or change, and things aren't made easier by the strictures of society: a woman accidentally falling pregnant is placed in an impossible position by her partner. A girl is misunderstood by her mother, forced into a mould that doesn't fit her. Another girl is about to lose everything. In all these stories there is, though, hope: the comfort of a good friend, a chink of light or a realisation of power and potential.
Friendship is at the centre of many of the stories: new friendships, old friendships renewed after decades, unlikely friendships suddenly tested, as in the longest and most intense of the stories, Woodsmoke, an account of two girls spending a summer at camp. Apart from the dawning relationship between then - they don't start off friends, Peete is pretty resentful to begin with - this story is shot through with a kind of childhood luminosity. This is NOT a sentimental story - it has great clarity and honesty, but it shows the glory of enjoying life, of enjoying the moment and - I hope - promises a future of support and solidarity.
The experiences here are common ones: clearing a house after the death of a parent (touched on a couple of times, including in a piece of non-fiction, The Scary Ham), the coming of a new sibling, two women meeting for coffee and cake, a mother putting her child down for the night. But the everyday is made strange - passing strange, perhaps: those two women (in Mrs Zeno's Paradox) meet across time and space in a variety of cafes as they halve their cake and halve it again, the child is being nursed on Mars, the schoolgirl settling down to play boardgames on a Friday night at her boarding school ends up an Alice in Wonderland style adventure - and in San Franscisco, a sorceress can fold space through origami.
Not all the stories are actually fantasy or science fiction: Woodsmoke, for example, is entirely naturalistic (although infused with a sense of the magical) and Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl while fantastical in setting (a thief, an inn, a quest for treasure) actually contains nothing not rooted in real science (Household Management is similar, though rooted in a different kind of fiction). Many of course are, and in some it's a twist of magic that provides that little glimmer of hope from the future.
As well as the stories themselves, the book contains a shrewd (I think!) introduction form Karen Joy Fowler and a piece by Klages herself describing her approach to writing and the genesis of some of the stories. Both provide useful insights but in the end the stories stand alone in their wit, courage, fellowship and above all, humanity.
This is a collection of stories that I felt better for having read. Strongly recommended.
These are serious, funny, tough, tender and varied stories. Above all, they have heart and offer hope. In many, women or - especially - girls - struggle with constraints, actual or impending loss or change, and things aren't made easier by the strictures of society: a woman accidentally falling pregnant is placed in an impossible position by her partner. A girl is misunderstood by her mother, forced into a mould that doesn't fit her. Another girl is about to lose everything. In all these stories there is, though, hope: the comfort of a good friend, a chink of light or a realisation of power and potential.
Friendship is at the centre of many of the stories: new friendships, old friendships renewed after decades, unlikely friendships suddenly tested, as in the longest and most intense of the stories, Woodsmoke, an account of two girls spending a summer at camp. Apart from the dawning relationship between then - they don't start off friends, Peete is pretty resentful to begin with - this story is shot through with a kind of childhood luminosity. This is NOT a sentimental story - it has great clarity and honesty, but it shows the glory of enjoying life, of enjoying the moment and - I hope - promises a future of support and solidarity.
The experiences here are common ones: clearing a house after the death of a parent (touched on a couple of times, including in a piece of non-fiction, The Scary Ham), the coming of a new sibling, two women meeting for coffee and cake, a mother putting her child down for the night. But the everyday is made strange - passing strange, perhaps: those two women (in Mrs Zeno's Paradox) meet across time and space in a variety of cafes as they halve their cake and halve it again, the child is being nursed on Mars, the schoolgirl settling down to play boardgames on a Friday night at her boarding school ends up an Alice in Wonderland style adventure - and in San Franscisco, a sorceress can fold space through origami.
Not all the stories are actually fantasy or science fiction: Woodsmoke, for example, is entirely naturalistic (although infused with a sense of the magical) and Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl while fantastical in setting (a thief, an inn, a quest for treasure) actually contains nothing not rooted in real science (Household Management is similar, though rooted in a different kind of fiction). Many of course are, and in some it's a twist of magic that provides that little glimmer of hope from the future.
As well as the stories themselves, the book contains a shrewd (I think!) introduction form Karen Joy Fowler and a piece by Klages herself describing her approach to writing and the genesis of some of the stories. Both provide useful insights but in the end the stories stand alone in their wit, courage, fellowship and above all, humanity.
This is a collection of stories that I felt better for having read. Strongly recommended.
September 28, 2018
As LaVar said, "This could be an episode of the twilight zone."
May 21, 2023
A mixed bag of short stories. I believe that because I truly disliked the first story about preschooler Lizzy, that feeling colored my judgement of the rest of the collection.
June 5, 2020
3.5 stars, rounded up.
In a nutshell: A mixture of heartbreaking magical melancholy, vintage nostalgia, and forlorn near-futurism.
I saw this in one of io9's upcoming release posts, and the stories that were highlighted sounded interesting enough for me to add it to my to-read list. When I saw that NetGalley had a copy, I figured I'd give it a shot, even though I'm not really much of a short story person.
I'm very glad I had the opportunity to read this, though. While there were many stories that were just "okay" or that fell flat for me, the ones that I loved, I absolutely LOVED. Klages has a way with the zeitgeist and atmosphere of the 50s and 60s; even though I did not live through those decades, I felt immediately transported back to that time period. It made me appreciate even more the social conventions that the characters in some of these stories break, and it made the magical stories even more amazing. Klages' brief Story Notes in the back were also highly enjoyable and they gave a more down-to-earth element to the stories.
Looking over my individual story ratings, I was most drawn to the magical realism stories--most of these reminded me, whether slightly or substantially, of Cat Valente's Fairyland series. Her style is one of my absolute favorites right now, and I loved getting that vibe from another author, who explores the more day-to-day magical realism, rather than the epic questing type.
Here are some brief reviews and reflections on my favorite 5 & 4 stars stories.
~5 stars:
Singing on a Star: This one was amazing--it had the right amount of mysterious magical realism and honest to goodness creepiness. I got lots of The Shining vibes from this, and the mystery that it leaves open at the end lends itself to many different paths of analysis.
Echoes of Aurora: Beautifully melancholic, yet very sweet. It actually made me a bit guilty for liking autumn as much as I do.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's: This was a bit silly, but it was also amazing. It reminded me of Wonderland, but in a slightly more updated sense. Klages also somehow made it possible for Monopoly to seem creepy.
~4 stars
The Education of a Witch: I could definitely relate to this one in a way. I love villains as much as I love the heroes of a story, and I'm always disappointed when their backstories aren't elaborated upon. Klages highlights how the villain's powers are appealing to a young girl, one who knows that these powers are wrong, but still doesn't exactly understand that society doesn't really approve of villain sympathy.
Hey, Presto!: Magic is something very difficult to write convincingly and have it come across as properly magical and creepy, rather than just fancy, pompous showing off. Perhaps it's because this all took place behind the scenes, but this was incredibly well written, and came across with the aura that I love all my magic stories to have. Plus, a strong, snarky female lead who saves the day.
Caligo Lane: The immediate comparison I drew here was to Mr. Map, the character in the Fairyland novels. The same secluded map-making vibe permeates this story, and the addition of origami and the hopeful-yet-sad ending made it even more captivating. Franny is a captivating character, and I'd love to read more about her in Passing Strange.
Gone to the Library: The ending on this one seemed a bit abrupt, but the weaving of history and lit and math was lovely. The cameo by Grace Hopper was awesome, especially since the math story line revolved around the type of math I like (even if I don't fully understand)--paradoxical, imaginary, mind-baffling stuff. The additional of mysticism and very strong Secret Garden vibes gave it a mysterious, slightly unsettling undertone.
~3 stars:
Amicae Aeternum, Sponda the Suet Girl, & Woodsmoke
~2 stars:
Mrs. Zeno's Paradox, Goodnight Moons, Household Management, & The Scary Ham
I had never read any of Klages' works before this, but I'm now definitely intrigued to read more of her works; the recent Passing Strange is now high on my to read list.
Again, I'm very glad I read this, and will be rereading a few of my favorite stories again soon--the aesthetic is memorably fantastic.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
In a nutshell: A mixture of heartbreaking magical melancholy, vintage nostalgia, and forlorn near-futurism.
I saw this in one of io9's upcoming release posts, and the stories that were highlighted sounded interesting enough for me to add it to my to-read list. When I saw that NetGalley had a copy, I figured I'd give it a shot, even though I'm not really much of a short story person.
I'm very glad I had the opportunity to read this, though. While there were many stories that were just "okay" or that fell flat for me, the ones that I loved, I absolutely LOVED. Klages has a way with the zeitgeist and atmosphere of the 50s and 60s; even though I did not live through those decades, I felt immediately transported back to that time period. It made me appreciate even more the social conventions that the characters in some of these stories break, and it made the magical stories even more amazing. Klages' brief Story Notes in the back were also highly enjoyable and they gave a more down-to-earth element to the stories.
Looking over my individual story ratings, I was most drawn to the magical realism stories--most of these reminded me, whether slightly or substantially, of Cat Valente's Fairyland series. Her style is one of my absolute favorites right now, and I loved getting that vibe from another author, who explores the more day-to-day magical realism, rather than the epic questing type.
Here are some brief reviews and reflections on my favorite 5 & 4 stars stories.
~5 stars:
Singing on a Star: This one was amazing--it had the right amount of mysterious magical realism and honest to goodness creepiness. I got lots of The Shining vibes from this, and the mystery that it leaves open at the end lends itself to many different paths of analysis.
Echoes of Aurora: Beautifully melancholic, yet very sweet. It actually made me a bit guilty for liking autumn as much as I do.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's: This was a bit silly, but it was also amazing. It reminded me of Wonderland, but in a slightly more updated sense. Klages also somehow made it possible for Monopoly to seem creepy.
~4 stars
The Education of a Witch: I could definitely relate to this one in a way. I love villains as much as I love the heroes of a story, and I'm always disappointed when their backstories aren't elaborated upon. Klages highlights how the villain's powers are appealing to a young girl, one who knows that these powers are wrong, but still doesn't exactly understand that society doesn't really approve of villain sympathy.
Hey, Presto!: Magic is something very difficult to write convincingly and have it come across as properly magical and creepy, rather than just fancy, pompous showing off. Perhaps it's because this all took place behind the scenes, but this was incredibly well written, and came across with the aura that I love all my magic stories to have. Plus, a strong, snarky female lead who saves the day.
Caligo Lane: The immediate comparison I drew here was to Mr. Map, the character in the Fairyland novels. The same secluded map-making vibe permeates this story, and the addition of origami and the hopeful-yet-sad ending made it even more captivating. Franny is a captivating character, and I'd love to read more about her in Passing Strange.
Gone to the Library: The ending on this one seemed a bit abrupt, but the weaving of history and lit and math was lovely. The cameo by Grace Hopper was awesome, especially since the math story line revolved around the type of math I like (even if I don't fully understand)--paradoxical, imaginary, mind-baffling stuff. The additional of mysticism and very strong Secret Garden vibes gave it a mysterious, slightly unsettling undertone.
~3 stars:
Amicae Aeternum, Sponda the Suet Girl, & Woodsmoke
~2 stars:
Mrs. Zeno's Paradox, Goodnight Moons, Household Management, & The Scary Ham
I had never read any of Klages' works before this, but I'm now definitely intrigued to read more of her works; the recent Passing Strange is now high on my to read list.
Again, I'm very glad I read this, and will be rereading a few of my favorite stories again soon--the aesthetic is memorably fantastic.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
April 4, 2017
I received this ebook free from the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Please see full reviews at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
Please see full reviews at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
March 29, 2017
via my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
"She intends to be a good girl, but shrubs and sheds and unlocked cupboards beckon. In photographs, her eyes sparkle with unspent mischief; the corner of her mouth quirks in a grin. She is energy that cannot abide fences. When she sleeps, her mother smooths a hand over her cheek in affection and relief.”
I am not going to be alone in loving the first story The Education Of A Witch in this collection.. In fact, is it crazy to cling to some malingering hope that Klages might be inspired to write a full novel about this wicked little girl? In another story a girl tumbles into Clue and other childhood games and dice plays a wicked “ROLL” , another two little girls have a sleepover and explore a place in the closest with a strange man named Hollis. All of these stories have a strange little bend in them but the magic isn’t overwhelming, they are ‘curiouser and curiouser’ still. None are as fantastic to me as the first but all are playful in their own right.
In Singing on a Star one could easily manipulate the story, look deeper into it. Could it all be a fantasy a little girl conjured about the sleepover to explain what happened to her friend? That’s the fun part in reading these sort of tales. We can put any meaning we want on them or just enjoy their playfulness. The lovers in Echoes of Aurora filled me with tenderness. Is she in love with a real person or her youth? “Everything was as familiar at it was alien, and in that setting, in the early spring twilight, logic and Rory could not co-exist. Rory smiled, and logic lost.” Logic truly is the murderer of our fantastical childhood. I enjoyed the originality of this collection. So many lyrical/magical stories try too hard, just throwing in weird happenings for the sake of being weird. Not so here. They aren’t outlandish in the telling-they sit just right in their strangeness.
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Tachyon Publications
"She intends to be a good girl, but shrubs and sheds and unlocked cupboards beckon. In photographs, her eyes sparkle with unspent mischief; the corner of her mouth quirks in a grin. She is energy that cannot abide fences. When she sleeps, her mother smooths a hand over her cheek in affection and relief.”
I am not going to be alone in loving the first story The Education Of A Witch in this collection.. In fact, is it crazy to cling to some malingering hope that Klages might be inspired to write a full novel about this wicked little girl? In another story a girl tumbles into Clue and other childhood games and dice plays a wicked “ROLL” , another two little girls have a sleepover and explore a place in the closest with a strange man named Hollis. All of these stories have a strange little bend in them but the magic isn’t overwhelming, they are ‘curiouser and curiouser’ still. None are as fantastic to me as the first but all are playful in their own right.
In Singing on a Star one could easily manipulate the story, look deeper into it. Could it all be a fantasy a little girl conjured about the sleepover to explain what happened to her friend? That’s the fun part in reading these sort of tales. We can put any meaning we want on them or just enjoy their playfulness. The lovers in Echoes of Aurora filled me with tenderness. Is she in love with a real person or her youth? “Everything was as familiar at it was alien, and in that setting, in the early spring twilight, logic and Rory could not co-exist. Rory smiled, and logic lost.” Logic truly is the murderer of our fantastical childhood. I enjoyed the originality of this collection. So many lyrical/magical stories try too hard, just throwing in weird happenings for the sake of being weird. Not so here. They aren’t outlandish in the telling-they sit just right in their strangeness.
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Tachyon Publications
May 25, 2017
Thank You to Tachyon Publications for providing me with an advance copy of Ellen Klages' short story collection, Wicked Wonders, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- In her short story collection, Wicked Wonders, Ellen Klages explores a variety of themes; such as pregnancy in space, teenagers caught in a parallel world of classic board games, and what to do with a twenty-year old ham that has been aging in the basement of your childhood home. Wicked Wonders contains stories in several genres, including high fantasy, science-fiction, and literary fiction. Klages writes stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
LIKE- Wicked Wonders is my first experience with Klages' writing. Although I now realize that she is well-known and award-winning, I had not heard of her prior to this collection. I have added all of her books to my wishlist = must read more now! Wicked Wonders is marvelous. Klages has a unique world-view and her stories are both fresh and surprising. While reading this collection, I felt a range of emotions, from laughing to crying and everything in-between.
I loved that Klages included background info on all of her stories, explaining her inspiration for each. As a fellow writer, I felt relieved to find a kindred spirit in Klages with regard to how she becomes fixated on certain things, especially during research, and that her writing process is a little scattered. She's an amazing writer and hearing about her process gives me hope!
The entire collection is strong, but here are a few of my favorite stories.
The Scary Ham - I didn't realize this was non-fiction as I was reading it, but Klages confirms that this story was autobiographical, about her cleaning out her childhood home after her parents died. In the basement, her father has kept an expensive ham that he has been curing for two decades. Klages and her sister decide to throw a funeral for the ham. It's hilarious. Having dealt with more than my fair share of family death and cleaning out homes, I can relate. I've never found a ham, but there are weird secrets lurking when you start emptying a house, and if you don't laugh about it, you'd probably cry.
Echoes of Aurora- Jo returns to her childhood home after her father dies and meets a mysterious woman, who moves in with her. This story is beautiful and unexpected. I loved the story world, with Jo's family having owned an arcade in a lakeside tourist town. The arcade has not been maintained over the years and it's filled is unusual vintage machines. This mysterious story is a constant battle between decay and life.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's - Rachel is grounded on a Friday night at her Catholic boarding school and her evening is rather dull, until the new housekeeper, Mrs. Llewelyn, invites her to play a game. I loved the creativity in this story, with Rachel finding herself lost in a board game world. Clue is my all-time favorite board game, so I got a kick out of being included. This story is funny and sinister.
Goodnight Moons- Zoe has dreamed of space travel, and after years of hard work and good fortune, she has been picked to go on a colonization mission to Mars. It's suppose to be short-term; years, not a lifetime. However, while Zoe is in space, she learns that she is pregnant and that changes everything. It's hard to choose, but this may be my very favorite in Wicked Wonders. It stuck with me. It made me feel uncomfortable. The part that is troublesome is the reactions that Zoe receives regarding her pregnancy and the shift in her life. Baby aside, other choices now cease to be her own. Her wishes and dreams cease to matter. It's terrifying.
DISLIKE- Nothing. Klages is such a gifted writer, I can't wait to read more of her stories.
RECOMMEND- Yes, yes, yes!!!! Klages is the best "new-to-me" author discovery that I've made in a long time. I have a serious crush on her writing style. I enjoyed the diversity of the stories included in Wicked Wonders. I don't often read fantasy or science-fiction, so it was great to step out of my reading comfort zone.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- In her short story collection, Wicked Wonders, Ellen Klages explores a variety of themes; such as pregnancy in space, teenagers caught in a parallel world of classic board games, and what to do with a twenty-year old ham that has been aging in the basement of your childhood home. Wicked Wonders contains stories in several genres, including high fantasy, science-fiction, and literary fiction. Klages writes stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
LIKE- Wicked Wonders is my first experience with Klages' writing. Although I now realize that she is well-known and award-winning, I had not heard of her prior to this collection. I have added all of her books to my wishlist = must read more now! Wicked Wonders is marvelous. Klages has a unique world-view and her stories are both fresh and surprising. While reading this collection, I felt a range of emotions, from laughing to crying and everything in-between.
I loved that Klages included background info on all of her stories, explaining her inspiration for each. As a fellow writer, I felt relieved to find a kindred spirit in Klages with regard to how she becomes fixated on certain things, especially during research, and that her writing process is a little scattered. She's an amazing writer and hearing about her process gives me hope!
The entire collection is strong, but here are a few of my favorite stories.
The Scary Ham - I didn't realize this was non-fiction as I was reading it, but Klages confirms that this story was autobiographical, about her cleaning out her childhood home after her parents died. In the basement, her father has kept an expensive ham that he has been curing for two decades. Klages and her sister decide to throw a funeral for the ham. It's hilarious. Having dealt with more than my fair share of family death and cleaning out homes, I can relate. I've never found a ham, but there are weird secrets lurking when you start emptying a house, and if you don't laugh about it, you'd probably cry.
Echoes of Aurora- Jo returns to her childhood home after her father dies and meets a mysterious woman, who moves in with her. This story is beautiful and unexpected. I loved the story world, with Jo's family having owned an arcade in a lakeside tourist town. The arcade has not been maintained over the years and it's filled is unusual vintage machines. This mysterious story is a constant battle between decay and life.
Friday Night at St. Cecilia's - Rachel is grounded on a Friday night at her Catholic boarding school and her evening is rather dull, until the new housekeeper, Mrs. Llewelyn, invites her to play a game. I loved the creativity in this story, with Rachel finding herself lost in a board game world. Clue is my all-time favorite board game, so I got a kick out of being included. This story is funny and sinister.
Goodnight Moons- Zoe has dreamed of space travel, and after years of hard work and good fortune, she has been picked to go on a colonization mission to Mars. It's suppose to be short-term; years, not a lifetime. However, while Zoe is in space, she learns that she is pregnant and that changes everything. It's hard to choose, but this may be my very favorite in Wicked Wonders. It stuck with me. It made me feel uncomfortable. The part that is troublesome is the reactions that Zoe receives regarding her pregnancy and the shift in her life. Baby aside, other choices now cease to be her own. Her wishes and dreams cease to matter. It's terrifying.
DISLIKE- Nothing. Klages is such a gifted writer, I can't wait to read more of her stories.
RECOMMEND- Yes, yes, yes!!!! Klages is the best "new-to-me" author discovery that I've made in a long time. I have a serious crush on her writing style. I enjoyed the diversity of the stories included in Wicked Wonders. I don't often read fantasy or science-fiction, so it was great to step out of my reading comfort zone.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
May 11, 2017
After reading Ellen Klages’s Passing Strange, I decided to check out more of her work. Wicked Wonders is a collection of her short stories, spanning many different genres. Many of these stories are set in the past, seen from a child’s perspective. Writing from the point of view of children can be tricky, but I think Klages handles it phenomenally.
There’s one story that I could swear I read before, but for the life of me I can’t figure out where – “Education of a Witch.” In this story, a four year old girl sees the then new movie Sleeping Beauty and becomes fascinated with Maleficent. She’s powerful and fashionable. She can turn into a dragon, and she has her own castle. Why be a princess when you can be a witch? The story works on a broader level as a criticism of the limited roles available for girls. Given the narrow categories available for women of the time, there’s an appeal to stepping outside the acceptable and becoming a witch.
I found some of the other stories also looked at the limitations placed upon girls and how their families try to restrict them to socially acceptable roles. In “Woodsmoke” a girl relishes her summers spent at camp, where she gets to live truly as herself without restricting herself to her mother’s standards of what’s acceptably feminine. The story chronicles her love for summer camp and her blossoming feelings for another girl. This story is beautifully written and will stick with me for a long time. However, I did think the way it used the existence of intersex people as a plot twist could be considered exploitative.
I wasn’t a huge fan of either of the two science fiction stories. “Amicae Aeternum” is the last morning of two best friends, before one of them has to board a generation ship and leave Earth forever. In “Goodnight Moons” an astronaut on a trip to Mars discovers that she’s pregnant. Like all of Klages stories, the writing is lovely, but for whatever reason they don’t appeal. Maybe I have different expectations for science fiction than for her more historical stories.
While most of the stories are serious in tone, there’s a couple of more humorous takes. In “Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl,” a down on his luck thief acquires a magic map that he’s told leads to a wizard’s hideout. This wizard is said to posses the pearl that the emperor is asking a fortune for. In actuality, the pearl is a recipe for artificial fat and the wizard is a young woman who’s using her knowledge of chemistry to try and create it. When the thief comes sniffing around, she and her girlfriend set a plan in motion.
The other more humorous tale is actually non-fiction. When technical difficulties were causing delays in the Nebula Awards, Ellen Klages went up on stage and entertained the audience by telling them about a ham her father had hanging in his basement for years, “The Scary Ham.”
I could see traces of the life experience Klages described in “The Scary Ham” (cleaning out the house of a parent who has passed) in one of the fictional stories, “Echoes of Aurora.” In this story, an older woman arrives to clean out her childhood home and ends up spending the entire summer with the mysterious woman she finds there.
Other stories include the subtly creepy “Singing on a Star,” the historical “Hey, Presto!,” the origin of a character from Passing Strange in “Caligo Lane,” the mind bending “Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox,” the magic of math in “Gone to the Library,” becoming literally immersed in board games with “Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s,” and a closer look at Sherlock Holmes’s landlady in “Household Management.”
Ellen Klages is a phenomenally skilled writer with the miraculous ability to immerse her readers into nostalgic years of childhoods passed. Her stories also have a clear feminist bent, with the focus on the lives of smart and strong willed women. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Wicked Wonders.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
There’s one story that I could swear I read before, but for the life of me I can’t figure out where – “Education of a Witch.” In this story, a four year old girl sees the then new movie Sleeping Beauty and becomes fascinated with Maleficent. She’s powerful and fashionable. She can turn into a dragon, and she has her own castle. Why be a princess when you can be a witch? The story works on a broader level as a criticism of the limited roles available for girls. Given the narrow categories available for women of the time, there’s an appeal to stepping outside the acceptable and becoming a witch.
I found some of the other stories also looked at the limitations placed upon girls and how their families try to restrict them to socially acceptable roles. In “Woodsmoke” a girl relishes her summers spent at camp, where she gets to live truly as herself without restricting herself to her mother’s standards of what’s acceptably feminine. The story chronicles her love for summer camp and her blossoming feelings for another girl. This story is beautifully written and will stick with me for a long time. However, I did think the way it used the existence of intersex people as a plot twist could be considered exploitative.
I wasn’t a huge fan of either of the two science fiction stories. “Amicae Aeternum” is the last morning of two best friends, before one of them has to board a generation ship and leave Earth forever. In “Goodnight Moons” an astronaut on a trip to Mars discovers that she’s pregnant. Like all of Klages stories, the writing is lovely, but for whatever reason they don’t appeal. Maybe I have different expectations for science fiction than for her more historical stories.
While most of the stories are serious in tone, there’s a couple of more humorous takes. In “Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl,” a down on his luck thief acquires a magic map that he’s told leads to a wizard’s hideout. This wizard is said to posses the pearl that the emperor is asking a fortune for. In actuality, the pearl is a recipe for artificial fat and the wizard is a young woman who’s using her knowledge of chemistry to try and create it. When the thief comes sniffing around, she and her girlfriend set a plan in motion.
The other more humorous tale is actually non-fiction. When technical difficulties were causing delays in the Nebula Awards, Ellen Klages went up on stage and entertained the audience by telling them about a ham her father had hanging in his basement for years, “The Scary Ham.”
I could see traces of the life experience Klages described in “The Scary Ham” (cleaning out the house of a parent who has passed) in one of the fictional stories, “Echoes of Aurora.” In this story, an older woman arrives to clean out her childhood home and ends up spending the entire summer with the mysterious woman she finds there.
Other stories include the subtly creepy “Singing on a Star,” the historical “Hey, Presto!,” the origin of a character from Passing Strange in “Caligo Lane,” the mind bending “Mrs. Zeno’s Paradox,” the magic of math in “Gone to the Library,” becoming literally immersed in board games with “Friday Night at St. Cecilia’s,” and a closer look at Sherlock Holmes’s landlady in “Household Management.”
Ellen Klages is a phenomenally skilled writer with the miraculous ability to immerse her readers into nostalgic years of childhoods passed. Her stories also have a clear feminist bent, with the focus on the lives of smart and strong willed women. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Wicked Wonders.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
April 9, 2017
3.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
A collection of small-scale, lightly speculative stories often set in the mid 20th centrury, by Ellen Klages.
I first read Ellen Klages' work in the Firebirds Soaring anthology, but her name didn't catch my eye until I read her collaboration with Andy Duncan, Wakulla Springs, at Tor.com. While far outside my usual range of interests (it's very Hollywood-focused), I was struck by the writing, and I ran across a few more of her stories that were equally impressive. So, I picked up this collection with some interest.
Mostly, my expectations were met. Klages is a talented writer who likes to focus on small events and is more interested in the suggestion of magic than in magic itself. Her stories have a Clifford Simak-y attention to ordinary people in ordinary settings that's very appealing. It works well, but it is disappointing that she rarely (as she notes in the afterword) ventures outside this comfort zone. When she does (as in ...), it often works just as well.
The best stories in the collection are:
Amicae Aeternum - two good friends share some final moments before one departs forever
Hey, Presto! - a young woman studying science becomes her stage magician father's reluctant assistant
Caligo Lane - a San Francisco mapmaker enables travel for others
Gone to the Library - a young girl visits her unusual neighbour, and they attempt magic
From the copyright notes, this collection gives the impression that Klages' writing has been singlehandedly supported by Jonathan Strahan - virtually all of the stories appeared first under his editorship. That's good for us, because the stories deserve attention. This is a strong selection of intimate stories about people who live in hope of magic, if not always its reality.
A collection of small-scale, lightly speculative stories often set in the mid 20th centrury, by Ellen Klages.
I first read Ellen Klages' work in the Firebirds Soaring anthology, but her name didn't catch my eye until I read her collaboration with Andy Duncan, Wakulla Springs, at Tor.com. While far outside my usual range of interests (it's very Hollywood-focused), I was struck by the writing, and I ran across a few more of her stories that were equally impressive. So, I picked up this collection with some interest.
Mostly, my expectations were met. Klages is a talented writer who likes to focus on small events and is more interested in the suggestion of magic than in magic itself. Her stories have a Clifford Simak-y attention to ordinary people in ordinary settings that's very appealing. It works well, but it is disappointing that she rarely (as she notes in the afterword) ventures outside this comfort zone. When she does (as in ...), it often works just as well.
The best stories in the collection are:
Amicae Aeternum - two good friends share some final moments before one departs forever
Hey, Presto! - a young woman studying science becomes her stage magician father's reluctant assistant
Caligo Lane - a San Francisco mapmaker enables travel for others
Gone to the Library - a young girl visits her unusual neighbour, and they attempt magic
From the copyright notes, this collection gives the impression that Klages' writing has been singlehandedly supported by Jonathan Strahan - virtually all of the stories appeared first under his editorship. That's good for us, because the stories deserve attention. This is a strong selection of intimate stories about people who live in hope of magic, if not always its reality.
Read
July 7, 2017Short story collections are almost always a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the earlier stories like 'The Education of a witch,' which follows a a young girl's love for Maleficent despite social pressures. Also, 'Amicae Aeternum,' which is a nostalgic story about friends sharing dreams and worries before one of them leaves the other behind to live on a generation ship. 'Echoes of Aurora' is a whimsical f/f love story that follows two older lovers. Finally, 'Goodnight Moons' is a more futuristic story with a wistful take on what it's like to raise a family on Mars, which I appreciated.
'Gone to the library' is an intriguing story but I found that even though The Lo Shu square was referenced, I disliked how a character dismissed the Chinese legend (on Emperor Yu) around it. Additionally, in the story 'Woodsmoke,' the description of the Xo Dang people of Vietnam as 'primitive' is a problematic outsider perspective. The girls in the summer camp also ignorantly call their friendship group a 'tribe,' which is appropriative of Indigenous cultures. The term 'tribe' has significant cultural meaning. Alternatively, someone could have corrected the youths in the story and/or used another term with an inclusive meaning like 'club.'
'Woodsmoke,' shows the effects of homophobia upon important friendships/relationships in youth. However, a trigger warning for the problematic ending as the revelation that one of the characters is intersex is written as a plot twist. This twist is filtered through other character's perspectives, so the reader does not get to see much of the affected character's perspective on being miss-assigned a gender at birth. The doctor's perspective on gender is also binary oriented. E.g. The doctor immediately assigned the person with another binary gender without consulting them on intersexuality at the end.
I recommend some of the earlier stories for readers interested in magic but with notes on the latter stories in mind.
'Gone to the library' is an intriguing story but I found that even though The Lo Shu square was referenced, I disliked how a character dismissed the Chinese legend (on Emperor Yu) around it. Additionally, in the story 'Woodsmoke,' the description of the Xo Dang people of Vietnam as 'primitive' is a problematic outsider perspective. The girls in the summer camp also ignorantly call their friendship group a 'tribe,' which is appropriative of Indigenous cultures. The term 'tribe' has significant cultural meaning. Alternatively, someone could have corrected the youths in the story and/or used another term with an inclusive meaning like 'club.'
'Woodsmoke,' shows the effects of homophobia upon important friendships/relationships in youth. However, a trigger warning for the problematic ending as the revelation that one of the characters is intersex is written as a plot twist. This twist is filtered through other character's perspectives, so the reader does not get to see much of the affected character's perspective on being miss-assigned a gender at birth. The doctor's perspective on gender is also binary oriented. E.g. The doctor immediately assigned the person with another binary gender without consulting them on intersexuality at the end.
I recommend some of the earlier stories for readers interested in magic but with notes on the latter stories in mind.
September 13, 2017
This book of short stories came highly recommended. I haven't read short stories in ages and this made me realize how much I miss it.
Many of the stories focus on girl children who just don't fit in with parents who just don't get her. Most of the stories have a little magical or science fiction theme and some are historical.
Some of my favorites are: Singing On A Star. This is the ultimate "don't take candy from strangers" story and it is Stephen King-worthy. It's based on a Sterling Holloway song Klages heard as a kid. I was going to look it up on YouTube but I didn't think I'd be able to sleep afterwards.
Echoes of Aurora is an unusual love story about the seasons and what we leave behind when we pass from the planet.
Household Management was a hilarious Sherlockian piece with a twist.
I enjoyed Hey Presto? Because of the relationship between father and daughter and because I love everything to do with stage magic.
Woodsmoke is an ode to youth and to summer camps with a whomper of an ending. I had to read the last pages twice.
My favorite story by far is Goodnight Moons, about an astronaut who discovers she is pregnant during a mission to Mars. This story left me feeling the way I did the first time I read The Cold Equations and discovered science fiction could be both beautiful and terrifying, joyful and tragic. In short, all of the feels. Goodnight Moons is a true masterpiece of a story.
I read this off and on during hurricane panic, hurricane prep, hurricane evacuation and during the hurricane itself. Klages was an excellent choice for the situations!
Many of the stories focus on girl children who just don't fit in with parents who just don't get her. Most of the stories have a little magical or science fiction theme and some are historical.
Some of my favorites are: Singing On A Star. This is the ultimate "don't take candy from strangers" story and it is Stephen King-worthy. It's based on a Sterling Holloway song Klages heard as a kid. I was going to look it up on YouTube but I didn't think I'd be able to sleep afterwards.
Echoes of Aurora is an unusual love story about the seasons and what we leave behind when we pass from the planet.
Household Management was a hilarious Sherlockian piece with a twist.
I enjoyed Hey Presto? Because of the relationship between father and daughter and because I love everything to do with stage magic.
Woodsmoke is an ode to youth and to summer camps with a whomper of an ending. I had to read the last pages twice.
My favorite story by far is Goodnight Moons, about an astronaut who discovers she is pregnant during a mission to Mars. This story left me feeling the way I did the first time I read The Cold Equations and discovered science fiction could be both beautiful and terrifying, joyful and tragic. In short, all of the feels. Goodnight Moons is a true masterpiece of a story.
I read this off and on during hurricane panic, hurricane prep, hurricane evacuation and during the hurricane itself. Klages was an excellent choice for the situations!
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