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Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean
Nineteen contributors from India and Australia—including Printz Award–winning author Margo Lanagan and New York Times bestsellers Justine Larbalestier and Samhita Arnir—team up to create a “rare treat of speculative literature” in this groundbreaking feminist collection that “bursts with imagination” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review).
A post-apocalyptic Little Red Riding Hood. Girls and boys turning the tables on creepy old cat-callers. Female pirates rescuing abused women. A futuristic cooking show.
These are just a few of the stories told in Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean , a feminist speculative fiction collection, born of a collaboration between Australian and Indian writers. Finding themselves inspired to action after crimes against women dominated national conversations, the editors of this collection paired writers and illustrators from India and Australia together to write stories, graphic novels, and even a play that reimagine what girls can be and see themselves as.
The results are stunning. Some of the authors worked together, some wrote stories along a similar theme, but all seventeen stories blend magical realism and self-confidence in a powerful and inspiring way.
A post-apocalyptic Little Red Riding Hood. Girls and boys turning the tables on creepy old cat-callers. Female pirates rescuing abused women. A futuristic cooking show.
These are just a few of the stories told in Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean , a feminist speculative fiction collection, born of a collaboration between Australian and Indian writers. Finding themselves inspired to action after crimes against women dominated national conversations, the editors of this collection paired writers and illustrators from India and Australia together to write stories, graphic novels, and even a play that reimagine what girls can be and see themselves as.
The results are stunning. Some of the authors worked together, some wrote stories along a similar theme, but all seventeen stories blend magical realism and self-confidence in a powerful and inspiring way.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2015
35 people are currently reading
1689 people want to read
About the author
Kirsty Murray
27 books66 followersKirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Her works include eleven novels as well as non-fiction, junior fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction and picture books. She loves books, libraries, bookshops, readers, writers, puddles, puppies, and stories – especially stories about kids and teenagers. Her 2019 releases included the non-fiction title 'Kids Who Did' and a gorgeous new picture book 'When Billy was a Dog', illustrated by Karen Blair. 'Strangers on Country', by Kirsty & Dave Hartley with stunning illustrations by Dub Leffler was published in 2020.
You can find me all over the internet. There's stacks of information on my website at:
hhtps://www.kirstymurray.com
and I'm on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/kirstymurrayauthor
and Twitter:
http://twitter.com/kirstymurray
You can find me all over the internet. There's stacks of information on my website at:
hhtps://www.kirstymurray.com
and I'm on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/kirstymurrayauthor
and Twitter:
http://twitter.com/kirstymurray
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
June 30, 2018
The impetus behind this collection of short stories were violent crimes against young women and the resulting conversations people were having in 2012 in India and Australia. The editors assembled a number of authors and illustrators and had them collaborate on stories with a feminist slant. While I liked some of the stories, I found the collection uneven, but could appreciate what the creators were doing, and actually wished some of the stories had been longer so that the artists could have developed their ideas more deeply.
-Cat Calls (Margo Lanagan) 4*
-Swallow the Moon (Kate Constable, Priya Kuriyan) 3.5*
-Little Red Suit (Justine Larbalestier) 3.5*
-Cooking Time (Anita Roy) 4*
-Anarkali (Annie Zaidi, Mandy Ort (illustrator)) 3*
-Cast Out (Samhita Arni) 4*
-Weft (Alyssa Brugman) 4*
-The Wednesday Room (Kuzhali Manickavel, Lily Mae Martin (illustrator)) 3*
-Cool (Manjula Padmanabhan) 3*
-Appetite (Amruta Patil) 3.5*
-Mirror Perfect (Kirsty Murray) 3*
-Arctic Light (Vandana Singh) 4* (probably my favourite of the shorts)
-The Runners (Isabelle Carmody, Prabha Mallya (illustrator)) 3.5*
-The Blooming (Manjula Padmanabhan and Kirsty Murray) 2.5*
-What a Stone Can't Feel (Penni Russon) 3*
-Memory Lace (Payal Dhar) 3.5*
-Backstage Pass (Nicki Greenberg) 3.5*
-Cat Calls (Margo Lanagan) 4*
-Swallow the Moon (Kate Constable, Priya Kuriyan) 3.5*
-Little Red Suit (Justine Larbalestier) 3.5*
-Cooking Time (Anita Roy) 4*
-Anarkali (Annie Zaidi, Mandy Ort (illustrator)) 3*
-Cast Out (Samhita Arni) 4*
-Weft (Alyssa Brugman) 4*
-The Wednesday Room (Kuzhali Manickavel, Lily Mae Martin (illustrator)) 3*
-Cool (Manjula Padmanabhan) 3*
-Appetite (Amruta Patil) 3.5*
-Mirror Perfect (Kirsty Murray) 3*
-Arctic Light (Vandana Singh) 4* (probably my favourite of the shorts)
-The Runners (Isabelle Carmody, Prabha Mallya (illustrator)) 3.5*
-The Blooming (Manjula Padmanabhan and Kirsty Murray) 2.5*
-What a Stone Can't Feel (Penni Russon) 3*
-Memory Lace (Payal Dhar) 3.5*
-Backstage Pass (Nicki Greenberg) 3.5*
February 10, 2015
*This review also appears on my blog Genie In A Book*
Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean holds a collection of stories just as captivating as its title. Compiled by a variety of authors from Australia and India, it is something that had a charm and allure from the very first pages. The graphic sections were just as fascinating to read into as the words on the page, and I can honestly say that each and every section was brilliantly done.
The book in itself is an inspiration, and challenging the role of young women in society. There were often subverted versions of the stereotypical patriarchal set-up in different situations, which was altogether fascinating. What's interesting about having short stories in an anthology like this is that even on their own they are so powerful. I could sense each author's different style coming through as I went along experiencing all the worlds they had created. That being said, within the plots themselves; the collaborations were seamless and it's wonderful to see such talented female writers pair up to bring their ideas together and weave something so special. While I wished that the graphic stories had been illustrated in colour in some places, I nonetheless found them engrossing, with a surreal edge.
Another lovely addition were perspectives from the authors themselves at the back of the book about how they felt about collaborating with each other. It's obviously a different experience from working solo, and it was interesting to read about how their original concepts were moulded into the finished product.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Phenomenally original, innovative and inspiring, Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean was just as spectacular as I hoped it would be. It has brought speculative fiction into a whole new light, where the words, concepts and illustrations converge in a beautiful work which I'd recommend to everybody.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean holds a collection of stories just as captivating as its title. Compiled by a variety of authors from Australia and India, it is something that had a charm and allure from the very first pages. The graphic sections were just as fascinating to read into as the words on the page, and I can honestly say that each and every section was brilliantly done.
The book in itself is an inspiration, and challenging the role of young women in society. There were often subverted versions of the stereotypical patriarchal set-up in different situations, which was altogether fascinating. What's interesting about having short stories in an anthology like this is that even on their own they are so powerful. I could sense each author's different style coming through as I went along experiencing all the worlds they had created. That being said, within the plots themselves; the collaborations were seamless and it's wonderful to see such talented female writers pair up to bring their ideas together and weave something so special. While I wished that the graphic stories had been illustrated in colour in some places, I nonetheless found them engrossing, with a surreal edge.
Another lovely addition were perspectives from the authors themselves at the back of the book about how they felt about collaborating with each other. It's obviously a different experience from working solo, and it was interesting to read about how their original concepts were moulded into the finished product.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Phenomenally original, innovative and inspiring, Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean was just as spectacular as I hoped it would be. It has brought speculative fiction into a whole new light, where the words, concepts and illustrations converge in a beautiful work which I'd recommend to everybody.
July 22, 2015
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/02/a...
Eat The Sky, Drink The Ocean is a compilation of both whimsical and illustrated short stories from both Australian and Indian Authors that stemmed from the power of women all around the world. Each story is based on a dystopian alternate reality and range from the engaging and quirky, to the strange yet enthralling. From the Australian dystopian story by Justine Larbalestier, author of Razorhurst comes Little Red Suit. The storyline follows Poppy, a girl who lives underground after decades of drought. Now cities are nothing more than ruins, which Poppy will need to navigate to reach her grandmother's house. Taking inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood, it's unique and packs a real punch. I would love to see it developed into a full length novel.
Each story wavers between dystopian, fantasy and magic realism, And although each are written by a different author, compliment each other beautifully. I loved the inclusion of the illustrated stories, but none more so than Swallow The Moon which is written and illustrated by Kate Constable and Priya Kuriyan. It tells the story of a community who now calls the forest home, where the young women make the long journey to the ocean, where they participate in a naming ceremony in the waters above a submerged civilization. A strong environmental message, it's powerful and beautifully illustrated.
Cooking Time is a quirky take on the worldwide Masterchef. In a world where citizens are fed by nutrition packs, the show offers contestants the opportunity to travel back through time to locations all over the world, where fresh food was still available. Contestants are the envy of the nation.
With seventeen incredible stories, including six beautifully illustrated from authors such as Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar, Anita Roy, Samhita Arni, Alyssa Brugman, Isobelle Carmody, Kate Constable, Nicki Greenberg, Priya Kuriyan, Margo Lanagan, Justine Larbalestier and more. This compilation is the perfect gift for lovers of the written word. I loved it. Overall, it was incredibly engaging and charming and the transition from each story flowed beautifully from the selection of authors that complimented one another. One of the best young adult anthologies published.
Eat The Sky, Drink The Ocean is a compilation of both whimsical and illustrated short stories from both Australian and Indian Authors that stemmed from the power of women all around the world. Each story is based on a dystopian alternate reality and range from the engaging and quirky, to the strange yet enthralling. From the Australian dystopian story by Justine Larbalestier, author of Razorhurst comes Little Red Suit. The storyline follows Poppy, a girl who lives underground after decades of drought. Now cities are nothing more than ruins, which Poppy will need to navigate to reach her grandmother's house. Taking inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood, it's unique and packs a real punch. I would love to see it developed into a full length novel.
Each story wavers between dystopian, fantasy and magic realism, And although each are written by a different author, compliment each other beautifully. I loved the inclusion of the illustrated stories, but none more so than Swallow The Moon which is written and illustrated by Kate Constable and Priya Kuriyan. It tells the story of a community who now calls the forest home, where the young women make the long journey to the ocean, where they participate in a naming ceremony in the waters above a submerged civilization. A strong environmental message, it's powerful and beautifully illustrated.
Cooking Time is a quirky take on the worldwide Masterchef. In a world where citizens are fed by nutrition packs, the show offers contestants the opportunity to travel back through time to locations all over the world, where fresh food was still available. Contestants are the envy of the nation.
With seventeen incredible stories, including six beautifully illustrated from authors such as Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar, Anita Roy, Samhita Arni, Alyssa Brugman, Isobelle Carmody, Kate Constable, Nicki Greenberg, Priya Kuriyan, Margo Lanagan, Justine Larbalestier and more. This compilation is the perfect gift for lovers of the written word. I loved it. Overall, it was incredibly engaging and charming and the transition from each story flowed beautifully from the selection of authors that complimented one another. One of the best young adult anthologies published.
May 5, 2015
The best speculative fiction - if not, by its very nature, all speculative fiction - explores issues of social justice and ethics, often along the lines of discrimination, prejudice and, beyond that, cloning, robotics - all things that ultimately lead to that unanswerable question: what does it mean to be human?
In 2012, a young medical student was travelling on a bus with a male friend in Delhi, India, when the five men and one teenaged boy on board beat her friend and dragged her to the back of the bus, to endure forty-five minutes of rape and assault. She died. The incident isn't isolated, but it's very blatant cruelty sparked protests and women-driven calls for change all across India. India may have a more obvious patriarchal ideology than Western countries like Australia, but when the bus driver in this particular case said in an interview that women are to blame for being raped, well that's not an Indian attitude at all. You here people - not only men, sadly - say the same thing in Western countries. Around the same time, a young Melbourne woman was raped and killed while walking home. We have a long way to go yet, in gender equality and respecting women.
Out of tragedy often comes something good, though, and one such example is Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean, an anthology of shorts stories, graphic novel shorts, and one script written in collaboration between Australian and Indian women writers and illustrators. The title, according to the editors,
Some of the contributors will be familiar to you; for me, an Aussie, the fact that my favourite author - Isobelle Carmody - was a contributor meant that I had to move this right to the top of my to-read list (I started reading it as soon as I got it, and actually finished it three days later - quite a feat for me at present!). Other names I recognised included Justine Larbalestier (I loved Liar ) and Margo Lanagan (ditto for Tender Morsels ). But I was blown away by so many of these authors and illustrators, unknown to me; I was truly inspired.
The anthology starts off strongly with the graphic short story, "Swallow the Moon", written by Kate Constable and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. It is an uplifting, mystical sort of story, a story of hope and renewal around a deep core of tragedy. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, everything we know - all our 'stuff' - is gone; all that remains is the rubbish that drifts onto the beaches. The story was articulately told and beautifully illustrated.
It is from this story that the stunning cover illustration comes, too. It sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the anthology, which shows an impressive diversity of ideas and imagination, all linked by this common thread of a girl's place - and often, a boy's too - in society. Some of the other stories that stood out to me include "Memory Lace" by Payal Dhar - I am so a product of my society that I didn't see the 'twist' in that story! - "Anarkali" by Annie Zaidi and Mandy Orr, a graphic short story about a farming girl who is entombed alive for falling in love with the prince. She discovers she has the strength to escape, if she becomes one with her surroundings. In "Cast Out" by Samhita Arni, the familiar trope of exile into certain death for girls who exhibit sorcery - simply because it is not allowed - is given a strong, encouraging and hopeful ending when Karthini discovers a world in which she can be herself. In fact, that idea of finding your place, accepting yourself and being accepted by others, recurs in a number of these stories.
Several flip the gender imbalance on its head, like "The Runners" by Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya, which also explores the idea of what it means to be human. As in some of the other stories, the central message is that how we perceive ourselves affects how we are perceived by others, and vice versa. If you are seen as human (meaning you are treated as one), you will be human.
Larbalestier's short story, "Little Red Suit" is a post-apocalyptic retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood"; it's not the only story to play around with well-known storylines and tropes. Environmentalism is also a running theme throughout this anthology, and it ties in well with the editors' comment about being connected to the planet. It made me think, what would this anthology look like if, keeping the same purpose and ideas and focus on girls, it was written by male authors? Because sometimes I wonder at that gender gap, that difference in perception that seems so hard to shift. What insights would we get? How do they see us, really?
Two of the stories - "Weft" and "Mirror Perfect" - deal with our contemporary society's obsession with appearance, and what we are willing to sacrifice for it. "Cooking Time", which I loved, questioned the point of survival for the sake of it, if there's nothing to enjoy. "Back-stage Pass", by Nicki Greenberg, is a short graphic story about Ophelia, and why she threw herself into the water, and the power of self that we gain when we take control of how we're 'written': how others perceive us, and the direction our lives take.
Each story offers something different to the conversation, in different styles and from different perspectives and genres. Some I loved, a couple I didn't quite click with, but overall, they showed how diverse we all are, women and men, girls and boys. We all have something worthwhile to offer the world. We can find safety and harmony and joy in working together and loving each other. And, ultimately, change is possible.
In 2012, a young medical student was travelling on a bus with a male friend in Delhi, India, when the five men and one teenaged boy on board beat her friend and dragged her to the back of the bus, to endure forty-five minutes of rape and assault. She died. The incident isn't isolated, but it's very blatant cruelty sparked protests and women-driven calls for change all across India. India may have a more obvious patriarchal ideology than Western countries like Australia, but when the bus driver in this particular case said in an interview that women are to blame for being raped, well that's not an Indian attitude at all. You here people - not only men, sadly - say the same thing in Western countries. Around the same time, a young Melbourne woman was raped and killed while walking home. We have a long way to go yet, in gender equality and respecting women.
Out of tragedy often comes something good, though, and one such example is Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean, an anthology of shorts stories, graphic novel shorts, and one script written in collaboration between Australian and Indian women writers and illustrators. The title, according to the editors,
"suggested impossibilities, dreams, ambitions and a connection to something larger than humanity alone. ... This collection of stories embraces the idea of not just eating pie but of taking big, hungry mouthfuls of life and embracing the world. It's about the desire to have and do impossible things, especially things that girls aren't meant to do. We asked our contributors to re-imagine the world, to mess with the boundaries of the possible and the probable. ... Ultimately, this is a book about connections - between Australia and India, between men and women, between the past, the present, the future and the planet that we all share. If we had to name one thing we learnt in the process of making this anthology, it's the fact that when you eat the sky and drink the ocean, you are part of the earth: everything's connected." (Introduction, pages vii-ix)
Some of the contributors will be familiar to you; for me, an Aussie, the fact that my favourite author - Isobelle Carmody - was a contributor meant that I had to move this right to the top of my to-read list (I started reading it as soon as I got it, and actually finished it three days later - quite a feat for me at present!). Other names I recognised included Justine Larbalestier (I loved Liar ) and Margo Lanagan (ditto for Tender Morsels ). But I was blown away by so many of these authors and illustrators, unknown to me; I was truly inspired.
The anthology starts off strongly with the graphic short story, "Swallow the Moon", written by Kate Constable and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. It is an uplifting, mystical sort of story, a story of hope and renewal around a deep core of tragedy. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, everything we know - all our 'stuff' - is gone; all that remains is the rubbish that drifts onto the beaches. The story was articulately told and beautifully illustrated.
It is from this story that the stunning cover illustration comes, too. It sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the anthology, which shows an impressive diversity of ideas and imagination, all linked by this common thread of a girl's place - and often, a boy's too - in society. Some of the other stories that stood out to me include "Memory Lace" by Payal Dhar - I am so a product of my society that I didn't see the 'twist' in that story! - "Anarkali" by Annie Zaidi and Mandy Orr, a graphic short story about a farming girl who is entombed alive for falling in love with the prince. She discovers she has the strength to escape, if she becomes one with her surroundings. In "Cast Out" by Samhita Arni, the familiar trope of exile into certain death for girls who exhibit sorcery - simply because it is not allowed - is given a strong, encouraging and hopeful ending when Karthini discovers a world in which she can be herself. In fact, that idea of finding your place, accepting yourself and being accepted by others, recurs in a number of these stories.
Several flip the gender imbalance on its head, like "The Runners" by Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya, which also explores the idea of what it means to be human. As in some of the other stories, the central message is that how we perceive ourselves affects how we are perceived by others, and vice versa. If you are seen as human (meaning you are treated as one), you will be human.
Larbalestier's short story, "Little Red Suit" is a post-apocalyptic retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood"; it's not the only story to play around with well-known storylines and tropes. Environmentalism is also a running theme throughout this anthology, and it ties in well with the editors' comment about being connected to the planet. It made me think, what would this anthology look like if, keeping the same purpose and ideas and focus on girls, it was written by male authors? Because sometimes I wonder at that gender gap, that difference in perception that seems so hard to shift. What insights would we get? How do they see us, really?
Two of the stories - "Weft" and "Mirror Perfect" - deal with our contemporary society's obsession with appearance, and what we are willing to sacrifice for it. "Cooking Time", which I loved, questioned the point of survival for the sake of it, if there's nothing to enjoy. "Back-stage Pass", by Nicki Greenberg, is a short graphic story about Ophelia, and why she threw herself into the water, and the power of self that we gain when we take control of how we're 'written': how others perceive us, and the direction our lives take.
Each story offers something different to the conversation, in different styles and from different perspectives and genres. Some I loved, a couple I didn't quite click with, but overall, they showed how diverse we all are, women and men, girls and boys. We all have something worthwhile to offer the world. We can find safety and harmony and joy in working together and loving each other. And, ultimately, change is possible.
June 16, 2017
I saw this at the library and decided it looked interesting. I had not heard about it before seeing it on display. It is a fascinating combination of narrative short stories and graphic shorts created by Australian and Indian authors and illustrators. The point of the book is to highlight struggles of teen girls with harassment. The book came out of a series of events that occurred close together in both countries where teen girls were the victims. Many of the stories depict a future where girls are still having to deal with the every day terrors of misogyny. All of them are empowering. The art in the graphic stories is all excellent. There were stories I enjoyed more than others, but they were all incredibly good.
January 29, 2015
Actual rating 3.5
Short story anthologies are a wonderful creation; the reader either follows their favourite authors to an anthology, or they’re drawn in by the theme, but they inevitably discover new authors to keep an eye on. This collection is no exception.
This collection presents seventeen stories set to break stereotypes, cross boundaries, and examine what it means to be human. With seventeen stories, there are too many to give an entire run down, but even the less captivating of this bunch were certainly not a bad read.
The rest of this review can be found here!
Short story anthologies are a wonderful creation; the reader either follows their favourite authors to an anthology, or they’re drawn in by the theme, but they inevitably discover new authors to keep an eye on. This collection is no exception.
This collection presents seventeen stories set to break stereotypes, cross boundaries, and examine what it means to be human. With seventeen stories, there are too many to give an entire run down, but even the less captivating of this bunch were certainly not a bad read.
The rest of this review can be found here!
February 18, 2017
Where, oh where, to begin?
Let's see. The primary reason why I wanted to read EAT THE SKY, DRINK THE OCEAN was because of its promise to introduce the reader to a collection of feminist short stories written by collaborating Australian and Indian authors. I mean, how cool is that? And so, I was instantly intrigued.
Now. In regards to promising thought-provoking stories about girl-power? This book delivers. Absolutely. I love love love the messages being shared here, and they are, indeed, thought-provoking. And powerful. And have my support.
This is a very fast read. EAT THE SKY, DRINK THE OCEAN (oh, and did I mention that I love the title? Because I love that title) includes 17 short stories, 6 of which are graphic stories, and 1 being a playscript. So, there is much variety, and this works so very well to speed up the pace and instantly switch stories if one is lacking.
So.. what went wrong? And to answer this honestly: nothing. Truly. To rate this one (as I generally do with anthologies) I simply averaged the 17 individual ratings I gave to each separate story. Yes, this was a bit difficult and time-consuming for me to do, but yeah. It all worked out, and it's fair to do so.
I really want to talk about each individual story (as little as possible with 0.00% spoilers), so that's what I'll do:
Ahem.
•"Cat Calls": 3 stars. I liked the fact that the anthology starts off with this one because it sets the mood nicely.
•"Swallow the Moon": 2 stars. Love love love the illustrations. The quiet-magical feel to it worked really nicely for me.
•"Little Red Suit": 4 stars. Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and one of my favorite short stories in this collection. The writing style is magnificent.
•"Cooking Time": 1 star. I'm sad to say that this one lost me. I kind of.. had no idea what is going on.
•"Anarkali": 3.5 stars. I really liked this one. My second favorite graphic story in this collection.
•"Cast Out": 3 stars. The backstories are divine. The world-building, considering the short number of pages it has, is amazing.
•"Weft" 3 stars: Love the message. Love the writing.
•"The Wednesday Room": 1 star. Argh, this one is so very confusing. Whyyyy.
•"Cool": 3 stars: Descriptions of space are on point.
•"Appetite": 5 stars: MY FAVORITE GRAPHIC STORY. WOOHOOO. I mean, ahem, I enjoyed this one very very much (as you can tell by my general shouting)
•"Mirror Perfect": 5 stars. My favorite story out of the entire book, with the best writing and overall theme.
•"Arctic Light": 3 stars. Different. Interesting setting. Very very unique.
•"The Runners": 2.5 stars. A bit.. average.
•"The Blooming": 1 star. I greatly disliked this one. Yikes.
•"What a Stone Can't Feel": 3 stars. Love the idea. The plot twist was absolutely shocking.
•"Memory Lace": 2 stars. A bit confusing, but fine, overall.
•"Backstage Pass": 3 stars. Shakespeare spinoff, and a great way to end this anthology.
So there you have it. As I mentioned earlier, what I like most about EAT THE SKY, DRINK THE OCEAN is that the stories are short and fly by quickly, and can appeal to a wide variety of readers. Overall? I'm satisfied.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster, for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 30, 2017
I've spoken in other short story reviews that most collection of short stories are a hit and miss. As a collection there are many voices. Some that sing to you and others that are just noise. In this short story collection, out of seventeen short stories I enjoyed eight. I am kind of shocked. That is just about half. The reason I'm shocked is because every time I picked this book up I thought I hated it. Apparently I only hated half of the stories. Hate is also too harsh of a word. I wasn't interested in the other half of the stories. Giving this collection of short stories a 3.5 for entertaining me half of the time.
With all my short story collection reviews I will talk about the stories that I liked. There are a lot to cover so I'll be brief in what they are about and what I liked about each one.
Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier was my favorite short story of the book. It's a Sci-fi/Dystopian re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. In this dystopian, Sydney Australia, people live in underground biospheres. The rain is acid and the air is not breathable. The people are encouraged to stay indoors, for those that need to go out, they were a form of space suit/hazmat suit to keep from being hurt/dying from the elements. Very interesting plot and would have loved to read a full length novel.
Cooking Time by Anita Roy is another Sci-fi/dystopian that I quite enjoyed. In this story the world relays on a conglomerate corporation called AgroGlobal for all their needs. This corporation owns everything, government, armies, energy production, manufacturing, media, health care, communication and health care. Basically everything. They also provide NewTrition a food substance that is in a squeezable tube, that comes in over seventy flavors. There is no real food to be eaten, only "Newtri". What I found interesting in this story is not just the evil AgroGlobal corporation, but the disappearance of the main characters friend. See, she disappears to the past.
Cast Out by Samhita Arni is a fantasy about magical powers. Boys and girls alike are born with this gift, only the boys are allowed to use their magic. If a girl is found to have magical abilities they are out to sea to die a horrible death. What I liked most about this story is the girl pirates.
What a Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon is another fantasy. This one is about super powers, but in a different way. The main character doesn't feel special. She believes her powers to be nothing of use. She is able to become one with inanimate objects. To not become the spoon, but surrounded by the spoon. It also is a story about a dying friend and a promise.
Cool by Manjula Padmanabhan is the only story in this collection with a boy main character. He is a SpitRider. A pilot that slings "spit" (a piece of debris from Saturn's rings) toward Earth to use as fuel. I loved this story because it is a Sci-fi about Saturn and that the boy wasn't interested in being the best pilot, all he wanted to do was be with his virtual teacher. He is in love with her and when he said he wanted to be with her. My thoughts of course went to something dirty. But really it was something sweet. Which I loved.
The last three stories that I enjoyed are heroic in nature. The first one being Arctic Light by Vandana Singh. This one is about global warming and the future of our seas and animals. In this story our main character is a fifteen year old Indian girl. She has lied about her age so she could join a peaceful protester group sailing to the Arctic to stop the Russians from drilling oil. I found it very uplifting. This girl stands her ground, she is very brave and chooses to do something for the greater good, that is larger than herself to save the planet.
The Runners a graphic short story by Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya is a Sci-fi/dystopian where the whole world is ran by women called the Mothers. There are no longer human males. The males that are in the story are cyborgs. Mostly machines used to do manual labor. The Mothers didn't like what bad men did to women and so they terminated all men. Our main character is trying to save her cyborg brother from becoming exterminated. He is different. He is enlightened. He was loved by his "mother" and because of this he never thought himself as anything but human. The Amazon are killers of this world and they are there to destroy those that are against the grain. They are searching for this cyborg boy. I liked that the main character is trying to save her brother.
The last story I really enjoyed and that made me tear up is Memory Lace by Payal Dhar. This is another dystopian story, this time set in India. In this world men are slaves. Bought and sold for future companions of women. Women own the men and their memory lace. An actual piece of lace material said to have all of their information woven into it. This lace is like a receipt. Proof of purchase. Our main character goes to a store with her mother and buys a companion. I didn't find out this companion was a boy until almost the end and this is what made me cry. She wanted this boy to be free. So heartwarming.
All of these short stories have something in common. They are all stories I wish were full length novels. I would love to see what happens next in their stories. That is my only complaint when it comes to short stories, you only get a snippet of the world and it's characters.
If you like short stories, if you like female main characters, if you enjoy reading books written by female authors and are interested in diversity and if you love books with pretty covers I would definitely pick up this collection. I would love to pick up more books from the above authors I found their voices to be wonderful.
With all my short story collection reviews I will talk about the stories that I liked. There are a lot to cover so I'll be brief in what they are about and what I liked about each one.
Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier was my favorite short story of the book. It's a Sci-fi/Dystopian re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. In this dystopian, Sydney Australia, people live in underground biospheres. The rain is acid and the air is not breathable. The people are encouraged to stay indoors, for those that need to go out, they were a form of space suit/hazmat suit to keep from being hurt/dying from the elements. Very interesting plot and would have loved to read a full length novel.
Cooking Time by Anita Roy is another Sci-fi/dystopian that I quite enjoyed. In this story the world relays on a conglomerate corporation called AgroGlobal for all their needs. This corporation owns everything, government, armies, energy production, manufacturing, media, health care, communication and health care. Basically everything. They also provide NewTrition a food substance that is in a squeezable tube, that comes in over seventy flavors. There is no real food to be eaten, only "Newtri". What I found interesting in this story is not just the evil AgroGlobal corporation, but the disappearance of the main characters friend. See, she disappears to the past.
Cast Out by Samhita Arni is a fantasy about magical powers. Boys and girls alike are born with this gift, only the boys are allowed to use their magic. If a girl is found to have magical abilities they are out to sea to die a horrible death. What I liked most about this story is the girl pirates.
What a Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon is another fantasy. This one is about super powers, but in a different way. The main character doesn't feel special. She believes her powers to be nothing of use. She is able to become one with inanimate objects. To not become the spoon, but surrounded by the spoon. It also is a story about a dying friend and a promise.
Cool by Manjula Padmanabhan is the only story in this collection with a boy main character. He is a SpitRider. A pilot that slings "spit" (a piece of debris from Saturn's rings) toward Earth to use as fuel. I loved this story because it is a Sci-fi about Saturn and that the boy wasn't interested in being the best pilot, all he wanted to do was be with his virtual teacher. He is in love with her and when he said he wanted to be with her. My thoughts of course went to something dirty. But really it was something sweet. Which I loved.
The last three stories that I enjoyed are heroic in nature. The first one being Arctic Light by Vandana Singh. This one is about global warming and the future of our seas and animals. In this story our main character is a fifteen year old Indian girl. She has lied about her age so she could join a peaceful protester group sailing to the Arctic to stop the Russians from drilling oil. I found it very uplifting. This girl stands her ground, she is very brave and chooses to do something for the greater good, that is larger than herself to save the planet.
The Runners a graphic short story by Isobelle Carmody and Prabha Mallya is a Sci-fi/dystopian where the whole world is ran by women called the Mothers. There are no longer human males. The males that are in the story are cyborgs. Mostly machines used to do manual labor. The Mothers didn't like what bad men did to women and so they terminated all men. Our main character is trying to save her cyborg brother from becoming exterminated. He is different. He is enlightened. He was loved by his "mother" and because of this he never thought himself as anything but human. The Amazon are killers of this world and they are there to destroy those that are against the grain. They are searching for this cyborg boy. I liked that the main character is trying to save her brother.
The last story I really enjoyed and that made me tear up is Memory Lace by Payal Dhar. This is another dystopian story, this time set in India. In this world men are slaves. Bought and sold for future companions of women. Women own the men and their memory lace. An actual piece of lace material said to have all of their information woven into it. This lace is like a receipt. Proof of purchase. Our main character goes to a store with her mother and buys a companion. I didn't find out this companion was a boy until almost the end and this is what made me cry. She wanted this boy to be free. So heartwarming.
All of these short stories have something in common. They are all stories I wish were full length novels. I would love to see what happens next in their stories. That is my only complaint when it comes to short stories, you only get a snippet of the world and it's characters.
If you like short stories, if you like female main characters, if you enjoy reading books written by female authors and are interested in diversity and if you love books with pretty covers I would definitely pick up this collection. I would love to pick up more books from the above authors I found their voices to be wonderful.
June 22, 2015
(Review copy provided by Allen and Unwin)
Oh I do like this collection! Not all of the stories were particularly enjoyable for me, but I had many favourites, both written and graphic-novel style, and the ones that struck me… they stayed with me. They stay with me. In their diversity and imagery and messages. This is such a wonderful collection of stories, both for what they are and what they mean.
Oh I do like this collection! Not all of the stories were particularly enjoyable for me, but I had many favourites, both written and graphic-novel style, and the ones that struck me… they stayed with me. They stay with me. In their diversity and imagery and messages. This is such a wonderful collection of stories, both for what they are and what they mean.
December 18, 2021
2 stars
I need to dnf this one. It clearly was not for me - the stories could not really grip or hold my attention. I could not even say that they are bad stories just nothing I am interested in reading.
Idk why, but the book really remembers me at the time when in middle school everyone wrote a fairy tale and then we made it into a book.
I need to dnf this one. It clearly was not for me - the stories could not really grip or hold my attention. I could not even say that they are bad stories just nothing I am interested in reading.
Idk why, but the book really remembers me at the time when in middle school everyone wrote a fairy tale and then we made it into a book.
March 11, 2015
Possibly the most feminist story collection I've read since Joanna Russ' The Zanzibar Cat. Pushes the boundaries of what anthologies contain and how they tick.
May 21, 2020
What a strange and beautiful anthology. The whole premise is that writers from Australia and India were partnered to co-write short fics or graphic fics about girls doing things that girls don’t do.
What resulted is a grouping of tiny stories with big, bold themes of sisterhood, inequality, fear and hope. Of life and death, of dystopian societies real and imagined. These stories cover a myriad of genres, sci-fi, fantasy, fairy tale, modern. Each is a mere slice of a larger idea, the kind of amuse-bouche that leaves your mind spinning and weaving more. I didn’t love all of them, but they all made me think.
What resulted is a grouping of tiny stories with big, bold themes of sisterhood, inequality, fear and hope. Of life and death, of dystopian societies real and imagined. These stories cover a myriad of genres, sci-fi, fantasy, fairy tale, modern. Each is a mere slice of a larger idea, the kind of amuse-bouche that leaves your mind spinning and weaving more. I didn’t love all of them, but they all made me think.
August 19, 2017
cool, futuristic-setting stories and full of eye-opening or empowering feminism
December 14, 2017
This is a story collection I really wanted more out of. And that's not to say anything about thetalent of these authors; in fact, I think a lot of these stories were fabulous. But these stories aren't long enough. Most of these are story prompts meant to intrigue readers, rather than full stories of their own.
If I could read full books based on these, I think many of those books could become new favorites. But in this form, I wasn't too impressed. I am not joking when I say almost all my favorites should've been full books rather than short stories.
Stories I Loved On Their Own: Cat Calls, Swallow the Moon, Arctic Light, The Runners, What A Stone Can't Feel, Backstage Pass
Stories That Were Great But Deserved To Be Longer: Little Red Suit, Cooking Time, Cast Out, Cool, Appetite, Memory Lace,
Stories That Just Weren't Great: Anarkali, Weft, The Wednesday Room, Mirror Perfect, The Blooming
Below, I did a short list of my thoughts on each of these stories. You'll notice my actual rating is not an average. I rate short story collections based on my general thoughts. If I love the collection, it's a five; if I enjoy it a lot, it's a four; if I feel a little mixed with a tinge of disappointment, it's a three. I almost never rate collections with two stars.
♔ Cat Calls by Margo Lanagan - ★★★★☆
A sweet, heartwarming tale about catcalling. I really liked the language, too.
♔ Swallow the Moon by Kate Constable and Priya Kuriyan - ★★★★☆
Oh my god, the art of this is BEAUTIFUL. The plot was confusing, but in a good way. This is a story I'd definitely like to analyze.
♔ Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier - ★★★★☆
A dystopian retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. This had so much potential built up, to the point that I thought it would be my favorite of this book. Unfortunately, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. I really wanted this to be a full book.
♔ Cooking Time by Anita Roy - ★★★★☆
A future in which food does not exist, complete with time travel. Again, this is more of a prompt than a full story. But I REALLY want to read a full version. There's so much potential here. Please, Anita Roy. I'll pay you all my money to write a full book with this as a first chapter.
♔ Anarkali by Annie Zaidi and Mandy Orr- ★★☆☆☆
A brief comic about a girl persecuted for sleeping with the emperor. Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style, and the story felt incomplete. This was pretty meh.
♔ Cast Out by Samhita Arni - ★★★★☆
A story about a world in which girls have magic and can be destroyed for it. Again, this isn't a full story!! It feels like the beginning of a really freaking amazing book.
♔ Weft by Alyssa Brugman - ★★☆☆☆
Meh. There are good points about beauty, but it's like ten pages of inner meditation.
♔ The Wednesday Room by Kuzhali Manickavel and Lily Mae Martin - ★☆☆☆☆
Bad art, nonsensical story. Meh.
♔ Cool by Manjula Padmanabahn - ★★★★☆
Again, good first chapter, introduces you to conflict and world, ends. Why did it have to end?
♔ Appetite by Amruta Patil - ★★★★☆
A short comic that makes you think. I wanted more, but this was fairly good and coherent as a full story.
♔ Mirror Perfect by Kirsty Murray - ★☆☆☆☆
A story about seeing yourself as perfect. Point one, the writing here felt very low-quality. Point two, this one veers into the territory of “conventionally attractive people are evil”. Also, her dad is an asshole. I'm sorry, if you leave two twins with your fifteen-year-old for a whole hour because you want to go shopping, you're an asshole.
♔ Arctic Light by Vandana Singh - ★★★★☆
I liked this one! It's a short story about climate change.
♔ The Runners by Isobelle Carmody and Prahba Mallya - ★★★★☆
A world run by women. This comic is so SAD. I liked it.
♔ The Blooming by Manjula Padmanabahn and Kirsty Murray - ★☆☆☆☆
Tentacled beings in a stage play. I'm sorry, suspension of belief and all that, but this is just too freaking weird. And the dialogue is terrible. I think that's the point, but I can't be sure. And either way, do I want to read it? Nope.
♔ What A Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon - ★★★☆☆
A person who can turn into inanimate objects. It's weird but written very nicely.
♔ Memory Lace by Payal Dhar - ★★★☆☆
A world where men are slaves. I actually liked this a decent amount; there's a ton of emotionality and it ends on a hopeful note.
♔ Backstage Pass by Nicki Greenberg - ★★★☆☆
The art style sucks, just to get that out of the way. But I really like the theme of this story; it's about unspeaking women in writing.
VERDICT: While most of the stories are too short and deserved a full book, there's enough good content in here to warrant a read.
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If I could read full books based on these, I think many of those books could become new favorites. But in this form, I wasn't too impressed. I am not joking when I say almost all my favorites should've been full books rather than short stories.
Stories I Loved On Their Own: Cat Calls, Swallow the Moon, Arctic Light, The Runners, What A Stone Can't Feel, Backstage Pass
Stories That Were Great But Deserved To Be Longer: Little Red Suit, Cooking Time, Cast Out, Cool, Appetite, Memory Lace,
Stories That Just Weren't Great: Anarkali, Weft, The Wednesday Room, Mirror Perfect, The Blooming
Below, I did a short list of my thoughts on each of these stories. You'll notice my actual rating is not an average. I rate short story collections based on my general thoughts. If I love the collection, it's a five; if I enjoy it a lot, it's a four; if I feel a little mixed with a tinge of disappointment, it's a three. I almost never rate collections with two stars.
♔ Cat Calls by Margo Lanagan - ★★★★☆
A sweet, heartwarming tale about catcalling. I really liked the language, too.
♔ Swallow the Moon by Kate Constable and Priya Kuriyan - ★★★★☆
Oh my god, the art of this is BEAUTIFUL. The plot was confusing, but in a good way. This is a story I'd definitely like to analyze.
♔ Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier - ★★★★☆
A dystopian retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. This had so much potential built up, to the point that I thought it would be my favorite of this book. Unfortunately, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. I really wanted this to be a full book.
♔ Cooking Time by Anita Roy - ★★★★☆
A future in which food does not exist, complete with time travel. Again, this is more of a prompt than a full story. But I REALLY want to read a full version. There's so much potential here. Please, Anita Roy. I'll pay you all my money to write a full book with this as a first chapter.
♔ Anarkali by Annie Zaidi and Mandy Orr- ★★☆☆☆
A brief comic about a girl persecuted for sleeping with the emperor. Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style, and the story felt incomplete. This was pretty meh.
♔ Cast Out by Samhita Arni - ★★★★☆
A story about a world in which girls have magic and can be destroyed for it. Again, this isn't a full story!! It feels like the beginning of a really freaking amazing book.
♔ Weft by Alyssa Brugman - ★★☆☆☆
Meh. There are good points about beauty, but it's like ten pages of inner meditation.
♔ The Wednesday Room by Kuzhali Manickavel and Lily Mae Martin - ★☆☆☆☆
Bad art, nonsensical story. Meh.
♔ Cool by Manjula Padmanabahn - ★★★★☆
Again, good first chapter, introduces you to conflict and world, ends. Why did it have to end?
♔ Appetite by Amruta Patil - ★★★★☆
A short comic that makes you think. I wanted more, but this was fairly good and coherent as a full story.
♔ Mirror Perfect by Kirsty Murray - ★☆☆☆☆
A story about seeing yourself as perfect. Point one, the writing here felt very low-quality. Point two, this one veers into the territory of “conventionally attractive people are evil”. Also, her dad is an asshole. I'm sorry, if you leave two twins with your fifteen-year-old for a whole hour because you want to go shopping, you're an asshole.
♔ Arctic Light by Vandana Singh - ★★★★☆
I liked this one! It's a short story about climate change.
♔ The Runners by Isobelle Carmody and Prahba Mallya - ★★★★☆
A world run by women. This comic is so SAD. I liked it.
♔ The Blooming by Manjula Padmanabahn and Kirsty Murray - ★☆☆☆☆
Tentacled beings in a stage play. I'm sorry, suspension of belief and all that, but this is just too freaking weird. And the dialogue is terrible. I think that's the point, but I can't be sure. And either way, do I want to read it? Nope.
♔ What A Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon - ★★★☆☆
A person who can turn into inanimate objects. It's weird but written very nicely.
♔ Memory Lace by Payal Dhar - ★★★☆☆
A world where men are slaves. I actually liked this a decent amount; there's a ton of emotionality and it ends on a hopeful note.
♔ Backstage Pass by Nicki Greenberg - ★★★☆☆
The art style sucks, just to get that out of the way. But I really like the theme of this story; it's about unspeaking women in writing.
VERDICT: While most of the stories are too short and deserved a full book, there's enough good content in here to warrant a read.
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February 19, 2015
Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean is a collection of short, speculative stories written and illustrated by Australian and Indian authors. Some are collaborations, while others were written independently. There are several stories that use pictures but most are in the usual short story format. Some of the Aussie authors involved include Kirsty Murray, Isobelle Carmody, Margo Lanagan, Kate Constable and many others. I wasn’t familiar with any of the Indian authors but I enjoyed their stories so much that I may have to look up some of their other work.
Some people, myself included, are slightly annoyed by short stories – especially those of a speculative nature. The really good ones make you want to learn more about worlds and societies, and there’s just no room to do that in a short story format. The stories in this anthology are no exception, but they are very enjoyable and didn’t leave me too frustrated afterwards.
Most of the stories have a girls-being-awesome tint to them, but I didn’t feel like any of them were approaching in-your-face feminism, just positive empowerment. Some were creepy, scary or weird, while others were uplifting, beautiful or sad. One is even about MasterChef!
My favourite stories, or at least the ones that have stuck with me after I finished reading, include these:
Cast Out by Samhita Arni
Women are not allowed to do magic. Boys who are found to have magic are taken away to become weather magicians, to control the Demon Clouds that ravage the oceans, but girls found doing magic are flogged until they confess, then cast adrift in a barrel in the ocean to die. Karthini’s mother makes her promise to hide her magic, but eventually she, too, is discovered. But what really lies out across the sea?
Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier
Poppy lives with her mother in a tiny room in the undergound city that was once Sydney, protected from the harsh world outside. Her grandmother, lives in one of the last remaining protected houses outside the city, but Poppy hasn’t heard from her in a while. It’s not safe to cross the city above alone, but Poppy is determined to check on her grandmother.
Memory Lace by Payal Dhar
A slave is sold into a rich woman’s family as a companion for her teenage daughter. But all is not as it seems in this matriarchal world. I can’t say any more about this story for fear of spoilers, but it’s an amazing work and well worth seeking out! I was blown away by this particular story.
I’d highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book if you like the idea of a wide range of short tales.
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops review blog in February 2015.
Some people, myself included, are slightly annoyed by short stories – especially those of a speculative nature. The really good ones make you want to learn more about worlds and societies, and there’s just no room to do that in a short story format. The stories in this anthology are no exception, but they are very enjoyable and didn’t leave me too frustrated afterwards.
Most of the stories have a girls-being-awesome tint to them, but I didn’t feel like any of them were approaching in-your-face feminism, just positive empowerment. Some were creepy, scary or weird, while others were uplifting, beautiful or sad. One is even about MasterChef!
My favourite stories, or at least the ones that have stuck with me after I finished reading, include these:
Cast Out by Samhita Arni
Women are not allowed to do magic. Boys who are found to have magic are taken away to become weather magicians, to control the Demon Clouds that ravage the oceans, but girls found doing magic are flogged until they confess, then cast adrift in a barrel in the ocean to die. Karthini’s mother makes her promise to hide her magic, but eventually she, too, is discovered. But what really lies out across the sea?
Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier
Poppy lives with her mother in a tiny room in the undergound city that was once Sydney, protected from the harsh world outside. Her grandmother, lives in one of the last remaining protected houses outside the city, but Poppy hasn’t heard from her in a while. It’s not safe to cross the city above alone, but Poppy is determined to check on her grandmother.
Memory Lace by Payal Dhar
A slave is sold into a rich woman’s family as a companion for her teenage daughter. But all is not as it seems in this matriarchal world. I can’t say any more about this story for fear of spoilers, but it’s an amazing work and well worth seeking out! I was blown away by this particular story.
I’d highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book if you like the idea of a wide range of short tales.
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops review blog in February 2015.
April 12, 2015
I was supplied a review copy of this book by Allen & Unwin. Thanks! Here is my review:
The marvellously titled Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean, edited by Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy, is an anthology of short stories and comics by Australian and Indian women writers. The stories could all qualify as ‘speculative fiction’ in some way and there is a strong feminist element to them. What is a little more unusual about the anthology is that there is a collaborative element to many (but not all) of the stories, with the Australian and Indian authors put in touch with each other to brainstorm their approach. This cross-cultural collaboration isn’t always evident in the works themselves, but it has generated some very interesting results. Sometimes the collaboration is explicit, with writer and artist combining for a comic, but more often it takes the place of an exchange of ideas that informs the individual works.
As with any anthology some works will resonate with the readers more than others and I certainly had my favourites. I was familiar with a number of the Australian contributors, such as Margo Lanagan, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier and Nicki Greenberg, but all of the Indian authors were new to me, so there were some delightful discoveries as well as what felt like a return to familiar ground with some of the writers.
Nicki Greenberg’s “Backstage Pass” is like a bonus piece of material from her magnificent graphic novel adaptation of Hamlet, giving Ophelia a voice that largely gets silenced in Shakespeare’s play. Other highlights included the stories “What a Stone Can’t Feel” by Penni Russon and “Memory Lace” by Payal Dhar.
There are plenty of aspects for teachers to latch onto if this text were used in the secondary classroom and the cross-cultural nature of the anthology is perfect to engage with Australia’s place in Asia. It would work particularly well at Years 9 and 10.
The marvellously titled Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean, edited by Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy, is an anthology of short stories and comics by Australian and Indian women writers. The stories could all qualify as ‘speculative fiction’ in some way and there is a strong feminist element to them. What is a little more unusual about the anthology is that there is a collaborative element to many (but not all) of the stories, with the Australian and Indian authors put in touch with each other to brainstorm their approach. This cross-cultural collaboration isn’t always evident in the works themselves, but it has generated some very interesting results. Sometimes the collaboration is explicit, with writer and artist combining for a comic, but more often it takes the place of an exchange of ideas that informs the individual works.
As with any anthology some works will resonate with the readers more than others and I certainly had my favourites. I was familiar with a number of the Australian contributors, such as Margo Lanagan, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier and Nicki Greenberg, but all of the Indian authors were new to me, so there were some delightful discoveries as well as what felt like a return to familiar ground with some of the writers.
Nicki Greenberg’s “Backstage Pass” is like a bonus piece of material from her magnificent graphic novel adaptation of Hamlet, giving Ophelia a voice that largely gets silenced in Shakespeare’s play. Other highlights included the stories “What a Stone Can’t Feel” by Penni Russon and “Memory Lace” by Payal Dhar.
There are plenty of aspects for teachers to latch onto if this text were used in the secondary classroom and the cross-cultural nature of the anthology is perfect to engage with Australia’s place in Asia. It would work particularly well at Years 9 and 10.
March 28, 2021
How is this not more well-known? That was my resounding question from the moment I picked this beautiful book up to when I dropped the cover closed, the words of these 17 weird, quirky, touching, delightful stories swarming in my brain. I stumbled upon this in a used bookstore and was captivated by the cover. When I saw feminist sci-fi and fantasy short stories? And that it was a mixture of prose and comic? With a play-script thrown in as well? How could I /not/ buy it? It was a really surreal experience reading speculative fiction for young adults that was specifically addressing feminist issues, and I enjoyed every second of it. Some of the story were weird. Some I walked away from, not quite sure what I'd just poured over. I did devour this in one evening, so I'll probably find myself wandering back into its arms in a day or so and testing out some of the stories I didn't quite grasp. The combination of prose short stories and comics made for an easy, captivating read that had me constantly intrigued. It also helped distinguish the stories from each other. I didn't have any trouble remembering which story was which by the time I got to the end and was reading the authors' comments on their writing processes.
This whole book was an incredible experience. Not to mention the book itself is gorgeous. Go buy it now, and enjoy an evening of being lost amidst the desolation of the patriarchy.
This whole book was an incredible experience. Not to mention the book itself is gorgeous. Go buy it now, and enjoy an evening of being lost amidst the desolation of the patriarchy.
September 17, 2016
There are some gems that really made me think. Review soon.
July 12, 2021
This completes Task 10: Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge. This task was the task I dreaded. So, my rating is based on my dislike for short stories compilations. This will officially be my last one. I just don’t like them.
This book was really hit or miss. It was the only one on the recommended reading list that got my attention…taking myths and stories and place them into a Sci-fi setting with domestic violence/women’s issues as an underlying theme. In theory, that’s what I got. But meh. Lots of the stories I didn’t really understand what they were trying to say. Even reading the Notes on Collaboration helped, but I was like, I didn’t get that at all. Some of the stories just ended. I really liked Little Red Suit (like Little Red Riding Hood) until it ended with her in a house not knowing if she made it back alive.
I loved Cast Out (favorite), Arctic Light, What a Stone Can’t Feel, and Memory Lace. I would read more from these authors, but not any short stories.
This book was really hit or miss. It was the only one on the recommended reading list that got my attention…taking myths and stories and place them into a Sci-fi setting with domestic violence/women’s issues as an underlying theme. In theory, that’s what I got. But meh. Lots of the stories I didn’t really understand what they were trying to say. Even reading the Notes on Collaboration helped, but I was like, I didn’t get that at all. Some of the stories just ended. I really liked Little Red Suit (like Little Red Riding Hood) until it ended with her in a house not knowing if she made it back alive.
I loved Cast Out (favorite), Arctic Light, What a Stone Can’t Feel, and Memory Lace. I would read more from these authors, but not any short stories.
June 17, 2018
This was a good selection of stories
Swallow the Moon
Little Red Suit
Cooking Time
Anarkali
Cast Out
Weft
The Wednesday Room
Cat Calls
Cool
Appetite
Mirror Perfect
Arctic Light
The Runners
The Blooming
What a Stone Can't Feel
Memory Lace
Backstage Pass
I particularly enjoyed Cast out, Memory Lace and Cat Calls.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend highly
Swallow the Moon
2.5/5
Little Red Suit
4.5/5
Cooking Time
5/5
Anarkali
3.5/5
Cast Out
5/5
Weft
4/5
The Wednesday Room
3/5
Cat Calls
5/5
Cool
4/5
Appetite
2/5
Mirror Perfect
5/5
Arctic Light
3.5/5
The Runners
5/5
The Blooming
4.5/5
What a Stone Can't Feel
5/5
Memory Lace
5/5
Backstage Pass
3.5/5
I particularly enjoyed Cast out, Memory Lace and Cat Calls.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend highly
March 23, 2015
Absolutely stunning collection of short stories, short comic stories, and one play, written as collaborations between Indian and Australian authors and artists in response to rash of violence against young women. The stories all touch on feminist themes (though "Cool" felt a little out of place, though I liked it still!) with strong female protagonists and are so vivid, at times I forgot which ones were the comics and which were the written stories. I lost myself in the whole collection. Time to go back and re-read my favorites, which include:
-"Little Red Suit"
-"Cooking Time"
-"Cast Out"
-"Cat Calls"
-"Appetite"
-"Mirror Perfect"
-"What a Stone Can Feel"
-"Memory Lace"
But seriously, they're all pretty great.
*******
Counting as my indie press for the Read Harder challenge.
-"Little Red Suit"
-"Cooking Time"
-"Cast Out"
-"Cat Calls"
-"Appetite"
-"Mirror Perfect"
-"What a Stone Can Feel"
-"Memory Lace"
But seriously, they're all pretty great.
*******
Counting as my indie press for the Read Harder challenge.
October 16, 2022
It was pretty good. Some stories were obviously better than others, but overall, we do love a good feminist story. The writing was ok at times, and I wasn't a huge fan of some of the illustrations, but some stories were fantastic.
My favorites:
Cooking Time by Anita Roy : such a cool concept
Cast Out by Samhita Arni : female pirates?? count me in
Mirror Perfect by Kirsty Murray : perfectly creepy. I wish it was longer though.
Top 2:
What a Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon : so epic! Loved it sm
Memory Lace by Payal Dhar : took me a while to figure out MC was a guy, but everything about the story was beautiful.
My favorites:
Cooking Time by Anita Roy : such a cool concept
Cast Out by Samhita Arni : female pirates?? count me in
Mirror Perfect by Kirsty Murray : perfectly creepy. I wish it was longer though.
Top 2:
What a Stone Can't Feel by Penni Russon : so epic! Loved it sm
Memory Lace by Payal Dhar : took me a while to figure out MC was a guy, but everything about the story was beautiful.
December 29, 2014
Blending short stories, mini graphic tales and the most beautiful cover this book is a delight. There will be a tale here for everyone. Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar and Anita Roy have bought together illustrators and writers from India and Australia and set them the challenge to sometimes work together but each must create stories of girls and women. The tales which left echos after reading for me were Memory Lace by Payal Dhar, Little Red Suit by Justine Larbalestier and the illustrations for The Runners by Isobelle Carmondy and Padha Mallya. This book deserves a wide audience.
December 15, 2014
Even if I say so myself (since I've got a story in this anthology), it's a great read. A mix of graphic stories and regular short stories for young adults. Yes, it's speculative. Yes, it's feminist. And I found myself thinking a lot about the nature of hope, rebellion, and women's relationship to the earth, cutting across national borders, given that this anthology is a collaboration between Indian and Australian writers.
February 10, 2019
No offense to Aindy, but I don't really like most of the stories in this book. I feel like the only one I was emotionally attached to was Memory Lace.
Most of the graphic novels had really strange and intricate art styles and I didn't like them as much as I wanted to.
One of them was about a furry interviewing a famous (I think) furry.
Most of the graphic novels had really strange and intricate art styles and I didn't like them as much as I wanted to.
One of them was about a furry interviewing a famous (I think) furry.
November 24, 2016
Always tough to rate anthologies but this was a strong selection of magical and feminist tales. This is a mixture of short graphic stories and regular prose, and the combo really works.
May 9, 2017
One story was great: Cat Calls by Margo Lanagan.
The rest were meh or I actively disliked them.
The rest were meh or I actively disliked them.
February 18, 2023
We love when authors from different backgrounds (in this case India and Australia) join together to spread a profound message. In this case, feminism and what was occurring in 2012 in the case of women’s rights. Like all anthologies / short story collections, not every title was a hit but I did like the variety in choice - most are your typical short story format but there are some graphic novel esque pieces as well as a play script. I think the one I gravitated towards the most was the catcall story and the celebrity vocalizing one.
August 3, 2017
Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean was delicious! It is filled with empowering short stories regarding feminism and the environment. There are also beautifully illustrated comics. What I love most about this book (besides the amazing cover design) is the focus on collaboration. Writers from opposite ends of the world were paired up to discuss global issues and then write a story together. This is one of those books that I want on my shelf at home, so I can re-read it over and over again.
December 7, 2017
This anthology was beautiful, I would have loved to read most of the short stories as full length novels. Anarkali, Swallow the Moon, Cast Out, and Cat Calls were my favourites, but each of the stories were so unique and completely unpredictable.
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