I Stole You: Stories from the Fae

by Kristen Ringman

You might get stolen too.

In these wide-ranging stories told from the perspectives of a Thai ghost, an Irish fairy trapped in a dog’s body, a crow fae, an Icelandic birch tree elf, a dream thief, and other shapeshifting creatures, Kristen Ringman examines whether these fae would love a human or kill them after a close look into their hearts.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy

107 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2017

About the author

Kristen Ringman is a deaf writer, traveler, and artist. She writes multi-cultural lyrical fiction and poetry inspired by her persistent wanderings to far off places. She is the author of I Stole You: stories from the fae (Handtype Press), Makara: a novel (Handtype Press), a Lambda Literary finalist in Debut Fiction and nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and the editor and publisher of Everyday Haiku: an anthology (Wandering Muse Press). She received her MFA from Goddard College in 2008. She’s currently working on her first poetry collection and literary fiction novels that play along the boundaries of magical realism, fantasy, and horror. Her work can be found in Callisto: A Queer Fiction Journal, QDA: A Queer Disabiity Anthology, and many other anthologies.

Reviews

[Joe Crowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the very short stories in this collection from Kristen Ringman begin with the words “I stole you.” I freely admit that I didn’t notice it until three stories in.

This is a collection of short fantasy stories with fae and others of their supernatural ilk, but it’s not so much about cool powers or fighting monsters (not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Ringman’s stories here are alternately sweet, romantic, and gut-wrenching. Some get to the guts of some serious issues in intelligent, thoughtful ways, such as “Floating in the Sargassum,” which deals with depression.

Fans of animals and people who are owned by pets will get an emotional workout. Maybe that’s just me.

However, the stories are neither morbid nor grim. Ringman has a championship caliber handle on funny dialogue. The overall package of “I Stole You” is uplifting in many ways, the kind of thing you’ll set down and come back to. I’m going to need to see more from Ringman as soon as possible.

[Hollowspine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed these atmospheric and often chilling short stories. The stories vary in their locations and various mythical beings and they also vary in tone, some uplifting, others sad, some with a sense of malevolence, others evoke sweetness or melancholy.

My only caveat was that while the stories varied in locale and whether the stealing was forceful, gentle, welcome, frightening, deadly, etc., the characters seemed very one-note to me. At the beginning I was engaged with the characters but by the end I felt ready for a change.

The writing was extremely evocative, atmospheric and beautiful and each story was lovely on it's own. Taken together, I admit that I felt sometimes the stories ran together a little too much, especially in the character who was 'stolen,' but still a lovely collection.

[Julian Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like 2nd person POV.

I don't like purple or lyrical writing.

...but somehow... I liked this...? And I'm extremely confused.

(My best guess is that it's actually mostly 1st person POV and written like a letter addressed to another person, and the writing isn't lyrical enough that I find it annoying. But still. Fascinating...)

[Thetillybird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book. A fun take on mythical creatures

[Boku · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short, literary vignettes from the world of the fae.

Full review at link: Tangent Online

[Gracie Bucklew · Rating 5 out of 5]

short fantasy stories, fae loving humans and killing them, light gore, deaf characters, nature, moving