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The Candlevine Gardener and Other Stories
A gardener at the end of the universe, a raven engineer, a cat who has forgotten how to fly, and more—all these appear in Yoon Ha Lee's flash fairy tales. Previously available on Patreon, they have been collected in this volume for your delectation.
149 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2020
97 people want to read
About the author
Yoon Ha Lee
208 books2,074 followersYoon Ha Lee is an American science fiction writer born on January 26, 1979 in Houston, Texas. His first published story, “The Hundredth Question,” appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1999; since then, over two dozen further stories have appeared. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 19, 2020
The Candlevine Gardener and Other Stories
is a collection of tales stories and it was so damn beautiful.
I loved every tale that was written here but my favorites so far were The Librarian Who Had No Cats and Friendship Bracelets. These are stories that are set in the same universe but different locations where these characters meet each other in the past or future. It is heartwarming reading about these same characters because it makes you wonder what happens with them at the end.
I think Yoon Ha Lee will become one of my favorites short stories author, he is amazing. I don't know how he can create so many things in different and stunning way.
I loved every tale that was written here but my favorites so far were The Librarian Who Had No Cats and Friendship Bracelets. These are stories that are set in the same universe but different locations where these characters meet each other in the past or future. It is heartwarming reading about these same characters because it makes you wonder what happens with them at the end.
I think Yoon Ha Lee will become one of my favorites short stories author, he is amazing. I don't know how he can create so many things in different and stunning way.
July 16, 2020
The Candlevine Gardener and Other Stories is a collection of flash fiction fairytales.
While Lee's previous collection focused mainly (but, of course, not only) on foxes, here you'll find many stories about cats, mermaids and magical birds.
I don't think I liked this as much as The Fox's Tower and Other Tales, mainly because of the difference in protagonists; I find fox stories more interesting and fun - especially compared to the ones about mermaids, which I don't care much for, even though I always appreciate the writing and what the stories are saying. I don't think it's a case that one of my favorite stories here was A Question of Foxes. The other standout I remember specifically was The Diver's Daughter, because sweet F/F stories - what hasn't changed, after all, is that The Candlevine Gardener and Other Stories incorporates just as much casual queerness (with multiple non-binary characters and polyamory!) as the previous collection.
I loved the way it talked about disability as well [the two stories of the one-winged ravens...]
I wish I had fairytales like this when I was younger. I don't mean that only in the sense that what I got was mostly straight allegories for Christianity, but also in the sense that I will always be there for the descriptions. Do I know what it means to piquantly spice something with the dust of nebulae? No, but I guess it makes sense when you're a Moonbird, and I love it anyway.
While Lee's previous collection focused mainly (but, of course, not only) on foxes, here you'll find many stories about cats, mermaids and magical birds.
I don't think I liked this as much as The Fox's Tower and Other Tales, mainly because of the difference in protagonists; I find fox stories more interesting and fun - especially compared to the ones about mermaids, which I don't care much for, even though I always appreciate the writing and what the stories are saying. I don't think it's a case that one of my favorite stories here was A Question of Foxes. The other standout I remember specifically was The Diver's Daughter, because sweet F/F stories - what hasn't changed, after all, is that The Candlevine Gardener and Other Stories incorporates just as much casual queerness (with multiple non-binary characters and polyamory!) as the previous collection.
I loved the way it talked about disability as well [the two stories of the one-winged ravens...]
I wish I had fairytales like this when I was younger. I don't mean that only in the sense that what I got was mostly straight allegories for Christianity, but also in the sense that I will always be there for the descriptions. Do I know what it means to piquantly spice something with the dust of nebulae? No, but I guess it makes sense when you're a Moonbird, and I love it anyway.
April 2, 2021
Yoon Ha Lee is a true master of the art of crafting these tiny fairytales, and this is another great collection of them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews