The Bone Lantern

Sourdough Universe

by Angela Slatter

When a strange creature approaches Selke’s campfire, intent on filling its stomach with who knows what (or whom), Selke disarms it with her own meal and the promise of stories, eager to prolong her life while she searches for salvation.

There follows the tale of Gwynn, a young witch determined to survive the prince’s court and avoid the fate of his many wives; the story of a dital harp, imbued with the magic of its maker to aid in her quest for revenge, and lastly, the tale of Selke’s search for the bone lantern, and through it her salvation…

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Novella, Ebooks, Short Stories

63 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2022

About the author

Angela Slatter is the author of the urban fantasy novels Vigil (2016) and Corpselight (2017), as well as eight short story collections, including The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales, Sourdough and Other Stories, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, and A Feast of Sorrows: Stories. She has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, and six Aurealis Awards.

Angela’s short stories have appeared in Australian, UK and US Best Of anthologies such The Mammoth Book of New Horror, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Best Horror of the Year, The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror, and The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction. Her work has been translated into Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Romanian. Victoria Madden of Sweet Potato Films (The Kettering Incident) has optioned the film rights to one of her short stories.

She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South 2009 and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop 2006, and in 2013 she was awarded one of the inaugural Queensland Writers Fellowships. In 2016 Angela was the Established Writer-in-Residence at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth.

Her novellas, Of Sorrow and Such (from Tor.com), and Ripper (in the Stephen Jones anthology Horrorology, from Jo Fletcher Books) were released in October 2015.

The third novel in the Verity Fassbinder series, Restoration, will be released in 2018 by Jo Fletcher Books (Hachette International). She is represented by Ian Drury of the literary agency Sheil Land for her long fiction, by Lucy Fawcett of Sheil Land for film rights, and by Alex Adsett of Alex Adsett Publishing Services for illustrated storybooks.

Reviews

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, a lot. It's quite short, only 63 pages in print, but it manages to create a captivating atmosphere with a touch of creepiness. It has definitely piqued my curiosity about Slatter's other works.

[Runalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous dark tale of three tales in one. Slatter is as always a genius at creating unique tales out of familiar elements and this was a joy to read.

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Ridanwise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoy Slatter’s writing… and how much it reminds me of being a lil guy looking for the Soviet fairy tale books in my school library. This woman desperately needs a book illustrated in that dark fantasy fashion.

[Nighteye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good story, dark and sweet, from an amazing author and wordsmith.

[kvazimodla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sourdough world, of course, post The Tallow wife and other tales ❤️
Selke like a strange Scheherazade, telling stories to save her life, during a fateful night on the road ("Despite what she's seeking, she'd still prefer to choose the means.")

Feels as if there should be more...
Will there be more?? Please??

Two stories connected via the Swan royals, lovely and dark - evil men, strong women, dangerous magic. One leading to The promise of saints (is Gwynn the Hallowed Maiden?), other to All the murmuring bones, as origin story.

All in framework of Selke's quest for the bone lantern, and release.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selke, a character we've seen before in several of Slatter's stories in the Sourdough universe, encounters a werewolf and tells him two related stories to entertain the dangerous creature before revealing her own objective. I love Slatter's stories, though I had thought this novella was going to go in a different direction. A fun, creepy addition to Selke's legend.

[Chuck Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful novella! I picked this one out to read due to it winning the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella in 2022 and it did not disappoint one bit! The prose was beautiful, the story was engaging, and left me wanting more. Highly recommend to anyone in search of a quick read and some good revenge stories.

[Karyn Silverman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two long short stories loosely linked by a framework about Selke, who also showed up (younger) in Of Sorrow and Such. Loved both stories, one of which was also the origin tale for the O’Malley’s of All the Murmuring Bones. Very reminiscent of Angela Carter but even more so of Tanith Lee’s retellings

[Kash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman can WRITE. Part spooky folklore, part innovative storytelling, this reads like you’re there next to the fire, listening to the chilling tales shared by Selke. Absolutely loved this and can’t wait to keep immersing myself in the Sourdough universe. Great spooky season read!

[Chaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

World-crafting.

[Ian Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this

[Rachel Liebler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection.

[Ross Macpherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how this won an award for best novella when it is not a novella. This is two short stories and a framing story. Neither story really worked for me.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little fantasy book, beautifully written. I now want to find more books by Angela Slatter and discover more about the heroine (?) Selke.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I picked this up at a con because the cover was beautiful but it’s a very lovely and somewhat unsettling read. Good choice if you like the Patricia McKillip fairy tale vibe.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely closer to horror than fantasy, but the storytelling was charming in any case. Worth a read for people who like their fairy tales on the darker side.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I’m not sure I would call this horror. It’s dark, and very much about how the oppressed wrest agency out of an uncaring society, but it won’t haunt me. That being said, the imagery and framing are masterful. I was very caught up in this world and am happy to find out there is much more of Sourdough to enjoy. While it would not be my pick for the Shirley Jackson awards, it will be something I recommend to many that proclaim to only read fantasy. To stretch their view what that genre might actually hold.