Mojo: Conjure Stories

by Nalo Hopkinson (Editor)

The Barnes & Noble Review
Mojo -- a powerful, disturbing anthology edited by Nalo Hopkinson that explores the world of voodoo -- contains short stories by some of the biggest names in modern fantasy, including Neil Gaiman, Barbara Hambly, Steven Barnes, Andy Duncan, and Tananarive Due. Although the stories explore the myths and legends of personal magic, the subject matter ranges widely from African warriors in the holds of slave ships to abused children plotting revenge to drag queens to the undead living in affluent closed communities.

In Neil Gaiman's "Bitter Grounds," an anthropology professor is on his way to a conference in New Orleans to present a paper on the legend of the Haitian coffee girls, undead children who allegedly went door-to-door selling a chicory coffee mixture just before the dawn. When his car breaks down on a backwoods road, he runs into a mysterious Samaritan who comes into his life for a very definite reason.

The introduction by Luisah Teish, a popular spiritualist and author of Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals, says it all: "Reader, Be Aware! There's a conjuring going on. You are being lured, with the turning of each page, into the myth and mystery of our DeepBlack magical heritage."

Unlike many anthologies, this collection of 19 original stories has no weak spots. Every tale is strong, unique, and noteworthy in its own right. Fans of Nalo Hopkinson works like Brown Girl in the Ring and the short story collection Skin Folk will cherish this brilliant collection. Paul Goat Allen

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Anthologies, Science Fiction, Magical Realism

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

All anthologies are uneven, but this is one of the more consistently good collections I've found. Contains some truly wonderful writing. When the piece by Neil Gaiman is one of the weakest in the bunch, you're onto something good.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the podcast for this short story on Fictionpodcasts.com, under a series called "Dark Tome."
Young Lettie can see things through her magic eye - things that might be better if she not see. Grownup's secrets. Grownup's true intentions. But when she learns of her brother's unjust arrest and sham trial, it's her seeing eye - and some conjure magic from her Mama - that may help change the fate of her big brother.

The Dark Tome is produced by Fred Greenhalgh and Bill Dufris. Theme 'Febryar' by Peter Van Riet https://soundcloud.com/petervanriet | Show credits at http://thedarktome.com/

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great compilation. Many stories really creeped me out. I was glad to read it, and then glad to put it down.

[Alakee Bes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connected yet disconnected stories -mixing and introducing spirit and mystery... A good read and the short stories allow u to jump in and out!

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good stories were very good (will list specific titles later), but were outweighed in number by the ok and boring stories.

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction of Mojo: Conjure Stories warns the reader to beware, to adorn their protective beads, to pocket their jujubags and sets the stage for the mystical anthology contained therein. The novel, edited by Nalo Hopkinson, is comprised of nineteen short stories from noteworthy authors such as Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, and Barbara Hambly. All tales are colorful, creative, and rooted in "mojo" - a tricky, powerful, and dangerous magic with a West African flavor.
This is a diverse collection in that it traverses time to provide stories from the slave ships, the antebellum South, the Jim Crow era, the 1960's and even present day. Some stories are rooted in folklore, e.g. Andy Duncan's "Daddy Mention and the Monday Skull", while others address moral and societal issues such as incest, revenge, love, lust, and greed. One of my favorites is Barbara Hambly's "The Horsemen and The Morning Star" in which plantation slaves garner strength and call upon their ancestor's gods to ride their weary backs to fight the master's resurrection of the devil to save one of their own. Jarla Tangh's "The Skinned" references the recent Rowandan tragedy and delivers a powerful message against the backdrop of the modern American inner city. Another noteworthy mention is Jenise Aminoff's "Fate" in which a mother with the gift of sight tries desperately to alter her son's destiny and pays a high price in the end.

This reviewer found some stories a bit more challenging to follow than others, but believes there is enough variety in subject matter and writing style to satisfy even the most critical reader. This book covered multiple dimensions of conjuring: from using black magic to control spirits, outwitting the tricksters, initiating curses, belief in shape-shifting to the making and manipulation of zombies. It was an engaging and interesting read about a mystical and magical heritage. One can surely gain hours of reading pleasure with this book.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories. I like the idea often more than the execution. Sometimes short story collections are hit and miss... a few good ones and mostly bad ones. I actually enjoyed a majority of stories in here. The idea of Conjure is sorta spread to mean all-African (both diaspora and not) belief systems. Some are more traditional hoodoo, others Santeria, others take place directly in Africa. The Daddy Mention story is awesome and I really liked Barbara Hambly's story, too.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a colleciton of short fiction which touches on various aspects of vodou, African and African-American folklore and magic. The stories all have strikingly different takes on subjects such as shape shifters, spirit possession, loas (deities in vodou), and folk magic. Some of the stories are creepifying and others are hilarious. A wonderful collection of short fiction. There are one or two stories that aren't to my taste, but it's definitely worth purchasing.

[branewurms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few of these fell kind of flat for me, but overall I found this to be a great collection. Oddly, my favorite of the bunch was Lark Till Dawn, Princess - the one about the drag queen. I say "oddly" because it was probably the least creepy out of a group of stories that generally seemed to be going for hella creepy. Instead it was campy, hilarious, and sweetly poignant. (And Legba! A Drag King! AND ELVIS. AWESOME.)

[Frankie Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've chosen this highly entertaining and fascinating collection of short stories to my English literature and composition class reading list. It's editied by a well known African American woman writer. She's chosen well. These stories teach you about some of the elements of Black culture while they entertain you with stories of "mojo magic."

[Vasha7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly serious, sometimes horrific; quite an interesting assortment. I really loved Gerard Houarner's story "She'd Make a Dead Man Crawl", and I wonder why I've not seen much mention of it from other people.

[tmll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this if only for Andy Duncan's short story entitled, "Daddy Mention".

[Seven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in my collections

[Sumayyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. The only thing is, the whole time I was reading, that old blues song was running through my head. "I got my mojo workin'", is it?

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of THE best anthologies I've ever read with some of the most creative, inventive, and original speculative fiction stories I've read.

[Sharon Joss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic & lush; this collection is one of the best anthologies I've read. Every story is top notch and unique. Loved it.

[Serenity L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a LOT. But found this book hard to read. I forced myself to finish it in the library parking lot the day it was due back. I don't know why I had this reaction to this book.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t ever cross a conjurer! That’s the clear warning of the nineteen short stories collected by Hopkinson in this anthology. Some of the tales, such as Marcia Douglas’s “Notes from a Writer's book of cures and spells,” are horrific, some like Andy Duncan’s “Daddy Mention and the Monday skull,” are filled with sly humor, and some evoke a powerful emotional response, most notably, “Trial Day,” by Tananarive Due. Several tell the tale from the point of the helpless victim, and several show slaves outwitting their masters with the aid of the supernatural. All rely on the power of west and central African spirits to produce results, but with the exceptions of “The Skinned” by Jarla Tangh and “Asuquo, or The winds of Hartmattan,” by Nnedi Okorafor, these spirits have made the infamous middle passage across the Atlantic with their enslaved believers, and have been transformed into the powers of Voodoo.

[Sam Desir-Spinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting collection. Stories carried a lot of emotional weight.

Often dealt with black issues.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any anthology, the individual pieces can be hit or miss. Some of the pieces left me scratching me head, wondering what I had just read, whereas others I wanted more. Overall, a good read.

[Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Religion and magic are two different things. Religion is an institutionalized system of spiritual beliefs and rituals through which one worships one's gods. Magic, on the other hand, is the practice of altering the fated progression of events to suit one's desires. In some ways, magic is an ultimate act of presumption. It is tricky, powerful, and often dangerous." - excerpt from the editor's note.

Speed of writing style seems to be a consistent criteria for many readers. For me, this collection of short stories is dead on (appropriate word choice ;P); in other words, just my style.
Honestly, i can't understand someone who isn't compelled to read this entirely in one sitting. In just the first few days I managed cover to cover despite being extremely busy and overtired every evening. I found myself bleary eyed, not wanting to let sleep overtake me as I completed story after story.
It's incredible how Hopkinson has managed arranging each story to flow into the next so well despite each being so different.
I simply adore these tales for their unique subject matter and extreme wit. Fascinating and a little disturbingly evil at times.
Standouts include The Prowl by Gregory Frost and Rosamojo by Kiini Ibura Salaam, but honestly not one disappointed.
Just right for a bedtime story or four.
Highly recommended.

[Wizzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these stories. Some of them I really like. Others I like pretty well. It is cool to see how conjure is described in various places, spaces, and times. A book chock full of interesting characters.

[Red · Rating 2 out of 5]

i am slow in reading this. though it came highly recommended, something about it is not my speed. there are however quite a few colloquialisms- which are interesting.

[Indigo Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting, a good read if you have a open mind.

[Mills College Library]

Fiction M714 2003