A Cup of Normal

by Devon Monk

These twenty-two short stories are measured out with a cup of normal and a pound of the fantastic. From dark fairytales to alien skies, Monk's stories blend haunting yesterdays, forgotten todays and twisted tomorrows wherein:

...A normal little girl in a city made of gears, takes on the world to save a toy....
...A normal ancient monster living in Seattle, must decide if love is worth trusting a hero...
...A normal patchwork woman and her two-headed boyfriend stitch their life and farm together with needle, thread, and time...
...a normal vampire in a knitting shop must face sun-drenched secrets...
...a normal snow creature's wish changes a mad man's life...
...a normal man breaks reality with a hamster...
...and yes, a normal little robot, defines how extraordinary friendship can be.

Poignant, bittersweet, frightening, and funny, these stories pour out worlds that are both lovely and odd, darkly strange and tantalizingly familiar, where no matter how fantastic the setting or situation, love, freedom, and hope find a way to take root and thrive.

“Dusi” (Realms of Fantasy, Oct 1999)
“Beer with a Hamster Chaser”
(Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #14, June 2004)
“Probe” (Odyssey #5, 1998)
“That Saturday” (Better off Dead, Daw Books, Nov 2008)
“The Wishing Time” (First publication in the 1st edition, 2010)
“Bearing Life” (Maiden, Matron, Crone, Daw Books, May 2005)
“A Cup of Normal” (First publication in 2nd edition, 2015)
“Stitchery” (Black Gate #2, 2001; Year’s Best Fantasy 2, Eos, 2002)
“Last Tour of Duty” (Realms of Fantasy, Dec 2001)
“Oldblade” (Talebones #19, Spring 2000)
“Skein of Sunlight” (Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2, 2009)
“Stringing Tomorrow” (Talebones #32, Spring 2006)
“X-Day” (First publication in the 1st edition, 2010)
“Menders” (First publication in the 1st edition, 2010)
“Leeward to the Sky” (Realms of Fantasy, June 2002)
“Fishing the Edge of the World” (Talebones #28, Summer 2004)
“Moonlighting” (Fantasy Gone Wrong, Daw Books, Sept 2006)
“Christmas Card” (First publication in the 1st edition, 2010)
“Ducks in a Row” (Realms of Fantasy, April 2006)
“Singing Down the Sun” (Fantastic Companions, May 2005)
“Here After Life” (Realms of Fantasy, Feb 2003)
“Falling with Wings” (Realms of Fantasy, Aug 2004)
“When the Train Calls Lonely” (Realms of Fantasy, Oct 2007)

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Devon Monk is a national best selling writer of urban fantasy. Her series include Ordinary Magic, House Immortal, Allie Beckstrom, Broken Magic and Shame and Terric. She also writes the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story which can be found in her collection: A Cup of Normal, and in various anthologies. She has one husband, two sons, and lives in Oregon. When not writing, Devon is either drinking too much coffee or knitting silly things.

Reviews

[David Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of short stories I've read this year which completely blew me away. (The first was William J. Cook's The Pieta in Ordinary Time: And Other Stories.)
This was freakin' brilliant, some of the finest writing I've ever read - and that applies to *all* the stories in the collection, even if I liked a few less than others.
Lyrical, intelligent, humane, freaky, smart, poetic, twisted and twisty, tender, hopeful, horrifying, challenging, mind-stretching, and generally inspired and inspiring writing, Devon Monk never loses touch with what it means to be human. Or backs off from making her readers ask themselves what it means to them. I've given each story a star rating out of a scale with a top end of 5* ;)

Dusi - Classical mythology meets Seattle. Devon Monk's gifted writing makes it work. 5*

Beer with a Hamster Chaser - Hilarious, brilliant. Cannot think about it without smiling. About 10*

Probe - SF asking profound questions. Like a universe in a drop of water. 5*

That Saturday - Seriously weird, creatively horrifying, strangely tender. 5*

The Wishing Time - Santa story not for Christmas - or is it? 6*

Bearing Life - Fantasy queen between a rock and a hard place. Is she equal to it? No question. Oh, about 12*

A Cup of Normal - Classic SF with a (literal) Twist. Superb. At least 10*

Stitchery - Surreal fantasy/paranormal love story. 5*

Last Tour of Duty - Paranormal war story. 5*

Oldblade - Fantasy sword tale, brilliant short story. 5*

Skein of Sunlight - Rare vampire yarn (couldn't resist, sorry!). 6*

Stringing Tomorrow - Tender SF with a high level of suspense. (You'll get it later.) 6*

X-Day - Christmas SF morality tale. I'm not sure if I'm a very nice person, because this one also leaves me with a mean sort of grin on my face whenever I think of it. 8* at least.

Menders - Far-out SF, cleverly and gently related. 5*

Leeward to the Sky - Poetic fantasy short romance. I reckon 12*, the language deserves no less.

Fishing the Edge of the World - Paranormal slash magic realism, moving, tragic, stubbornly hopeful. 5*

Moonlighting - Fairy tale short with a modern twist you won't see coming. 6*

Christmas Card - Paranormal, sad with a sliver of hope. 5*

Ducks in a Row - A carney meets his match. 5*

Singing Down the Sun - Origin myth: music. Intensely creative, great conclusion. 8*

Here After Life - A ghost story, I guess, from a most unusual point of view, wonderful ending. 5*

Falling with Wings - Dystopian SF romance with depth, warmth and wit. About 12*

When the Train Calls Lonely - Will make you cry, will warm your heart. Elisabeth's voice in this one demonstrates why Devon Monk is the amazing writer that she is. Nothing less than 20*

Bottom line: DO NOT MISS READING THIS BOOK.

[Michael Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devon Monk has a vivid imagination. I don’t question that aspect of her writing. This collection of short stories dances from one fantastic idea to another as she knits stories that are very far from normal. Like all collections, it’s hard not to compare one story with the next. Naturally, I liked some better than others.

While reading, I got the impression Devon Monk is far more comfortable in the long form than the short. Many stories felt like parts of much bigger stories, like she’s taken a section from a novel that could work being read in isolation. I wouldn’t say the ideas in these particular stories were uninteresting, but they didn’t have the well-rounded sense of completion that elevates a short story from good to great. My lasting impressions in these cases were to wonder if Devon Monk would rework the material into a novel to tie up all the loose threads.

The shining stars of the collection were the stories that did stand alone. My favourite was the opening story, Dusi, which gives a well-trodden myth a fresh, new spin. One might say, it rocks.

I think if you’re looking to discover a new author and their style, this buffet of stories is an excellent introduction to the supercharged imagination of Devon Monk. If you’re looking for a collection of well-crafted stories that each stand alone, you may find it a mixed offering.

[Deborah Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally the best book of short stories I have ever read. Dark, hopeful, lyrical, wistful, beautiful beyond belief. No two stories are alike and yet they all manage to shine. Even if you are not a short story reader (and I am normally not, but I love all of Devon Monk's novels, so I thought I'd check this out) you are going to want to read these. There are even a few glimpses of the origins of a character or two you might recognize.

This one goes on the keeper shelf.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this recent small-press collection from fellow Oregonian Devon Monk. Monk writes deft, contemporary fantasy stories in a lucid, colloquial style that never gets in the way of her storytelling. The settings are diverse, and the endings are often surprising but always fitting—a good combination.

This is my first encounter with Monk's work, but she's been around for awhile—she also has a steampunk novel coming out in July 2011, and has previously written a whole series of novels whose titles are all "Magic (preposition) the (Noun)." That alone, I have to admit, doesn't sell 'em to me; I'm picky about titles, and that's one area where I think Monk falls down a little. The title of this very collection seems a little clunky to me, compared with Mildred Clingerman's more euphonious A Cupful of Space , for example.

Along the way, though, Monk has definitely acquired some writing chops, and all of the short fictions (some very short) at hand show off those abilities in diverse ways. There are 22 stories in this collection, and every one of them has a different impact.

Take, for example, "Probe," from early in the book. Originally published in 1998, this little-robot-does-good story carries echoes of Brian Aldiss' "But Who Can Replace a Man?" as well as more contemporary works of self-attained sentience like "Wall-E". That's a lot to pack into ten pages.

Monk does that, though. The taut war-is-hell story "Last Tour of Duty" carries with it a bite reminiscent of Joe Haldeman or, better still, Lewis Shiner. "Oldblade" cheerfully, violently overturns a timeworn fantasy trope in a way I'd associate with, say, Michael Moorcock. And the setting of "Falling with Wings" brings to mind the kind of grimy merging of fantasy with industrial devastation that Michael Swanwick brought forth in The Iron Dragon's Daughter. "Bearing Life," with its unconventionally positive mode of conflict resolution, is one of the longest stories in the collection, and one of the most hopeful.

There is, quite frankly, not a single "normal" story in this collection. And that's a good thing.

[Zach Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is absolutely wonderful. It has a little bit of everything, all of it written in prose so lyrical that it sometimes seems like song. I have some new favorites, and they are in this volume.

[Nona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way too good

Devon Monk blew me away with the talent in this collection of short stories. 2 made me cry, 3 made me laugh, and they all made me want more. I want more of the story of these people. A Cup of Normal has a backdrop of the uncanny, paranormal, and wondrous - but the normalcy is how everyone feels inside. Every one has emotions that are relatable to mine and yours and theirs.
One thing not normal here, one thing out of the bounds of normalcy, is the liquid velvet of DMs voice. Her gift with words is beyond good. Flawless comes to mind. Her telling of love and loss and hope is so compelling and beautiful that I will forever put her on the author God pedestal.
Thank you, Devon.

[Kimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extraordinary. It's one of the best short story collections I have ever read. I have read almost everything by Devon and love her stuff, but this collection went above and beyond her other great works. There is one story in particular, Menders, which I don't think I will ever get out of my mind. So poignant and sad, yet hope at the end.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys speculative fiction.

[Justme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief thoughts to keep track of each story...
Dusi 4* sweet
Beer 3.5* easy2guess
Probe 5* cried
Saturday 3.3* wtf
Wishing Time 3.6* different
Bearing Life 4.6* satisfying lovely
ACofN 4* interesting2short
Stitchery 3.8* odd
LTofD 4.5* touching
Oldblade 4* snipet
Skein of Sunlight 4* interesting2short
Stringing Tomorrow 4.2* choices
X-Day 3.9* chill
Menders 4.4* noslave
Leeward 3.7* ah
Fishing 3* ?
Moonlighting 4.2* cute
xmas Card 3* sad
Ducks 3* snipet
Singing Down 3.7* fable
After Life 4.7* wow
Falling 4.5* more
Train Calls 4.3* choices

[Molly Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this collection of short stories by Devon Monk. Initially I picked it up as one of the short stories inspired her Immortal House series (which was really good). However, I was surprised by the varied genre collection that spans urban fantasy to fantasy, dark to light, tragic to happily ever after. I can see myself picking this collection up again and rereading it.

[T.L. Merrybard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed these stories, and that is not always a given for me, even with great writers, because I usually prefer long fiction. Now to hunt out Devon's full length works and add them to my want to read list!

[Megan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these short stories. This collection also contains the short story that inspired the house immortal series.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories all written by Devon Monk.

She is an imaginative, lyrical writer and all the stories are good. I can't think of one of the 22 stories written here that I didn't like.

[Mai · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I not know this existed until yesterday?? Simply awesome.

[Sylvia Sybil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of 22 short stories all written by the same author. Four of these are previously unpublished. I had only read two before, and it seems as though most of them came from magazines.

From a granny who knits spare time into her needlework, to a gorgon forced into hermitage by her curse, to a lineman trying to salvage his marriage with his childless wife, all of these characters are memorable and unique. I mean, just look at the cover. It has Medusa, a robot, winged people, Tiki heads, a woman holding hands with a skeleton, a little boy with a rifle leading his ducks, and a little girl with a wrench and a can of bug spray. That's all in there. Or just read the title: A Cup of Normal. As in, *knock knock* "Hi neighbor, can I borrow a cup of normal?"


One complaint, that I think is common to the format, is that in a short story you don't have time to fully develop the world or the characters. In a way this collection is like looking out a train window - you get a glimpse of many different towns whipping past and what you see intrigues you, but you don't have time to get out and visit them. Some of these stories worked well within that limitation; others felt more rushed. For this review I picked the four shorts I found most memorable.

"Stitchery" is about a patchwork girl, her two-headed psychic boyfriend, and an old lady who catches up other people's wasted time and knits it into her handwork. The story was too busy; I didn't get an explanation about the patchwork stitchery used to make Tilly, I didn't understand why Ned had two heads and was psychic, and other worldbuilding elements such as the carnivorous lizard and the "beast" (a unicorn, I think) would have been fascinating with more detail. The main conflict is between Ned and Tilly and I didn't have enough sense of that relationship to appreciate it. The best part was of course the time knitting. It was explained with the perfect amount of detail, showing what it does without stopping to explain how it works.

"When the Train Calls Lonely" was inspired by World War II stories of women who met the trains with soldiers going off to war and offered them a last home-cooked meal. Elisabeth is an adopted child, found wandering alone with no memories of her prior family. After her maybe-fiance Johnny leaves for war, she starts seeing ghosts. They come in on the same trains that took them out and leave messages with her, last words for their loved ones. Elisabeth's isolation is one of the themes here: she's adopted, Johnny's gone, she sees ghosts and she starts doing men's chores in the soldiers' absence. All of that contributes to her feelings of loneliness and aloneness. The poignant ending left me with a lot to think about.

"Menders" freaked me out the most. The first line is about how the narrator boils babies and a few sentences later she reveals it is her own babies that she kills. Favor's species has some insectoid characteristics and their babies are born wrapped in a cocoon. Like silk worms, they must be boiled alive to extract the thread in one piece. The short is actually about the evils of slavery, as Favor's people must murder their own children or face the wrath of their owners. Favor tries to break free of her bonds, to think the unthinkable and look for a better life. She could easily have been a monster, murdering her own babies, but it's shown that she was raised in this life and knows no other way to think. I found her a sympathetic character by the end. Still, that line about boiling babies is going to haunt me.

"Falling with Wings" was the highlight of this anthology. It takes place on a garbage planet where babies fall from the sky and children are raised by other children. At adolescence they grow wings and ascend past the clouds into the rumored sky world, never to be seen again except in the evidence of the dropped babies. This was one short where I thought not explaining all the rules actually made the piece stronger. What the sky world is doesn't matter, how this junkyard world was made doesn't matter. The focus is on the children and the miniature society they've created. The older children, "aunts and uncles", hunt rats, scavenge through the garbage for usable items and tend to the little "nieces and nephews". Dawn's relationships with the other characters, especially Setham and Reez, show her coming-of-age and search for identity in this dystopian society.

I've heard rumors there may be a second anthology of Devon Monk's short stories under way. She also writes the Allie Beckstrom series with book 5, Magic at the Gate, releasing November 2.

Overall, I give this anthology a C+.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all short story collections work for me, not unlike my general distrust of anthologies. There are good stories, mediocre, some less-than-fab, and one or two jewels. But this is Devon Monk, one of my favorite authors and the stories are all written by her. They are all superb. Some are definitely super-shinier than others, but all are superbly wonderful.
My outstanding favorite is STITCHER because it's a flavor of my favorite series by Devon, Immortal House trilogy.
This is a great mixture, each flowing into the next story, but each with its own individual voice. Science fiction, Vietnam, raising the dead, dystopia, mythology, vampires...awesome awesome awesome!
Thank you to my friend Jenna who got this for me and had it signed by Devon. It resides on the treasured signed keeper shelf.
Definite recommend!

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of short stories. Other than a few cases where the writing is, in the author's own words, "florid", the language is clear and communicates well. The stories in the first half are better than those in the last half, with the exception of the last two stories which are quite good. Some of the stories have a common short story problem where the setting of the story is not explained enough for the story to make sense (in terms of understanding why this story's worth writing or why we should care). Even in a short story, the reader needs to have context.

The author's love of knitting leads to its inclusion in a few short stories, which reduces the appeal for those who don't particularly enjoy that activity.

[Jourdemayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories drive me crazy. They tend to have a high entry level for limited rewards. The good stories end, and then I have to go through the painful entry process for another world and set of characters. Too often, the stories are unsatisfying, or have a 'gotcha' ending.

That said, I read A Cup of Normal eagerly. I liked all of the stories, particularly PROBE, THE WISHING TIME, BEARING LIFE, STITCHERY, and MOONLIGHTING.

[Darnia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short stories for this week. Away from Willful Creatures I've read recently, this one has familiar themes, such as paranormals, fairy tales, myths and robots. It also has some death themes (which I love so much). The lyrical proses stunned us until the last page. The cover (at least the one that I have) is one of the most beautiful cover I've ever seen.

[Elaine Torrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any collection of stories, it is a mixed bag. I am not a big fan of contemporary fantasy. But that said, I enjoyed this book. The author is a talented weaver of stories. "The Train Called Lonely" is a wonderful, wonderful story. I read it aloud to my partner. The main character is so well written and the way Ms. Monk introduces her "gift" was understated and thus all the better. I'd recommend this book just for that story.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Powells sf group selection for August 2012. A fine reread. Lots of shorter short stories and a general good read as I'd expect from Devon Monk.

An Endeavour Award read from the library. Perhaps I've not read enough random short story collections and I'm not jaded. But actually I thought this one was quite good if a bit quirky and informal - which for sf short I think is not a bad thing. 4 of 5.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of imaginative short stories

Monk has a poetic way with words and a vivid imagination. Each story is unique and has an irresistible draw. I love every story contained within and have read this several times. I can't recommend this compilation enough. While I love to read a story of two before bed, they all leave me wanting more of these rich worlds and fascinating concepts.

[Mardel · Rating 5 out of 5]

First story - a touching little romance between Medusa and... :)

I found all the stories fun to read. some were a bit heartbreaking, some funny, some a little creepy. No matter the subject matter, each story was engaging, well written and had interesting characters. I don't think that there is a Devon Monk story that I wouldn't enjoy at this point. She is a great storyteller.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A handful of the stories I liked very much. The Medusa one, Probe, Bearing Life, Skeins of Sunlight...... but I heavily dislike the reanimated zombie dog, the two headed boyfriend and the gears and toy bits.

I was neutral towards the Santa Claus stories because I have have Santa issues, too. I thinks its an evil and malicious practice, lying to kids for the sake of a "magical childhood".

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were short and sweet stories, but outside of a short story about knitting vampires, I didn't find anything to be particularly memorable.

It was interesting to see the evolution of some of the author's writing and story building over time.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply an AMAZING collection of stories...several could have been continued to full books. Totally loved and plan to buy my own copy since the library made me return theirs. (Funny that way!) Will write more detailed review when I have the book in front of me again :)

[Dejsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a wonderful sampling of Devon Monk's worlds.

[Emma Mylinson]

Read only the Introduction and it's already pulled me into the book. Tell you when I will start reading it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many enjoyable stories and I won't be surprised if I come back to upgrade to 5 stars (my philsophy is if the words linger well past reading).

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection from an excellent story teller.

[Larisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious. Every single story is delicious.