Jackalope Wives and Other Stories is another short story collection by T. Kingfisher and I loved it. I’ve read a couple of these stories previously, when they were first published, but I love that they’re all collected in one place. I especially that that because while the collection only contains two completely new stories, most of them were new to me.
Kingfisher brings her usual sensibility and love of practical characters and talking animal companions to this collection. If you like her work then this is a collection worth picking up. I also really like the approach that Kinfisher takes when she retells fairy tales, she’ll often find a new perspective from which to tell the story or add a new twist, and these change the story without really changing it. I’m not describing this very well.
The Tomato Thief is my favorite from the collection, it’s a follow up to Jackalope Wives and I would read a thousand stories set in this world. I read the Dryad’s Shoe earlier this year, and though about skipping it when I came across it in this collection, but I just couldn’t. It’s an a very unique Cinderella retelling, and I just love it to pieces. Wooden Feathers is one of the more creepy stories I’ve read in a while, though I suspect that’s because it’s about puppets coming to life. I could keep going with each story and tell you exactly why they’re all awesome, but honestly you should just read them. They’re funny and witty and honest. I was less fond of the poetry Kingfisher includes, but that’s not really a detriment to the book.
Yes, you should absolutely pick this collection up.