After reading Forest of Memory, I decided that I needed even more Mary Robinette Kowal. So when I heard about a few of her short stories, I decided I needed to track them down. I discovered Word Puppets, an anthology with an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss. I was sold. Read the introduction first because it is hilarious. And even with his intro to Kowal, Rothfuss manages to cement the collection with major themes and ideas from Kowal’s work. It’s a great way to think about […]
A strange but intriguing little tale
’ve been going through a Glamourist Histories withdrawal. I’ve been wishing that the series wasn’t over, even though I was really happy with the way Mary Robinette Kowal wrapped it up. I did a library search to see what else I could read and happily, there are a few things left that I had not yet uncovered. I decided to start with a novella, Forest of Memory. It’s a short, tense, and captivating read, and you see where Kowal’s fantasy and sci-fi roots take hold. […]
Spiritualism and the Great War
I have been aware of Mary Robinette Kowal for some time now. Several of my favorite authors sing her praises regularly, John Scalzi in particular springs to mind as I write this. Last year Kowal went on a book tour with Marie Brennan. Brennan writes the delightful Lady Trent Memoirs series, of which I am a fan, so it was exciting to be able to attend a signing of hers for the first time. As Kowal was coming too, it seemed time to finally pick […]
I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight
I really wanted to love this. Like LOVE LOVE it. Jane Austen with magic? COME ON. And I enjoyed reading it, I suppose. Hell, I read it in a day. But my biggest problem with it? It didn’t give me any FEELS. I want the feels, I NEED THE FEELS. Jane Ellsworth is a single woman in Regency England, and though she’s only 28 (A BABY), she’s considered a spinster and has all but given up on ever finding love or a husband. Her younger […]
Imitation can be Fun, But it’s Rarely Art
Jane Austin has a number of imitators but rarely do any of those imitators come close to capturing what truly makes her works stand the test of time. I’m sorry to say that Shades of Milk and Honey doesn’t capture that magic either. This isn’t to say that it’s a bad book, it’s an enjoyable read, but I don’t think it’s a great book either. Rather it’s an imitation of a masterpiece, fine to look at but nothing memorable. Kowal does attempt to imbue something […]
Jane Austen meets light fantasy, with some significant flaws.
On the one hand, yes, this was fun because Jane Austen + magic = yes. If you go into the book expecting Jane Austen levels of wit and social satire, you are going to be disappointed. But I didn’t. I went in expecting a fantasy novel set in an Austen-like world with an Austen-like romance plot, and so I was fine. And the magic system was really interesting to me. So basically, this is Regency England if magic were real, and largely considered another art, […]