This collection of short stories range from Austen/Temeraire crossovers to disturbing fairy tales set during the Black Plague. Novik’s style of writing is sharp, intelligent and on occasion, sardonic and a little sarcastic. I enjoyed most of the stories, and as usual with my other story collection reviews, I’m going to be reviewing the stories that stood out the most to me.
After Hours
This story is set in the Scholomance universe and is about two students at the new and improved Scholomance post The Golden Enclaves, who are stuck together as roommates. Beata is a young Eastern European witch whose family traditions are essentially fairytale-like. (They grant wishes, cast hexes that are essentially lessons, and work magics that are very transactional and balanced.) Jayne is an enclaver, and manages to make herself extremely hard to get along with. The plot revolves around Beata making friends and Jayne very slowly learning how to be less terrible. This was an entertaining read, and I liked it a great deal.
Vici
A young, dissolute noble named Antony, who is drowning in debt finds himself punished by being sent out to slay a dragon. (The only upsides: The act will clear his debts, and the dragon has a hoard, so if he survives he’ll be rich.) He is unexpectedly successful, and ends up accidentally adopting a baby dragon. (He found an egg in the dragon’s den.) In caring for it, he becomes the first person to “tame” a dragon. (From a certain perspective. I however feel that Vici inadvertently teaches Antony responsibility.) This is a fun, fast paced story and Vici is absolutely charming. I enjoyed her interactions with Antony.
Dragons & Decorum
The second Temeraire story is an Austen/Temeraire crossover in which Elizabeth Bennet is the captain of a Longwing. This is something she and her family have been keeping secret because of the inherent scandal. (Longwings only accept women as captains. The military and general society pretends extremely hard that this is Not a Thing.) The story hits many of the same points of Pride and Prejudice with some new ones added on. The Austen-voice and turn of phrase is very good, and the overall story holds together extremely well. (Particularly funny moment: Darcy absolutely failing to understand Elizabeth’s relationship to her dragon in the worst way possible.)
Spinning Silver
The short story version of Novik’s reimagining of the fairytale Rumpelstiltskin is an engaging read. In Spinning Silver a young Jewish woman named Miryem, who starts collecting debts for her father, who is a moneylender, but not very good at it. (To the point the family is starving, because the people he lends money to won’t pay him back.) Miryem is successful at debt collection and soon the family prospers, though both of her parents are concerned and also slightly guilty about the situation. Unfortunately, an unwise boast made by Miryem’s grandfather draws the attention of the Staryk, frost fairies who love gold. I enjoyed this story a great deal, about as much as I liked the novel-length story. (Which of course is very different.)
Seven Years from Home
This story is a little hard to describe. It’s about imperialism and genocide, and a lot of other complex things. Our Protagonist is an ambassador for a “Confederacy” that is overseeing a conflict between two societies: The Melidans who use gene-engineering and other biosciences to live a more or less pastoral or hunter/gatherer existence and the Esperigans, who tend toward the hard sciences and industrialization. The Confederacy is playing one side against the other but Our Protagonist throws herself whole-heartedly into supporting the Melidans, to disastrous affect for the Esperigans and the Confederacy’s concerns. This is a thoughtful story that has some interesting twists and turns leading to an absolute trainwreck of an ending. (In a good way: Our Protagonist done messed up, is all I’m saying.)
Castle Coeurlieu
I will first say that this dark little story reminds me of Pan’s Labyrinth. The story’s plot is in no way similar to Pan’s Labyrinth, but it still has the same dark fairytale feel. It’s the time of the Black Plague, and our Protagonist is a twelve year old recently wedded wife of a nobleman, who is sent to the titular castle while the noble goes off to war. Isabeau makes friends with her “stepson” Jerome, who has been disabled by a child hood illness. They do various kid-like things together and Jerome tells stories about a mysterious tower no one is supposed to go into, because it’s haunted. Or grants wishes in a terrifying way. Or both. This of course leads to Isabeau ending up going into the tower, after Jerome disappears inside. This is a creepy horror-fairytale with a lot of disturbing content. I recommend it for all of the above.
This is over all a really interesting collection of stories that I enjoyed reading. Novik is an amazing writer, though I have occasionally bounced off of some of her work. I enjoyed most of the stories in the book, but the stories listed above stood out the most to me.
This review is based off of a unpublished copy received from NetGalley.
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