Books and Short Stories I Read February 2023

Two books, two novellas, and some short stories this month.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life (2021) by George Saunders 

This book is based on a class that George Saunders taught on nineteenth-century Russian short stories in translation. It includes seven stories by Russian authors, seven essays by Saunders analyzing the stories, and seven “afterthought” chapters in which Saunders offers extra observations.

The thing I liked best about this book is that George Saunders came across as a motivating and interesting teacher. He held my interest by explaining things clearly, by mixing in historical facts about the authors, and by sharing anecdotes from his life. It’s a fascinating look into the process of writing as well as reading short stories. 

Razorblade Tears (2021) by S. A. Cosby 

Two aging ex-cons seek revenge after their sons are murdered. Violence ensues. It got a little predictable from the middle, but I liked the writing and the novel’s commentary on bigotry, racism, and revenge.

“Revenge?” Tangerine asked. Ike smiled ruefully.

“No, hate. Folks like to talk about revenge like it’s a righteous thing but it’s just hate in a nicer suit,” Ike said.

The Ballad of Beta-2 (1965) by Samuel R. Delany 

Joneny, a galactic anthropology student attempts to discover the meaning of a folk ballad about a generation starship that encountered disaster along with its sister ships. As he investigates the surviving ships and the people who still live there, he learns more and more. 

I really enjoyed this. It was an interesting science fiction mystery that touched on the dangers of space, evolution of language, social changes, and religion, all in around 100 pages. We get the lines of the ballad at the start and have no idea what they mean, but by the end, all is revealed.

Empire Star (1966) by Samuel R. Delany 

Comet Jo, a young man living on a backwater planet, encounters survivors of a spaceship crash. Before dying, one of the survivors asks Jo to deliver a message to Empire Star. The other survivor turns into a crystal named Jewel and narrates the story. Jo leaves his planet with Jewel and a devil kitten and goes on a journey of self-discovery. 

I liked the characters and the poetic writing but Delany packs so many concepts and themes in this novella that it felt a little convoluted. Language, perception, slavery, artificial intelligence, and even time travel is introduced. It felt like a whirlwind towards the end, but it was a fascinating read.  After reading this and The Ballad of Beta-2, Delany has become an author I want to keep reading more of. 

Short Stories:

I decided to dip into some of my short story collections since I have so many that I want to read but I never seem to get to. 

“Jerusalem’s Lot” by Stephen King from Night Shift (1978) 

Night Shift was the first book I read by Stephen King years and years ago. It collects some of his earliest short stories, many of which have been adapted for film and television. 

This story is presented as a series of letters and diary entries. The main character inherits a house in Maine in 1850. The locals fear the house as it and the previous owners have bad reputations. Once he moves in, strange things start happening. The new owner begins investigating and learns about an abandoned town in the forest, a book of secret knowledge, and a strange cult. It reminded me of H. P. Lovecraft a lot. I loved it. 

The television series Chapelwaite is based on this story and I decided to read it before watching. I’m about halfway through with the show and although I like the characters that have been added, it feels stretched out and slow moving so far. I think I may have been spoiled by watching so many things directed by Mike Flanagon.

“The Tale of Satampra Zeiros” by Clark Aston Smith from Hyperborea (1971)

A thief narrates a story in which he and his companion attempt to retrieve treasure from an abandoned and shunned city. They soon find why the city is shunned. 

This story first appeared in Weird Tales November 1931. It features Tsathoggua, a Cthulhu Mythos entity created by Smith and is part of Smith’s Hyperborean cycle stories. This is the second Clark Ashton Smith story that I’ve read, and I liked both of them a lot. I’ll be reading more soon. 

“How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art upon the Gnoles” by Lord Dunsany from Beyond the Fields We Know (1972)

Lord Dunsany is another author that I’ve collected but haven’t gotten to. This story from 1912, is also about thievery gone wrong and may have influenced Smith’s story “The Tale of Satampra Zeiros.” I enjoyed it but not as much as Smith’s story.

I didn't get to as many stories as I had planned to in February. I hope to read more next month.