Books I Read in June 2022

Seven books this month. 

Companions on the Road (1977) by Tanith Lee 

This is a collection of two Tanith Lee fantasy novellas that were originally published as chapbooks. 

In “Companions on the Road.” two soldiers and a thief make off with a chalice after the sacking of a citadel. They then find themselves pursued by three dark riders. 

In “The Winter Players,” a young priestess tracks a thief after he steals an artifact from the temple she is responsible for. 

As in the other work I’ve read by Tanith Lee, the prose in each story was lyrical and descriptive. At only about a hundred pages each, Lee introduces convincing settings, fleshes out interesting characters, and builds tension. I enjoyed both stories and their conclusions immensely. 

The Magic Man and Other Science-Fantasy Stories (1965) by Charles Beaumont 

Charles Beaumont was an American author of short stories and novels, as well as scripts for television and movies. He wrote a number of classic Twilight Zone episodes and his novel The Intruder (1962) was adapted into a film starring William Shatner. Unfortunately, Beaumont passed away at the age of 38. 

The stories from this collection were chosen from three earlier collections. The stories are a mix of dark suspense with some science-fiction. I enjoyed them. Many of the stories definitely have a Twilight Zone-like feel. If you like dark stories or stories with dark humor, you’ll probably like them too. 

There’s a foreword by Ray Bradbury and an afterword by Richard Matheson. Bradbury was mentor to both Matheson and Beaumont, and Matheson and Beaumont were friends.

Favorite Stories:

“Miss Gentilbelle” 

“The Vanishing American”

“The Dark Music” 

“A Death in the Country” 

The Summer Book (1972) by Tove Jansson 

This novel by the creator of the Moomin characters tells the story of six-year-old Sophia and her grandmother as they spend the summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland. 

Sophia’s father is also on the island but he’s usually in the background. Sophia and her grandmother play together, go on walks, and have talks about all kinds of things including life, love, and even death. 

Each chapter is a vignette, but they subtly build upon each other. As you read you learn more about the characters, the island, and the surrounding ocean. 

The grandmother had difficulty moving around and was cranky sometimes and Sophia could be volatile and impetuous, but the love they felt for each other was clear.  The characters felt very real to me. 

When I got to the end of the book, I didn’t want it to end, just like the summers of my childhood.

Waking Nightmares (1993) by Ramsey Campbell 

This is a collection of nineteen Ramsey Campbell horror short stories from the 1970s and 1980s. There’s also an introduction by the author in which he talks about the origins of the stories.

In a previous Campbell collection I read, Demons by Daylight, there were some stories I just couldn’t wrap my head around. That wasn’t the case with this collection.

While I enjoyed some more than others, I enjoyed them all. The stories are atmospheric and just the right length. Most of the stories have well done, creepy endings. One of my favorite stories, “The Guide,” was inspired by the ghost stories of M. R. James, which I read at the end of last year. 

Favorite Stories:

“The Guide” 

“In the Trees”

“Bedtime Story” 

“Jack in the Box”

“Meeting the Author”

The Jewel in the Skull (1967), The Mad God’s Amulet (1968), The Sword of Dawn (1968) by Michael Moorcock 

These are the first three books of The History of the Runestaff series by fantasy author Michael Moorcock. They are part of his Eternal Champion series.

In a far-off future, after a great apocalypse, the brutal Dark Empire of Granbretan seeks to conquer all of Europe. Count Brass of Kamarg seeks to remain neutral. Dorian Hawkmoon of Köln, a prisoner of the Dark Empire is fitted with a black jewel that allows his captors to observe what he sees. He is sent to gain the trust of Count Brass and kidnap his daughter. If Hawkmoon doesn’t obey, the jewel will kill him. 

The world is interesting, the story is imaginative, and there’s lots of action. The books are short and the events move quickly. I wasn’t surprised when I read that Moorcock wrote these books in three days each. They’re pulpy and a lot of fun but things get a little repetitive in the third book. 

These short novels are from early in Moorcock’s career so there’s a focus on action and just some hints of the themes that he will apparently explore in his later work. At the end of the third book things are set up for the final volume. I’m looking forward to reading it to see how things play out. 

Books I Read in February 2022

 “I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” (from “The Third and Final Continent”)

— Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies 

Five books this month.

Red as Blood by Tanith Lee (1983)

This is a collection of dark fantasy retellings of fairy tales and ballets that were inspired by folk tales. There is also one science fiction retelling. This is a strong collection. Although I enjoyed some stories more than others, I thought every story was quite creative. 

I wrote in more detail about this collection last month.

Favorite stories:

“Red as Blood”

“Wolfland”

“The Waters of Sorrow”

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (1979)

I decided to read this when I learned that Tanith Lee may have been influenced by it. It’s also a collection of dark retellings of fairy tales and folktales with a feminist focus. 

The writing style really kept me from enjoying a lot of the stories. There are pages of long paragraphs filled with long, and I mean long descriptive sentences. It made for a frustrating read at times. Luckily that wasn’t the case with the last four stories. 

Favorite Stories:

“The Lady of the House of Love”

“The Company of Wolves” (made into the 1984 film of the same name)

If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes (1945)

This is about an African American crew leader in a naval shipyard dealing with racism in the 1940s. Every time the main character attempts to overcome an obstacle he runs into difficulty. As he faces more and more obstacles, he sinks deeper into depression and begins to have some seriously dark thoughts. There was tension from the beginning, it moved quickly, and it built up well to a final confrontation that didn’t end the way I expected it to. 

Based on this book I’m looking forward to reading the author’s Harlem Detective series featuring the characters Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. 

In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway (1925)

This is Hemingway’s first short story collection. Hemingway is one of my favorite authors.  It was interesting reading his early work, it was good (it's Hemingway!) but not as good as his later work.

Favorite stories:

“The Battler"

“Cat in the Rain”

“Cross-Country Snow”

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999)

This is a collection of short stories by American author Jhumpa Lahiri. Her parents are from India, she was born in London, and she moved to the United States when she was three. 

Although she grew up in the United States, a lot of the stories in this collection deal with trying to adjust to life in a new country. The theme of identity comes up often. Maybe because I've lived part of my life in Germany and Japan as well as the United States, some of the stories really spoke to me, especially “The Third and Final Continent.”  

Favorite stories:

“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”

“Interpreter of Maladies”

“The Third and Final Continent”

On to March!

Red as Blood by Tanith Lee

 “The dawn is coming, that must be the unforgivable glare that blazes along the hem of the earth, its rays smoking through her, pink as pearl, cruel as knives.”

— Tanith Lee, “The Waters of Sorrow”

Red as Blood or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer is a collection of dark fantasy retellings of fairy tales with a feminist focus. There are also stories based on ballets that were inspired by folk tales and one science fiction retelling. This is a strong collection. Although I enjoyed some stories more than others, I thought every story was quite creative. 

I love the writing style. I’m usually leery of writing that is prose heavy and has limited dialogue, but it wasn't a problem here. Paragraphs flow with poetic prose and lush imagery. The stories moved along well and the endings often surprised me. 

One of the criticisms I’ve seen a few times is that the stories feel a little repetitive since most of them are dark and often include evil characters. I feel that they all fit the theme of dark retellings of fairy and folk tales so this was not a problem for me.

The Kindle version includes an extra story at the end bringing the collection up to ten stories. It also has silly cover art which has nothing to do with any of the stories. I prefer the paperback cover art by Michael Whelan (pictured above) which actually matches the contents. 

For most of the stories I read the original folk tales first. Comparing the original stories to Tanith Lee’s stories really added to my enjoyment of them. For the folk tales I read from my copy of The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by Jack Zipes. This book includes the earliest versions of the stories before they were revised numerous times. 

For the two stories based on ballets I read summaries on the internet. I was especially impressed with how Tanith Lee adapted the tragic ballet Giselle into her story "The Waters of Sorrow."

Stories:

"Paid Piper" (based on "The Pied Piper of Hamelin") (4/5)

A mysterious musician with a flute visits a village in which everyone appears overly concerned with work and money. He offers them another way, but they reject him. I have mixed feelings about this one. I like the revelations and how the story ends but the musician never explains how his way would work. 

"Red as Blood" (based on "Snow White") (5/5)

A version of Snow White in which the good characters are bad, and the bad characters are good. Very well done. 

"Thorns" (based on "Sleeping Beauty") (4/5)

A prince encounters a castle surrounded by thorns and attempts to rescue the sleeping princess within. 

"When the Clock Strikes" (based on "Cinderella") (3/5)

A version of Cinderella in which she is out for revenge. 

"The Golden Rope" (based on "Rapunzel") (3/5)

An old woman raises a child in a tower in an attempt to gain power from the devil. 

"The Princess and Her Future" (based on "The Frog Prince") (4/5)

After receiving a golden glass ball, a princess discovers the secret of a well in a hidden garden. Short and sweet with a strong ending.

"Wolfland" (based on "Little Red Riding Hood") (5/5)

A young woman who is set to inherit the family fortune is sent a red cloak and is summoned by her mysterious grandmother. The trip by sleigh through the winter forest, the characters she meets, and the things she learns all make for an outstanding and creative retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood." One of my favorite stories in this collection. 

"Black as Ink" (inspired by the folk tales that Swan Lake is based on) (3/5)

A young man becomes infatuated with a mysterious young woman who he sees swimming in a lake. He is threatened by her angry uncle and things don’t work out. He encounters her again years later. A strange and tragic story. 

"Beauty" (a science fiction version of "Beauty and the Beast") (2.5/5)

Aliens have come to Earth and settled in various locations. They provide gifts for mankind, but they also require families to send one of their children to them periodically. A merchant's daughter, who is not sure about her place in the world, gets sent to one of the aliens. I guessed at one of the revelations at the end but not the other. While it was well done, I thought the story went on too long.

"The Waters of Sorrow" (based on the ballet Giselle) (5/5)

A young village girl watches a play on a riverboat named the Vilya, named after all the girls who die of broken hearts when their lovers betray or abandon them. While watching the play she falls in love with the lead actor. After the play she winds up meeting him. 

I really like the way Tanith Lee adapts the Giselle ballet into this story. Romance, innocence, suspicion, love, tragedy, and vengeful ghosts with a twist. This story has it all. The crown jewel of the collection. Every word. 

As Tanith Lee seems to have been inspired by the stories of Angela Carter, I’ll be reading her collection The Bloody Chamber soon.