User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
My previously-posted review for the excellent (and Hugo award-winning) story "A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" in this issue has disappeared because GR librarians are messing around with the short story listings again. So I'm reposting it here, along with a review for "Ghost Marriage" by P. Djeli Clark, from the same issue of Apex (RIP). Review first posted on Fantasy Literature.
5 easy and enthusiastic stars for "A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies": Our narrator is both a librarian and a witch (all good librarians are, she claims), and one of her joys is giving library patrons the book they “need most.” So when the black teenager with the red backpack comes into the Maysville Public Library, located somewhere in the deep South, and latches onto a portal fantasy, she breathes him in and can tell he’s deeply, howlingly yearning for a way to escape this world and never come back.
God save me from the yearners. The insatiable, the inconsolable, the ones who chafe and claw against the edges of the world. No book can save them.
(That’s a lie. There are Books potent enough to save any mortal soul: books of witchery, augury, alchemy; books with wand-wood in their spines and moon-dust on their pages; books older than stones and wily as dragons. We give people the books they need most, except when we don’t.)
So she feeds him a series of magical fantasies, knowing that’s not enough to truly help him. He needs a book that’s not just about magic, but a book that is magic. But sharing those types of books with library patrons is strictly forbidden.
I loved the librarian/witch narrator’s voice and dry sense of humor. The details in this story are delicious. I have a major soft spot for library-themed fantasy, and Alix E. Harrow’s love for books and reading shines through in this imaginative tale, where books jostle on the shelves to try to attract the attention of readers, and a book that is returned with “the flashlight-smell of 3:00 a.m. on its final chapter [is] unbearably smug about it.” At the same time, you also feel the heartbreak and hopelessness this teenager feels in the foster care system.
My favorite of the Hugo and Nebula nominated short stories. Don't miss it!
3.5 stars for "Ghost Marriage" by P. Djeli Clark, an African fantasy. Ayen, a widowed girl from the Djeng tribe, is wandering across the barren plains alone. After her husband Malith's death, the families agreed she would still belong to him in a "ghost marriage," given to his brother Yar (who already has three wives), but with any children born to her to be deemed of Malith's lineage. But things go wrong - very wrong - and now Ayen is traveling in search of the Blood Woman, a sorceress who she hopes can dissolve the ghost marriage. But this turns out to be problematic, for entirely unsuspected reasons. It's a richly imagined and atmospheric story, though it's not as unique and didn't pull me in as much as the other Clark stories I've read (one of which, The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington, just won the 2019 Nebula award, and I highly recommend it). Full review to come.
Rating: really liked it
Well that's fun: I managed to review this
twice with the librarian shenanigans. Now kept permanently at:
https://wordpress.com/post/clsiewert....
Rating: really liked it
This is a review only for a brilliant Hugo-winning short story
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix Harrow:
This story is told by the second kind of a librarian. Come again — which kind, you ask? Well, here you go:
“(There have only ever been two kinds of librarians in the history of the world: the prudish, bitter ones with lipstick running into the cracks around their lips who believe the books are their personal property and patrons are dangerous delinquents come to steal them; and witches).“
There are books that people want to read. And there are books that they *need*, which surpasses mere “want”. The second kind of librarians can tell. But there are rules:
“Both of them mean the same thing: We give people the books they need, except when we don’t. Except when they need them most.”Sometimes what you need most is an escape. From life, from ordinary evils, from mundanity. Sometimes you are a yearner, and it’s really the matter of life or death.
“I do my best to give people the books they need most. In grad school, they called it “ensuring readers have access to texts/materials that are engaging and emotionally rewarding,” and in my other kind of schooling, they called it “divining the unfilled spaces in their souls and filling them with stories and starshine,” but it comes to the same thing.“
It’s another one of those absolutely delightful stories that make you sigh with happiness. Well-written, perfectly developed for its length, and just lovely. Not to mention that any book set in a library already has a head start for the permanent spot in my heart. To quote Jo Walton,
“I mean bookshops make a profit on selling you books, but libraries just sit there lending you books quietly out of the goodness of their hearts.“Now I know that Alix Harrow is definitely not a one-hit wonder (I just read and loved her first novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January).
5 stars.Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
——————
Recommended by: Tadiana
Rating: really liked it
5★
“The books above him rustled and quivered; that kind of attention flatters them.”This is the story of a librarian who sees books and people rather differently than you and I might. She notices not only the moods of the patrons, but also the sulky, depressed attitudes of books that are outdated (they say Pluto is a planet), and the ones that just aren’t popular anymore.
She has been watching a teenaged boy with a red backpack, sit reading in the aisle, ignoring other people who look suspicious of a skinny black kid, assuming he’s just pretending to read. The books aren’t suspicious. They’re delighted!
And our librarian knows it.
“(There have only ever been two kinds of librarians in the history of the world: the prudish, bitter ones with lipstick running into the cracks around their lips who believe the books are their personal property and patrons are dangerous delinquents come to steal them; and witches).”No prizes for guessing which kind she is. She figures out what people need, and tries to press books on them that will help.
Cartoon of librarian with sign saying Search EngineThis picture does our librarian a disservice, as she is only in her thirties. She takes her role very seriously, and her concern and warmth are wonderful.
She explains how she senses what people need, and one time, the library cart itself actually tosses an ‘appropriate’ book at someone’s feet. How tempting to pick it up!
Illustration of an irresistible old bookThe kid has been reading one that had a magic portal, and I hope you’ll forgive the following artistic licence, as the image looks more like Cinderella than this boy with his red backpack. Use your literary imagination!
Illustration of magic portal amongst shelves full of dusty old booksThe librarian’s search ninja skills are tested as she describes how libraries really work behind the scenes.
It’s wonderful. Touching and appealing. I wish everyone had access to librarians like this (and not the lipsticked dragons).
Do yourself a favour and read the story here
https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
My great thanks to GR friend Cecily for finding this one. Her lovely review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rating: really liked it
“Ghost Marriage” by P. Djèlí Clark: 4.5 stars.
“I am Ayen of the Akok. Thrice married. Once to the living. Once to the dead. Once to a god.”
And just like that, P. Djèlí Clark does it again: a
unique, magical story, a refreshingly
non-Eurocentric as fish setting, amazing
characters, and
atmospheric as shrimp, mesmerizing writing. Need I say more?
Didn't think so.
Oh, and by the way, this somewhat glorious story can be read
online for free here.
So get clicking and stuff.
P.S. Why most people choose to read
only the Alix E. Harrow short in this issue is
one of the greatest mysteries of the universe, if you ask me. Granted, it's
slightly very good (as my review down there ↓↓ might attest to) but
a P. Djèlí Clark story it is not. QED and stuff.
“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” by Alix E. Harrow: 4 stars.
Before reading this story, I thought not having access to a decent library was
ever so slightly unacceptable. (But I guess that’s what I get for living on a god-forsaken island).
After reading this story and realizing that
a) all librarians are actually
witches who give patrons the books
they need most and
b) books
want to be read, not having access to a decent library makes me feel kinda sorta like…
Oh, and by the way, this story is
Slightly Very Good (SVG™) and stuff. Which might or might not be why it won both a
Nebula and Hugo Award. Maybe. Perhaps.
↪ This is
short. This is
FREE. This is here.
P.S. Edmond Dantès is full of
shit fish, just so you know.
Rating: really liked it
Patty put me on to this one and it is so, so good! It is just a short story which you can read online for free at https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
The story is delightful, telling of a rather special librarian and some very special books. Considering the short length of the tale it includes a number of literary connections and an excellent character study of a young man who desperately needs to escape.
Beautifully written and a real pleasure to read. Try it:)
Rating: really liked it
2019 UPDATE "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" has won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story!! Many congratulations, Author Harrow!
5-star read. Perfect. Read it free.
(There have only ever been two kinds of librarians in the history of the world: the prudish, bitter ones with lipstick running into the cracks around their lips who believe the books are their personal property and patrons are dangerous delinquents come to steal them; and witches.)
***
Agnes always does the “we will be closing in ten minutes” announcement because something in her voice implies that anybody still in the library in nine minutes and fifty seconds will be harvested for organ donations, and even the most stationary patrons amble towards the exit.
***
(All you people who never returned books to their high school libraries, or who bought stolen books off Amazon with call numbers taped to their spines? We see you.)
Delight and deliciousness confected for your unworthy gaze. Don't let it slip out of your grasp.
Rating: really liked it
Disclaimer: I REALLY HATE how Goodreads doesn't allow pages for short stories. When I wrote this review, the short story was listed on its own, not as part of some magazine I know nothing about. *sighs* The title of the story I'm reviewing here is
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies and it's by Alix Harrow.
As is usual with short stories and/or novellas, I only found out about this when a friend of mine read and reviewed it because it is nominated for an award this year. But, like the librarian in this story, I don't hold with award winners (or nominees) only so I actually like discovering certain stories this way only (in fact, I positively hunt them down on my GR timeline). ;)
The story is that of a librarian. She's not only tattooed but also a witch. She can hear the books whisper, checks out the really old ones so they don't feel too bad/abandoned, and knows which human to pair with which book.
She meets a black teen who only ever checks out one book, reads it repeatedly despite the ending, and who seems to be depressed. She pairs him with certain other books over time. A witch only ever helps those in need.
What is so brilliant about this story is not just the books mentioned in it (which either make you nod in recognition or checking them online) that show just how well-read the author herself is. It's not the fluent and pretty writing style that combines the feel of a magical library (that made me think of dark wood, sunlight and times past) with modern titles and laser scanners. It's that I could hear the books whisper as well. How they spoke to the librarian, spying for her, helping her help the boy; that they had their very own personalities.
As a bibliophile who strokes her books and talks to them, this was paradise and I wish it wasn't just a short story.
There is tragedy, there is beauty, there is humour and ... books that need to be read as much as we need to read them.
How many authors can write and publish a short story that makes you feel as if you had spent years in their cozy and comforting magical world that smells of paper and ink? Exactly!
You can read the story for free here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
Rating: really liked it
***A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow*** Anyone could see that kid needed to run and keep running until he shed his own skin, until he clawed out of the choking darkness and unfurled his wings, precious and prisming in the light of some other world.
A nice little story about the escapism books can provide.
The story is told from the perspective of a librarian that also happens to be a witch. She's trying to find the right book for a seemingly depressed boy.
Several popular books are mentioned and I have to confess that I've not read many of them. Otherwise I might have enjoyed this a little more.
Still, the subtle humor and clear love for books that's oozing from the page just about lifts this into four star territory.
I'm planning to read it again in a few years' time.
You can read it here.
Winner of the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Short Story2018 Nebula Award finalist for Best Short Story
____________________________
2019 Hugo Award Finalists
Best Novel•
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal• Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
• Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
• Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
• Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Best Novella•
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells• Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
• Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
• Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson
• The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
Best Novelette•
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho (Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog)• The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections by Tina Connolly (Tor.com)
• Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory (Tor.com)
• The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com)
• The Thing About Ghost Stories by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine)
• When We Were Starless by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld Magazine)
Best Short Story• The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed Magazine)
• The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine)
• The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine)
• STET by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine)
• The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine)
•
A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine)Best Series• The Centenal Cycle by Malka Older
• The Laundry Files by Charles Stross
• Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee
• The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
• The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard
•
Wayfarers by Becky ChambersBest Related Work•
Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works• Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee
• The Hobbit Duology (a documentary in three parts), written and edited by Lindsay Ellis and Angelina Meehan
• An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards 1953-2000 by Jo Walton
• The Mexicanx Initiative Experience at Worldcon 76 by Julia Rios, Libia Brenda, Pablo Defendini, and John Picacio
• Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin with David Naimon
Best Graphic Story• Abbott, written by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä, colors by Jason Wordie, letters by Jim Campbell
• Black Panther: Long Live the King, written by Nnedi Okorafor and Aaron Covington, art by André Lima Araújo, Mario Del Pennino, and Tana Ford
•
Monstress, Volume 3: Haven, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda• On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
• Paper Girls, Volume 4 , written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Cliff Chiang, colors by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher
• Saga, Volume 9, written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples
Best Art Book•
The Book of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition illustrated by Charles Vess, written by Ursula K. Le Guin• Daydreamer’s Journey: The Art of Julie Dillon by Julie Dillon
• Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Sam Witwer
• Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, editor John Fleskes
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – The Art of the Movie by Ramin Zahed
• Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, editor Catherine McIlwaine
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book•
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt; Macmillan Children’s Books)• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform / Gollancz)
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Little, Brown / Hot Key Books)
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)
• The Invasion by Peadar O’Guilin (David Fickling Books / Scholastic)
• Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Random House / Penguin Teen)
_________________
2018 Nebula Award Finalists
Best Novel•
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)
• Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller (Ecco; Orbit UK)
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Del Rey; Macmillan)
• Witchmark by C.L. Polk (Tor.com Publishing)
• Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
Best Novella• Fire Ant by Jonathan P. Brazee (Semper Fi)
• The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)
•
The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean)• Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield (Tor.com Publishing)
• Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing)
• Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
Best Novelette•
The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing)• The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections by Tina Connolly (Tor.com 7/11/18)
• An Agent of Utopia by Andy Duncan (An Agent of Utopia)
• The Substance of My Lives, the Accidents of Our Births by José Pablo Iriarte (Lightspeed 1/18)
• The Rule of Three by Lawrence M. Schoen (Future Science Fiction Digest 12/18)
• Messenger by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi (Expanding Universe, Volume 4)
Best Short Story• Interview for the End of the World by Rhett C. Bruno (Bridge Across the Stars)
•
The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington by Phenderson Djèlí Clark (Fireside 2/18)• Going Dark by Richard Fox (Backblast Area Clear)
• And Yet by A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny 3-4/18)
• A Witch’s Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium Of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/6/18)
• The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed 1/18)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy•
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt; Macmillan)• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Rick Riordan Presents)
• A Light in the Dark by A.K. Du Boff (BDL)
• Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Random House)
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)
• Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien (Henry Holt)
Rating: really liked it
Delightful short story!
But then, I'm always a sucker for libraries, librarians, book discussions, and anything that throws the yoke off our necks. :)
Want some Harry Potter? How about some The Count of Monte Cristo? How about we just live there a bit, shall we?
Ah, well, we only have a short story here, but at least the feels are here. :)
Rating: really liked it
My review is for A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix Harrow and Interview with Alix Harrow by Andrea Johnson only.
EnchantingReally the only word that can be used to describe this longish short story. I entered the Witch Librarian's library - and I didn't want to leave.
Books can do magic, can create a world for the lost, bewildered and lonely. Ms Harrow understands this.
I'm excited by the depth and complexity of Ms Harrow's imagination and look forward to reading more of her work.
It's only September, but I am going to call this my best short story read of 2019.
Great interview by Andrea Johnson - which shows she also has a vivid imagination! Brief, but witty and informative. 5★
Want to change Goodreads policy on short stories? If you want to talk to staff about it here is the link. https://www.goodreads.com/about/conta... Librarians are volunteers - we have little to no influence on Goodreads policies. On the rare occasions that Goodreads backs down, you need Librarians prepared to do the reversals and usually have active Librarians either stop doing the edits or only do their own. Just saying.
More chance of success would be to ask if the authors concerned if they would put the short stories on their own website. If the story is on their website, it would have to be unconditionally available. (readers not required to join a mailing list for example).
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
Rating: really liked it
Review for: A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix HarrowWow. Just so good.
His caseworker was one of those people who say the word “escapism” as if it’s a moral failing, a regrettable hobby, a mental-health diagnosis. As if escape is not, in itself, one of the highest order of magics they’ll ever see in their miserable mortal lives, right up there with true love and prophetic dreams and fireflies blinking in synchrony on a June evening.Read it for free here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
Rating: really liked it
“Books need to be read quite as much as we need to read them.”
This is one of those perfect short stories: one more word, and it would have been too much. The pleasure of reading it has to be furtive, a stolen quarter of an hour, hiding the screen of your smartphone from colleagues so they can’t see what you are doing instead of working. If they are the book and library-loving type, they’d forgive you.
I very strongly believe books can save people, can change them, can give them the tools they need to live better lives. A story like “A Witch’s Guide to Escape” encapsulates that idea and brings it to life in a handful of pages, where a very special librarian helps a lonely child find the book he needs the most.
I like to think that books really do have a life of their own, that they enjoy being in our hands just as much as we like to hold them, and sniff them and cry into them. So this lovely, opinionated unnamed narrator had me on her side instantly.
I think missed my calling : I should have been a librarian witch. Few things make me happier than to find a loving home for good books. I love browsing a messy used bookstore, find a weird thing and think to myself: “Oh, Jason/Erika/Amanda would love this!” and taking it home, as if I was sneaking a priceless treasure in my old tote bag. I push books on my nephews as if they were life-saving tools, which, you know, they are! I can’t be there to read with them, sadly, but I’m counting on those books to keep an eye on the boys for me.
I can’t give a story like this anything less than 5 stars. Ms. Harrow, I hope you get all the awards! I’m going home to sniff my books now…
https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
Rating: really liked it
Review is for A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies, by Alix E. Harrow.
Absolutely heartbreaking, but hopeful - it made me cry, and that is rare enough to remark on it. A thoroughly beautiful piece of short fiction, that's available free here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-witch...
Go read it.
Rating: really liked it
Alix E Harrow has written a treasure of a story that all book lovers can swoon at. This story is about the power of books and how the right book at the right time can heal and renew us!
Thanks to Cecily whose review brought me to this story and who also provided the link!
