Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine (Clarkesworld Anthology Book 1)
Contents:
The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer tells the story of how the village of Grommin and its elder, Horley, deal with an other-worldly threat that has come to prowl in the woods. VanderMeer creates a grim picture of retribution with tones of German fairy-tales.
- My Own Skin (Becoming Whole: The Making of a 21st Century Man).
- Hardback Editions.
- Hippie Days;
He's more subtle and ambiguous than Jacob and Wilhelm, and incorporates more modern sensibilities and weirdness. The Ape's Wife by Caitlin R. Kiernan gives us a retelling of a modern myth, mixing in elements of ancient ones.
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There's depth here to be explored in repeat readings. What Kiernan does with time on the island and with Ms. Darrow makes for an excellent look into untold aspects of the famous story. Lots of the stories have elements that stick in my imagination. Here are just a few. It was ultimately too grim to be excellent for me, given the Nazi holocaust references etc. Orm the Beautiful by Elizabeth Bear gave a delightful alternate take on the dragon myths. The musical dragons, modern setting, and communion with ancestors made for some memorable imagery.
Chewing Up the Innocent by Jay Lake tells of an artist who has to choose between family and talent. This one was haunting and thought-provoking, but there weren't any SF elements and it seemed most applicable to creatives. Still, on its own, it's worth a read. Something in the Mermaid Way by Carrie Laben was probably the shortest story in the anthology, and the second about mermaids.
It was applicably disturbing and left some questions which embed the story in the mind. Tremblay was a haunting tale of disaster victims in the heat of the moment. At first I was afraid it would be set during the WTC collapses which would have been worse for me , but it was a different setting. Good food for thought.
The setting combined with the mythic elements make for a meaningful story. There are other good ones in here. Altogether, the stories make me look forward to reading more of the yearly collections and the zine itself. There's one main weakness here, present in only a handful of the stories. They are ultimately applicable to other writers, so I'm not sure if they've got much broad appeal.
Most don't suffer this weakness, though, so it's more than worth the read. For my initial reactions to each story, see my status updates for this book. Clarkesworld's stories are, by the editors own admission, selected to grab attention, to shock, and ultimately to go viral. Some of those collected hit the mark for me, some came close, and some didn't.
Below the cut are some haphazard comments on individual stories view spoiler [ A Light in Troy - Sarah Monette I love Monette and the prose is lovely but this story does nothing for me. This story takes questions about representation and fetishization of the other and kicks them in the balls. I have no idea what the point of this story is other than to be weird.
Realms : The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine by Sean Wallace and Nick Mamatas (2008, Paperback)
Lydia's Body - Vylar Kaftan If there is a theme emerging is 'this gives me a no feeling' Does anyone else remember the stay safe programme? This is an interesting story but I'm afraid that all will stay with me is the incest. Urchins, While Sleeping - Catherine M. Valente I really liked this strange little story. Valente's writing style is often too lyrical for my tastes but she's reigned it in here. There's a beauty and a solemnity about this one that I really like Clockmaker's Requiem - Barth Anderson Pure dark whimsy. Doesn't make sense in any conventional way but maybe is concerned with a deeper truthiness.
It turned out to be the first short story about the singularity that I found both interesting and understandable The Oracle Spoke - Holly Phillips Another one I almost skipped maybe I was just too tired on the bus to work this morning. It's probably not a totally original take of the Cassandra myth but I was surprised in a sucker punched way by the ending. Mar 15, Julio rated it really liked it Shelves: Algunos de los mejores son excelentes. Y claro, desde su punto de vista, lo monstruoso es el humano.
O reencontrar a Elizabeth Bear y un par de otros.
Jul 19, Terri rated it it was amazing. This short story collection did not disappoint - strange, unsettling, atmospheric, and haunting each and everyone of the stories contained within this volume is a masterpiece. Mar 12, Elizabeth Licata rated it really liked it. I would not, however, suggest reading it while eating or to children.
Editorial Reviews. From Publishers Weekly. With this compilation of the 24 stories appearing in Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine (Clarkesworld Anthology Book 1) Book 1 of 8 in Clarkesworld Anthology (8 Book Series). Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine [Sean Wallace, Nick Mamatas] on bahana-line.com *FREE* Book 1 of 8 in the Clarkesworld Anthology Series.
Mar 20, Rose rated it it was ok. I think the stories were too short to have the development they needed.
Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine by Nick Mamatas
Travis Nicholson rated it liked it Apr 17, Bryan Maher rated it it was amazing May 11, Seth Merlo rated it it was amazing Aug 04, Nivair rated it liked it Aug 27, Carrie Laben rated it it was amazing Feb 07, Paul rated it really liked it Aug 18, The first nine volumes are currently available. Trade Paperback List Price: Ebook Editions List Price: Ebook Edition List Price: Within one month of online publication, each issue will be published by Wyrm Publishing in print format and sold at conventions and via Amazon.
You can find them here. Copies are available via:. Details on subscribing to electronic editions of Clarkesworld can be found here. Tell a friend, share this on: Robot illustration by Serj Iulian. About Us Clarkesworld is a monthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in October Sean Wallace Editor Email: Kate Baker Podcast Director October -.