https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/134985
I needed something to read that was short stories as I was going to be on and off in the ability to invest time and am so glad I chose this book! It is the short story sci fi fantasy equivalent to a fast one day excursion through the shops of San Francisco to find bargains and hidden treasures and meet people that are unique and informative along the way. Like them, hate them, are curious about them r even indifferent later on you find your self thinking about the people and items reveling in the sensory explosions and storing away to think about later or what you gathered and left behind. Excellent variety and brain food with all sorts of roller coaster rides worth taking. Would definitely recommend

This collection was definitely a m8xed bag for me. I read the first story, Godfall and was so put off by it that I didn't continue reading for a few weeks. However, when I finally gave the next stories a try, I was pleasantly surprised. These stories are well written and highly imaginative and will pull you from idea to idea on an enjoyable rollercoaster ride. If you are looking for something different in your fantasy short fiction, this is a great book for you!

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not usually a lover of short stories but this book caught my eye. The cover is awesome and it really stood out. The content is incredibly diverse. It ranges from fantasy, to real life situations, to military, to historical. Some of the stories were great, others I could live without, but the same can be said for most short story compilations. The author also makes notes at the end of each piece to try to explain how she got her inspiration for the story. I found these really insightful because I wasn’t aklways sure what the author was trying to achieve or what the purpose of a particular story was. However, it all came together in her authors note.
It’s an interesting read for sure. I’d likely read more from this author.

Disclaimer: this review is long. You don't have to read the whole thing. Just understand it was a journey and an undertaking for me, and it meant the world to me to have the opportunity to read it.

What can I say about one of my new favourite anthology writers other than the fact that she trumps most of my favourites already? Sandra Odell is not only the queen of what if short stories– she is the sole ruler of its modern counterpart which is so lacking, and does diversity right - without force, but by telling stories of all sorts of people and creatures.

Sandra also gives an author’s note after each story which gives us fantastic inside into the inner workings of a master author’s brain. I’ve included a snippet of each author’s note here. So be prepared for a long review, but keep an open mind to each carefully and beautifully crafted story.

I rarely rate an anthology with 5 stars, but the originality and ingenuity of Sandra is a talent that has been hewn and shaped for years through blood, sweat and tears. She has a brain that bleeds ideas and fingers that draw blood and spatter it across a page to create the most original anthology of the modern era.

Godfall: 5 stars
Slightly bent, thick thighs to the fleshy invitation of her belly. Tully couldn’t see the upper arms, but the lower right arm lay cross the midriff, while the lower left arm lay flung to the side, a cosmic afterthought. Immense gold bracelets at the wrists framed the wealth of rings on both hands. Beyond her breasts would be the treasures of her shoulders and head. This looked to be a good haul. Plenty of gold and industrial grade diamond in the rings.”

In this story, gods from most religions are real and are falling dropping dead without reason – and so mass hysteria ensues. There are also scrappers – people who collect materials from bodies due to the scarcity of resources on earth. Materials are also used to do research into the body. And what is more resourceful than a dead god? Scrappers battle against scavengers and giant worms. Fantastic existentialism and commentary here.

Author’s note: How would humanity react to a wealth of gods falling to Earth? And how would they survive when the scavengers arrived?”

Home for the Broken: 5 stars
[My daughter]…is not like normal flesh and blood people, and the therapists feel she doesn’t have the capacity for speech. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the capacity to listen.”…we have a program in place for Melody. Daily therapies, vocational training. We’ll request her records from the school district…Before you know it you’re bringing Melody’s toiletries from the bathroom. Miss Ward is too matter of fact and genial. Why isn’t she the ogre your guilt needs to her to be?

This story is written in second person, which is rarely used and is a great tool for packing a punch. In this story, a special needs child (who has mechanical parts) is taken by “social workers”. The girl is so unlike her siblings who achieve. This is some great stuff that comments on special needs kids and their impact on their parents and the world around them, as well as the stereotypes associated with them. It also comments on the parental fatigue that a lot of people tend to forget about.

Author’s note: At 21, my youngest son is non-verbal, not toilet trained and has global developmental delays in addition to other facets of his multiple diagnoses. He is also loving, vexing, annoying, sly, funny, heart-wrenching and a joy to have in my life.”

The Poison Eater: 5 stars
“The Poison Eater Doby eats half a pack of cigarettes without so much as flinching. Camels. Breaks them in half, eats them filters and all. Same with a Marlboro…”Does he have a stomachache? I want to ask, maybe as a joke. I’m not really sure. “Dob-her-min!” I told you to take out the garbage, dammit!” Doby gets that look again, that hurt you, hate you, make you bleed look he had at school. An ugly look.

Doby is a boy who can eat just about anything. His father, a sick bastard, also called him Doberman. Doby uses his unique skill to get back at all those he has hurt. This is a story about the unsung and hurt child – the child who becomes the school shooter.

Author’s note: Why do we hate? I don’t know. The question of why we hate, that base, bare question is one of the hardest to answer, second only to Why do we love?”

Listening to It Rain: 6 stars
Ian found me at Cook Creek near where it fed into the summer sludge of the North Racoon River. He dropped down beside me, on the long where we used to tell our folks we went fishing. Sometimes we brought home a gill or channel cat, but mostly we touched and tasted, lazing in the sunshine, laughing when it rained.”

This is a story that had me in tears. A young man’s lover dies, but he still visits his body often. This is the story of letting go of someone you love dearly who has died, and how horrible being in a gay relationship was 50 years ago. The story was ephemeral, lovely and so, so beautiful.

Author’s note: Ben told me his story while I walked the nature trail behind my partner’s game store. My steps crushed bright orange leaves slick with rain. I listened closely to the whispering creek as I crossed the wooden bridges, and I wondered what would make a body so lonesome for the trail, and a heartache for something it couldn’t understand.

The Business of Rats: 3 stars
Ratty Tomlin did his best not to shiver with the weight of childhood memories. “Ratting isn’t so bad as all that. Sure a sight better than the for being hungry, isn’t it?”

A rat catcher based in the 19th century catches more than he bargains for.

Author’s note: I am a child of documentaries…you name it, I’ll watch it. I don’t recall much of my childhood, but I do remember curling beside my mom on the couch, watching documentaries about rat catchers.

Telling Stories: 5 stars
This morning I sank my claws into its pleats and climbed though its spines to the very top of its stem, the saguaro asked to marry me.” It lowered its foot, then its head. “My claws, in its pleats. It gave of itself to lift me up. No one had ever done that before.”

Wow. I’ve never cried because of a cactus X lizard piece. What a story. Again, Sandra Odell creates a breathtakingly real but outrageous world and makes it believable and relatable. In this story, a cactus wishes to marry a Gila monster. Sam refuses because of her repressed homosexuality, and a complex and dark history with her daughter who has what she never could – a wife. Unsuspectingly, a coyote comes to her aid on a dark, desert night.This is a story of cognitive dissonance and coming to terms with yourself.

Author’s note: My grandmother spoke often of her lesbian friends and how none of them dared wear Tweed because it was a “dyke cologne.” Funny how little details find their way onto the page.

Exchanges, No Refunds: 4 stars
The old man nodded. “Sure thing.” The middle-aged woman secured her heart, then joked the middle-aged man.”

I’m not sure how to describe this one without spoiling or giving away its contents. Only that it is disturbing and sweet simultaneously.

Author’s note: I describe writing as the act of pulling baubles and bits of life from the tiny drawers of an infinitely large medicine chest.

How Toby Told Time: 5 stars
She pointed to the all-knowing clock above the blackboard behind her, declaring it to be precisely three-oh-nine, pay no attention to the red line chasing itself in circles. Time craned its head from one side to the other in an attempt to read over Toby’s shoulder. “What are you doing? You heard what Mrs Essex said. You need to finish your work.” “I am.” Toby said, drawing an airplane with the number eight as the propeller.”

How does Toby tell time? Well, not like us. Toby speaks to time and they have a very difficult relationship with one another. Toby does not care for time, but Time gets itself all in a spin when Toby is late for anything. Abstract, beautiful and impactful.

Author’s note: “How long does it take to brush your teeth?” My oldest pokes his head out the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, and says with minty, foamy lips, “That’s a silly question. Who wants to go on brushing their teeth when their teeth are done being brushed?” I tell you, some stories beg to be written.”

Good Boy: 5 stars
”The dogs killed the fighters early, at least around here. Killed the old folks, too. If you can’t fight, breed or be trained, you’re dead. I don’t know about anywhere else. Four years captivity, six years since I saw a television broadcast, five since I heard the radio. Or held my wife.”…Dogs don’t need us, but they like having us around. Don’t know why. Ten thousand years of evolution, maybe?

This is a disturbing piece of fiction that I absolutely loved. In this world, dogs and humans have switched places. Humans are forced to breed with other humans to make babies or “pups” for slavery and the entertainment of other dogs. The humans decide to escape in the most disturbing way possible. Truly a gut-punch story that made my stomach churn.

Author’s note: Shortly after Christmas 2016, we adopted a dog, Evan, a 70lb Abanian miniature moose disguised as a pit pull. He’s fierce, he’s ferocious, he’ll lick off your make-up and snuggle like it’s nobody’s business.”

Ink: 5 stars
A woman stood…comfortable in her clothes, not her skin. The sight of her made Tiger’s chest itch and his tattoos tingle…the woman looked at the shelves stuffed with pattern books, the posters of half-naked men and women displaying their tattoos and piercings…she brushed aside her bangs, tugging her hair back into place in a way Tiger supposed he wasn’t meant to notice. “I would like a tattoo.””

A strange girl comes in to get a tattoo from Tiger, a tattoo artist. The tattoo that she wants represents her pain at being abused by her father. Tiger is no normal artist – he helps to take pain away by receiving the tattoo thereafter. The descriptions are so beautiful and curve, loop and finish like the tattoos themselves. An impactful story about abuse and empathy and how meaningful tattoos can be.

Author’s note: I have been fascinated by tattoos since I was young enough to draw on my arms with a ballpoint pen…this story came from the question of the truths that tattoos can expose. From there it was a short step to imagining a tattoo artist whose work could strip away anything a person does not want, revealing the truth within.

The Hydra Wife: 5 stars
The hydra laughs through her tears, two heads writhing from the stump of his wife’s severed psyche…The words that spill out in a petty rush that Victor only mostly wishes he’d kept to himself: “It’s getting to be too much. I mean, I love Anya more than anything, but I don’t know if I can do this anymore…Yellow steam rises from the water on the carpet. The hydra twists its head away from Victory, rubbing its cheek against the rope”

This is a story about dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). It is the story of how Victor deals with his wife’s alters, especially what he calls the “Hydra”. It is artfully told with so much emotion seeping from the corners. It is told from the perspective of a family member of someone with a mental disorder, and so being that family member I can relate so much to how Victor feels. Victor also wears metaphorical “armour” against the Hydra, which is such a lovely allegory.

Author’s note: I am a hydra. This is one story my partner has sworn never to read again.

Life Line: 5 stars
He’s a part of us, right man?” They nodded…maybe it was the extra hours or handling the crowd, but Helen suddenly wished to be a part of such togetherness, to become a link in the silent chain, instead of a reasonable, outsider looking in. How far, she wondered, did Charlie Davis reach?

This is a story of a dying old man who has helped so many people throughout his life by donating blood – and they all know who has donated to them.The people to whom he has donated pay him a visit when he’s at death’s door. It is also a story of the memory of blood and of pain, love and life.
Author’s note: ..there is a certain beauty to angular, sharp writing with clear definition and colour, but sometimes I wish I could write with the same swirling, stylistic beauty other writers manage so well, the subtletely of colour and form, the exquisite prose that reads like poetry and leaves me breathless, wanting more.

Scarecrone: 5 stars
Papa put Mam’s Sunday dress on the scarecrow and nailed her buckled shoes to the base of the pole. He screamed “Whore!” and “Don’t you need you no how!” and “Fucking Injun bitch!”
Our main character is a little girl – a half native American whose mother has left their home because of their abusive father. This is the story of how she finds the strength to confront the abusive bastard. The descriptions in this story are breathtaking and oh so sad, but it confronts the realism of daily living for many people.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: 4 stars
Zombies crowded the tables, wires streaming from the tops of their scabrous heads, emaciated bodies in ill fitting, sometimes dusty clothes. Slack-jawed, eyes, rolled back when not in use. Sucking at pouches of Vita-juice and talking to one another in slurred, guttural voices when uploaded. Terminals the uploads called them; zombies by any other name.”

As in Altered Carbon, you can change bodies. But everyone in this story is a zombie – decayed to some extent. The richer you are, the less decomposed you are. Body swapping is still a massive risk, however, and people often die. There are some awesome descriptions in this story and some solid sci-fi writing.

Author’s note: Confession time. I hate zombies…what began as a specific cultural reference, has been warped into a twisted, stunted version of itself….zombies are now a way to blame something outside ourselves for out own shortcomings.”

Just Be: 4 stars
Bubba Maycomb watched the stranger walk on “Pa, Pa, you see that fella’s – “Never you mind, Bubba.” Patridge said, and took another swig of cola on a muggy porch, sitting Saturday afternoon.

I’ll let the author’s note explain this one all by itself.
Author’s note: This is one of my gentle stories…there are no monsters or struggles…only a brief moment between two friends seeking shelter before heading back into the storm.

Samaritan: 5 stars
For all my fear, I kept hold of the truth of the Good Samaritan and put the Devil and his wicked tongue behind me.

A black man, a widower, encounters a mean son of a bitch on his own land shortly after the emancipation of slaves under Lincoln. How he thinks back on the death of his wife and how he deals with this ass while still being a great dad is a truly moving story.

Author’s note: Mentally or physically disabled, some survivors of abuses from their childhood and adult lives…when my world is filled with such beauty and horrors, why then, would I limit my stories to those involving straight, cis, white folks?

Curtain Call
The technician buffed my face, swapped my blue eyes for green and lubed my joints. She polished my chest and used the reflection to touch up her make-up. “There you go, Ms. Starlight, Wha’d’ya think?” I pranced and dipped in front of the mirror on the back of the dressing room door. “I think it’s show time, baby cakes!”

This is a story where we have a cabaret-like show with car-like people. Gina, the Motortown Songbird, is a centre-stage cabaret performer whose boss is shimmying her out of work. As in many cabaret, noir-stories, Gina is to be replaced with a younger and better singer, Patsy Bellbottom. How Gina deals with this is the stuff of legends and great sci-fi noir.
Author’s note: while on a working vacation in Las Vegas, I treated myself to a facial and massage. Much to my surprise, the facial technician buffed my face with a Dremel tool….a story was born.

The Vessel Never Asks for Wine: 5 stars
I think” he continued thoughtfully, “that I lived because they died. The years that they would have lived became my own. The years of my people who married into other tribes, if they died of an accident or hate before those years were over, those became mine as well.

This is the story of Eileen, who meets an odd Turkish man with a history so powerful and saddening that is struck the cords of her heart as well as mine.

Author’s note: “A friend mentioned how one of her RPG characters became immortal when his family died, filling him with their unused years.

Black Widow: 4 stars
We’ve heard it all before. Black Widows are magic. Americo spies who sold our souls to the Devil…We’re honor and survivor benefits for our children so they’ll have a leg up in this shithole, overcrowded world.

Not much to say. Please read this anthology!!! This is a story of the morals of war and so much more.

Author’s note:…You can’t fucking do that!” It was also the first step in realizing how sick I was in terms of my mental illness and how hard I would have to fight it if I wanted to survive.

Lost in Translation: 5 stars
It is a pan-dah. We grew it from the only viable genetic sequence remaining on the derelict human archive ship. The humans will be very happy that we give them the pan-dah as a welcome gift in eight rotations

This is the funniest story in the anthology. Plant-like aliens grow a panda based on derelict genetic sequence. I repeat – plant-like aliens grow a panda. Hilarity ensues since the panda just chomps away at all the aliens. A very funny take on a what-if alien scenario.

Truth is a Stranger to Fiction: 4 stars
The chimera comes up on its hind legs. I sidle behind its musty bulk to refill its mug with wine. The pitcher taps against the rim of the goblet, and a birdsong of silver and bone sounds high and sweet. Master Robinson smiles at me, and I love him.

Author’’s note: Addiction runs in my family, and with it the attendant shadows stirring in the background, the abuses and co-dependencies, the fears of failure, the need to blame someone, anyone for the terrible things you have done.

Blue: 4 stars
”Puppies are red, birds are brown. “Yes, brown. Birds are brown. And puppies?” Elena folded her hands in her lap. “Ared red. Puppies are red, birds are brown.”

Author’s note: I had a stroke in 201…I got out of bed, stumbled into he bathroom…fell onto the toilet…wiped and flushed with a trembling right hand. While brushing my teeth I watched the right side of my face droop in the mirror.”

A Troll’s Trade: 4 stars
The city council approved Sando’s petition for a house, and he set to building. The family moved before the autumn rains. This new house has a room specifically for cooking.

Author’s note: “The conversation left me to wonder why the troll didn’t just build his own bridge, one thing led to another, and a florist troll was born.

To me, writing this review was cathartic and challenging – this was a step for me to take in life, a review pilgrimage, if you will. I doubt I will ever be able to read this book again, but I will keep it locked deep down in my heart. Always.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

That was entertaining. I love short stories since I hate having to start and stop reading in transport or on lunches and breaks. These suited those short times to a T! Sandra Odell writes some mean short stories. I think the longest only took like 20 minutes for me to read, so perfect. The stories are a mix of horror/ fantasy with some very odd and weird ones mixed in. I am sure they won't appeal to everyone, but if someone is looking to read something a bit different, this might just fit the bill.The tales are well-written and interesting. I'd recommend reading them and possibly by a couple as gifts for kindred spirits!

The description and reviews for this collection sounded very promising, but what really drew me in was the cover. It’s done by this awesome British artist David Whitlam, do yourself a favor and look up his work. There’s a weird fairy taleish vibe to it that’s also intermittently present in these stories. Never heard of the author, but this collection was curated with enough intense candidness to change that. Mind you, I enjoy it when author includes afterwords to discuss story’s inspirations and so on, but here it was sort of going into a TMI area almost. Then again, these were very personal stories. Genre wise I’d classify this as speculative fiction, that’s a general enough of a category to work best in covering so many strange and diverse tales. So speculative fiction with(more often than not) a darker psychological angle to it. Interesting, but sort of a mixed bag. Few of the stories I liked very much, a bunch were ok and some I didn’t care for at all. Irrespective of individual takes though, author’s talent and imagination are undeniable, making for a singular reading experience that will mean more to some readers than others. This isn’t one of those universal appeal kind of books, this is more something for someone, but not necessarily all things for everyone, which is totally ok, of course, My favorites were Telling Stories (despite it’s really heavy handed moral lesson) and Troll’s Trade, which was a complete delight and a perfect way to end a collection. Thanks Netgalley.

I read a lot of short story anthologies - they're perfect if you only have short spaces of time to read and don't want to get into anything too deeply. It's rare that I read a collection from a single author, but this caught my eye on Netgalley and I'm so glad it did.

The stories run the gamut, from military science fiction, to speculative, to robot noir - you get the idea. I'm not doing a full rundown of each because they're little moments of delight and the discovery is absolutely part of that. Sandra Odell somehow manages to use a completely different voice in each, and yet the collection feels cohesive despite those changes in tone and genre.

So, a couple of my favourites:

The Home for Broken - skewers good intentions and awfully sad, but hopeful at the same time.

Telling Stories - one of the weirder ones; a woman is asked to perform an unusual wedding that forces her to confront some home truths. Not subtle in it's allegory but the couple to be wedded were an absolute delight.

Ink - a tattoo artist with a unique ability sees a customer. Poignant throughout and incredibly original.

Scarecrone - a fairy tale in poor, rural America. A real showcase for the author's ability to completely change the voice of her stories, it's beautifully done (and dialect that didn't throw me right out of the story!)

Samaritan - no details because it's better gone into cold, but I loved this one. Setting, voice, characters; I really hope this inspires a full novel some day.

Curtain Call - robot noir! Surprisingly not my first but definitely my favourite.

Black Widow - military scifi, and again a great showcase for a complete genre shift while not leaving the collection feeling like a random patchwork.

Lost in Translation - hilarious and absolutely brilliant.

That ended up being a few more than I originally intended, but I can too have that many favourites! The author's notes at the end of each story were a view into the writing process and at times brought such a personal dimension to the preceding story. Some writers just write, but this collection here is pieces of a soul left on the page. It's an absolutely outstanding collection.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.