This collection has something for every spooky horror reader. There’s a magical forest, children who disappear after hearing a magical song, and a wonderful Wizard of Oz inspired story. Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust is a take on Dorothy that I would never have dreamed up. I’m so grateful for authors.
My favorite story from the collection is The Tolling of Pavlov’s Bells. It’s equal parts horrifying, terrifying, and fascinating. It introduces us to a scientist who creates an incredibly infectious and deadly disease and then uses her lab assistants to spread it around the world. The disease causes people to suffer horribly before they die and they way the scientist is so excited about the speed and efficiency of infection is horrifying. Imagine being excited about people dying. It’s crazy.
Incredibly well written and deliciously horrifying, Laughter at the Academy is a thoughtfully put together collection.

When I saw this book was by Seanan McGuire, I requested it immediately. I love her writing and this does not disappoint. I am not a fan of anthologies but for the most part this was good. I didn’t like all the stories and in some the formatting was pretty bad so I couldn’t enjoy the story but that was rare. I prefer a whole book to short stories but these had a good mix of spooky haunted horror. I liked it even though I’m not a fan of shorts or novellas. Seanan McGuire knows her way around a spooky eerie story and these stories document her growth as a writer. Overall a respectable collection of works. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

*ARC received from Netgalley in return for an honest review*

Once again Seanan McGuire hits it out of the park! This collection was a gem that I honestly adore. Even with having already read some of the stories in other anthologies it was still fun to come back to them and read them once more. They kept me up reading late at night even when I knew I shouldn't be which is the largest sign of a good book. I would highly recommend this book for those who love some very different short stories and, of course, those who love Seanan McGuire.

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press!***

As with all short story collections that I read, I prefer to review them by the story. Inevitably I will love some of them and not care for others and this collection was no different. I am a big fan of the author but some of these stories were a miss. I also noticed that there were some formatting issues with the ARC, which meant that sometimes I didn’t get the complete story. On the whole, this collection was a solid four stars with a lot more hits than misses.

Laughter at the Academy: 2 stars. I am not sure if it was the formatting issue or if the story was really supposed to be that disjointed. We got a little snippet of something “official” about the disorder in question, and then we would jump into a scene, right in the middle of a sentence. A scene that is totally unconnected from the previous scene. If that if how it was supposed to be, I didn’t like it. The snippets were good, but I never felt I got a full story.

Lost: 5 stars. This was a very short story but wow it packed a wallop. It was inventive and whimsical. It was riveting and profound. It was fantastic.

The Tolling of Pavlov’s Bells: 5 stars. This is probably one of the more twisted stories I’ve read in quite a long while. It carries very heavy themes in complacency as a species, being too convinced of our own individual superiority to listen to people superior in knowledge than us. The desire for things to be the same and to be easy than to listen to harsh lessons. It was profound and deeply, deeply twisted.

Uncle Sam: 2 stars. The formatting issue was present here too, the story started mid sentence and I could tell there was more to it that I didn’t get. I didn’t really like this one. The story was slightly interesting but I didn’t really invest in the narrative for some reason. It was a bit obvious where it was going and the political assumptions in it were rather annoying. For example, “well obviously, even though many people think X thing, we all know that Y is true.” Well no, Y isn’t objectively true in the real world. If it’s objectively true in this world then fine, or if it’s true to those people then fine, but telling me that it’s true without more context was annoying. The ending was obvious, which also was irritating.

Crystal Halloway and the Forgotten Passage: 3 stars. This story was okay. I would have liked a tiny bit more history on the story. I know it’s a short story but just thrusting someone into a fantasy world with no warning is a bit jarring, give me something to explain the things that are going on. The ending was good, I liked the conclusion a lot. Overall, it was fine but not as good as some of the others.

Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust: 4 stars. I love the land of Oz and stories about Dorothy’s adventures. This was definitely a darker story but I loved it. There wasn’t too much action, which disappointed me a little but the world introduced there was amazing.

Homecoming: 2 stars. I can honestly say I remember nothing about this story, even though I took notes. That says something I think.

Frontier ABCs: 4 stars. I can honestly say that I had no idea where this was going and it was a delightful little ride to find out.

We are all Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War: 5 stars. Holy crap this story threw me for a loop. I had to take a break from the book for a day or two because it just sent me reeling. It’s something so profound that I could imagine happening in our world. I have often said, “How do you prepare the world for a child’s toy saying they don’t want to be turned off because they are scared of the dark?” I love the complexities offered to humanity by AI and this story explored that beautifully.

The Lambs: 2 stars. Another exploration of AI and its uses in humanity but there was a problem here. I just didn’t buy it. I did not buy that this would be a reasonable alternative to the way things are right now. As a parent, I can’t imagine anyone seeing the technology presented and thinking “Yes, that’s a good idea for handling unruly, bully children”. And so, I didn’t enjoy the story because I couldn’t buy the premise.

Each to Each: 4 stars. Not too much to say about this one in particular other than it was really great.

Bring About the Halloween Eternal: 5 stars. Part of good sci-fi is using new formats to tell a story. This one used the backdrop of a GoFundMe project to tell the story and I loved that idea. It was playful, unique and wonderfully constructed.

Office Memos: 4 stars. I really loved this one because it takes the form of a bunch of company emails to narrate the story. Having been on the receiving end of many such mundane office emails I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Lady Antheia’s Guide to Horticultural Warfare: 3 stars. This one was okay. It had some formatting issues at the beginning, so I missed out on the beginning of the story. It was a solid story, I just didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the others.

Driving Jenny Home: 5 stars. This particular story broke my heart. I cried all over my Nook. The sadness was palpable, the conclusion inevitable and all I could think at the end of it was “I’d do the same thing for the person I loved.”

There is no Place for Sorrow in the Kingdom of the Cold: 5 stars. I can honestly say I’ve never read a retelling of Pandora’s Box, so this was a first and it hit the nail on the head. I loved every word and wanted the story to be longer.

In Skeleton Leaves: 4 stars. Speaking of retellings, Peter Pan anyone? This was also wonderful. I felt so sad for the characters and the ending I did not see coming, though I probably should have I was just too wrapped up in Wendy’s narrative to see it.

Please Accept My Most Profound Apologies: 5 stars. I have to say, I really love stories that are narrated as a letter from the bad guy, explaining themselves to the unfortunate sap who finds their manuscript before the end of the world. This was great and made my heart race in anticipation.

Threnody for Little Girl, With Tuna, at the End of the World: 3 stars. This one was an interesting concept and I liked the backdrop of the Monterey Bay Aquarium since it’s also one of my favorite places on earth. But in the end it was a little bland.

From A to Z in the Book of Changes: 3 stars. I liked this one, but it was just too disjointed for me. It seemed like unconnected threads that never came together to form a whole.

#connollyhouse #weshouldntbehere: 5 stars. I said earlier I loved playing with new mediums, this was a horror story told through someone’s Twitter timeline. I really liked that idea but wasn’t sure how effective it would be. Oh my God was it effective. It literally made my jump and feel uneasy sitting in my living room and continuing reading. It was superb. Probably the best one in the book.

Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves: 4 stars. We ended the book with the formatting cutting off a page or so from the beginning of this final story. It was deliciously twisted and well told.

I went into this book knowing nothing about it. I saw the author was Seanan McGuire and blindly requested it as she’s one of my favorites.

I think I was expecting something whimsically messed-up, much like her ‘Wayward Children’ series (which I ADORE). Instead, I got a book of short (yet very much messed-up) stories.

And I LOVED it!

That’s saying something because I do not care for short stories. Just when I start to get into them, they end, and I have to start all over with a completely different story and all new characters. They’re frustrating.

These sorties? I didn’t mind so much. While I would love to see some of them progress into full on novels, I ate each one of them up, and was thankful for them.

I can’t imagine what kind of crazy place Ms. McGuires mind is, but she is one hell of a storyteller, and I always look forward to her books.

If you like the weird, whimsical and deranged then give this book a shot. It’ll introduce you to the crazy world of Seanan McGuire, and it’ll make you want to pick up the rest of her books.

Highly recommend this for lovers of all things strange.

In the introduction to this book Seanan McGuire explains that these stories may not be her most popular, but they are the ones that are, for whatever reason, closest to her heart. Each story gets its own small introduction, and the stories themselves are as memorable and varied as you'd expect from Seanan. If you enjoy her work and are interested in short fiction then there's no reason not to pick this collection up immediately.

This collection of stories was clearly from a range of Seanan McGuire's career and ended up being a slightly eerie delight. The stories were all the sorts of things that were rooted just enough in reality to make them even more scary than a straight up ghost story.
I enjoyed the blurbs that came before each story, which helped me notice some of what has changed over the course of her career.
I felt the need to stop and take a breath in between stories to let my brain and heart reset. The stories that I think had the most impact on me was the dollmaker and the brother who was left behind when the pied piper called.

Whether you have read Seanan McGuire or not, if you like fantasy and sci-fi, there is likely something for you here. This is a collection that ultimately highlights the broad capabilities that she has as an author. Her writing is impressive and expansive. She can cover a variety of realms within a genre and outside of the genre, weaving tales of very different types that are equally entertaining. Some are more true to "classic McGuire" form and other stories are written with a different voice, but they are all impressive in their own way.
I appreciate the chance to read this with an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher.
This is a definite recommendation to fans of the genre or this author.
#LaughterattheAcademy #Netgalley #SubterraneanPress

I liked this book even if it wasn't my favorite. I felt like I was reading this book forever. That has more to do with how I tend to read short story collections than the writing contained in these stories. A collection like this one that contains over 20 stories has a lot of natural stopping points and I do tend to stop after finishing a story. I do think that this was a great way to see how Seanan McGuire's versatility.

This collection had a little bit of everything. If you are looking for a mermaid story, you will find it. A story about a little girl and the world's last tuna? It is here. There is a haunted house story, a story set in Neverland and another in Oz. There is even a story about a war with toys and another about a very special dollmaker. The writing was as varied as the stories. There was a story that was writing as a series of tweets, another as a series of office memos, and another as a crowdfunding proposal.

As is the case with most short story collections, I found myself enjoying some stories a lot more than others. There were some stories that I didn't care for much at all, some I loved, some I thought were okay, and a few that just confused me. I am easily confused so that doesn't really mean much.

I would recommend this book. I think that this was an overall enjoyable collection with some pretty outstanding stories. I haven't read a lot of Seanan McGuire's work but I do plan to read more in the near future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Subterranean Press via NetGalley.

This is a collection of short stories written by Seanan McGuire. I can say that I truly appreciated McGuire's ability to write some spectacularly haunting and twisted but relateable, and that is what made them so haunting, tales. The stories show a dark side to humanity for both the villains and the people who allow the villains to promulgate their evil deeds.

This is not my normal pick in reading material and not for the light hearted reader. That being said, it was extremely well written, spooky, imaginative and flawlessly original. The collection of stories highlights the shadowy and murky side of humanity. Lets just say, I'd never want Seanan McGuire set on causing world inhalation, by these stories, she could pull it off.

I received this ARC copy of Laughter at the Academy from Subterranean Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An engaging collection, and highly recommended for readers who are not familiar with Seanan McGuire’s work. You will get a taste of a wide variety of her styles and themes.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book. Seanan McGuire has quickly become my favorite author and she does not disappoint with this short story collection.

I generally find with short story collections I only like a handful of the stories in them. In this case, they are all so well-written and enjoyable. As usual, though, some of these short stories are going to resonate with readers more than others.

I loved the variety in length presented in these stories. It kept the book feeling very fresh and easy to digest. I also really appreciated her short explanations before starting each story. It gave them a bit more context and allows the readers a chance to see behind the written page into the mind of the author.

Laughter at the Academy is Seanan McGuire’s first short story collection as herself. (Mira Grant released a Newsflesh short story collection named Rise a couple of years ago.) It’s being released by Subterranean Press, which is known for doing very elegant limited print editions. I can’t speak to the elegance of this book’s print edition, since I received my review copy from NetGalley. However, my local library system has purchased some of Subterranean Press’ books in the past, so I’ll note that those books look beautiful, even though they’d passed through several hands before they got to me.

Unlike Rise, this is not a short story collection that contains series works. Instead, each short story is a picture of a world we haven’t seen before (or like this, since a couple of the stories are riffs on better-known works in the public domain) or will see again. Each short story is preceded by an illustration by Carla Hall, which were still present in my eARC (albeit in black and white, though that just be my device). I really like the illustrations and think they add to the collection as a whole.

Themes in Laughter at the Academy
The themes found in the tales in Laughter at the Academy are ones that McGuire’s fans know from her greater body of work. If you read the stories in this collection, you’ll know whether or not her longer works could be your thing. What if you don’t have an idea what Seanan McGuire’s themes are? Here’s a brief guide to some themes found in Laughter in the Academy.

I could argue that the most prominent theme in Seanan McGuire’s works is the importance of following and/or knowing the rules. If the characters don’t follow certain rules, or don’t realize what the consequences of certain rules are, they suffer greatly. On the other hand, there are characters in her works that massage the rules in a way that suits their ends, whether or not those ends are considered Good. Rules can be found in all of her major works, as they can be found in life.

This shows up in her Mira Grant work as nature, through Science, as a triumphant conqueror. In her various Mira Grant series, this is generally seen as a great tragedy: if Science didn’t work this way here, our dear protagonists would be in far less danger. This is not a problem in short stories. In them, we can watch female scientists laugh mockingly as they do what Should Not Have Been Done (watching male scientists get away with dangerous things is not new to students of history, and far more depressing).

Seanan McGuire is also a folklore enthusiast. Some of the stories in this collection involve folklore or mythology either in the building of the story or within the text. To say more would be somewhat of a spoiler.

She also really loves Halloween, hence the release date.

I thought that this collection was composed very well. I’ve noticed that the collections of some prolific writers often order their works chronologically or by theme. That would not have worked for Laughter at the Academy well at all. Instead, McGuire picked stories that she thought made the greatest whole. The collection was put together in a way that served that whole, with no particular pattern that I detected. I really enjoyed it.

If you’re looking for an introduction to Seanan McGuire’s work, this could be a good start for you. If you’re looking to collect everything that Seanan McGuire has ever written, you don’t really need to be reading this review, but you want this book. The print copies of Laughter at the Academy are out of stock on Subterranean Press. However, this short story collection is available at an e-retailer near you.

Seanan McGuire is a treasure, and this collection is a treasury.

Seanan McGuire can do it all - fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Her stories are equal parts funny, tragic, and inspiring. This is her first short story collection under her own name and I sure hope it’s not the last. Her pseudonym, Mira Grant, had a collection a few years back of short stories in her Newsflesh universe, but, unlike that collection, nothing in this volume comes from one of her established universes (although I would sincerely love to read more stories set in the Dollmaker’s world or after the dinosaur apocalypse).

Ms. McGuire is one of the most prolific novelists writing today, but, as someone who does not read a lot of anthologies, I did not realize that she was an equally prolific short story writer. If you are like me, coming to all of this material fresh, you are in for a treat! Also some tricks along the way (after all, it is being released on Halloween).

If you already love her work, buy this book. You won’t regret it. If you are new to her work, this book is an excellent introduction to Seanan McGuire’s incomparable talents.

Ms. McGuire is not only an amazing storyteller but an all around fantastic person. I have had the good fortune to meet her at several signings at both NYCC and my local comic book store, and I cannot stress enough how wonderful she is. I was lucky enough to be granted an eARC of this book though Net Galley, but that didn’t stop me from preordering a physical copy from Subterranean Press. I can’t wait to get it signed by Ms. McGuire next year!

"Most of all, this book is for all those fools who laughed at me in the academy. I may not be raising the dead yet, but I still know where my shovel is."

It’s no secret that I think Seanan McGuire is pretty great. I’ve only read a few of her books, but I’ve massively enjoyed them all. I knew she was great before I started on this collection, but boy howdy, she has outdone herself. Twenty-two short stories, all filled with her signature wit, wistfulness, and love for all things strange and disturbing.

I would offer a summary if I could, but of course, short stories don’t lend themselves to that sort of thing. At the end of this post, if you want a full listing of stories, along with my brief thoughts on each of them. In general, though, there are quite a few running themes, including, but not limited to: fairytales (especially Peter Pan), childhood and growing up, science (and the limits thereof), experiments (including ones on your so-called friends), magic, ethics, mythology, ghosts, warfare, the future of life on Earth, the ocean and fish/mermaids, AI, pollution, and dolls. There is an abundance of feminism and plenty of positive queer representation. The styles range from conventional stories to text interspersed with field guide notes to a literal crowdfunding campaign that tells its own story, because let’s face it: nothing Seanan does is conventional. In other words, it’s everything I could have asked for in a book. And, with all the eeriness and magic, it’s perfect for this time of year.

While not every story was perfectly to my liking, every single one was highly original and well-executed, and I did enjoy them all, just in different amounts and capacities. In a short story collection, you’re bound to have at least one or two you don’t like as much as the others, because if there was no variety…well, it wouldn’t be a very good collection, would it? There is definitely variety here, and while there are some common themes, nothing feels redundant. In the preface, the author mentions that this is a combination of some of her best stories and some that, while maybe not her best, are still her favorites. I completely understand why–even if the execution isn’t flawless (though it is pretty dang close, as her writing is beautiful and incredibly well-suited to the kinds of stories she tells), the originality more than makes up for any minor stumbles (and, again, there aren’t many).

I could keep going on about how much I loved it, but I guess the most important part here is just that this is a stellar collection, and perfect for the most obsessed fan, the casual reader, or even someone totally new to Seanan’s work.

"This is where, by format, I should offer up some extended metaphor, like “follow me into the forest” or “let’s go walking in the fields together, you and I,” but my metaphors are in my fiction, and tend to be pretty weird.”


TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: pretty much all of them, honestly. No racism that I can recall, I guess. I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but they include depression, suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, allusion to child abuse, lots of death, violence/gruesome moments, sexism, homophobia/transphobia

The Stories

Okay, so each of these is a quick bit of plot and then commentary. I have starred my favorites–yeah, it’s nearly half of them, but I’m indecisive and also there are just so many good ones?? There are no spoilers, as always. If I had a quote or two I really loved, either for its humor or its painful truth, I’ve put it after its respective story as well, just to give you a taste of what sort of wonderfulness you’ll find.

“Laughter at the Academy: A Field Study in the Genesis of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)” – literal mad scientists. Brutal, a tad predictable, but still fun despite the darkness.

"He was a poster child for science as a force for good…at least until the tentacles started bursting from the windows."

“Lost” – a sadder Peter Pan, told by a child left behind when the ships came. Personally found this one a little slow, but the ending was beautiful.

★ “The Tolling of Pavlov’s Bells” – terrifying and amazing. I will forever be afraid of going to meet authors from now on. Also of just being around…literally anyone.

“Uncle Sam” – the real reason girls never go to the bathroom alone. Where Seanan comes up with this stuff, I will never know, but this was even stranger than usual–in a good way.

“Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust” – a grittier aftermath of the Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy (Dot) has to solve a murder. While the story itself was good but not outstanding, I could TOTALLY see a whole series being written on this world and these characters. I want to see more about Dot’s girlfriend, Petrichor, and Dot’s pumpkin-headed friend, Jack. The idea is bigger than the short story format can do justice to, I think.

"I swore as I got out of bed and crossed to the window, opening the curtains to reveal a sky the sunny fuck-you color of a Munchkin swaddling cloth."

“Crystal Halloway and the Forgotten Passage” – according to the blurb, this was Seanan’s first portal fantasy, and I could see the glimmers of what would become the world of Every Heart a Doorway. This one especially reminded me of In an Absent Dream, with similar themes about growing up and facing the choice between eternal magical youth or growing up at home.

★ “Homecoming” – the Valkyries and football. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and it is beautiful and clever and invites a good perspective on the idea of the afterlife. This is going to stick with me for a while.

“Frontier ABC’s: The Life and Times of Charity Smith, Schoolteacher” – wild west meets space colonization, with a teacher on the front lines. A testament to the power of a good educator to change the world, for sure.

"Choices are like that. Some of them exist only for as long as it takes not to make them."

★ “We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War” – just when you thought dolls couldn’t get any creepier, Seanan added AI to them in this heartwrenching story of grief, loss, and love.

★ “The Lambs” – when androids become an anti-bullying monitor, high school gets complicated. Another tale of science possibly going too far, and the emotional abilities of machines. I could almost see the real world trying to make a version of this idea into reality, which is disturbing.

★ “Each to Each” – military mermaids, with discussion of big issues like sexism and transphobia, wrapped in a layer of scientific “progress” that still hurts those who are forced to carry out the dirty work.

★ “Bring About the Halloween Eternal!!!” – I kid you not, this entire story is told as a crowdfunding campaign, unfolding in reward levels, updates, and a comments section. As I sit here on Halloween, with literal snow on the ground (seriously, it is coming down like crazy outside, and I had to walk 25 minutes to the office in it) and Christmas decorations already on the shelves of stores, the premise of this far-fetched narrative is rather timely.

"TRUE generosity isn’t about cheap wrapping paper and teenagers dressed like elves and shitty presents from your Aunt Jill that you’re just going to re-gift ANYWAY. True generosity is about free candy from strangers, sometimes with bonus razorblades (and those are expensive!)."

“Office Memos” – weird and funny email correspondence from an office run by a gremlin, complete with explosions and spontaneous gender reversals.

“Lady Antheia’s Guide to Horticultural Warfare” – humanoid plants are out to colonize Earth, by infiltrating the royal family of England. Like something out of a Doctor Who episode, but less optimistic, though still full of humor.

“But the first thing you did was eat my sister’s maid.”
“I’m aware,” I said primly, gathering my skirts as I waited for the doors to slide open on their well-oiled tracks. “But I was very sorry afterward, which is the very definition of diplomacy.”

★ “Driving Jenny Home” – super sad lesbian ghost love story. This one hit the feelings pretty hard, but was still beautiful in its sadness. I don’t actually know the song “Driving Jenny Home” that inspired it, but I really want to find and listen to it now.

“There Is No Place for Sorrow in the Kingdom of the Cold” – when Pinocchio meets Pandora’s Box. I wish I could explain that better, but you just kind of have to go for it.

“In Skeleton Leaves” – another Peter Pan, this time focused on the role of the Wendys that take care of Lost Boys. Includes a delightful disregard for gender norms–including some male Wendys and a female Pan–and subversion of everything you thought you knew about the classic children’s tale.

“Please Accept My Most Profound Apologies for What Is About to Happen (But You Started It)” – a clever little number, told as one long letter, from someone who did something bad with no regrets. More science and experimenting on people. Also, dinosaurs.

"Humans will always defend the offspring of the privileged, if allowed to do so."

★ “Threnody for Little Girl, With Tuna, at the End of the World” – the saddest one in this collection, to me, about a girl and the last tuna fish on Earth, in a world where pollution has destroyed so much and everything is kind of falling to pieces.

“From A to Z in the Book of Changes” – taken from 26 different prompts people gave her, Seanan wrote this one as a series of 26 snapshots of possible revelations or huge changes. Lots of them involve the end of the world.

"P IS FOR…PENGUINS
They are less innocent than they seem. Do not trust a bird that has turned its back on the sky.
When the penguins ask you to pick a side, ask yourself which you fear more: the warming world or the drowning deep. You will only have one chance to choose."

★ “#connollyhouse #weshouldntbehere” – oh god, this was creepy. Told entirely in Tweets (because, again, Seanan is a master at unusual narrative formats), the fear here comes in its vagueness and unexplained problems, and seriously, I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the very end of it. It was that scary.

"Sometimes it’s easier to chase fake ghosts than real ones. #connollyhouse"

“Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves” – the longest story in the book, and a blend of science and biblical stories, with mythical fish monsters and genetic experimentation. It was a good one to really sink your teeth into. (Not creepy fish-hook teeth. Just regular human teeth.)

"Knowledge is like the sea. Go too deep, and the crushing weight of it could kill you."

In short: read this book. Revel in the weirdness and wonder. And Happy Halloween!

I have to start with: I thoroughly enjoyed every single story in this collection. McGuire's imagination knows no bounds and she's not afraid to go weird and/or violent to satisfy it. I kept messaging my friends like "oh my God, McGuire is turning all the human beings on the planet into dinosaurs" and giving people random snippets like "man-eating plant woman devours the queen of (steampunk) England".

There were a few that I was a little less enamored by (Peter Pan as an infinite loop, fine but not as amazing as "triggering mad scientist disease as a means for murder") and I definitely wanted MORE from many of them (particularly the mermaids).

Fans of McGuire's work will see this as a beautiful continuation of her traditional strangeness, coupled with inclusivity, fairy tales, and - did I mention strangeness? Readers new to McGuire's work (first of all, where have you been?) will find the writing detailed and distinctive, the characters complex and singular, and the subject matter... Weird AF.

A number of short stories by McGuire with various fantasy settings. I mostly liked them—McGuire’s tics of repetition and fairy-tale singsongs are not as apparent/annoying in short story form.

Absolutely delightful collection of McGuire's short pieces, none related to her more famous series. I am not as a rule a fan of short stories but I powered through these lovely bits of fantasy and whimsy. There is always a dark touch to McGuire's work but her skill balances this out with wonder. This is a must for the author's fans and a joyous introduction to her for those yet to discover her. Lost was my favorite.

How long have we waited for a collection of short fiction by Seanan McGuire? So long, and yes, I know there is a collection of her short fiction as Mira Grant, but that's Mira fiction (Rise: A Newsflesh Collection and watch out, because it's full of zombies.) This collection, as Seanan McGuire, doesn't have stories from any of her series universes. You will find no Velveteen, no Toby Daye, no InCryptid, and no portals for Wayward Children. But you will find some of my favorite stories she's written over the past decade, from the heart-searing "Threnody for Little Girl, With Tuna, at the End of the World" to the chilling "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," an entirely satisfying Lovecraftian tale that strips out everything I loathe about Lovecraft's world and leaves me with the creepy-scary things I love about it. Of course, we aren't short on horror here, because it's still Seanan, though it isn't the science-y horror of Mira Grant. There are still places you shouldn't go to, like the Connolly House. (No, really, don't go there, really don't... go... don't... Come, Come, Come) There is the story of Dot (that would be Dorothy) in her role as the Wicked Witch of the West, Princess of Oz, Crossover Ambassador, and her falling out with the Undying Empress, Princess Ozma, her ex, who called Dot a political liability. There are twenty-two stories in the volume, which is a generous 376 pages in length. Longtime readers may recognize them, though the author has polished them further for this edition. The collection is already sold out in a limited hardcover edition with beautiful illustrations from Subterranean Press. But you can still enjoy it in ebook format if you didn't get in early on pre-orders, which are becoming a must for SubPress's Seanan McGuire titles.

Laughter at the Academy releases October 31 (so apropos), but readers should note that a series of printing press repairs have slightly delayed the hardcover edition. Anyone who has ever held one of the spectacular limited editions from Subterranean Press in their hands will know that a short delay means nothing once you're holding a gorgeous volume in your hands. The paper! The illustrations! I'll happily wait for mine to arrive.


I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from Subterranean Press in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time that I have read an anthology of short stories all by the same author. While there were one or two that I didn't enjoy, overall I liked most of the stories in the book. My favorite was the alphabet story.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.