There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

I am mostly familiar with Cat Rambo through her tweets. I subscribe to her twitter feed because she's the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and she has a lot of connections and I get a pretty good idea of what's happening in the sci-fi/fantasy world that I should be aware of. But since I wasn't familiar with her work itself, when I had the opportunity to review one of her collections I jumped at the chance. I happen to love short stories, so this seemed just about right for me.

Rambo has a nice, easy-flowing style that makes reading a pleasure, but I did find that all these stories had the general same tone and pacing to them. So much so, in fact, that nothing really stood out to me. I'm typically pretty liberal with marking up my Kindle books - making notes, highlighting sections, and marking which stories I liked and why (or which I did not like, and also why) and there's not a single note in this book. Nothing stuck out - nothing was bad or terrible, but nothing was particularly memorable either.

One of the things I enjoy as much as the stories themselves, when reading a collection or an anthology, is the comments about the story by the author (or editor). Reading about why a story was written - what inspired it (sometimes just a call for a story to fit an anthology) or what the author was trying to do (blend two genres for instance) - is fascinating to me.

In her commentary on the stories Rambo notes that a few of the stories are placed in certain worlds that she has created in some of her other works. Not knowing these works myself, this held no meaning to me, but fans of Rambo probably really will enjoy those stories in particular. The stories themselves did not make me want to rush out to read the other works.

I did expect to be in for a real treat. The first story in the collection ("Love, Resurrected") had a great sentence that hooked me and I expected to be really enthralled: "Three years after her death, she still labored in his service." But the story, a combination of exploring relationships and conflicts, paces evenly forward, not providing the highs and lows I typically enjoy in my reading.

So, too, with the rest.

One story stood out in this collection. "Coyote Barbie" was, perhaps, my favorite. Though it still held Rambo's even pacing, the style of the story was unlike any of the others.

This book contains the following stories, with an 'Afternotes' following each story:

"Love, Resurrected"
"The Toad's Jewel"
"The Mage's Gift"
"Pippa's Smiles"
"Karaluvian Fale"
"The Subtler Art"
"How Dogs Came to the New Continent"
"Love's Footsteps"
"To Read the Sea"
"A Brooch of Bone, A Hint of Tooth"
"Call and Answer, Plant and Harvest"
"Clockwork Fairies"
"Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart"
"The Coffeemaker's Passion"
"Elections at Villa Encantada"
"Seven Clockwork Angels, All Dancing on a Pin"
"Coyote Barbie"
"The Wizards of West Seattle"
"Summer Night in Durham"
"Web of Blood and Iron"
"So Glad We Had This Time Together"
"Snakes on a Train"
"The Passing of Grandmother's Quilt"

Looking for a good book? Fans of Cat Rambo will enjoy this double-collection of short works, <em>Neither Here Nor There</em>, but new-comers will likely find this tremendously average.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

***** Love, Resurrected • (2011)
The style of this one reminded me just a bit of Yoon Ha Lee's short fiction. (A good thing!)
A ruthless sorcerer has resurrected his star general, continuing to compel her service even after death. The relationship between sorcerer, general and the strangely elusive rebel known as the Falcon is complex - and unpleasant.

**** The Toad's Jewel • (2013)
Living on the edge of Faerie has made one toad rather unlike other toads, as far as self-awareness and cognition goes. However, that doesn't help here when her reveries are rudely interrupted by a wizard who scoops her up for use in his spells. It looks like the toad, along with a couple of captured sylphs, are doomed to become arcane ingredients...
Classic fairytale stuff, with a bit of a nasty edge.
I rather liked how none of the 'main' characters in this are actually 'protagonists' - they just happen to be there when things happen to them. In a longer work, this could feel like a fault, but in this short piece, it works.

***** The Mage's Gift • [Serendib] • (2016)
A master assassin/thief has been retired for a while now - but as our story opens, she wants to get her husband a very special anniversary gift. And only something that will really test her old skills will do. But has she misjudged her ability in comparison to the sharpness of her youth? A charming homage to O. Henry's 'Gift of the Magi,' which will bring a smile to the lips of any sword-and-sorcery fan.

***** Pippa's Smiles • (2011)
Beautifully structured. Feeling smothered by his new bride's love, a man abandons his wife without warning, and sets off to wander the world. But at the back of his mind is the idea that he'll always be able to return, because after all, she loves him so much, doesn't she? She'll forgive anything? Bu throughout his journey, he makes the same assumption about how important he must be to all the women that he meets - and is proved wrong, time and again...

**** Karaluvian Fale • (2011)
Ms. Fale is the scion of a noble house. Her only hope of survival - and independence - is if she can continue to hide the fact that her family is bankrupt and penniless. This task may take all of her considerable wits and charm, as she deals with enemies and suitors, and attempts to manage her malicious and wastrel brother.

**** The Subtler Art • [Serendib] • (2015)
The protagonists of "The Mage's Gift" make a reappearance! A comment at a bar leads to a debate over which is the "subtler" art - magery or assassination. And, things progressing as they will; the debate leads to a contest. Will the mage or the assassin be proven correct?

**** How Dogs Came to the New Continent • [Tabat Short Fiction] • (2014)
Ostensibly, this is a dry academic document outlining the history of a dog breed popular in the city of Tabat. However, it quickly becomes a subtle and incisive discussion of the two-edged sword of exploration and colonialism. And then... a moving, emotional story of prejudice and love sneaks in there. Good stuff.

*** Love's Footsteps • (2013)
Eh, this one was a little too sentimental for me. Seeking immortality, a wizard puts his heart aside (literally) - with the expected side effect that he is unable to truly feel emotions. In search of sensation, he seeks out exotic experiences, dragging his faithful companion along... but never really considering her.

**** To Read the Sea • (2013)
Extremely short; but powerful. An original take on a selkie tale - featuring a sea captain who comes to have his future read by a noted oracle. What she tells him is not what he expected to hear.

**** A Brooch of Bone, a Hint of Tooth • (2013)
A young princess is the subject of nefarious plots concocted by one of her father's most trusted advisors. Her fairy blood, legacy of her vanished mother, may be a liability in the eyes of those around her. But her heritage is not only a liability.
Beautifully sets up our faiytale expectations - only to whisk them away.

*** Call and Answer, Plant and Harvest • [Serendib] • (2016)
A woman takes on progressively more risky magical gambles at the urging of an alluring acquaintance. The games of chance are imaginatively described, but I felt that the catalogue-like nature of their description ended up detracting from the emotional impact of the story. I still liked the finale.

*** Clockwork Fairies • [Altered America] • (2010)
Brilliant steampunk inventor of mixed racial heritage is insistent on her engagement to a man who is wholly incompatible with her, even though her loving father opposes the match. My least favorite story so far. The unsuitability of the match (and the clear 'made in heaven' (or Faerie) nature of her compatibility with someone else) robs the story of all tension. The situation possesses no ambiguity, and there's really no question about how things will turn out. The whole story has a bit of a "trying too hard" vibe.

*** Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart • [Altered America] • (2014)
Another steampunk-styled tale. In this one, a couple of Pinkerton agents, one of whom happens to be a robot, chase down a wanted man who's hiding out in an automated house. It's a bit sentimental for my taste, and the concept/setting didn't really capture my imagination.

*** The Coffeemaker's Passion • (2011)
Humorous and lighthearted little piece about a modern woman whose new coffeemaker falls 'in love' with her - complete with all the drawbacks of having a rather annoying boyfriend develop a jealous obsession. Not really my kind of thing, but good for a chuckle.

*** Elections at Villa Encantada • (2014)
Similar in tone to the previous selection; this light piece ponders the annoying minutiae of Homeowners' Association politics - if the housing complex was specifically for supernatural beings. I came away with the impression that, yes, the author has owned a condo.

** Seven Clockwork Angels, All Dancing on a Pin • [Altered America] • (2016)
Steampunk-styled retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I didn't feel that anything except the aesthetic veneer was added to the story.

** Coyote Barbie • (2010)
Feminist Barbie stages a "wild woman" takeover of the toy store. I'm all for non-gendered toys, but the story didn't do it for me.

*** The Wizards of West Seattle • (2016)
An apprentice wizard in modern-day Seattle must pass a critical test. Even when one knows that magic is lurking on every street corner and nothing may be what it seems; it's still easy to get caught up in dangerous assumptions. A charming piece.

** Summer Night in Durham • (2014)
Why must vampires insist on trying to get tattoos when their physiology just doesn't lend itself to the art form? A brief little piece. The ending was surprising, but could've been more satisfying.

*** Web of Blood and Iron • [Altered America] • (2016)
A werewolf and his gnome manservant enter the gambling den of a powerful vampire to try to find out what's happened to a missing human journalist. This one felt like it was straight out of the peak of the V:tM fad. Not bad, though.

** So Glad We Had This Time Together • (2012)
Reality TV producer drafts her resignation letter; and we gradually find out why creating a show featuring real-life supernatural characters might not have been such a good idea.

** Snakes on a Train • [Altered America] • (2015)
The psychic-and-robot Pinkerton agent team from "Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart" are back, this time assigned to protect an inventor from dire threats on a cross-country train journey. Not all goes smoothly.

*** The Passing of Grandmother's Quilt • (2013) •
Brief, and very personal-feeling: a quilt is not aware that its owner has passed away.

It's worth mentioning that the concept of this book is that the first half is 'secondary-world' fantasy, while the latter part are stories set in a version of our own world. The tones and fee of the two categories of story is utterly different - I would've believed they were from two separate authors. I vastly prefer the first half of the book, but even if you agree with me, the number of excellent stories in that half makes this well worth the price of admission.

Many thanks to Hydra House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

I found Neither Here Nor There disappointing. I've only read a little of Cat Rambo's work before, but I found it largely engaging and fun. This collection , on the other hand, I found much more mundane. Not in the worlds they describe - though most of those are fairly contemporary - but because so little happens. I like subtle stories, but I do want them to describe something meaningful - a change, an event, a happening. Many of the stories here, especially in the early part of the book, don't seem to have much point. Little happens, and quite a few don't have endings that provide any kind of resolution.

I've never read Rambo's Beasts of Tabat, but a large amount of the material here is drawn from that world. If you're a fan, you'll likely enjoy that. For me, it didn't provide any added value, but except for one story - a dry history of Tabat - it didn't detract from the story. However, I didn't find that this taste of Tabat whetted my appetite, and eventually found myself thinking 'Please, not another Tabat story.'

For all that the flat character arcs suggest an inclination toward subtlety, Rambo's morals are fairly heavy-handed. Readers will have no difficulty spotting good and bad, right and wrong. While I agreed with many of her views, I often wished for a little more gray, a little more dimension in the villains. Even the heros frequently made decisions for which there was little foundation, and that smelled too strongly of authorial direction. This wasn't helped by sentences that at times tends toward the convoluted. There were times when I had to actively parse the sentences to make sense of them.

I was expecting more from this journey into Rambo's worlds. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be visiting often. I recommend it mainly for fans of Tabat.

The best stories were:

Pippa's Smiles - A vaguely dissatisfied man decides to leave his wife behind.
While one of the heavy-handed stories in the collection, and one in which the authorial machinery is not well covered, it largely works.
Karaluvian Fale - A noblewoman on the brink of bankruptcy tries everything to keep up a facade of success. While again heavy-handed, the characters are well-drawn and engaging.
The Subtler Art - A wizard and an assassin argue about whose art is more subtle. There's not much surprise here, but it's nice to follow along.
Clockwork Fairies - A member of the nobility tries to encourage his beloved to give up her hobby. Another in the heavy-handed set, and it leaves some of the most interesting aspects unexplored, but it has a pleasant steampunk feel to it.
notableHer Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart - One human and one android Pinkerton agent search out an inventor in her quirky house. The characters and relationships in this story are by far the strongest in the book, with interesting action to boot.
The Wizards of West Seattle - An apprentice magician tries to prove himself. One of the many stories in the collection that could have used more character depth, but the overall structure works well.