The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie

The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie is a YA collection of fictional tales inspired by scientist Marie Curie, with a sprinkling of fun trivia throughout. I think younger me would have LOVED this. As an adult, I still found it enjoyable, though I found myself wanting more from each story (but this is super common for me when it comes to short story anthologies). Each short story comes with a little endnote explaining any real science that was included in the story, which I think is a great addition! There were a couple of repetitive points, like the "science trumps magic" message, or repeatedly explaining flying schools and the Poland/Russia situation. Overall though, I found this to be a quick, entertaining read that I would recommend to young readers looking for a little bit of science, a little bit of horror, and a little bit of dark science fiction.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for proving a digital copy of The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie in exchange for an honest review! This book is scheduled to hit shelves April 11, 2023.

Wow! One of the best advance reading copy I have ever got so far!

This book is mesmerising!

It is a collection of fictional short stories and poems based on the life of Marie Curie with added imaginative touch on what could have happened to her when she was a teenager.

I loved every word this book had to offer. You just have to get it! Try it for yourself.

You know the book seems so short and I want more!

Thank you, Blackstone Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

As a middle school science teacher I was absolutely thrilled to read this collection! It's a perfect mixture of science and imagination, and I really felt that I got a better perception of Marie Curie's life while enjoying some adventurous and creepy stories. The collection also contained a bit of humour, and I fell in love with the rat Damian from the story "cheating death" 😍

I definitely recommend this anthology if you're interested in science, want to know what it was like living in Poland in the 1880s or just enjoy some thrilling short stories ⚡

The compilation of short stories span a range from fantasy to science fiction to horror. All of the stories center around Marya (aka Marie Curie) primarily as a young adolescent before she furthered her education in France. I appreciated the forward, which provided a short biography which included details of her early life that are normally not mentioned when writing about her many accomplishments. I also thought that it was an especially nice addition at the conclusion of each story to describe the scientific basis or a potential hypothesis for some of what transpired for many of these stories. Most of the stories in this compilation are written by masters of their craft but all of the stories included were excellent. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly as it captures the interest of a reader on many levels.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the Authors for this eGalley copy of The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie.

Drawing upon bits and pieces of the real world Marie Curie and scientific discovery, this collection of short stories effectively blends history and science with the weird, magical, 'what-if' of the fantastical imaginings of some of the best writers of our time.

A quick, easy, disturbing, and deliciously fun ride.

Excellent anthology with some awesome authors. This definitely gives the history of Marie Curie a new twist.
Recommended for the short story lover.

This was such a cool selection of stories that I really liked. It was nice to see stories with Marie Curie as the focus. A nice change of pace to read reimagined tales of a staple in science. They were very creative and kept me hooked. I would definitely recommend this book to others! Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

There's something for everyone in this anthology. Fans of Marie Curie will love seeing magical takes on pivotal events in her life and those who only know of her may learn something.

As with all anthologies, some stories will stand out for you more than others. Still, a solid collection.

This book is quite fun! Definitely a younger YA vibe with plenty of fascinating short stories. The poetry interspersed was absolutely wonderful. I'm not sure if the prompt was kind of narrow but the stories began to feel repetitive. Much of the history and background at the start of the story was great to settle in.

I’m a big fan of Marie Curie and her lire/life’s work. This book was exciting to me. Such a fun concept. I loved Jane Yolen’s poetry throughout that sort of linked things together. I’d definitely read other collections like this.

This is quite an interesting book. I truly appreciate the authors being up front and letting readers know that this book is more about honoring Marie Curie and all that she became then, focusing on telling a true retelling of her life. I will be honest I enjoyed some stories over others. Some of them were to out there for me. But that is to be expected. Overall, this was an interesting read. Though I am not quite sure what type of patron I would recommend this book too, but it might be good to have in my arsenal.
Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Book Summary:

Marie Curie is, to say the least, an incredibly famous scientist. She changed our lives thanks to her discoveries. But what would have happened if Marie Curie had set her sights on other discoveries?

That is the question The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie seeks to answer. This anthology collects stories from a dozen different authors, all exploring this unique concept in their own way. Authors include Seanan McGuire, Stacia Deutsch, Sarah Beth Durst, Jane Yolen, Aletha Kontis, Scott Sigler, Lissa Price, Jonathan Maberry, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jo Whittemore, Mylo Carbia, G.P. Charles, Susanne L. Lambdin, Emily McCosh, Dee Leone, and Steve Pantazis.

My Review:

As far as food for thought goes, The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie is an incredibly compelling read. This anthology has a strong fractured fairytale vibe, so readers who enjoy this concept should check it out.

In a way, I almost wish it had been about a fictional character, as it does feel odd for such fictional stories to be based on a real person. I don't know; maybe that's just me. You'll have to make up your mind on that point before diving in.

Before readers dive into the fictional stories, there is an excellent forward that helps ensure readers know all the wonderful research Marie Curie did. It explores her real life a little bit further, which helps to distance fact from fiction.

Highlights:
Marie Curie
Historical Fiction
Different Possibilities/Timelines
Anthology

Trigger Warnings:
Family Death

"Luckily for humanity, scientist Marie Curie applied her brilliant mind and indomitable spirit to expanding the frontiers of science, but what if she had instead drifted toward the darkness?

At the cusp of between child- and adulthood, at the crossroads between science and superstition, a teen Marie Curie faces the factual and the fantastic in this fabulous collection of stories that inspire, delight, and ask the question: What if she had used her talents for diabolical purposes?

The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie includes twenty short stories and poems by award-winning writers including New York Times bestselling authors Seanan McGuire, Scott Sigler, Jane Yolen, Alethea Kontis, and Jonathan Maberry, among others."

More Seanan McGuire folks!

An anthology of short stories that imagine dark and bizarre events in the life of a teenage Marie Curie.

When I read the premise for this anthology, I was really excited to read it. I've been interested in Marie Curie, her work and her life, since I was a child and the idea of inserting her into weird and spooky scenarios appealed to my little horror-loving heart.

I enjoyed most of the tales included in the collection, to varying degrees. As is the way of anthologies, some stories were better than others but overall I felt the stories leaned more towards 'good' than 'great'.

I found that reading multiple tales in one sitting didn't work well for me. Due to Marie, and often her family, being the main character in each tale, I found it hard to separate the individual stories from each other which caused the differences between them to feel like inconsistencies. Once I started to read just one story at a time, this feeling of inconsistency went away.

Overall, this is an enjoyable anthology with a unique and interesting theme.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the editors for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

This collection has a nice variety of stories and styles and authors. I didn't love all of the stories, but that's common with an anthology like this. The stories by Seanan McGuire, Jonathan Maberry, and Jane Yolen were my favorites. Overall, a great set of stories and I enjoyed the book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I loved all the different stories about Marie Curie. There are not many stories about women in science and she is a major person from the profession. I am not a big fan of the poetry but that is just me. I enjoyed all the short stories that make up this book I highly recommend it.