Like a delicious 5-course meal, each story is linked by their similarities of highly competent women, supernatural but modern themes, and justice. Gourmet meals, however, are always varied and we have a mixture of spicy, sugary, and savoury treats with a dessert that is VERY bad for us (but no spoilers from me!), ending with the finest demitasse of after-dinner espresso.
Because each story is filled with surprises, I will not go into depth about the plots. Let’s say our appetizer is the first story called “The Legacy,” involving a paroled prisoner, her young son, and the now-retired corrections officer. We are treated to the birth of a young boy’s awakening to his psychic powers and all the lovely goodness of the Natural World of tarot, familiars (cat lovers, you’ll fall in love with the two in this story) and a mirror worthy of Dr. John Dee. Justice is the spice of “The Legacy.”
The side dish is sugary sweet and sour in “Laughing Hills” and justice is served by a cast of pixies, fairies, an assortment of Little People, and some lovely poetry of incantation as they communicate with the spirit of Aunt Molly.
The main meal is savoury as we meet Bianca, her son Austin, and husband Dustin in “Mommy Look!” Here we also become aware of a friend from Dustin’s past and a haunted house with a ghost (always my favorites).
Ah, now that VERY bad dessert with tons of sugar and saturated fat. But we are entitled to partake sometimes! Titled “The Ancient Ones” I must once again remind you that I do not want to describe this: no spoilers here!).
I did promise you a demitasse of espresso to top off the meal. By far one of my favorite stories, “The Last Act” also includes a working theater (peopled?) with likeable ghosts and actors who seem to perform even after the last act is over. There is a cat named Merlin, more than likeable, of course, and justice is hot and quick and most satisfactorily tasty!
So ends our meal and I look back on the variety of the stories and characters and cannot wait to return for another feast in the future. Many readers, like me, may mentally write the solution to a story as if we are the authors. So that was part of the surprise when I found the endings different than my own omniscience. I’ve reviewed some of Karen Black’s other books and always say I am not a short story person but there is something about her writing style, something about her characters, and something about the plots that keep me enjoyably reading to the last word. Always…
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Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
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