|
-
News
- Features
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
The Best Of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet edited by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
01/09/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 387 page enlarged illustrated paperback. Price: $14.95 (US), $21.00 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-49913-4 Buy The Best Of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet in the USA - or Buy The Best Of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet in the UK  check out website: www.delreybooks.com
Did you know that the title, 'Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet', comes from the tattoo decoration Sir Winston Churchill's wife had on her wrist? Me neither. It might make for an unusual title but it says nothing about a magazine's contents. The introduction by Dan Chaon indicates how he changed an SF story into standard fiction to get a college grade. With people like Karen Joy Fowler, whom I've read before, listed on the cover, there is an expectation that this book will actually live up to cover notation of 'unexpected tales of the fantastic & other odd musings'. Well, it wasn't until half-way through the book that there was the slightest hint of odd fantasy and that didn't really last.
That isn't to say this isn't good fiction. The real question is whether or not this deserves to be categorised as either Science Fiction or fantasy or whether its editors, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, who run the fiction and poetry zine 'Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet' have been hoodwinking their own readers. If they haven't, then I reckon both the boss and me ought to approach Ballantine/Dely Rey with material from the SFC website as being the real McCoy.
I mean which category would you place a story about a student reunion that continually re-uses the 'Happy Days' theme as they get older? What about a story from middle America about the life of a gambling grandfather? The one about the humans and snakes is nearly border out genre. Likewise, one about a freak show and the illustrated problem of being a wolf. The problem is despite the variety and good writing, this reviewer wonders if any of it is really in our remit.
If you've heard of 'Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet' or missing issues of same and like more of the material then I'm sure this book is just for you. If you want to read more general fiction by some developing writers in our genre then you might want to look. If you don't fall into either of these categories, don't assume this is really for you unless you like interesting general fiction.
GF Willmetts
|
|
