REVIEW: “Rust and Bone” by Mary Robinette Kowal

Review of Mary Robinette Kowal, “Rust and Bone”, Shimmer 46 (2018): 86-92 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is a harsh story of a child caught between two adults — one grandmother, one mother — each of whom thinks (or at least claims) they have the child’s best interests at heart.

For anyone who has been caught in a family feud, or who has watched friends be caught in such a feud, this is not a pleasant story. Even if you have not witnessed first hand this sort of situation, the story leaves you with a deep uncertainty and ambivalence about the outcome: Is this the outcome we should’ve been rooting for? More importantly, is it the one that is best for the child? It just isn’t clear, and for some (I’m one of them) that makes it an unsatisfying story. Others may thrive on the ambivalence, and enjoy it more.

Sara L. UckelmanLeave a comment

REVIEW: “Sound and Fury” by Mary Robinette Kowal

Review of Mary Robinette Kowal, “Sound and Fury”, Robots vs Fairies, edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe (Gallery / Saga Press, 2018): 9-28 — Purchase Here. Reviewed by Susan T. (Read the review of the anthology.)

A ship’s engineer gets assigned to a “diplomatic mission” involving a diplomat who won’t do her job, a planet that doesn’t know that this diplomatic mission is going to end in their colonisation, and one giant robot. While the beginning was a little clunky, overall I liked it! It absolutely captured the feeling of working a job that you can’t say no to, and how tedious micromanagers are. We only see the crew in sketches, but what we get is enough to give a good impression of them. It honestly ended in a more hopeful way than I expected – it’s not a story about structural change, but about changing the things that are in your control, and there’s its own hope in that.

Spindizzy1 Comment

REVIEW: “A Feather In Her Cap” by Mary Robinette Kowal

Review of Mary Robinette Kowal, “A Feather In Her Cap,” Fantasy & Science Fiction 134, 1-2 (2018): 216-227 — Purchase Here. Reviewed by Standback.

A quick, delightful caper.

Biantera was once a gentlewoman, now reduced a humble milliner — which she’d mind a whole lot less if not for her mother’s constant complaints. We immediately discover Biantera wears more than one hat:

She made damn good money as an assassin, but if her mother was upset about the supposed millinery business, Biantera could only imagine what she’d have to say about the Other job.

The constant juxtaposition between hatmaking and murder makes for great roguish fun, and Biantera’s methods are clever and refreshing. Recommended.

StandbackLeave a comment