Book Review #35: Traveling Left of Center by Nancy Christie

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A collection of 18 short stories, Traveling Left of Center by Nancy Christie takes you on a journey through the human condition. Christie is a masterful writer fully developing characters in just a few short pages. There is a quote in "Skating on Thin Ice" that summarizes this collection quite nicely.

I have since learned that thin ice is not only a condition of winter, not confined to stretches of frozen water. There is thin ice everywhere--between lovers and friends, between reality and obsession, between hope and despair.

The quote also probably explains why even though none of the stories in this collection are especially happy; they are not extremely depressing either. Each story was like getting a glimpse into some poor soul's life, almost like a commercial or snapshot, and then stepping away. Each snapshot was fully told and I could move on and I believe the characters moved on, for better or for worse.


My favorite stories in the collection

• "Alice in Wonderland"
• I had a chance to review this story earlier this year. Read my full review.
• "The Clock"
• The poor husband in this story gets his revenge. It reminded me of some of the episodes of The Twilight Zone.
• "Exit Row"
• Oh, the horrors of flying and being stuck with someone you hate! How would you escape?

Overall, I would give Traveling Left of Center by Nancie Christie a thumbs up. While I liked some stories better than others, each story is unique, well-rounded and gives a tantalizing peak into difficulties of the human condition.

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About Nancy Christie
Nancy Christie is a full-time writer whose passion is fiction. Having written for numerous magazines and journals, her short stories can be found in literary publications such as Full of Crow, Fiction365, Red Fez, Wanderings, The Chaffin Journal and Xtreme. Christie is currently working on several other book projects, including a novel and a book for writers. She is the founder of Celebrate Short Fiction Day. A member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Nancy teaches workshops at writing conferences and schools across the country and hosts the monthly Monday Night Writers group in Canfield, Ohio.
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a honest review.

Book Review #16: Summary of Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy

Over the last several weeks I've been reviewing all the short stories presented in Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Here's a list of all the stories grouped by Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down the title of the story links back to the original review and the name of the author will take you over their GoodReads profile. Enjoy!

• Thumbs Up!
1. The Preface and the Introduction
2. "Queen Victoria's Book of Spells" by Delia Sherman
3. "The Memory Book" by Maureen McHugh
4. "The Governess" by Elizabeth Bear
5. "Smithfield" by James P. Blaylock
6. "Charged" by Leanna Renee Hieber
7. "Mr. Splitfoot" by Dale Bailey
8. "The Vital Importance of the Superficial" by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer/
9. "Estella Saves the Village" by Theodora Goss
• Thumbs Down!
1. "The Fairy Enterprise" by Jeffery Ford
2. "From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)" by Genevieve Valentine
3. "La Reine D'Enfer" by Kathe Koja
4. "For the Briar Rose" by Elizabeth Wein
5. "The Unwanted Women of Surrey" by Kaaron Warren
6. "Phosphorus" by Veronica Schanoes
7. "We Without Us Were Shadows" by Catherynne M. Valente
8. "The Jewel in the Toad Queen's Crown" by Jane Yolen
9. "The Twigs He Left Behind" by Gregory Maguire
10. "Their Monstrous Minds" by Tanith Lee

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Book Review #15: 6 More Short Stories from Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy

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Story Fifteen: "We Without Us Were Shadows" by Catherynne M. Valente

I really struggled with this short story. I tried to clear my mind and not recall how much I disliked Valente's novel, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. But I just couldn't escape into this story with the Bronte children. I find it very difficult to connect with Valente's writing style which reminds me of some of the classic novels I was forced to read in high school and college. As a result, I can't say I particularly liked this story.

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Story Sixteen: "The Vital Importance of the Superficial" by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer

I adored this story told in letters. There was an intriguing mystery and great character development that kept me turning the pages. I found the about the story section enlightening as it was wonderful to learn how Ms. Kushner and Ms. Stevermer met and how this story came into being. Learning the history as to why this story is told in letters won't spoil it, so skip ahead to that part and take it in. I think the reader will appreciate the story even more.

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Story Seventeen: "The Jewel in the Toad Queen's Crown" by Jane Yolen

I was not a fan of this story. It felt weird and disconnected. I don't feel I know enough of the history of the British Monarchy and its relationships with the Prime Ministers, much less any except for the most recent Prime Ministers, to appreciate this story about Queen Victoria and Disraeli.

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Story Eighteen: "The Twigs He Left Behind" by Gregory Maguire

Maguire has a distinct writing style and its been ages since I tackled Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Wicked so it took a bit of time to settle into the story. It was also difficult for me to separate all the other movie versions of Dicken's A Christmas Carol from my mind especially the one starring Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchett. As a result, this was a middle of the road story for me. I liked the thought of Scrooge being married and sharing his wealth, although not in the fashion one might imagine, and little Tiny Tim having a special gift.

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Story Nineteen: "Their Monstrous Minds" by Tanith Lee

I read this story with a lot of starts and stops. I had a hard time connecting with it and felt like, as a reader, I was being held a distance from the story. Almost like I was examining as a doctor would a specimen. There are some parallels to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is a classic I truly enjoyed. I think there is perhaps a deeper meaning in the first few pages with the story of the parade that I missed and as a result, the story fell flat for me.

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Story Twenty: "Estella Saves the Village" by Theodora Goss

The only downside I can see to Gaslamp fantasy is the consistency to which this group of authors reach back to Dickens. In my short life I have been forced to read Great Expectations twice so when I started reading this short story I already had a strong distaste for it. Moving past the connections to Great Expectations, as a reader, I liked the concept of why the Village was important and how it was created.

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Book Review #14: 5 More Short Stories from Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy

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Story Ten: "Smithfield" by James P. Blaylock

As an amateur photographer, I was absolutely entranced by "Smithfield." Blaylock paints a beautiful picture of the difficulties of capturing images in lowlight. During the course of the story, there is a longing for a time gone by that I couldn't help but relate to due to my fascination with older cameras in this digital age.

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Story Eleven: "The Unwanted Women of Surrey" by Kaaron Warren

"The Unwanted Women of Surrey" confused and delighted me. I loved the characters; I wanted to get to know their backstories and why they were cast off by their families. There was an air of mystery throughout the entire tale that kept you reading and waiting for things to be explained. The confusion set in at the finish of the story because the none of the mysteries were ever explained. I didn't get who The Grey Ladies were and why the women wanted to free of them. And the connection to cholera was odd and only deepened my confusion.

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Story Twelve: "Charged" by Leanna Renee Hieber

I loved "Charged." It was electric. Heiber does a great job crafting a story that displays the main character's love and eventual obsession with electricity. I wished this story was longer; I wanted to see how "Odd Little Mosley" would take over NYC. Would he be a Superman or a Lex Luthor. The mind wonder!

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Story Thirteen: "Mr. Splitfoot" by Dale Bailey

Back in 2009, I read The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum by Rebecca Loncraine. In setting up the world, Baum lived in, Loncraine shared to story of the Fox Sisters who are the center of this short story. This story was delightfully creepy; leaving the reader wondering if the Fox Sisters did maybe have a connection with the Other Side.

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Story Fourteen: "Phosphorus" by Veronica Schanoes

I'm on the fence about this short story. I loved how Schanoes puts a new, more rugged face on the often romanticized Victorian era. It is very much like Dickens's portrayal of the everyday everyman. And because of the point of view from which the story is told, as the reader, you feel like the story is about you. You are able to feel the match girl's toothache and smell her rotting flesh. However, the magic in the story left me a bit confounded. It wasn't clear what "my" Nan was up to, what the purpose of her machinations were and the resulting spell that was cast and how the story is ends feels a bit empty as a result. Why did it matter if "I" lived a few more days?

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Book Review #12: 4 More Short Stories from Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy

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Story Six: "The Memory Book" by Maureen McHugh

This short story was wonderful. The main character, Laura Anne, and her unique talent really drew me in. McHugh does a wonderful job describing Laura Anne's Memory Book and how she uses the book to move up through Victorian society. The story is quite disturbing and leaves you wondering what else Laura Anne has done with her talent.

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Story Seven: "La Reine D'Enfer" by Kathe Koja

I really can't decide if I liked this story or not. I'm also not 100% certain I completely understand Pealie's situation and how he got away from Davey. It's one of those things where you brain starts to accept it and then you are like no that can't be it. I was reminded of Oliver Twist, but the resolution perhaps doesn't work out as favorably for the characters.

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Story Eight: "For the Briar Rose" by Elizabeth Wein

I was really looking forward to this story. I am a huge fan of Sleeping Beauty and a huge fan of re-tellings/re-imaginings of fairy tales. If this would have been a full length novel, I would have put it down.

The plot seemed disconnected and characters drifted in and out of the story without a lot of introduction of who they were and what their purpose was. And suddenly, Wein introduces these stanzas of poetry about 10 pages in and I don't get why.

Then the story seemed to end abruptly. I was completely lost when I read the last line. It took me several days to read this and when I got to the author's note at the end, I couldn't help, but wonder if I needed to know more about the real people she was writing about to truly get it. It may serve future readers best to skip to the author's note, do some research and then read the story.

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Story Nine: "The Governess" by Elizabeth Bear

After two stories I really had trouble connecting with, I was starting to think I should abandon this whole endeavor. But "The Governess" renewed my faith that there were more good stories hiding between the pages.

"The Governess" is a mystery. The lady of the house, Mrs. B__ suffers from some medical malady and her husband and doctor have quite a power over her. Living in a house near the sea, Mrs. B__ often wanders near the strand where the seals gather. Most of the time she is distracted in her search for something and doesn't spend much time with her three children. I thought, at one point, that Mrs. B__ was suffering from postpartum depression.

What I loved best about this story is there were just enough hints about Mrs. B__'s condition that I discovered her secret just as The Governess, Annabelle, does. I love it when an author can craft a plot that deftly doles out the breadcrumbs so I figure out what's going on just as the main character does.

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Book Review #11: 3 Short Stories from Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy

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The Preface and the Introduction
Of the few anthologies I have read, the preface and introduction provided at that beginning of Queen Victoria's Book of Spells-An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy were a wonderful setup up for the handful of stories I have read so far. In the Preface, Datlow and Windling explain exactly what Gaslamp Fantasy is and how it compares/relates to Steampunk. I am especially fond of Windling's introduction. As an English major, I was drawn in by the history of fantasy, fairies and magic in literature. Windling provided context for England fascination with the fantastical throughout the Nineteenth Century and provided quotes and literary examples. I longed to return to the classroom to read more of the works by the authors and artists that are mentioned in the introduction.

If you are curious about Gaslamp Fantasy and just want to know what it is definitely take the time to read the preface and introduction at the start of the book. It is worth your time.

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Story One: "Queen Victoria's Book of Spells" by Delia Sherman

I liked this story about the lowly research student delving deep into the life of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert. The main character reminded me of Diana in A Discovery of Witches; someone who has a unique talent and discovers something truly amazing. My only issue with the story was the passage of time. Sometimes there were good breaks in the story, either a little image to show time had passed or a couple of hard breaks between one section and the next. I liked this story and definitely like how the character resolves her ethical conundrum in the end.

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Story Two: "The Fairy Enterprise" by Jeffery Ford

This story disturbed me a bit. Perhaps because it is so applicable to the world we live in today with our rush to integrate technology into our every day lives and leaving behind the magic of the mysteries in life. This was a solidly written story. However, I felt a bit disconnected from the plot. There seems to be something more about the world that the author wants to share, but due to brevity required for an anthology that information cannot be doled out.

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Story Three: "From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)" by Genevieve Valentine

I was not a fan of this story. It was just a collection of blurbs about a building at The Great Exhibition. I found it difficult figure out what exactly the scandal was about the building and why certain individuals, who were not well introduced, felt the need for the building to disappear.

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A Note from the Director: How Do You Read Anthologies?

I wanted to throw this out into the book reading blogosphere. How do you read an anthology? I'm curious. A couple years ago I would say that I hated anthologies, but now, about once or twice a year, I pick one up. In fact I'm reading one right now. It's a collection of Gaslight Fantasy and I'm just past the dual introductions. I can't wait to dive into the short stories. Anyway, back to the topic at hand or I won't have anything to review later. :)

In my limited experience with anthologies, there are some stories I just adore and others I'm don't like as much. I'm contemplating, with the current anthology I'm reading, posting mini reviews containing a couple (or a few) of the short stories as I complete them. For me, I think it might be helpful to help me figure out how strong the anthology really is. For you, my dear fans, I thought it might be helpful in determining if the anthology was worth your time. I think if I tried to review each story in one blog post, it would scroll forever and be hard to read.

So what do you think? Should I post mini reviews every two to three stories and then provide a summary of the entire collection when I'm done or just wait and go whole hog at the very end?

P.S. I still want to know how you go about reading an anthology. Do you read every story? Or do you skip around? Maybe you, like myself just a short while ago, avoid anthologies like the plague. Share your thoughts below in comments!