Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a changeling. For instance, as a changeling, one day you might find yourself getting all groovy with Nastasia Kinski. I can’t think of a whole more to say on the subject, except that when I heard about the book The Beastly Bride – Tales of the Animal People, I was pretty excited. I didn’t hesitate a moment and sent my rat army out to secure a copy.
As might be expected from the title, and my intro, The Beastly Bride is a collection of short stories about people who turn into animals, and vice-versa. You’ve got horse people, fish people, puma people, snake people and just about any other kind of people you can think of. Some of them don’t seem to mind mixing with the human race, others are perilous, and still others hide themselves completely. For the most part, the stories have a fairy-tale flavor, which would normally be a good thing, but in this case, the book is decidedly young-adult. That wouldn’t normally be a bad thing. I’ve reviewed a lot of young adult books here, but to me the stories lacked real heart and punch.
There was an exception here and there. For example, Shweta Narayan’s “Pishaach”, a story about Nagas, or snake people, seemed to me to be more about what it’s like to be a kid in reality. Also, “Island Lake” by E. Catherine Tobler stood out among the rest for being uncompromisingly mysterious and magical.
Creepy Factor: 2 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 2 out of 5
Weird Erotic Tension Factor: 1 out of 5
Funny and/or Strange Factor: 2 out of 5
Final result: I don’t know why I keep getting anthologies. They always seem to disappoint. I just can’t get engaged with the stories. There are some good stories here, but the whole is a little bit too after-school-special flavored for my blood.
The Beastly Bride edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling – Viking Juvenile – 2010
Thanks for reading another one of my book reviews. See you next time!
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