bibliophibian inc. Archives - Tachyon Publications

May 26, 2017

Peter S. Beagle’s lovely IN CALABRIA is worth the read

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bestseller, bibliophibian inc., borderlands books, captain's quarters, in calabria, peter s beagle, review

CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS praises Peter S. Beagle’s IN CALABRIA.

I found this novella to be lovely. While there are unicorns, the story is really about how Claudio Bianchi deals with and is changed by them. Claudio is a cranky middle-aged farmer who lives on a farm in the Calabria region of Italy. He is a bit of a loner that writes poetry. So when he wakes one morning to find a unicorn on his farm in the middle of nowhere, his world is irrevocably changed.

I loved Signore Bianchi. For being salty, he has a good heart. Even his farm animals have great personalities. The ending was a little unusual but the journey of watching Bianchi’s relationships with the unicorn and other folk makes it worth the read.

Photo: Rina Weisman

BIBLIOPHIBIAN INC enjoys the fantasy.

IN CALABRIA is a quiet sort of story. It has dramatic moments, certainly, but those weren’t what will stick in my mind in the slightest. What will stick in my mind is Claudio’s quiet care for the unicorn, his moments of inspiration, and his love for Giovanna. He opens up, going from old curmudgeon with a heart of gold to a man who loves, who is brave, who will put himself on the line — and it’s because of the unicorn.

<snip>

IN CALABRIA is more like that, a fable or fairy story, though I wouldn’t say it has something as simple as a moral. What’s nice is that, along with the serious moments and the warmth and tenderness, there’s a lot of humour as well. Like Claudio being grateful that Giovanna bought him pyjamas during a critical and dramatic moment…

Rating: 4/5

The book remains on the Borderland Books bestseller list.

Borderlands Best-Selling Titles for April, 2017

Hardcovers
1. THE COLLAPSING EMPIRE by John Scalzi
2. WALKAWAY by Cory Doctorow
3. WITHIN THE SANCTUARY OF WINGS by Marie Brennan
4. NORSE MYTHOLOGY by Neil Gaiman
5. NEW YORK 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
6. SEVEN SURRENDERS by Ada Palmer
7. 1636: MISSION TO THE MUGHALS by Eric Flint & Griffin Barber
8. BORNE by Jeff VanderMeer
9. IN CALABRIA by Peter S. Beagle
10. THE WRONG DEAD GUY by Richard Kadrey

For more info about IN CALABRIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

April 20, 2017

Magical stories unfurl with marvelous subtlety in Ellen Klages’ WICKED WONDERS

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bibliophibian inc., bridget mckinney, ellen klages, passing strange, Publishers Weekly, review, sf bluestocking, wicked wonders

In a STARRED review, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY praises Ellen Klages’ WICKED WONDERS.

Magical stories unfurl with marvelous subtlety in this delightful collection from Klages.

<snip>

Queer characters appear often, warmly included without any fuss. The emotional impact of the stories is carefully managed in a way that’s meant to sweep readers up, not knock them down. The tie that binds these works together is humanity, lovingly and quietly explored no matter the genre.

BIBLIOPHIBIAN INC. enjoys the collection.

I was really interested to read more of Klages’ work after reading PASSING STRANGE. I think I’ve read one or two short stories before — one of the stories in here was definitely familiar — but I hadn’t consciously connected the author to them, if that makes any sense. Klages is a careful writer, as her afterword shows: she moves the words around until they’re just right, pays attention to pace and rhythm and all of that. It works: her stories are all readable and all seem to fit perfectly within the form.

It’s a good collection of stories, and I also enjoy the fact that there’s a section included on where each story came from and giving more details. There were one or two bits I hadn’t noticed about the stories, which is always fun to learn.

If you enjoy short stories, this is definitely a good collection; if you enjoy Ellen Klages’ work, doubtless you know what you’re in for. Either way, PASSING STRANGE is also worth a look…

Rating: 4/5

Photo: Scott R. Kline

Bridget McKinney at SF BLUESTOCKING is excited about the book.

After about a week-long reading slump (mostly due to getting stuck on a title I didn’t like but that had a concept too good for me to quit it right away), I just started an ARC of WICKED WONDERS by Ellen Klages (out May 2 from Tachyon Publications). I’ve only read the first story, but I’m already really excited about the rest.

For more info on WICKED WONDERS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

March 1, 2017

WICKED WONDERS garners more excitement

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized andy duncan, bibliophibian inc., books bones and buffy, elizabeth story, ellen klages, gary k wolfe, Locus, passing strange, review, tammy sparks, wicked wonders

BIBLIOPHIBIAN INC. mentions Ellen Klages’ forthcoming WICKED WONDERS in two separate Stacking the Shelves posts.

First they are excited about receiving the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tachyon for these! I read PASSING STRANGE by Ellen Klages last week, and definitely want to read more of her work.

And then rated the book but hadn’t written a review yet.

Sneak peek at ratings:

4 stars to… BRITAIN BC and WICKED WONDERS.

Photo: Scott R. Kline

The Nebula Award winner Andy Duncan had this to say.

Whenever I start to read a new story by the incomparable Ellen Klages, I feel as if I’m on the edge of my seat in the front row of the theater: keen-eyed and determined, this time, to pay close attention to the entire performance and figure out how she does it. I never do figure it out—her hands are too quick, too deft, and she seems to be everywhere at once . But that’s OK, the magic happens anyway, and bits of it still glitter on my shoulders as I re-enter my life, dazed and exhilarated, wiser and richer for the experience.

Tammy Sparks at BOOKS BONES & BUFFY is looking forward to the collection.

This is a short story collection, and I have to say the blurb makes me want to read these right now! This is a May release so you won’t see a review for a while, but I may sneak in a couple stories early anyway:-)

For LOCUS, Gary K. Wolfe praises Klages’ new novella PASSING STRANGE.

PASSING STRANGE may be the most fully developed and richly detailed of all of Klages’s stories for adults, but it never feels like it needs to be a longer novel, and despite the fascinating side-trips into the World’s Fair or those painfully exploitative nightclubs, its plot unfolds with the same clarity and focus we’ve come to expect from Klages’s stories. This may be, and probably is, her finest short work to date.

For more info on WICKED WONDERS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story