A Cathedral of Myth and Bone

September 24, 2018
This dense collection of original and reprinted fantasy short stories and novellas is steeped in hagiography and storytelling, right from the introduction. Howard (An Unkindness of Magicians) states that “Writing for me is an act of faith”; the mythical tales that follow prove that, for Howard, faith and story come with a sacrifice. Again and again, characters who want to tell their myths must lose themselves. In the opening work, “A Life in Fictions,” a woman’s boyfriend uses her as inspiration to write. However, when he’s writing, she is living the story, not her own life. The more he writes, the more of herself she loses. In the central novella, “Once, Future,” college students take on the identities of Arthurian legend, and in order to break the tragic cycle, even more than identity must be given up. As the collection continues on, the themes begin to shift. Women are no longer required to sacrifice themselves, but they must sacrifice others to save themselves. In the final story, “Breaking the Frame,” a photography model posing for illustrations of fairy tales begins to change the stories so that the characters have agency. This strong and satisfying set of stories will appeal to mythology and fantasy enthusiasts.

November 1, 2018

This collection of 16 short stories offers a fresh perspective on mythology. The focus of the tales ranges, but all have realistic settings, well-developed characters, and relatable story lines. The lives of several college students begin echoing the pattern of Arthurian Camelot, and a romance in another entry centers a young woman who slips from her real life into the fictional tales her boyfriend writes about her. Other vignettes explore the idea of breaking curses, following a map to purgatory, and becoming a worshipped saint dispensing miracles. Howard laces each one with hints of magical realism. The immersive, dramatic plots will have teens contemplating themes such as identity and spiritualism. VERDICT Purchase where short story collections such as Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man are popular or where thought-provoking fantasy reads are needed. Pair these pieces with traditional myths, or hand them to fantasy and mythology fans.-April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018

Myth and fairy tale intersect with women's lives in this collection of short stories from Howard (An Unkindness of Magicians). Several feature female saints who walk among us, are yet to be saints, or try to hide from their role, as in "Saint of the Sidewalks." "Painted Birds & Shivered Bones" centers on a man cursed to turn into a bird and the woman who breaks the spell with tragic results. In the "Green Knight's Wife," the title character, tired of being used in a reality show to lure young men into life-or-death challenges, turns the tables on her husband. The Arthurian legend comes alive for a college class in "Once, Future," when students take on the characters' identities until reality and myth start to blur. In all 16 stories, Howard's reimagining of too-often minor female character perspectives is fresh and relevant. VERDICT These brilliant stories are for readers who enjoy mythology and fantasy with a bit of depth, such as the retellings of Madeline Miller.--Lucy Roehrig, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2018
In the introduction to her collection of magical-realist stories, Howard (An Unkindness of Magicians?, 2017) writes that she wanted to reimagine the old tales?myths, fairy tales, saints' lives?by listening for the silenced voices, often women's voices. Her 16 stories concern themselves with magic found unexpectedly in modern life: the making of saints, the breaking of curses, the endurance of legend. An ordinary woman sees a unicorn in an alley and is pulled into an ancient hunt in Maiden, Hunter, Beast. In All Our Past Places, two friends create elaborate maps to imaginary places until one is lost. A directionless young woman finds out how inconvenient miracles can be in Saint of Sidewalks. In Howard's masterful novella, Once, Future, college students taking an Arthurian-legends seminar find themselves embodying the tragic tale of King Arthur, seeking its true ending. Some stories read primarily as symbolic pieces; others spin together urban fantasy and ancient legend to create new interpretations. This is a thematically cohesive collection full of provocative ideas and dreamlike, evocative writing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)