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Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Perfect for readers of George Saunders, Karen Russell, Neil Gaiman, and Aimee Bender, Magic for Beginners is an exquisite, dreamlike dispatch from a virtuoso storyteller who can do seemingly anything. Kelly Link reconstructs modern life through an intoxicating prism, conjuring up unforgettable worlds with humor and humanity. These stories are at once ingenious and deeply moving. They leave the reader astonished and exhilarated. Includes an exclusive conversation between Kelly Link and Joe Hill Read by Mark Bramhall, Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell, Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Rebecca Lowman, Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver and Meera Simhan Praise for Magic for Beginners “A sorceress to be reckoned with.”—The New York Times Book Review “[Kelly] Link’s stories . . . play in a place few writers go, a netherworld between literature and fantasy, Alice Munro and J. K. Rowling, and Link finds truths there that most authors wouldn’t dare touch.”—Lev Grossman, Time “She is unique and should be declared a national treasure.”—Neil Gaiman “Funny, scary, surprising and powerfully moving within the span of a single story or even a single sentence.”—Karen Russell, The Miami Herald “This is what certain readers live for: fiction that makes the world instead of merely mimicking it.”—Audrey Niffenegger “[These] exquisite stories mix the aggravations and epiphanies of everyday life with the stuff that legends, dreams and nightmares are made of.”—Laura Miller, Salon, Best Books of the Decade “A major talent . . . Like George Saunders, [Link] can’t dismiss the hidden things that tap on our windows at night.”—The Boston Globe “The most darkly playful voice in American fiction.”—Michael Chabon “I think she is the most impressive writer of her generation.”—Peter Straub “Link’s world is one to savor. [Grade:] A”—Entertainment Weekly “Intricate, wildly imaginative and totally wonderful . . . will fill you with awe and joy.”—NPR.… (more)
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"Where did
Batu opened his eyes. "Excuse me," he said. "May I help you find something?"
"You're wearing my diary," the woman said. Her voice went up and up in a wail. "That's my handwriting! That's the diary I kept when I was fourteen! But it had a lock on it, and I hid it underneath my mattress, and I never let anyone read it. Nobody ever read it!"
What is your Zombie Contingency Plan? According to Soap in the story of that name, everyone should have one . . . just in case.
The book starts with a tale about a village hidden inside a dog-skin handbag, and it is followed by some equally inventive and varied stories. "Hortlak", doesn’t seem to be fantasy at first, until you realise that the convenience store worker who refers to some of his customers as zombies isn’t just being insulting. Other stories that I loved were "The Stone Rabbits" about an unusual haunted house, and the title story, in which a group of teenage friends are brought together my their love of a mysterious and irregularly scheduled cult TV series. I didn’t like the non-story "The Cannon", and the book ended with one of the weaker stories, the backwards time-travel story "The Lull", but I loved the other seven stories.
I'd never heard of Kelly Link until someone on the fantasywithbite Live Journal community recommended her, but I put this book on my wish list and came across it in the 'bad' bookshop in Birmingham (the source of many temptations at ÂŁ1 per book). I'm a short story fan anyway, and this is one of the better collections of fantasy stories out there, so I will definitely be on the lookout for her other books.
Link is writer's writer--she gathers plaudits from such disparate reviewers as China Mieville, Alice Sebold, and Jonathan Lethem. Her prose recalls J.K. Rowling or Neil Gaiman in its whimsical, sympathetic easiness, and Mieville in its poetry. Her daring willingness and easy capacity to depict a world which simply does not cohere is an inspiration.
Still, this isn't always the case, and even where it is I'm hopeful that closer re-reading will pull things together a little. And really, I'm willing to put up with some authorial misbehaviour in exchange for beauties like "Some Zombie Contingency Plans", "Catskin", and (my personal favourite) "The Great Divorce".
Magic for Beginners, is a collection of 9 stories. Having never read Link I went in not knowing what to expect. The first story, The Faery Handbag, was a winner for me. Odd and quirky are the first two words that spring to mind when I try and describe this story, and come to find out the rest of the stories make this one seem pretty normal. In this story a young woman searches for her grandmother's magical handbag, that contains a realm in which time runs at a fraction of the speed of our world.
The Hortlak, details the goings on of a 24 hour convenience store. Its sort of reminded me of Clerks meets Shawn of the Dead.
The Cannon, was the shortest story and I didn't care for it. Link has a very stream of consciousness style of writing. Sometimes its brilliant, other times, its just too disjointed and out there for my taste.
Stone Animals, had a very horror feel to me. While not a scary story really, I felt very disturbed at times while reading this.
Catskin, was like a Grim Brothers' fairy tail on acid. While reading many of the stories, I found myself baffled as to how someone thinks of stuff like this.
Some Zombie Contingency Plans, was my favorite story, not only does it have an awesome title, but it was the most realistic of the stories. I felt more connection to Soap than to anyone else in these stories.
The Great Divorce, is a story about a man and his dead wife. She was dead when they were married. People occasionally marry ghosts. This of course can be problematic.
Magic for Beginners, seems to be a favorite to take the Hugo for Novella this year. I can see why. This was a great story. How Link manages to craft a world within a world in such a short amount of space is amazing. The story centers around a group of teens and their love of the cult show The Library. The ideas she presents here are mesmerizing. I marvel at how her mind works.
Lull, was a bit anticlimactic after the wonderful title story. This story was again rather meta. Stories within stories.
As a whole I like the collection. Odd, weird, strange, and beautiful. I fully intend to read more by Link , and read more short fiction.
8 out of 10