Jamie Lackey

What a gorgeous novella! I started it, thinking to read a few pages, then had to finish the whole thing in one setting. The flow is effortless, the feel incredibly cozy and warm and good. This is a book is nestle into when the real world is awful, for a necessary reminder that people aren't so bad.

The story follows three viewpoints: that of an apprentice witch convinced of her ugliness and lack of lack, a lord's son who is tactless and ignorant, and a Forest God, recently reborn as a hare. These three beings come together and change and grow, even the God. I especially love the maturity that the human characters display at the end, defying the usual happily-ever-after trope. It's truly heart-warming. I'd love to write something like this, because wow, does it evoke the deep feels.… (mer)

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.

This book contains 19 short speculative/SF stories that include everything from family, semi-sentient AI (Fluffy the cleaning bot is absolutely adorable!), odd-ball aliens, space exploration, clones, assassins, alien invasions, zombie fungi, to a whole range of other strange and wonderful combinations and original ideas. The writing is beautiful and concise, the stories original and thought-provoking. The stories contained in this book are also more uplifting and hopeful than many current SF/F stories out there. I enjoyed this book a great deal.… (mer)