Right. Time to update. Black Juice first.

Avert your eyes, Justine, much reviewish stuff coming. This blog is where I keep track of them, so feel free to check back later once I'm done.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, in which there was a lot of Christmas and New Year family-ising and imbibery, but now I've been back at work for a week and can catch my breath and perhaps even rub two of my very own thoughts together.

Let's start with Black Juice. Here's a review from Lucy Sussex in Overland—quite an old review. They must have just put their 2007 issues up online. It sounds a bit sour, to me: 'Some literati who would otherwise eschew Australian fantasy writing are thus forced to accept the fact of overseas validation. They thus read Lanagan and pronounce her "good", in much the same way as they read Rowling.'

Next, a nice review from 'Nancy' over at Goodreads:

Indeed, each story in this collection is richly described, dark and disturbing. Almost too dark to be shelved with books for “Young People”, but what do I know? ... I will definitely read more by this author…later. Right now I’m emotionally drained.

Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling, recommends BJ as a 'great book'. She says: 'I never read short stories, but these ones hooked me. Margo Lanagan has an EXCELLENT BRAIN'. Which is encouraging, when my brain has been feeling a bit like slightly off minestrone for the past three months or so.