14 September, 2008

My mate Tansy...

...(i.e. she has to say nice things) says, of 'Machine Maid':
a beautiful, fascinating and of course (well, it is Margo!) and utterly horrible story of an alternative colonial Australia, exploring the relationship between an isolated wife and her robot maidservant. A definite weird tale of infidelity, murder and hidden hurts.
And of 'The Goosle':
a disturbing story of abuse and murder, tangled in a version of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. I liked unravelling this one, which I read in the wake of all the controversy (charmingly named Gooslegate by Margo's significant other). Grotesquerie and gore kind of has to be high art for me to appreciate it, and this story is clever and nicely crafted enough to be that for me. I think it's one worth further critical examination - there are few stories that I really think I could have a whole conversation about, and this is one of them.
We'll talk, Tansy. :)

3 Comments:

Blogger TansyRR said...

*snickers*

You mean you don't consider both of those to be complimentary reviews?

14 September, 2008 09:25  
Blogger The Scarlet Tree said...

Fantastic reviews!! Which anthology are they in?

14 September, 2008 21:15  
Blogger Among Amid While said...

Absolutely, Tansy! I'm just offering to converse about 'The Goosle', any time you want. Online or off - just say the word.

Scarlet Tree, 'Machine Maid' is in Nick Gevers's Extraordinary Engines and 'The Goosle' is in Ellen Datlow's The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

14 September, 2008 21:23  

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