Curiosities

The authors behind the group blog Merry Sisters of Fate have combined their talents to create a collection of 30 fantasy short stories that dazzle. The selections themselves are finely crafted, with fully realized characters and unique settings. Each one has an introduction that reveals the author's thought processes in creating the story arc. Amusing handwritten comments, replies, and drawings allow readers a glimpse into the women's friendship and how their critiques of one another's work helped them grow as writers. A handwriting key at the beginning of the book permits readers to identify who said what, lowering the wall between writer and reader to reveal each author's personality. Yovanoff has a gift for stories that explore evil soul mates. Stiefvater examines power and modern society with a healthy dose of angst and a dash of fire. Gratton creates a world of complex magic and courageous characters whose stories usually end with a choice to be made. The book opens strongly with a trapped vampire and a girl who must choose whether or not to free him. There are tales of trolls, zombies, and psychopaths, and even Arthurian legends. Each story stands totally on its own, but together, the cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts. This anthology is a must for all YA collections. Promote it to traditional fantasy lovers, paranormal fans, and aspiring authors. It might even be the inspiration for starting a library writer's group. --School Library Journal -- Journal (9/1/2012 12:00:00 AM) In 2008, Stiefvater, Gratton, and Yovanoff agreed to start a blog wherein they'd take turns posting short fiction that would enable them to experiment with their craft and critique one another's work. This book includes some of the pieces from the blog as well as other original short stories that highlight the process of a writing group. Most of the stories are preceded by comments from both the story's author and one of the co-bloggers, highlighting some feature of the story that sets it in that writer's oeuvre. For instance, Yovanoff comments on Stiefvater's ability to create viable ensemble casts, and Stiefvater playfully teases Gratton about her infatuation with angst and brutality. Handwritten comments also pepper each story, with a handwriting key in the beginning helping readers figure out who wrote what. These techniques allow the writers to engage in an ongoing conversation about their processes, their obsessions, and their strengths. Also included are hand-drawn doodles and cartoons, as well as charts that list recurring themes in their work. The three provide insight on what they start with when they begin a story or novel--a name, a first line, an idea they want to play with--and reflect on recurring themes and motifs. Although they encourage one another to break boundaries, and each tries out territories that the others have previously mapped, their approaches to the paranormal are distinctive enough that fans of each individual author will find the book satisfying. The end result of the combination of stories and formal and informal commentary is that readers will feel a stronger, more intimate connection with these writers as people, as well as gain insight into the kinds of support and critique that are useful in story-making and story-sharing. Oh, and since these three are rapidly becoming masters of their craft, the stories themselves are good, too, some even bordering on exquisite. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books -- Journal (1/1/2013 12:00:00 AM) More than 250 flash-fiction stories have appeared on the Merry Sisters of Fate blog written by Gratton, Stiefvater, and Yovanoff, and this collection rounds up 30 of the best--with a twist. The stories are presented (gasp!) unedited, while generous margin space allows for each contributor to scribble comments on both her own and her friends' works, everything from 'I suck at inventing slang' to 'I still don't really know what this title means.' Amusing doodles further the sense that we are peeking into a private conversation. It's a brilliant idea, and this is absolutely essential for fans of the authors. It sure makes critiquing look fun--and in some ways, that's a bit of a problem. Critical comments are vital for workshopping, and they're virtually absent here. The experimental nature of the stories is also not especially daring (only three stories, for example, deviate from first person). But back to the stories: if you have a yen for dark, yearning, challenging yarns that often have a delightfully ambiguous, fairy-tale ambiance, there is plenty here to sate your curiosity. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The inventive idea is fresh enough to draw plenty of interest on its own. But add in three high-wattage YA stars and you've got a hit. --Booklist -- Journal (8/1/2012 12:00:00 AM) The paranormal trio of Gratton, Stiefvater and Yovanoff here translate their collective writings from their blog, Merry Sisters of Fate, into a collection of stories that feature Nordic mythology, murderers and secrets. In addition to the author's introduction at the start of each story, doodles and handwritten marginalia hint at the interaction among the authors during the brainstorming and writing process. Notable stories include Yovanoff's look at two killers meeting for the first time, Stiefvater's humorous take on zombies, and Gratton's exploration of sacrifice and Samhain. A silent dinner with ghosts gives Gratton an opportunity to create a narrative with no dialogue, while Stiefvater looks at the cost of immortality and the ways people gain it, and Yovanoff takes a peek inside the head of someone who's been pushed to the brink. While most of the stories are strong, the Arthurian suite doesn't have the same sense of magic, simmering madness and insight of the other stories. The marginal notes sometimes seem to be a bit of a lovefest among the authors, but there are flashes of genius as well as humor in them, and the illustrations add back some edge. For those with dark hearts looking for the edgier side of paranormal fiction, this will be something to stay up with at night. --Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (9/15/2012 12:00:00 AM) These experimental, unedited short stories showcase the many faces of horror--goth, faerie, ghostly, grotesque, lyrical, vengeful, and nasty-cool. Some clusters of tales are responses to a subject prompt like 'King Arthur' or 'puddles'; others are one-offs. Creatures such as vampires, dragons, and zombies are joined by original creations such as butterflies in temporary human form. The stories all tend toward the traditional structure of a surprise ending. The pieces were first published online by the three authors as an exercise in creativity and criticism, and the presentation here is innovative, incorporating critique comments, hand-written marginalia describing the writer's process, doodles, short essays, and diagrams. The stories themselves are strong, but the apparatus can get in the way; the self-congratulatory tone of the comments wears thin, and some of the process notes ('I suck at inventing new slang') add little to the reader's understanding or pleasure. --The Horn Book Magazine -- Journal (9/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)