These collection of three short stories have two themes:
One is Tyromancy. The ancient art of predicting the
future using cheese (traditionally by cheese making) beyond just “we’re going
to have something tasty to eat.” This is actually a thing and our ancestors
were odd odd people. I do appreciate this rather unique little twist uniting
them,
The second is the old Polish saying “Not My Circus, Not my Monkeys.” A saying basically saying (simplistically) “not my problem.
This is most excellently done in Prelude to War from the IronDruid Chronicles a story between Shattered
and Staked
which nicely fits into the main plot line of the series, filling in some
gaps and expanding on some points. In fact, if I have any criticism about this
short story at all it fails one of my tests for a short story: it’s probably
pretty incompressible if you don’t follow the main series of books. Since I do,
I loved it because it excellently added to that main series, showing how Atticus
got the information he needed to track down what he finds in the next book
I also always appreciate Kevin Hearne’s dedication to
research – as while the other authors have come up with their own ideas for
what Tyromancy involves, Hearne has actually gone to the original definition
and method.
The “not our circus” comes in when he finds – and learns
she “betrayed him”. A definition she gloriously rejects by pointing out she
doesn’t owe him anything. He bought services from her once. He is now buying
services from her again. She didn’t swear loyalty. She isn’t his friend. She
doesn’t owe him anything – she certainly isn’t required to risk her life or die
for the sake of protecting Atticus or helping in a fight or war that doesn’t
remotely involve her. I appreciate this even more since Mekera is a Black woman
– and a Lesbian or bisexual woman. This genre – and the media in general – is absolutely
full of minorities being sidekicks for straight white men, serving straight
white men and, of course, sacrificing for straight white men that having Mekera
declare firmly that she didn’t sign up for any of that, she isn’t responsible
for any of that and Atticus has no damn right to expect that from her is a
wonderful subversion of that continued expectation. This isn’t her circus.
These aren’t her monkeys. She isn’t involved and she doesn’t want to be and won’t
be shamed into it or feel guilty because her loyalty was expected
The story also nicely touches on her last relationship –
a deep and abiding love that led her to seek isolation when her lover died
which is a nice element of character building I appreciated along with
examination of her ethnicity and history. It’s a short story and she’s a
briefly appearing character, I could understand her not being well developed. I
like that some effort was made to make her more than just the woman who tells
the future using cheese.
Not My Circus, Not
my Monkeys is a Blud Short Story by Delilah S Dawson – and unfortunately I’m
less of a fan. But, then, I think that stems from the same criticism I had of Prelude to War. If you’re not familiar
with the series and world building, this is a hard one to follow. And while I
know the Iron Druid Chronicles I don’t
know this series and was kind of lost. There was a lot introduced in a very
short time, a lot of concepts and creatures to understand with a lot of
different cultures and shifts that I just found too much work to invest in and
follow a rather alien character as Stain as well. This isn’t a criticism of
this story – in fact it makes me hopeful for the main series because it’s clear
it is involved and rich and with a very broad and deep world building which is
impossible to sum up easily. I also wasn’t a huge fan of this main character
but, then, I don’t think I was meant to be, or of his romantic ambitions (with
a nice twist at the end). On the whole I didn’t enjoy this story but I’m intrigued
by the series.
Interlude: Swallow
by Churck Wendig, is part of the Miriam
Black Series which, again, I am familiar with. And, again, I think you
need to be – none of these short stories stand well as stand alones.
I think my opinion of this story reflect my opinion of
the Miriam Black Series in general –
it has some beautiful, elaborate writing. It has some incredible imagery. The
concept is fascinating. I really admire the artistry of the production – but ye
gods it is GRIM.
The most common thought I have whenever reading a Miriam Black book is always “was that
necessary” and it’s the same here. This series is so over-the-top grim, tries
so very hard to be nasty that it feels almost contrived. Like the other stories
had the traditional methods of telling the future by cheese making and by interpreting
through melted cheese. This story? Had the seer mash freshly killed organs and viscera
into cheese and start mushing it around. Miriam continues to take the
foul-mouthed-bad-girl image to almost comic extremes.
I like a lot of the writing, I like the very direct and
unhesitating poking of the world without any rose tinted glasses. I even like
the grimness of trying to save someone without even knowing if they need saving
– the grey ambiguity of it all is classic for this series, with Miriam in the
middle doing her best but generally knowing everything is bad. So there’s
definitely good there. But it’s interspaced with grim grim grim grim more grim
and some grim and throw in a bit more grim and dirty and foul and gritty and
grim
