This is sort of a travel-edition of my usual reviews; I’m away from home for a few days and needed something suitable for reading on a plane. The first three Hugo-nominated novelettes fit the bill nicely.
This year we have stories of an exclusive boutique clothing store run entirely by fairies, a tiny robot who’s responsible for saving what’s left of the human race (again), and a sumptuous re-telling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, except this time Orpheus successfully manages to bring Eurydice back from the dead and it’s the worst possible outcome.
Unseelie Brothers, Ltd. – Fran Wilde
from The Social Season, plate 22. The Suit of Swords – Worn by Prince Reza IV of Persia to the Historical Museum Ball and Gala (before it was replaced by the Artisan’s Fête, and other titles) in 1956. Photo courtesy of the former Ambassador to _______. A shining entrée into the rather staid men’s fashions of the time (white tie, tails), the suit was made to be seen. The event was notable for the number of duels (two) it produced, as well as two couples who were never heard from again (confirmed, assumed elopements). Designer: David d’Unseelie
Disappearing/reappearing architecture is one of my favorite fantasy tropes. I like the idea of the fantastical inserting itself into the mundane – especially when you would swear that moments before there wasn’t enough extra space on that street for an entire building. (Look up China Mieville’s story “Reports of Certain Events in London” for a really good example of this sort of thing.) Fran Wilde’s story features a disappearing and reappearing store, one that only appears occasionally, and then wanders off to a new location as soon as it’s sold a few wildly expensive ballgowns and suits that don’t necessarily have to follow the laws of physics.
I loved the descriptions of all of the different dresses available, both the ones in the historical snippets and the ones being custom-made over the course of the story. I have to admit though, I read the entire story waiting for…something. A bit more conflict, maybe?
Sera Sebastian is used to not having as much as her wealthy cousin, and being treated as an afterthought by her wealthy aunt. Then she’s dragged along by her aunt in a quest to find the latest location of Unseelie Brothers, Ltd, and she stumbles across pieces of a mystery about her own origins, as well as a place to expand her talent for fashion design and everything just kind of…works out for her. Works out for everyone, actually.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute, fun, coming-of-age story. It’s just that Sera’s suggestions are so well received that I was left wondering why the people involved hadn’t thought of them years ago.
Bots of the Lost Ark – Suzanne Palmer
“What task do you have for me?” it asked. “I await this new opportunity to serve you with my utmost diligence and within my established parameters, as I always do.”
“Ha! You do no such thing, and if I had a better option, I would have left you in storage,” Ship said. “However, I require your assistance with some malfunctioning bots.”
“Oh?” Bot 9 asked. “Which ones?”
“All of them.”
Suzanne Palmer returns us to the unluckiest spaceship in the Earth fleet (also one of the only ones still in one piece, so maybe not that unlucky) and Bot 9, the tiny service bot who’s best and worst characteristic is its ability to improvise.
Almost seven decades have gone by since the events of the last story in this series, and Ship is still mad at Bot 9 for its actions to take care of a dangerous pest problem which miiiiight have also involved the accidental rebellion of every robot aboard the vessel. Regardless, something else has come up, and Bot 9 finds itself once again assigned to save everyone.
Bot 9 remains earnest and well-meaning, and Ship is constantly irritated, which is a lot of fun. There’s still a large disconnect between how humans think and how robots think, and in the latest snafu this results in thousands of bots coming down with a shared delusion and then engaging in a pitched battle in the hallways. I think this story is even more madcap than the previous installment, and the fact that the human element of the crew is finally waking up to wonder what the hell is going on here means Bot 9’s adventures can only get more entertaining with each new story.
L’Esprit de L’Escalier – Catherynne Valente
“…did you ever ask her?”
“Ask her what?”
“If she wanted to come back.”
Regular readers of Pixelated Geek reviews will know that I love a good re-told myth or fairy tale. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been retold many, many times, but Valente has put a spin on it that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. It’s something of a what-if, but one that has echos of the original tale, specifically Orpheus’s twelve steps out of the Underworld, knowing the entire time that if he loses faith and checks to make sure Eurydice is still there he’ll lose her forever.
And up until now I’d always assumed that Orpheus giving in and looking behind was a weakness.
The story is set in a world populated by modern conveniences and music deals and crossword puzzles, but it also features daily cameos by mythological figures: businesslike Persephone in a power suit, dazzlingly successful writer Calliope, still-legendary (but long in the tooth) musician Apollo showing up with his cronies unannounced and drinking up all the beer in the house. And then there’s Orpheus himself, determined that he did the right thing in bringing back Eurydice, but absolutely sick to death of dealing with the consequences (said consequences being: Eurydice, who’s not dead anymore, but certainly isn’t what you’d call alive.)
It’s a gloriously dark, ugly life that Orpheus and Eurydice have now, with Eurydice fighting a daily battle against mold and rigor mortis, and Orpheus revealing all the ways a supposedly passionate relationship can actually be toxic. There’s the careless frustration with someone who’s no longer healthy (you’re just not trying hard enough), the simmering resentment that the person who isn’t allowed to argue with their choices isn’t also blissfully content (I put you in a situation you didn’t ask for, I act supportive as long as I never have to ask what you actually need, why won’t you pretend to be happy?) but most of all it’s the gradual reveal that Orpheus never loved Eurydice, never actually knew who she was, he just loved himself and loved what having a beautiful wife added to his value.
Frustrating, since even though she can only digest lukewarm blood, and has bones that routinely fall out of joint, Eurydice is still a wonder and a treasure and creates miracles that Orpheus will never acknowledge, or even notice.
Somewhere between the table and the counter, the tangerine juice stops being tangerine juice. It thickens, swirls into silvery-gold ambrosia, releases a scent of honeycomb, new bread, and old books.
Orpheus dumps it in the sink.
This being a Valente story, don’t expect everything to be wrapped up in a satisfying happy ending. Anyone who’s read the original mythology may pick out enough clues though to feel that maybe the ending wasn’t changed just…detoured and delayed.