It was very hard to rate this book because there were a few stories I liked from it and others that just left me blink in confusion. There is a certain magic this author can create in her story, but the dark site of them just turns out to be creepy and confusing. Except for Hero Vale, that one had a very interesting view on the creepy factor. Here are a few toughs for each story:1.Baby Jane - just plain weird. After reading this I was very close to giving up on this book. It felt like I was seeing the birth of "Queen Red" from Alice in Wonderland.2.Monkey's Paternoster - took me some time to realize the characters were not humans, but that's pretty much the only thing I understood from this story.3.A good heart - this one was the first story I enjoyed from this collection and the one who made me decide to go on with this book. It was sorrowful and creepy and unexpected.4.Winkie - another weird one. You're left to think this is about the bond a mother and her child share, but it's more about how an abandoned child manages to survive a monster he needs to face because of his mother and still decide to go back to her. 5.A feather in the breast of God - I liked this one a lot. Why should animals be considered soulless? If a pet loves you unconditionally, doesn't it mean he has a soul capable to feel such love?6.Hero Vale - and my favorite from the bunch. A boarding school for boys is placed near a magical vale that is rumored to be a passing place for giant heroes that use it only to pass from one dimension to another. Is the the vale's only purpose? There are whispers among the boys that those who go in the vale return much braver, maybe even brave enough to face the school's bully...I loved the magical realism in this short story. Maybe in order to do something important in our life we do need a bit of magic.7.Under Hell, Over Heaven - a good read about the limbo in witch all those in between fall. The ones who can't enter either haven or hell, bound to forever struggle to find their purpose while trying to avoid getting in hell and hoping to be accepted in heaven.8.Mouse Maker - creepy and entertaining. Also, from another perspective, a very sad story about a woman who's not accepted in a community because of her beliefs.9.Forever Upward - this was also a nice and sad story. I wished to have found more about what Currija managed to do with her new found power in the end. But, if you look back in history you will probably see that the "one true god" won in the end. Well... his swords did...10.Daughter of the clay - not a particular favorite of mine. It reminded me of the folk changeling story. All in all, an interesting read. A good book for research and a good piece of literature, but hard to read at times.
I like a good short story collection, especially with it is paranormal or sci-fi or fantasy. I think this is the first one i have read by a single author. I am going to break this down story by story, because some i liked a lot more than others. Baby Jane: This was my favourite. My type of fantasy story. It was mysterious and magical.Monkey's Paternoster: I did not like this one. I found it too disturbing.A Good Heart: This one was sad, with a good twist. I felt like i only got part of the story and it left me wanting to know more about the characters in it. Winkie: it was good but it scared me a little. I don't like scary stories and this one was nightmarish.A feather in the breast of god:I liked the POV in this book. Enjoyed this one. Hero Vale: For anyone who has ever been bullied, this is a story for you.Under hell, over heaven: I really liked the characters in this. I think they were well written. Her discription made me picture clearly what was happening and i could and almost feel what the characters were feeling. Mouse maker:Another one about the underdog. Forever upward:This one made me a little sad. It is a story about a village filled with sorrow and loss, but also about a small girl with a big gift.Daugther of the clay: This was my second favourite. Again it was my type of fantasy story. I haven't really told you what each story is about, just my reaction to it, and that's beacuse that's the fun part: discovering what a story is about for yourself. And besides, I didn't know going in.Over all they were well written and i enjoyed reading this collection. It is YA but they aren't love stories. Margo explains at the end where her inspiration for the stories came from, which was very insightful. Over all a good collection for those who like YA sci-Fi/fantasy stories that are different. Alot of them had a gloomier feel, and she is not afraid to write the sad, or dsiturbing or darker peices.
What do You think about Red Spikes (2007)?
I received a bookmark that had the cover of this book on it. I was quite intriqued by the beauty and gothic look (inspired by the 10th story in this collection). This is proof that you can't judge a book by its cover."Red Spikes" is 10 short stories intended for young adults. Written by Australian author Margo Lanagan, I imagined it would be "Stephen King Lite". Instead there was quite a bit of the Aussie influence that kept me too off-kilter to really get into the stories.The writing is beautiful. There are passages that paint such a lovely or horrifying portrait I couldn't help but be impressed even if I didn't care for the story.It wasn't until the last few stories I felt myself drawn in a bit more. The benefits of this short story anthology--it was short. I fear were it a full-length book I would have set it aside long ago. I am glad I got this from my library, since I'm more likely to purchase books even based on something such as a cover.Perhaps teens who are fans of fantasy and paranormal would enjoy this far more than I. Sadly I can only give this 2 out of 5 stars. I would have liked to have given it more.
—Krista the Bald Avenger
10 short interesting stories. I liked 3 more than the others and would have liked them to be a bit longer.The first short story 'Baby jane' was my favorite. It is about a boy who found a few figurines in the forest. His mother is a midwife. The boy found those figurines and stuck them in his pocket then under his pillow that night before he went to sleep. By midnight those figurines came to life. One of the figurines was a warrior Queen about to give birth. The boy's family was in a magical sleep and the boy had to be the "midwife" for the Queen. When the princess was born, the Queen gave the baby to the boy. Told him he must watch over her until she came for her. Then the Queen and other companions turned back into figurines. Such a weird fantastical story that I would have loved to continue reading.The second story that I really liked is called 'Under Hell, Over Heaven' this story is about 4 people in Limbo. They are to chaperone the dead either to Heaven or Hell. The main character was an unbaptized baby. One of her group says that you get brownie points for working hard. With that you may enter Heaven. It was an interesting story. Those that are the "workers" live in a fog of grey. They do not have feelings (emotional or physical) while in Limbo, but when they come close to the gates of Heaven and Hell their senses reawaken for a short period of time. This makes them feel a hunger for something they can not have.The last story that I really liked was about an indigenous people. They had lived hundreds of years on the beliefs of many gods. They thrived with a family unit and their gods. Then the white man came and brought their one true God to the villages. The missionaries took the men from the villages to teach them their ways. The right ways to live. The women and girls were left behind. It is a sad story. This happens everywhere. People come into a unknown area and try to claim the people there for themselves. Try to change them. With this change, brings unknown diseases to the tribes. Brings the loss of culture, language and the old gods. Very sad indeed.Over all I thought this collection of short stories was pretty good. Some of them were really weird, like, 'Monkey's Pasternoster' about animals and their mating season and 'Mouse Maker' where a man lives near a witch and tries to duplicate a potion/curse, but does it wrong.It was a nice dip into this authors writing and can't wait to try out her other books.
—Melissa Chung
After being blown away by Black Juice, I was eager to read more of Margo Lanagan’s short story collections. So off I went to the library and found a lovely hardcover edition of Red Spikes, received by the library on October 16, 2008. It appeared to be untouched and I confirmed this by looking at the shiny cover free of finger smudges and listening to the crackling noises of its spine as I gently opened it, fanning its pages under my nose and sniffing so deeply it was almost a snort. Then I had a nearly uncontrollable urge to nibble the spine before I finally came to my senses and realized I was holding library property…The stories in this collection are dark, unsettling and moody, and explore a variety of themes. Once again, Lanagan has succeeded in engaging the emotions of this reader by creating rich, imaginative worlds and believable young characters who struggle, learn and grow. I recommend these stories for readers who love dark fantasy and smart young-adult fiction.
—Nancy
