It seems the more I read Margo Lanagan's works, the less I like them. The magic she spun in "Black Juice" is not apparent in either "Red Spikes" or her most recent collection of stories, "Yellowcake". Normally Lanagan manages to spin a world of her own, separate from any other. While she still managed to succeed in this regard, the realms created were incomprehensible and so confusing that I was still not sure what was going on, even after rereading the story the third or fourth time. As for those stories in which I did understand what the premise of the plot was, such as "The Golden Shroud" or "Ferryman", none of these had the same delicious dark undertones that I so enjoyed in her other tales. In fact, these stories appeared to be so ordinary that I often found myself correctly predicting the ending.But still, I have to admit that there were a few short stories that still helped me retain my hopes in this particular author. "Into the Clouds Up on High" for example, was my favorite story in the collection, with its creative plot, and compelling psychological portrayals. This is a collection of short stories & novellas, primarily YA, in that all the protagonists are children of teenagers, but that shouldn't stop adults reading the book.The writing is wonderful; the ideas are fantastic; the plots perhaps less so - there's no "Singing Your Sister Down" here.Margo Lanagan should be required reading for all schools - you could spend hours discussing how she manages to portray an alien world in so few words. Indeed, I found it quite distracting. I did find it difficult to read more than one story at a time because they are all so different, but that's not a criticism, merely an observation. If you haven't read any Margo Lanagan, I'd probably recommend starting with the wonderful Black Juice, but this is well worth your while.
What do You think about Yellow Cake (2011)?
Not my favorite of her works, but still several stories and sentences that will linger in my mind.
—stick
Another collection by Margo Lanagan? Awesome, I can't wait! Sign me up!
—jmunoz33455
This was from like a week ago but... Wasn't holding my interest
—rockyturok
