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Summary
Summary
From acclaimed and New York Times best-selling YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
* A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
* Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
* A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website www.merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing--all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
Author Notes
Maggie Stiefvater is the author of the bestselling Shiver Trilogy (Shiver, Linger and Forever) and The Raven Cycle Series. She is also the author of a book in the Spirit Animals Series (Hunted). Her title Sinner made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2014. Maggie attended Mary Washington College, graduating with a B.A. in history. She is also an artist, equestrian, musician, and technical editor. She enjoys writing full time from her home in Virginia.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-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.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Described in an introduction by editor Andrew Karre as "the public performance of the private act of story craft," this assemblage of more than 30 short stories, many of which first appeared on the authors' joint blog, is akin to an artist's sketchpad. Technique, not story, is often foregrounded. "The Power of Intent," a Yovanoff offering, is a "be careful what you wish for" story with little narrative tension, but along the way it perfectly depicts the emotional undercurrents of a high school dance. And the mysteries of Gratton's brief but potent "Puddles" remain mysteries, though she quickly establishes a chilly atmosphere and fiery antagonism between her protagonists. Garlanding the snippets are handwritten doodles and notes that offer only occasional enlightenment about the authors' writing processes, but abundantly display their mutual admiration. There are lovely stretches of prose and many funny, personable marginal exchanges-as an entertainment, an object, the book has its pleasures. Overall, though, the content is better suited to its native milieu, the Web. Ages 12-up. Agent: (for Stief-vater and Gratton) Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency; (for Yovanoff) Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
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 writers 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 readers understanding or pleasure. sarah ellis (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
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. (Anthology/paranormal. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
More than 250 flash-fiction stories have appeared on the Merry Sisters of Fate blog written by Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater, and Brenna 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.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
