The Chains That You Refuse by Elizabeth Bear

The Chains that You Refuse is a collection of 22 genre short stories, covering all ends of the spectrum. With the exception of high fantasy, I think pretty much every subset of the sff genre is represented. Unfortunately, that also means that there’s no real unifying theme to the book.

There are several stories I really liked-“Gone to Flowers” (sci-fi cyborg military heroine who I think is the lead of Bear’s sci-fi series that I haven’t read yet), “The Devil You Don’t” (ancient immortals in the old west) “And the Deep Blue Sea” (post-apocalyptic messenger), and “This Tragic Glass” (sci-fi meets genderbent Kit Marlowe) , to name a few-but there are also a few that I’m not ashamed to admit that I may not be smart enough for. Though it may be more accurate to say that Bear’s work in general requires careful reading and paying close attention, and I may not be capable of applying that kind of attention to short stories.

Still, a very interesting collection, and a good representation of Bear’s tastes.

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Got home from Wal-Mart (I usually go on Wednesday, which is my day off, but I suspect it’ll be packed with people getting ready for New Year’s Eve parties) and the Rue (laptop-computer is Fakir, MP3 player is Ahiru…the Modem was named Mytho by default-I find all this to be concerningly in character) decided she wanted to be fussy, so I had to let her power down. And did not feel like hooking Mytho up to Fakir.

This is unfortunate for two reasons:

1) I finished Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock. There truly are no words. Sadly, the “WTF?” has lessened a bit. All I will say is that the endgame involved poisoned feathers being accurately used as projectile weapons. Sadly, this was much more effective in Seimaden. And Hazel, when Tetius is being more convincingly badass than you, you have reached new depths.

I recommend going to telophase ’s engrish tag and scrolling past the Wolf’s Rain entries to truly appreciate the WTF factor. Sadly, she does not have Hazel looking shocked and betrayed and crushed when Sanzo refuses to run away with him, but she does have the Feathers of Doom, and Hazel being prim and girlie in his nightie.

Also, anime, I watch you for Kougaijitachi filler. You failed to provide enough of that.

2) I also meant to finish up my year in review write-up for anime and start either the books or manga one. It is bad for the universe to interfere with ADD people when they feel motivated!


Unrelated to computer woes and anime, the mailman left a package in the office again without trying to deliver it to me. I know I was home at the time because I happened to look out the window to see if it was cloudy and saw him at the mailbox. Better than leaving packages at the door when I’m not home, but…

PS- Coworkers, when I say I can’t talk much because I’m hovering near the edge of a resurgence of chronic laryngitis and I’ve had this problem since high school and can tell when I need to not talk and drink a lot of water, I probably mean that it really would be best if you not try to have a two way conversation with me, and that I’m not the right person to leave the phone with. Also, college graduates really don’t like being told they’re wasting their lives with their current jobs. Just FYI.

Editted for HTML fail.

Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy by Patricia McKillip

Morgon is the prince of Hed, a small island kingdom of farmers in a world where rulers have a connection with their lands that allows them to constantly be aware of what’s going on in their land, and the land’s well being. When his younger sister finds a crown hidden under his bed (the rulers of Hed don’t wear a crown, though there’s some debate over whether or not they should), Morgon reveals that he won it in a riddle contest against a ghost king, Peven of Aum. When a harpist named Deth learns of this, he reveals that another king, Mathom of An, promised his daughter Raederle to any man who could defeat Peven. Morgon sets off with Deth to claim his bride, but the two are separated along the way, setting Morgon on the path to finally learning the truth behind the three stars on his forehead that no one has ever been able to explain to him.

I spent the first book enjoying it, but not as much as I should. I say “should” in the context of “had I read it when it was new, or before I had read so much fantasy, I would think it was the most amazing thing ever.” It’s not that it’s generic (far from it) but that I’ve read so many things like it that it doesn’t feel as fresh as it would had I read it before I read a lot of things that were like it, but not as good. I like Morgon, and think I’ll be more taken with him on rereads than I was on a first read, as there’s a lot going on in the background with him. And I very much appreciate that, for a character who essentially boils down to “farmboy with a destiny,” he’s wonderfully non-whiny and not stereotypical. I guess the more annoying bits of the character type came in when the mold got reused too much. He picked up for me a lot in the second half of the series, though I don’t know if that’s because of changes in his character, or because of his relationship with Raederle.

The trilogy didn’t take off for me, though, until I got to the second book in the trilogy. And the focus shifted to Raederle looking for Morgon. Raederle, I can’t help but think, is McKillip’s response to fantasy princesses who sit around waiting for the hero to come home from adventures, or who don’t say a word when they’re the hero’s reward for slaying the dragon. When her father tries to promise her to someone else, she calls him on his breaking his word. When she’s told to sit on her hands and wait, she tells the “wiser” men to stuff it. When she’s told she can’t go save the hero because she’s a dainty princess, she has her way anyway, and proves she can do it. When Morgon tries to leave her behind for her own safety, she won’t let him. And throughout this, she proves that telling the princess to stay in her safe little tower because that’s where princesses belong is stupid. And Morgon letting her prove herself instead of trying to stop her “for her own good” when she says she isn’t having any of that made me like him even more.

I read the first book a bit slowly, though more because of other things I was trying to get done than anything else. I read the second in as close to one sitting as I could because I couldn’t get enough of Raederle. I read the third quickly because I was either eagerly awaiting the next bit with Raederle, or because it was a bit with Raederle.  I hide my character biases well, don't I?

One thing I really liked (having read a lot of McKillip’s later books this year) was seeing various elements and ideas that eventually evolve into the focus of later books. I also like how it has all the elements of epic fantasy without having to have armies and the standard Tolkein races.