The Coyote Road - Trickster Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Coyote. Anansi. Brer Rabbit. Trickster characters have long been a staple of folk literature—and are a natural choice for the overarching subject of acclaimed editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s third “mythic” anthology. The Coyote Road features a remarkable range of authors, each with his or her fictional look at a trickster character. These authors include Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Charles de Lint (The Blue Girl), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Kelly Link (Magic for Beginners), Patricia A. McKillip (Old Magic), and Jane Yolen. Terri Windling provides a comprehensive introduction to the trickster myths of the world, and the entire book is highlighted by the remarkable decorations of Charles Vess. 


Datlow and Windling are two of my all-time favourite editors when it comes to putting together anthologies of mythic nature, and The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales anthology is one of my all time faces.

The Coyote Road - TCR - like its companions The Green Man and The Faery Reel makes great reading for anyone interested in myths, legends and folk tales.  Some are new stories, some are old and are being retold, but they are all fresh and unique and great to dip in and out of for tired minds in need of inspiration.

I am a great big fan of trickster tales and am therefor the one who loved Loki's duplicity and interesting character in the newest Thor movie. This collection of short stories and poems, with artwork by Charles Vess, is one of my desert island books.

In The Listeners by Nina Kiriki Hoffman we meet Nysa, a young slave in ancient Greece.  She is fourteen and pretty enough to draw the attention of her owner's one friend.  After overhearing the men speak after too much to drink one night, Nysa discovers that her owner has agreed to sell her, for one night, to his friend.  The thought of having sex with this odious man does not appeal to Nysa and she mentions it to a friend of hers, at the well as they draw water together.  Her friend hands her a small cake of incense to burn and assures Nysa that it may not be that bad after all.

Nysa ends up burning the incense and saying a prayer to Hermes, the god of thieves, travellers and guardian of roads and boundaries, begging him for help, to set her on another path.  And miraculously, Hermes does appear and places his mark on her...changing her path and life irrevocably.

It is a great story - a strong heroine bargaining with a god, yet she remains humble enough to accept his grace and guidance. The story is set in ancient Greece and a lot of terms are unfamiliar to the english reader yet the author takes great care to explain what each of these words mean through making use of context.  It is a trick that works really well and she has a light hand giving us lots of info about ancient Greece and the way women were treated (not nice) without us realising it.

It is a thoughtful story and well written.  The author is new to me, which is silly as she's been around for some time.  I had recently bought a book of hers which I'm reviewing in December and would like to say thank you to Kaz Mahoney for putting the ear worm about this writer in my brain.

Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Synopsis

Fascinated by vampires?

Then feast on nineteen tantalizing, bite-sized tales exploring the intersections between the living, dead, and undead.

The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . .

I couldn't wait to get a copy of Teeth. Firstly, it has an amazing list of authors involved: Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Garth Nix. Secondly, it promised to give some alternate views to the type of vampire that we've become used to of late. The introduction by the editors of the book, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is a fascinating account of the popularity of the vampire genre and the Gothic through the ages from local myths, through Buffy to the Twilight phenomenon.

It's not often that a short story leaves me with tears in my eyes but Flying by Delia Sherman did just that. The story follows eighteen-year-old Lenka, a former trapeze artist who's recovering from leukaemia. Her family were at the height of their popularity when she fell ill. As a result her brothers and their wives headed off to work while her parents settled down in Cleveland and worked regular jobs to help pay for her care. Now in remission, Lenka is keen to get back to circus life although she knows she isn't strong enough yet. She manages to persuade her parents to take her to the Cirque des Chauve-souris. Once there Lenka watches the show with a professional eye - seeing how it could be improved but aching to be a part of their show.

The next day she runs away, leaving her parents a note, and joins them. Too weak to perform she deals with the front of house responsibilities. As time goes on she discovers that there's more to her new family than she thought. I loved Lenka - she has an inner core of steel and a determination to claim back her life. Hating the fact that she's become so helpless and dependant her act of running away is more than just a whim. She knows that she belongs in the air and all she wants is to be strong enough to fly again. By the end of the story I was both happy and heartbroken. I want to read a novel about Lenka as soon as possible. I'm aware that'll probably never happen but I want to know more!

I can't finish this mini-review without mentioning Vampire Weather by Garth Nix. I'm a massive fan of the Sabriel trilogy. The worlds and landscapes that he created are forever in my memory. Vampire Weather tells the story of Amos who lives in what appears to be an Amish community - cut off from the rest of civilisation. When the fog rolls in off the mountains they live in fear of vampires using the weather to attack so hide in their homes. However, Amos meets a girl at the postbox and she changes his life forever. Atmospheric and memorable, I was a bag of nerves every time Amos stepped outside his house.

If you want a different kind of vampire then please check this anthology out. The authors involved have put together a thoughtful, terrifying and satisfying book that's a keeper.

Call for submissions - Best Horror of the Year

Ellen's most recent anthology she's edited - and one I'm currently reading, so keep an eye out for a review very soon.

One of my favourite editors of all time, Ellen Datlow, has put out a call for submissions. See the details below:

Although I'm still reading for Volume One, it's already time to start reading for Volume Two, so:

Call for Submissions

I am editing the new anthology series Best Horror of the Year (Night Shade Books) and am currently reading for the second volume, which will include all material published in 2009.

I am looking for stories from all branches of horror: from the traditional-supernatural to the borderline, including high-tech sf horror, supernatural stories, psychological horror, dark thrillers, or anything else that might qualify. If in doubt, send it. This is a reprint anthology so I am only reading material published in or about to be published in 2009. Submission deadline for stories is December 15th 2009. Anything sent after this deadline will reach me too late. If a magazine, anthology, or collection you’re in or you edit is coming out by December 31st, you can send me galleys or manuscripts so that I can judge the stories in time. No email submissions. I strongly suggest that authors check with their publishers that they are sending review copies to me as I don’t have time or energy to nag publishers to get me material. I request it once (maybe twice) and that’s it.

There will be a summation of "the year in horror" in the front of the volume. This will include novels, nonfiction, art books, and "odds and ends"-- material that doesn't fit elsewhere but that I feel might interest the horror reader. But I must be aware of this material in order to mention it. The deadline for this section is January 15th, 2010.

Ellen Datlow
Best Horror of the Year Volume Two
PMB 391
511 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011-8436

****I do not want to receive manuscripts from authors of stories from venues that it’s likely I already receive (like Interzone, The Third Alternative, Cemetery Dance, Subterranean, Postscripts, Weird Tales, F&SF, etc) or from anthologies and collections, unless I don't have or can’t get that anthology or collection. Please contact your publisher and ask him/her to send me the magazine or book.

Please do not send a SASE. If I choose a story you will be informed. If you want to confirm that I‘ve received something, enclose a self-addressed-stamped postcard and I will let you know the date it arrived. For stories that appear on the web, please send me (or have the publisher send me) print-outs of your story.

What are you waiting for? Dust off that manuscript, edit it till it's shiny, spic and span, and send it off to Ellen. You just NEVER know!

Find Ellen's official site here.