The essence of fantasy is magic and the folklore of women has often dwelt on the innumerable powers they possess. Magic that heals, magic that destroys, magic that saves their community. All these elements and more can be found in the queer women of Hellebore & Rue. These lesbians shape their worlds, their wants and needs, and, most important, their destinies. Here are stories of a greenmage reuniting with her former partner on one last mission in Connie Wilkin's ''The Windskimmer''; a shaman calling on the power of the Medicine Buddha to fight demons in Jean Marie Ward's ''Personal Demons''; and even an aging school nurse discovering a dark secret about her heritage in Steve Berman's ''D is for Delicious.'' A dozen stories by a dozen talented authors, including Juliet Kemp, Lisa Morton, Ruth Sorrell, C. B. Calsing and other names that promise the reader many wonders.
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The editors of Hellebore & Rue, Joselle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff, have put together a collection that has a little of something for everyone, and will not disappoint readers who love and appreciate the complexities of fantasy fiction's many cultural connections and narratives....Whether or not the authors of any of these tales were deliberate or conscious in their choices of metaphors, literary references and symbols is beside the point; what these comparative cultural integrations underscore are the similarities and commonalities of human experiences. This is why the work in this anthology triumphs; they are well-written, humane, thought-provoking, and entertaining. --Lambda Literary Foundation
If you're a fan of speculative fiction, and more specifically lesbians practicing magic, Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic deserves a special little spot on your bookshelf. --The Rainbow Reader
If you're a fan of speculative fiction, and more specifically lesbians practicing magic, Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic deserves a special little spot on your bookshelf. --The Rainbow Reader
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hellebore--black hellebore (the most appropriate for a witch's garden)--according to some sources, was used in the flying ointment. Other uses include the healing of mental and emotional illness and in exorcisms, and to increase intelligence, for protection, and for invisibility. It is a baneful herb, and should never be eaten and is highly toxic. "Wear gloves when handling it."
Leaves of rue relieve headaches and when worn around the neck, aids in recuperating from illness and acts as a ward against future ill health. Fresh rue, sniffed, clears the head in matters of love and can help you think better. Toss some in your bath to break all hexes and curses. Rub fresh leaves on your floorboards and ill spells will be sent back; hang rue at the door for protection.
And combined together, as in the collection, Hellebore & Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic, edited by Joselle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff, (Lethe Press, 2011) some powerful magic is made by powerful women, powerful witches, and yet, quite human, with all the contradictions and ambiguities that means. Magic can heal and protect; it can destroy and harm, and is both feared and desired, and so can and is human love and human desire. In these stories, these queer women who make and use magic must also navigate the complications and mysteries of the human heart, and as result, this is a collection will appeal the reader of fantasy and the reader who appreciates excellent stories of human relationships.... Read more ›
Leaves of rue relieve headaches and when worn around the neck, aids in recuperating from illness and acts as a ward against future ill health. Fresh rue, sniffed, clears the head in matters of love and can help you think better. Toss some in your bath to break all hexes and curses. Rub fresh leaves on your floorboards and ill spells will be sent back; hang rue at the door for protection.
And combined together, as in the collection, Hellebore & Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic, edited by Joselle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff, (Lethe Press, 2011) some powerful magic is made by powerful women, powerful witches, and yet, quite human, with all the contradictions and ambiguities that means. Magic can heal and protect; it can destroy and harm, and is both feared and desired, and so can and is human love and human desire. In these stories, these queer women who make and use magic must also navigate the complications and mysteries of the human heart, and as result, this is a collection will appeal the reader of fantasy and the reader who appreciates excellent stories of human relationships.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By CM
Format:Paperback
This entertaining collection of stories centers on sorceresses, be they the fantasy sort of our childhood, full-on Wiccan or something entirely new. Over the centuries, lesbians and witches have been associated as one in the same, often leading to the accused's demise. And I think Hellebore & Rue subtly explores what makes that association so threatening.
In H&R the magic is sometimes organic and mundane and other times powerful and heroic instead of stereotypically evil. (Well, except for that delicious children story. Berman's witches are wonderfully wicked.) The stories vary in era and locale, another nice touch. My favorites were based my own predilections rather than just the quality of writing. All are worth the price of admission.
For example, I love-love-loved how the secondary character (a sort of handmaiden/love interest) in "Sky Lit Bargains" is the power behind the story's sword-wielding alpha female, forging her beloved's armor with protective magic. Their bravery together yields victory. I really liked that aspect in many of the couplings in this anthology. But this story in particular made me search online with hope that it was excerpted from some awesome novel. Sadly, no. Or at least none that I could find. So I just "went there" in my head and thought about the characters for a while. Which, one could say, is the sign of really good short fiction. Another example was "Thin Spun," a story crossing time and space, which takes a bit to unpack but is highly rewarding.
Plenty of the offerings in this book could be developed into novels because they just make you "go there." Definitely recommend it.
In H&R the magic is sometimes organic and mundane and other times powerful and heroic instead of stereotypically evil. (Well, except for that delicious children story. Berman's witches are wonderfully wicked.) The stories vary in era and locale, another nice touch. My favorites were based my own predilections rather than just the quality of writing. All are worth the price of admission.
For example, I love-love-loved how the secondary character (a sort of handmaiden/love interest) in "Sky Lit Bargains" is the power behind the story's sword-wielding alpha female, forging her beloved's armor with protective magic. Their bravery together yields victory. I really liked that aspect in many of the couplings in this anthology. But this story in particular made me search online with hope that it was excerpted from some awesome novel. Sadly, no. Or at least none that I could find. So I just "went there" in my head and thought about the characters for a while. Which, one could say, is the sign of really good short fiction. Another example was "Thin Spun," a story crossing time and space, which takes a bit to unpack but is highly rewarding.
Plenty of the offerings in this book could be developed into novels because they just make you "go there." Definitely recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Cissa
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I very much enjoyed this anthology! The various kinds of magic were great- many that I'd not encountered before, which is fun, and all very well thought out. The settings ranged from reasonably normal fantasy ones through more sf, with a lot in between.
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