Customer Reviews

The Surgeon's Tale

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished reading The Surgeon's Tale and Other Stories by Cat Rambo and Jeff Vandermeer. I gotta tell you, this slim volume of tales had me on every page. The title story, a collaboration between the two authors, owes its roots to Poe and Shelley; it's like a literary fairy tale take on Frankenstein. Everytime you think you know which dark path the story is going to turn down, it spins down another one that's even darker. It alone would be worth the price of admission.

"The Farmer's Cat," by Mr. Vandermeer, though set in Norway, reminds me fondly of Iceland. The way the farmer-protagonist handles his troll infestation is that I can imagine some of my co-workers doing.

Also of note is "A Key Decides its Destiny" by Ms. Rambo. My heavens. This is the sort of story that turned me on to adult fairy tales in the first place. It feels like a much older tale and something that would have found its way into the Datlow & Windling fairy tale anthologies if they were still compiling them.

I've just mentioned half the stories in the anthology, any one of which would be worth picking it up for. There are three more stories every bit as good.

Not only that, but it's pretty too, with interior illustrations by Kris Dyckman and a cover by James A. Owen. Definitely think about picking up a copy. The Surgeon's Tale is so slender, it would make a lovely stocking stuffer for the reader on your list.

This story collection contains charming and elegant dark fantasy and humorous fairy tales. The title story, co-authored by Cat Rambo and Jeff VanderMeer, creates a unique world in an oceanic setting as the backdrop for a Frankenstein's obsession (the mad scientist not the monster). In Rambo's "The Dead Girl's Wedding March," a zombie girl's defiance of her father in the City of the Dead leads to dire romance -- with a rat. "The Strange Case of the Lovecraft Cafe," by M.F. Korn, D.F. Lewis, and Jeff VanderMeer is a full-course of must read for foodies and minions of Cthulhu from the Flaming Whole Giant Penguin to the Dripping Eidolon (dessert!).

I bought this book not sure of what to expect, but I couldnt resist another jeff vandermeer read. Its safe to say i wasnt disapointed. Another collection of beautiful stories, and a new aouthor for me to obsess over. Cat Rambo's The Dead Girls Wedding March is one of the most beautiful and fun stories ive ever read. If you like a little dark, a little surreal, and super well written literature than this one is for you.

Before I get to the actual content (which is what should ONLY be discussed, but, sadly, technical problems dictate discourse prior), there are a few important things that need addressing.

This book has no sample available. This should be a warning and a portent. However, I was persuaded by the authors (I like them both) and the low price ($[...] both at time of my purchase and at time of review) and went ahead. It was my very first Kindle book.

Aaaaaand... The first thing I noticed is that the formatting sucks. It looks like they just fed a PDF into some kind of automatic conversion program. There are all kinds of formatting errors. Paragraphs are messed up, numbers and letters and words pop up out of no where, there is no active table of contents... It goes on and on.

Really? My first Kindle book is a mess? Maybe the reason there's no sample is because they don't want people to see what a disaster it is structurally.

And it's entirely possible that all this might have just made me cranky. Keep in mind that I said I LIKE both authors. I like their stuff and think they're fun to read. However, even horrid formatting and lack of sample aside, this is not their best work. I read out of order. The little stories are kind of fun from time to time, although a few left me wondering what the point as. Fine. I don't mind. But the closer is, well... boring, unless you've memorized Lovecraft and can catch all the little in-jokes, and even then, maybe it wouldn't be so fun.

By the time I'd finished everything and started the title tale, which might actually have been a good one, I just couldn't endure any longer. I read it about half-way through, thought parts of it were clever, but I was unable to muster the strength to continue. I wanted to go find some Twain or Poe or Haruki Murakami to read instead.

I broke my rule of never buying a book unless I've finished the last one. I broke it because I just didn't want to read this anymore.

The stories themselves get 3 stars from me. The terrible formatting gets 1 star. I'll average it out to 2. Flame me if you want. People should know what they're getting into, even if they like the authors as much as I normally do.

Hey, I don't like writing bad reviews anymore than you like reading them. It kills a little bit of me inside, but this is crap that needs to be said, whether it's a $3 book or a $30 one.

EDIT: I see the other reviews were based on the physical book, not the Kindle book. It's unfortunate that Amazon doesn't specify in the Kindle Store which reviews are for which product, as in this case the Kindle version is a rather drastic change. BEWARE the Kindle version.

Walking a grim path and keeping it alight with laughter is a rare gift, and something that Cat Rambo and Jeff Vandermeer seem to have mastered. Able to at once provide morbid details as well as delight the heart, these two have created a hodge-podge of stories that are absolutely vital for anyone who enjoys dark humor or fantasy. The slightly stomach churning details of preparing a dead body in A Surgeon's Tale are combined with the entrancing overtones of love and moral values in a time where magick is kept alive in small pockets. Traditions are thrown to the wind in Dead Girl's Wedding March with fantastic and grim results. The Farmer's Cat is fanciful and heart warming, ending on a folksy note that few modern stories can properly capture, and the final story in which several Lovecraftian recipes are divulged has been the reason of this reviewer losing tens of hours in his own kitchen trying to replicate the lovely ideas with real world components.

Treat yourself, and read this book. If you love your friends, treat them too.