Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (Paperback)

~ Kage Baker (Author), Mike Dringenberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Told with splendid clarity, the 13 tales in this collection from Nebula nominee Baker (The Anvil of the World) are deceptively simple and seem, at first, to be comfortably folkloric. Each then takes a distinctive turn, often an O. Henry twist, and becomes indelibly the author's own. Lemuel Gulliver gets exactly what he's always deserved in "Miss Yahoo Has Her Say." An angry little girl learns the power of observation from a wickedly wise tyger in "What The Tyger Told Her." "Nightmare Mountain" combines the myths of Eros and Psyche with an eccentric Californian in a tour de force. Another myth, that of Tam Lin, and another angry little girl blend in the chilling "Her Father's Eyes." The standard kill-your-grandfather time-travel story receives fresh treatment in "Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928," as do Oberlin, Titania, their faerie court and the inevitable human ass in "The Summer People." Alien manifestations receive unique play in "How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down" and "Pueblo." The unspeakably delicious "Mother Aegypt," a novella original to the collection, involves a con man and immortals with unquenchable cravings. These wry and often wise narratives prove Baker is one of the most accomplished fantasists of our era.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Like a brisk October wind, these 13 stories blow clear and cold, bringing with them unusual landscapes, brilliant colors, multilayered shadows, and haunting characters. They challenge from the first page with insights and concepts sure to win inquiring, thoughtful, imaginative minds. "The Briscian Saint" examines the twin powers of belief and superstition and how they may bend human minds. In "Desolation Rose," a selfish, arrogant young man discovers that he inadvertently assumes great responsibility by misrepresenting himself as a god. In "Mother Aegypt," we meet a mysterious, ageless woman desperate for eternal rest; the strange and innocent imp she rescued from an insane asylum, who apparently possesses vast knowledge of natural magic within his "empty" head; and the scheming but likable con man who wants to use the imp's magic to enrich himself. In each story, Baker's even hand and compelling characterizations entrance. Listen closely, and perhaps you will hear the collective sigh of delight from intelligent lovers of fantasy the world over. A book to savor. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books (November 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597800570
• ISBN-13: 978-1597800570
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #948,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories From the Baker Zone, July 28, 2006

By	Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mother Aegypt (Hardcover)

Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (2004) is a collection of thirteen SF/Fantasy stories. It features several stories related to The Anvil of the World storyline, but others are off in their own universe. The title story might be from the Company series.

Leaving His Cares Behind (2004) has a debt-ridden and penniless Lord Ermenwyr returning home for some peace and quiet. After a good night's sleep, he finds absolutely nothing to relieve his ennui.

The Briscian Saint (2003) features three common soldiers from a cursed and defeated army fleeing Briscia with the statue of a saint as loot.

Desolution Rose (1999) has Ermenwyr impersonating a god to lay a truly desperate woman and finding that such actions may have unforeseen consequences.

Miss Yahoo Has Her Say (2001) depicts a Yahoo female's encounter with Lemuel Gulliver.

What the Tyger Told Her (2001) describes the advice and assistance provided by a caged tyger to a young girl in a cutthroat family.

Nightmare Mountain (2003) illustrates the damage that gossip can do to a marriage.

Merry Christmas from Navarro Lodge, 1928 (2000) brings together two men of ill-luck in a past moment of significance to each of them.

Her Father's Eyes (2002) depicts a meeting between a young girl and a boy who seemingly doesn't exist.

Two Old Men (2000) describes a hectic afternoon in the life of Markie Souza while carrying messages between two old men.

The Summer People (2001) depicts an evening in which an Elvis impersonator almost gets his big chance for fame and fortune.

How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down (2001) tells how Indian Tony overdoes his shaman thing and has to climb a tall tree.

Pueblo, Colorado Has the Answer (2001) shows how the government helps its citizens with gardening problems.

Mother Aegypt (2004) presents the story of the medieval con artist Golesco and the immortal Mother Aegypt. This tale could almost be part of the Company series, but it is too funny to fit.

All these stories have an odd outlook on life and hidden meanings. Short, but fully packed, stories written by one of the heritors of Damon Knight and Fredric Brown.

Highly recommended for Baker fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales with unexpected twists, uncertain morals and dry humor.

-Arthur W. Jordin

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kage Baker does it again!, December 31, 2004

By	David Roy (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (Hardcover)

As most of you who read my reviews know, Kage Baker is my favourite writer out there. She has written numerous short stories that are scattered hither and yon, almost impossible to keep up with. Thankfully, she has a habit of collecting her stories in compilations. Best known for her series of books about "The Company," Mother Aegypt and Other Stories is unusual in that it doesn't contain any Company stories. Instead, it draws together a bunch of her other fiction, mostly fantasy. It contains two stories about Lord Ermenwyr, from The Anvil of the World, as well as other fantastic stuff. I have to say that, after finding this book, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I had read two of the stories already, which had drawn me to her in the first place, and this just made me want more of her stuff. As is usual with collections, there is the occasional clunker, but the overall quality is quite high. Strangely, most of the weak stories seem to be ones she wrote for sale on Fictionwise.com, which makes me wonder. They almost seem like they were churned out so that they would have some stories to sell. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it certainly feels like it. Thankfully, the final Fictionwise story is outstanding, redeeming the rest of them.

Probably the two best stories are "What the Tyger Told Her" and "Desolation Rose". While all the stories (even the weaker ones) have that wonderful Baker prose and characterization, these two just stand out. The Tyger in "What the Tyger Told Her" coaches a young girl into seeing what lurks beneath the surface of her high-society family, and what greed can do to you. It also touches on the role of women in a male-dominated world, as the child is effectively invisible because of her two brothers. "Desolation Rose" is a redemption story for Lord Ermenwyr as he finds that sometimes romance isn't the end-all and be-all. He ends up doing the right thing, though true to his personality he doesn't quite go all the way.

Probably the weakest of the stories is "How They Tried to Talk Indian Tony Down." I just found the characters uninteresting and the story was too slight. Thankfully, it was very short and thus didn't take that much time. If it had been longer, I may have done the unthinkable and actually skipped it. Other weak stories are "The Summer People" and "Miss Yahoo Has Her Say," both of which I didn't really care about. "Miss Yahoo Has Her Say" also forces the reader to get through a form of pidgin English which was annoying until I got used to it. Even the only original story in this collection, "Mother Aegypt," suffered from a weak ending, though the rest of the story was fabulous.

Overall, though, the collection is wonderful. If you're a Kage Baker fan, you have to pick this up. If you want to see what the fuss is all about but don't want to get involved in The Company just yet, this is a good taste of the quality writer that is Kage Baker.

Dave Roy

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Fantasy And The Dark Side Of Ourselves., September 12, 2004

By	Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (Hardcover)

A remarkable collection of fantasy stories, each one representing a different strain of fantasy, but each one shedding light on human nature. And isn't that what fantasy is all about? Because the fantasy writer creates a distance--an illusory distance--from ourselves, she makes it possible to look at ourselves.

There are stories here about lonely little girls, and womanizing monsters, and a woman who finds the love of her life, but only in absolute darkness. The title story tells of a smooth-talking con-artist who tries to outwit the woman who cannot die. Each story has a satisfying twist and poignant lesson.

Kage Baker is an absolutely luminous writer. Her prose style flows easily with total clarity. Each story is different, a different type of fantasy, yet they all give powerful insights into the human condition. The title story was a little long, but worth finishing. I can recommend this collection highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.