Miracle and Other Christmas Stories

by Connie Willis

Review by Vicky T. (VickyJo)

It’s the holidays.  You’ve got to shop for loved ones. Some are easy to buy for, some are frightfully hard. There is cooking, baking, cleaning, wrapping, putting up the tree and other decorations, (putting them up twice if you have cats),  the school pageant, the office holiday party, not to mention your in-laws annual caroling party!  And let’s face it: we’re all bookaholics.  How will we ever have time to read during these joyful but stressfully busy weeks? I have two words for you:  short stories. They’re perfect! You get to read. The stories are short (hence the name). If you don’t have time to read for a few days, you won’t forget what’s happening, as you would in a long, involved novel. It’s a perfect stress reliever.

I have a collection of short stories to recommend, all with a Christmas theme, by the very witty, very literate Connie Willis.  She is an award-winning writer of science fiction, and one of my favorite authors.  She has pulled together a group of eight stories in the book, “Miracle and other Christmas stories” and if you’re looking for a unique reading experience, this is it.

I know what you’re thinking:  science fiction and Christmas? Yes it sounds strange…and it is, strange and wonderful!  In the book’s introduction, Willis admits that, “I love Christmas.  All of it—decorating the tree and singing in the choir and baking cookies and wrapping presents.  I even like the parts most people hate—shopping in crowded malls and reading Christmas newsletters and seeing relatives and standing in baggage check-in lines at the airport.”  And her love for this special holiday shows in each story she presents.

“Miracle” is basically a screwball comedy (think Tracy and Hepburn) about an overworked office worker who finds herself having to deal with a Christmas spirit (think Charles Dickens) dressed in khaki shorts and a “Save the Rainforest” T-shirt, who won’t leave her alone until he presents her with her heart’s desire.

“Newsletter” is a funny, light-hearted story combining those newsletters we receive each Christmas, and an “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” type of alien invasion…except the possessed become nicer, more considerate, and full of Christmas cheer.

“Inn” tells the story of a Christmas pageant rehearsal which is interrupted by a young Middle Eastern couple looking for a town called Bethlehem.

“Adaptation” is one of my favorites.  Imagine working in a bookstore during the holidays, and having Dickens’s ghosts from “A Christmas Carol” show up!

Willis doesn’t really use the typical science fiction plot devices; there are no obvious aliens, flying saucers, starships, or battle between planets.  Rather, these stories fall into a category I would call “Magical Realism”.  We see everyday people, in everyday situations, who suddenly encounter something magical, or supernatural, or miraculous.  There is no warm, fluffy, overly sweet sentimental storytelling here, either, in case you hate that. Each story is sharp, concise and thought-provoking.   Connie Willis at times reminds me very much of Ray Bradbury; her story “The Pony” is about receiving gifts and knowing what a person really wants to receive…and it has faintly ominous overtones that bring Bradbury to mind.

The other plus is at the end of the book.  Willis gives us a wonderful “Final Word” in which she shares with the reader “Twelve Terrific Things to Read at Christmas” …  “And Twelve to Watch”…her top 12 choices of stories, novels, and movies that reflect what Christmas should be about:  joy, love, hope, and the possibility of miracles.  Come to think of it, just what Connie Willis gives her readers in “Miracle and other Christmas Stories.”  So please.  Grab some eggnog and a gingerbread man, pull on the woolly socks and the warm jammies, and have a personal Mental Health Renewal Moment by reading. We all understand.

Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

Miriam Toews wrote the memoir of her father’s life. She writes this from his perspective, in his voice. This is amazing, especially given his lifelong struggle with depression and bipolar disorder.

Mel Toews is much loved by his family and friends. He is also a beloved and popular teacher, as well as a devout member of his Mennonite community. From her father’s viewpoint, we are able to see and feel depression and bipolar struggles. We experience his daily battle to balance illness with reality. The book recounts the struggle within him.

To be able to speak for someone is difficult. To be able to speak for someone with these deep, dark, often misunderstood issues is a feat. To speak from a parent’s place in time and from their place of pain is extraordinary. Miriam Toews is amazing in her ability to do this with such heartfelt understanding, intimacy and respect. Her father would be proud.

Miriam Toews is also the author of:

Swing Low: A Life won the The McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award in 2000.

Codename Sailor V1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Review by Cyn C. (Cyn-Sama)

Let me say, once again, that I love the Magical Girl genre.  I love the cuteness, I love the clichéd happy endings, I love the fact that the good guys always win.

For me, the great granddaddy of this genre is Sailor Moon.  I’ve been obsessed with her since I was in Jr. High, and FOX was showing the (very badly) dubbed version at 6AM.  I have all the toys.  I have the talking cat.  I have all the manga.  The only thing I didn’t have was the pre-cursor to Sailor Moon, that explains the origins of Sailor Venus, Sailor V.

Now, by popular demand, I have my beloved Sailor V in English.

It’s not going to be for everyone.  I will admit to viewing anything to do with Sailor Moon with rose colored glasses.  I like it because I want to like it.  I enjoy seeing the glimpses of characters who are going to be major players in the Sailor Moon series.

There’s an awful lot of sweetness and light in this series, something that readers who are not used to this style may find a bit much.

Also, Naoko Takeuchi’s art work can take a little getting used to.  The proportions of the characters can be a bit wonky, and the eyes are huge, even for a Magical Girl series.

We start off with Minako Aino, a 13 year old Jr. High student, with a penchant for crushing on just about every boy she sees.  Everything changes after she meets a white cat who can talk, and instructs her that she has the power to transform into Sailor V.  With the help of a magic pen, that lets her dress up as anyone she pleases, Sailor V fights for justice, against the evil Dark Agency.

Okay.  I know.  It sounds cheesy.  But, really, it’s just a whole lot of fun.  If you are a Sailor Moon fan, I highly recommend you check out this release.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

Review by Cheryl (Spuddie)

It’s Christmas 1950 in England and Flavia de Luce, the eleven-year-old sleuthing chemistry-whiz, is determined to answer that age-old question of children everywhere: is there, or is there not a real Santa Claus? (Or a ‘Father Christmas’ as he is called in England.) Her mean-spirited older sisters assure her there is not, but although Flavia is precocious in many ways, she still has a wide-eyed innocence about Father Christmas and wants fervently to believe. Her plans to build a trap for the merry old elf and prove his existence to her sisters are interrupted when it is announced that her father has made a deal with a film company who are now–just a few days before Christmas–descending upon Buckshaw, the crumbling de Luce family mansion, for a substantial fee in order to keep the family afloat for another few months.

The family is rather disgruntled about the invasion until they learn that the lead role in the film is to be played by the very famous Phyllis Wyvern. Agog at having such a celebrity in their midst, the de Luces–and indeed the whole village of Bishop’s Lacey–step back in awe as they watch preparations for filming. Flavia of course is no respecter of persons famous, so she jumps right into conversation with Miss Wyvern and has a couple of interesting conversations with her. Nearly the whole village turns up at Buckshaw to watch an impromptu performance of a scene from Romeo and Juliet featuring Miss Wyvern and their departure is delayed by a fierce snowstorm that traps everyone indoors for many hours, leaving the limited Buckshaw staff consisting only of Mrs. Mullett (the cook and housekeeper) and Dogger (the general dogsbody) run off their feet. When Flavia discovers Miss Wyvern’s dead body a few hours after the performance, strangled with a length of cinematic film, she has plenty of time to examine the evidence as Inspector Hewitt’s arrival is also delayed by the storm. Despite his warnings to her to keep her nose clean, Flavia manages to uncover the vital clues needed to solve the mystery.

This was another wonderful entry in this charming series, although I suspect that it is a series that you either love or hate–I don’t think Flavia can ever be accused of inspiring people to feel indifference about her! She often seems so old beyond her eleven years–I think in part due to her chemistry knowledge and powers of reasoning–that it was a little refreshing in this book to see her as the child she really is with regard to her hoping there really is a Santa Claus. The series has something for most readers–historical detail of post-war Britain, plenty of classic literary and music references, clever wordplay and an impish sense of humor, and of course, a murder mystery–although to be honest, the mystery part is almost secondary to the annual visit with Flavia and her wonderful extended family.

I have always listened to the audio versions of these books and they are wonderfully read by Jayne Entwistle, who does voices very well but more importantly, sets the tone of the de Luce household and Flavia in particular exactly right. If you have never read a book in this series, I recommend starting with the first one, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, to see if you and Flavia are a good match.

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The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

The Orphan Sister tells the story of a set of triplet sisters. Two sisters, Odette and Olivia, are identical. The third sister, Clementine, knows she is “different”.

As they grow, the identical sisters continue seemingly identical lives, careers, styles, even childbearing. Yet there is an underlying feeling of loneliness.

The third (“orphan”) sister, Clementine, learns to embrace her status as “single sister”. She develops her own life and identity, yet maintains her connection to her sisters.

The sisters struggle through family problems, yet learn there is a special strength that they have as triplets. Though their father creates problems through his absence, and is distant when he is there, the mother also has issues of detachment. This further cements the girls’ connections to each other.

Through Clementine, we learn there are twists and turns and surprises that reveal secrets and explanations, as well. The writing is well done and the storyline is unique and intriguing.

Gwendolen Gross draws you in and makes you want to understand these fascinating sisters.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Review by Bowden P (Trey)

Leviathan Wakes opens with a bang as a young woman escaping a equipment locker after her ship, the Scopuli, is captured and boarded. She flashes back to the over hauling and boarding by enemy forces and they’re vivid and what she finds after she escapes is horrific – and not the expected massacre.

From there the novel heads in two directions. One focuses on Detective Miller, a rather depressed policeman on Ceres (where there are no laws, just police). He’s been given a kidnapping case – not solving a kidnapping case, but finding someone and kidnapping her to send her home. The career is agreeing with him less and less, and the assignment in particular is getting to him and may be the final straw.

Then there is Jim Holden, the executive officer of the Canterbury, an ice miner. The Canterbury receives a call from a distress beacon, the Scopuli. At that point they become good samaritans and investigate – only to get ambushed by a stealth ship that blows away the Canterbury, leaving Holden and his rescue/salvage team on the shuttle with a very long road home. So, he sends a distress signal blaming Earth and Mars for the death of the Canterbury and Scopuli. Which begins to ratchet up the political tensions between the Inner System and Outer System (and touches off riots on Ceres). It also results in their rescue by a Martian ship.

After that, well, I think I’ll stop for fear of spoilers. Leviathan Wakes is a good, fun book. While I don’t think stealth ships are possible (there is no stealth in space), but outside of that, I had fun reading it. Its good, fun planetary space opera with a lot of noir elements. What makes it fun? Good characterization, keeping tension up and then ratcheting it up with cliff hangers that reveal more about what is going on, peeling back the disguises and deceptions. There are twists and turns a plenty, particularly about who the villains are and their motivations (let’s say they almost make sense).

I also liked the politics of the Leviathan Wakes Solar System, with divisions between Earth and Mars, Inner and Outer System. Plus, all the folks just trying to make a living in the midst of all this.

The characters, Holden and Miller, plus Holden’s surviving crew of the Canterbury are interesting with some unusual depths for characters usually relegated to background status. Miller in particular I liked, but then I adore the works of Dashiell Hammett, the Continental Op in particular.

In summary: four and a half stars (****½).

Likes: Characters and characterization – they felt real and played to genres I liked; The world building and the politics (even if they did remind me a bit of Charles Sheffield’s); Pacing; Detective Miller’s solution to a problem; Trying for hard science fiction (and getting closer than most).

Dislikes: Not knowing Detective Miller’s first name (Josephus for the curious); His ultimate fate; There is no stealth in space!; The question of where the Out System Alliance got its multi-megaton warheads from (and why the Inner System isn’t having a major freak out over it); The sudden insertion of game changing alien technology; The fate of Eros, the casino asteroid, and its inhabitants.

Suggested for: Fans of planetary space opera, Charles Sheffield’s Cold As Ice setting, Proteus books and McAndrew chronicles. I’d also suggest it for fans of Allen Steele’s King of Infinite Space and Clarke County Space and related books. Finally, I’d suggest it for fans of the old Triplanetary wargame, Mike Pondsmith’s Buck Rogers XXVc RPG, as well as anyone who enjoys the websites Atomic Rockets and Rocketpunk Manifesto.