Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women - Feminine Spirits Cannot Be Tamed!
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women was a first-rate, totally arresting ride. I loved every story to varying degrees, and Alma Katsu’s foreword was passionate and heartfelt. My absolute favorite story was the first one by Elaine Cuyegkeng. I was totally hooked and devoured this book after such an auspicious start. I had to do mini-reviews for each story because they are all so memorable and incredible.
The Genetic Alchemist’s Daughter by Elaine Cuyegkeng: Stunning. There is so much sorrow present here. A terrifying tale detailing what it would be like if parents could genetically alter their (female) children at any age to be more ideal according to their ever-escalating standards, and have no one know that any ‘work’ was done on them. The wording is immaculate and hauntingly beautiful. The story is so flawlessly written that it almost reads like it, itself, was genetically altered until it was perfect.
Kapre: A Love Story by Rin Chupeco: A beguiling folkloric tale from Chinese Filipino author, Rin Chupeco, about a Kapre (a tree giant in Philippine folklore) who falls in love with a human girl and watches her grow up and grow old. Mystical and powerful.
A Pet is for Life by Geneve Flynn: A satisfying story about a girl who cares for animals and works at a shelter; a defender of those who cannot defend themselves. The story veers one way and ends in another way, unexpectedly.
Phoenix Claws by Lee Murray: Creeping horror type of story that pertains to familial and cultural traditions and how they impact our lives and relationship choices. I will not soon be forgetting the oddness of this haunting.
Of Hunger and Fury by Grace Chan: An unsettling tale of a hungry ghost.
Skin Dowdy by Angela Yuriko Smith: A lesson that humanity is always thirsting for more and is never satisfied. Very cool futuristic concepts presented in a very vivid way.
Truth is Order and Order is Truth by Nadia Bulkin: “Truth does not care for human dreams.” A Lovecraftian short story about blood lines, empires, and destiny. I love anything that draws from the universe of the Old Ones and this is no exception.
Rites of Passage by Gabriela Lee: A dark folkloric story about the Tiyanak of Philippine mythology, which affects women and continues its life cycle unendingly.
The Ninth Tale by Rena Mason: A quaint story about the Chinese mythological creature the huli jing (nine-tailed fox), and how she achieved her ninth tail. A nod is included to the tortures of Chinese women who had their feet bound to become ‘lotus feet’ for the pleasure of their men.
Vanilla Rice by Angela Yuriko Smith: A truly touching story about wanting to be more like a culture that is not your own and how trying to achieve that can tear you apart as a person and within your family.
Fury by Christina Sng: A girl raised in the military attempts to withstand a pandemic of angry, hungry, and fast zombies while searching for a cure on behalf of her father. This story is both bleak and hopeful at the same time and I enjoyed it. It read like a good futuristic (although maybe the future is now with our own current pandemic) zombie film.
The Mark by Grace Chan: Really a horrifying story enshrouded in mystery. I can describe it as having high… atmospheric pressure. The scarier parts are so brief that you’re almost shaky and feel wrong continuing with the ‘normal’ parts of the story that come on so fast. I liked this one a lot.
Frangipani Wishes by Lee Murray: A very powerful story. A sad and brief summary of a woman’s life, giving birth to and raising her child, and trying to do better for them both. Its summary is chilling in that it does not do justice to the intricacies of the main character’s life, which makes it hit even harder. The descriptions of the ghosts that haunt her are visceral and poignant. The loneliness is palpable.
Little Worm by Geneve Flynn: What a creepy and intense story! It seems like the terror is going to be the slow burn of mental decomposition, but it is something far more sinister. It is a kwee kia, which I’ve never heard of before now, and it is frightening. I also envision this being as a metaphor for the burdens that are passed down to us from our parents (especially in Asian cultures where the family unit is so important). They might be genetic health issues, mental illness, or in this case, something more supernatural.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
A huge thank you to Lee Murray for providing Horror Bound with an ARC of this anthology!
Releasing 26 September from Omnium Gatherum - purchase the collection HERE.
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