Alabaster

First, a confession ... I am a huge Caitlin R. Kiernan fan. Having said that, and adding that I own as many of her books and short-story collections as I could get my hands on, I can tell you that this is easily my favorite book by this author!For long time fans, it's a fantastic addition. It adds to the growing mythos and explores one of the most fascinating characters that Kiernan has ever created. For those that have never read Kiernan before, this book is a very easy introduction to her work and presents it in easy-to-digest chunks - a series of short-stories with one primary protagonist.Another really nice feature is two (2) tables of contents, one in the order the stories were first produced and another in the order the stories actually take place. I chose to follow that second index, others may prefer to keep with the way the author originally presented these stories.In summary, I can highly recommend this book for fans and fans-to-be alike. If you like dark fantasy, Lovecraftian horror through a uniquely American-gothic filter, a gorgeous use of language, intensely deep and deeply fascinating characters, and stories that stick with you long after you read them - then this is the book for you. Buy it. Read it. Love it.

Author's preface -- Les Fleurs Empoinnees -- The well of stars and shadows -- Waycross -- Alabaster -- Bainbridge -- Afterword: On the road to Jefferson.Darcy Flammarion is a teenaged albino girl who wanders the Southern countryside slaying monsters on the orders of an angel. This is an (outdated) anthology of her adventures.I've read many authors who like to write about how they write and why they write, etc. Kiernan is that rarity, an author whose autobiographical musings are interesting. In her preface, she points out that a Darcy would despise her creator if she was aware of her. In her afterword, she describes a late night meeting on a dark road where she met her inspiration for the Bailiff, an anecdote almost as troubling as the story it partially inspired.I love her crazy, original plots, even if they are the creation of a writer to hates to plot. I love how she uses Southern ladies' societies and trailer parks and roadside filing stations and abandoned Baptist churches and birds and swamps and dinosaurs and stuffed bears. I love how she can get inside the mind of outsiders, whether the outsiders are suicides or mad women or homicidal fanatics or flat-out monsters. I love her style, which I don't the vocabulary to describe. I'll just say that is hers alone.

This is one of my absolute favourite collection of short stories second only to Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors, but no matter how good it is do not be swindled for a copy by giving into these two ridiculous sellers who want you to spend $1000 on a used hardcover. If this were something exceptionally rare, like a first edition Arkham House printing of At The Mountains of Madness, or a signed UK first edition of Neuromancer then I would say a price like that is deserving, but this book won't be worth that price tag unless this book in the distant future goes on to pioneer its own subgenre of fiction, and maybe not even then.

See my other reviews at <a href="http://www.neverenoughbooks.net">Never Enough Books</a>An albino girl wanders the sun-scorched backroads of a south Georgia summer, following the bidding of an angel - or perhaps only voices in her head - searching out and slaying ancient monsters who have hidden themselves away in the lonely places of the world.First introduced in Caitlin R. Kiernan's second novel, Threshold, Dancy has gone on to be the unlikely heroine in several short stories and even a novella. Each story is a small piece of a larger fantasy narrative and in Alabaster they are finally gathered together in to a single volume.I admit, dear reader, I wasn't quite sure what I was picking up when I picked Alabaster up off the shelf in my local library. In truth I had been looking for another book by the same author and ended up getting this one instead. From what I understood (or thought I understood), Dancy was a minor character in one of Kiernan's novels and this collection of short stories expand upon her background.Having not read Threshold, I don't know if I'm correct or not. I do know, however, that these stories presume that the reader has at least a passing knowledge of Dancy. And having no prior knowledge of the character, I found myself a bit lost.Kiernan is an excellent author, that much I do know from reading these short stories. She is able to spin a believable yarn; to give the reader information while still leaving something to the imagination. She does have the occasional penchant for run on sentences, but I have yet to read an author who doesn't.Readers who have read Threshold and are familiar with Dancy will likely enjoy this collection. It gives glimpses in to her character and takes the reader on brief adventures. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first book in the series, but all in all I found it a nice read.

My wife loved this book. She read it within one day from cover to cover. Surprise birthday gift score!