Hairballs, Hiccups and Hope
Edited by Amanda Montandon
and Laura Begley
Illustrated by Cedar Sanderson
Raconteur Press Anthology
ISBN 9798262301355
ASIN B0FNQL2PZ4
This anthology jumped to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile after I found out the purpose of the collection. For not only is it a great collection of stories it is for a great cause. For the introduction states:
“Some argue that what makes homo sapiens unique are their large brains; while this is definitely a contributing factor to humanity’s success as a species, I think the more amazing thing about us is our capacity for hope. “When it rains, it pours,” “Murphy’s Law,” and “No good deed goes unpunished” are idioms for a reason—sometimes life sucks…sometimes life sucks hard. Most of the time we have friends, family, and communities to help lift us up when life does this. Sometimes we don’t and we spitefully, stubbornly, by-the-skin-of-our-teeth have to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps to survive. I think hope is one of the main reasons we can show this tenacity. Historical stories of Spartans, Jericho, Molly Brown, Ernest Shackleton, Donner Party, Ada Blackjack, and more show the extremes we can go to in order to survive. Fiction is ripe with them because we are fascinated with survival: The Cay, Hatchet, Castaway, The Martian, Robinson Crusoe, etc. My mother has often told me, “as long as there is breath, there is hope.”
When we heard about Lori Janeski’s car accident and severe injuries, Raconteur Press leapt into action to create an anthology to help her and her husband, Matthew. I volunteered to edit and decided I wanted a collection of stories that leave you feeling hugged, hopeful, and inspired to carry on with this ride called life. Shortly after submissions were opened, I got one of those life curveballs thrown at me with a diagnosis of Stage III Breast Cancer. Things got delayed, but the spirit of the anthology became even more important. So, dear reader, hopefully these stories ease your hairballs, cure your hiccups, and fill you with hope.”
I enjoy reading anthologies for many reasons. First, short form fiction is a very different art form than the novel. The writing needs to be tighter. The intent more purposeful, and the skill and craft needed very different, at least for good short stories. Second, I read a few anthologies a year to get introduced to new authors. In this case I was only familiar with two authors prior to picking up the volume. I also love seeing short works by authors who series I have already read. I have picked up several of the anthologies from Raconteur Press, but have to date only read five of them. And there are some great stories in this volume.
The description of this book states:
“Stories of hope which span the stars, sparkle with magic, and shimmer with joy!”
It is by far the shortest description of an anthology from Raconteur that I have encountered. But after reading the collection it does fit.
The contributors are:
Clair W. Kiernan
Kevin Ikenberry
Ray Tabler
Julie Frost
TC Ross
James Romag
Monalisa Foster
Marisa Wolf
Kal Spriggs
H.Y. Gregor
Chris Hepler
Ted Begley
Kevin Anderson
The stories are:
Introduction
1. Temp Job
2. Shipminds and Ice Cream
3. Catastrophe at Huykala Station
4. Alpha Equation
5. It’s a Wonderful Life as a Cat
6. Blotched Tea and Speckled Toast
7. The Donor
8. The Bookseller
9. Up-Chucked To Mars
10. Autumn Eternal
11. Department of Superhero Registration
12. The Kitchen Witch
13. Frog Kiss
I too greatly enjoyed most of the stories. There is really not a bad story in the bunch. But a couple were not to my tastes. They are all well written; some amazing characters, some great plots, and a few standout pieces. Before I begin I must say a word about cats, or moggies. I am not now a cat person, I developed allergies in my 20’s and they have only gotten worse. But for some reasons cats seem to love me, almost all cats we ever visit, and most dogs and young children for that matter as well. I do not typically read stories about cats in any form, and Raconteur has a few Anthologies dedicated to them, which will likely be the last I read as I hope to read and review all of the anthologies from this publisher.
Temp Job by Clair W. Kiernan an intriguing story about a contract fulfilled in an unusual way. He came to work and work hard he did, but he found a path that would be better for all. Even if they do not all believe in week folk, or their assistance. A touching story that leaves you wondering where things went next.
Shipminds and Ice Cream by Kevin Ikenberry a story about service, devotion and family. About Finding a use even when we think we are the end of our usefulness. And about generations it is an excellent story.
Catastrophe at Huykala Station by Ray Tabler dreams of riches, and rewards for making sacrifices are slowly dashed, then drowned in scotch. That is until a doc accident sets things in motion that will forever change Consul Waldecker’s life. If life gives you leomons .. what if life gives you a crate of mice? What do you do.
Alpha Equation by Julie Frost I was really looking forward to this one. I have had one of Frost’s out of print books on my wish list for a while. And have not got around to starting any of her other volumes. This story is a great story about finding your place, regardless of past issues with family, friends, or pack. It is the story about a shifter who learns to stand on his own 2 feet; err I mean 4 paws and seeks a place to belong. Wall written, a great story!
It’s a Wonderful Life as a Cat by TC Ross see note above. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. It reminded me of the appearances of cats in the stories of Heinlein, especially stories with Lazarus Long. A story that took me completely by surprise.
Blotched Tea and Speckled Toast by James Romag An interesting mystery with a surprising twist, and even greater surprise ending. Jeq and his crew have captured raiders, and yet they are about to be imprisoned and held while things are figured out. The problem is he is on a time line and needs to be prepared to leave when the space whales are ready to migrate back home. First as a prisoner and then as something else Jeq along with nspector Flaa from the Trukia Global Department of Security and Delays spot and try to spoil a giant scheme. Can they do it in time? Read this story to find out.
The Donor by Monalisa Foster in this story Caterina has a lot of wants. She wants to be thinner, she wants a better job. She wants acceptance. But sometimes what we want is not really what we need. And circumstances force her to consider some options she had not though of before. And it is a life changing experience.
The Bookseller by Marisa Wolf I love me a good story about books, and a story about magical books and orphans really does max it out. A moving story about magical books, magical libraries, dangerous books and finding your place. This story was one of my favourites. I have read 2 other stories by Marisa and one edited by her. I need to find some more to add to my wish list.
Up-Chucked To Mars by Kal Spriggs this story beings with these words: “I spent my twenty-first birthday blowing chunks everywhere, but not for the obvious reasons.
I swear I didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol. I didn’t have the stomach flu or some kind of weird viral or bacterial infection. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t possessed by a demon, either.
No, I spent my birthday spewing vomit for the single reason that I was the luckiest person on Earth…well, off Earth at that particular moment.
My name was Norma Jean, and I won a trip to Mars.” This was a super fun story. I have not read anything from Kal yet, even though a few have been recommended. I have a list of authors I want to start reading and this story bumped Kal up on that list.
Autumn Eternal by H.Y. Gregor I love the concept of pilgrimage both in real life and in fiction. But I struggled to connect with this story. It is clean crisp wirring. But I just did not get into it.
Department of Superhero Registration by Chris Hepler another story about wants and seeing them unmet only to find something else, Likely something much better. I really enjoyed this story about a Medical Doctor who develops powers, wants to register as a superhero and things do not go as expected. But when the tables are turned he has compassion in a surprising measure. An excellent offering.
The Kitchen Witch by Ted Begley I have been looking forward to reading a story by Ted for a while. He has contributed to a few anthologies I have picked up and not read yet. But as of yet had not got around to them. I really loved this story. This is an excellent story about wee folk, family alliances, and maybe a prank or two.
Frog Kiss by Kevin Anderson how often do we get caught up in what we want, and not what we have or what is right before our eyes. This story has a wonderful surprise twist ending. I was recently talking with my kids about frogs legs being common at France restaurants or high end restaurants when I was growing up, but I do not recall seeing them in the last 20 years. I couldn’t help but think of that as I was reading this story. A really fun story.
Cedar Sanderson did excellent illustrations for this volume.
This is a great collection. I really enjoyed and as mentioned it is for such a good cause. The stories are in a wide range of genres this collection. I can easily recommend the anthology. It is a great collection of stories to read. And I am looking to track down other works from a couple of the contributors I had not encountered previously, or had on my list to check out but had not go to you. This is a collection that is guaranteed to entertain and likely even warm your heart. So from this family to yours pick it up and give it a read, and support yet another family. I strongly encourage you to give this collection a try!
Note from Raconteur Press Editorial Team: "This is a fantastic anthology, and we here at Rac Press wish we could claim it as one of ours. All we really did, though, was help smooth the way for it so Amanda didn't have to worry about the details of getting the book up on Amazon. She was the one who did the hard work of pulling it together. We do not want to take credit for her efforts."
For all review of books from Raconteur Press click here.
Note: To further support Lori directly and pick up one of her books or one she has contributed to:
Books by Lori Janeski:
The Carter Files:
Raconteur Press Anthologies Series:
Knights of Malta
Saints of Malta
Space Cowboys
Space Cowboys 2: Electric Rodeo
Space Marines
Falcons of Malta
Pinup Noir
Space Marines 2
Moggies In Space
Your Honor, I Can Explain
Space Cowboys 3: Return of the Bookaroo
Or All Will Burn
Moggies Back in Space
PinUp Noir 2
You See, What Happened Was...
Space Cowboys 404: Cow Not Found
He Was Dead When I Got There
Or All Will Burn: Fierce Love
Full Steam Ahead!
Giant! Freakin'! Robots!
Space Marines III
Moggies in Space: A Galaxy Fur. Fur Away
What! You Again?: The Spurgle Chronicles
Wyrd West
Space Cowboys 5: Cattle Drive
Goblin Market
Hooves, Tracks and Sabers!: Tales of Alternate History
Alien Family Values
Moggie Noir
Or All Will Burn: At All Costs
Coffee Adventures: Quests for the Perfect Cuppa Joe
The Super Generation
Steam Rising: Tales of Steampunk and Wondrous Inventions
The Big Ones
Moggie Noir: Alley Cat Alibi
Road Trippin'
Cursed Canyon: Wyrd West
Giant Stompin' Robots
Coffee Capers: 10 Tales of Coffee and Adventure
Fission Chips: Space Cowboys 6
Goblin Bazaar
From the Brim to the Dregs
Giant Squeeing Robots
Sultry Murder Jazz: Pinup Noir
Plasma Pulp
Wyrd Warfare
Band of Monsters Wyrd Warfare
Magic Malfunction
Dames, Derringers and Detectives: Moggie Noir
Rawhide Revenants: Wyrd West
Goblin Souk
Vice Noir
Artifact Origins
Blades and Black Magic
Moggies of Mars
…
Raconteur Press Postcard Stories:
Postcards From Mars
Steam-Powered Postcards
Fanta-Fly Postcards
Postcards from Foolz
Single Servings of Liberty
Imagine THAT!
Last Call
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