Red Spikes (2006)

Individually the stories are very good - but they are all very much in the same tone so reading a whole book's worth becomes tedious.
•Baby Jane
•Monkey's paternoster
•A good heart
•Winkie
•A feather in the breast of God
•Hero Vale
•Under hell, over heaven
•Mouse maker
•Forever upward
•Daughter of the clay.
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Red Spikes is a collection of short stories from Australian fantasy author Margo Lanagan. Dark and unyielding, these are bizarre, other-worldly tales, brought forth from the depths of a truly astounding imagination.

Nothing I write here could possibly do this collection justice. These stories are unusual, not likeable exactly, but they are so believable, Lanagan's writing is effortless, convincing us of their truth. With beauty, wonder and true horror, each tale has elements of familiar fairy-tales...tales of warrior queens, guardian angels, gods, witches and heroes...but reworked and reimagined.

Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy and fans of Lanagan's fiction.

In this collection of nine short stories, Lanagan addresses fear and longing. I read this with my teen book group, and I was really worried, as some of the stories are very unsettling (in one, an imagined monkey government overthrow, the main character is raped). However, I seemed to have dodged a bullet, as only two actually finished the book because most of them HATED it.

Lanagan is very much a "literary" author - she doesn't coddle the reader, and as with many short stories, she does a lot with very little. These would be good for older, more sophisticated teen readers. ( )

These are amzing stories. To understand them in the least you have to work at it and be prepared for a few mental jolts. Some of the stories are creepy to an extreeme and others are sweet and teach a bit about love. Actually, I think they all teach a little about love. ( )

Short story master
Lanagan astounds with tales
outlandish yet real.