The Inheritance & Other Stories
by Robin Hobb
Realm of the Elderlings (Collections and Selections — 0.1, 0.3, 3.5)
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The Inheritance & Other Stories is a marvelous new collection of short fiction from New York Times bestselling master storyteller Robin Hobb-including tales written under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm, by which the acclaimed fantasist first began her illustrious writing career. Included in this essential volume are Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated short masterworks, as well as brand new tales and the never before published in the U.S. title story-a unique compendium of wonders displaying the show more breathtaking skill, imagination, and remarkably varied styles of both alter egos. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The Inheritance and Other Stories (review based on an uncorrected proof of the upcoming US edition)
A caveat about this review. I'm a big fan of the author, and would gladly read even grocery lists written by her - so don't expect unbiased opinions. There won't be big spoilers here, but I do discuss the subject of each story, so if you want to know nothing about them beforehand, just take with you my unreserved recommendation to read this book and stop reading here.
This is a collection of ten short stories by Megan Lindholm (7 stories) aka Robin Hobb (3 stories). They range from science fiction to fantasy and from Seattle to the Six Duchies. They feature aliens, vampires and cats alongside more ordinary human characters. There are old show more stories published several times before, some completely new ones and a couple that have been somewhat difficult to get your hands on because of very limited realeases. The selection is a great showcase of the author's work over the decades and provides excellent samples of her skill in writing gripping and thought-provoking tales about a wide variety of subjects. My only complaint (if there is to be one) is that so many stories have been left out: the Ki and Vandien stories that started her publising career as a fantasy writer and many of the older ones that were only ever printed by one source and are truly difficult to obtain now. But I realise there must be a limit to what can be published in one volume, and I hope this won't be the only such collection we'll get to enjoy!
Each story is prefaced with a short note from the author explaining how that particular tale came to be or what was its starting point. These provide a really fascinating glimpse to the work of the author and to what sort of things she finds inspiring. In their honesty, they are also quite touching and really add to the reading experience. There is also a preface to the book where she discusses her career and the choice of using two different pen names. She says that they do share a keyboard, but Megan and Robin are two different writers in her mind. For anyone familiar with her writings already, this idea of a multifaceted character with different aliases is not only familiar but makes a lot of sense.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And these are the ten stories inside this collection:
A Touch of Lavender
The collection starts off with this science fiction story from 1989 that was nominated for both a Nebula and a Hugo and won the Asimov's Readers Award for Best Novella. It's the coming-of-age tale of a young boy in some distant future where an exile alien race has come to live side-by-side with the humans on Earth - but it's not a life without conflicts. The aspect that I loved most about this story is one that this author is a master of - we're given one side of things from a narrator we sympathize with and then suddenly with a skilful twist are shown that maybe the narration has been at least a bit unreliable and there's another side to all of it. I also want to make a note about how refreshing it is to see a young male protagonist who does not spend his days learning to control magic and kill with a sword or preparing to be the captain of a space voyage but instead bathes his baby sister and goes shopping for essentials.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man
Here's a story that has the Megan Lindholm signature written all over it, firstly because it clearly (and by the writer's own admission) includes some details that intersect with the writer's life experiences but mostly in the characteristic semi-open ending that leaves the reader wondering what really happened and whether the magic was real after all (and well, what we mean by "real magic"). Another signature sign is that she can so easily make the most mundane chores like organizing dresses on hangers in a store or fixing the leaky roof of the barn sound not only important but truly interesting.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man was also a nominee for both a Nebula Award & Asimov's Readers Award for Best Novelette.
Cut
Cut is one of those rare gems I wish everyone would read. And I do mean everyone, not just fans of speculative fiction. It is that important. And it is so well written that it is a joy to read over and over again even though the subject is difficult and the protagonist's decision controversial. This is a short story set in the undefined future and it deals with the question "who owns the body" - especially who owns the body of a teenager who might have a legal right to make decisions about it, but not necessarily the wisdom that is needed to make those decisions.
"Cut" was nominated for Best Short Story Nebula in 2002.
The Fifth Squashed Cat
I have to confess I didn't fell in love with this story at first sight when I read it a few years ago. I did think it had an interesting
premise but somehow it seemed cut short. But then thinking about it and now reading it again, I've realized that is exactly the point and why the story deserves to be reprinted in this collection - it's very unusual because it stops right after where most stories have just begun. The protagonist is a person who wouldn't usually be even be featured in a story - except maybe as an old acquintance when the "real" protagonist reminisces about old days. And this again is a signature mark of Hobb/Lindholm: telling stories of those who are usually considered "minor" characters. The Fifth Squashed Cat also introduces us to a very strange and original kind of magic.
Strays
This one punched me in the gut and kicked me in the head a couple of times while I was still recovering from the initial pain.
It is a heart-wrenching story and expertly told, but it is no light reading for a Friday evening. That doesn't mean I don't recommend it, just the
opposite. Especially anyone who still argues that fantasy is juvenile escapist trash should read "Strays".
I'm sure the ending can also be seen as a victory of sorts but I came away from this story with a bleeding heart.
Finis
This is a previously unpublished story. Here's the vampire story of the collection. And while it was a good solid story with an interesting twist in both point of view and motive, I'm not only just not into vampires in general but actually quite allergic to them so my somewhat lackluster feeling toward "Finis" must not be counted as a fault of the writer. For the record, I do think the vampire drabble Hobb wrote for the 110/110 collection last year is simply brilliant and all that needs to be said about the subject.
Drum Machine
This story presents a challenging vision of humanity's future where picture-perfect designer babies are not only a reality but a norm - getting pregnant the old way is not only considered irresponsible because no one can guarantee what ailments or sickness the baby will have but is also forbidden because using "bad" genes is considered a burden for the tax payers. The main question, one that is cleverly contrasted between playing music and creating babies, is whether it is better to play it safe and stay mediocre or take the risk and progress from getting it "right" to getting better... or worse. This is a new, previously unpublished story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's not mentioned in the collection and it's not necessarily clear for someone who is new to Robin Hobb's writing, but the following three stories take place in the same world that is often called "The Realm of the Elderlings" (although not by the inhabitants of that world).
Homecoming
"Art is immersion, and good art is total immersion" writes the protagonist of this story and perhaps that is what describes "Homecoming" the best, for I can not praise this story enough. I don't see the point of comparing, but if I had to pick one story over others it might be this one. On the surface, it is a series of diary entries by one lady Carillion Carrock (née Waljin) who is one of the original settlers of the Rain Wilds and thus this story acts as a distant prologue to the Liveship Traders trilogy. But oh, it is so much more than a historical account of those first weeks and months! There's incredible character development, scenery that makes your heart yearn for a chance to see the secrets of the Rain Wild River yourself and a really complex but subtle study of socio-economical issues. This is a must-read for anyone who has read the Realm of the Elderlings trilogies just for the fascinating details alone, but would also be a wonderful introduction of that world to anyone who is not familiar with it already.
"Homecoming" won the Best Short Story Award in Imaginales.
The Inheritance
This is a story that I'm sure many fans are eager to read. It has so far only been available as a "digital short" for amazon.com's US customers and was previously only printed in a limited edition booklet of 3000 copies by Voyager. It shows that not all inheritance can be measured in coins while giving us yet another captivating glimpse of the Bingtown society and the secrets of wizardwood magic.
Cat's Meat
A previously unpublished story. This is a tale that is likely to surprise you so I won't tell you much about it. It starts out serenely enough, although already from the first sentences it's clear that some trouble is brewing. But it is a much darker tale than you'd first think and has some unexpected twists. A truly gripping tale - I had to pause reading in the middle to do some chores but my mind never left the darkening hillside of the spring evening in Buck where I lay in the thick grass quietly and hiding with a small boy on my other side and a tawny cat on the other. I can't remember when I've last felt so hungry to go back to a story.
Oh wait, I do remember. It was the previous Robin Hobb book. show less
A caveat about this review. I'm a big fan of the author, and would gladly read even grocery lists written by her - so don't expect unbiased opinions. There won't be big spoilers here, but I do discuss the subject of each story, so if you want to know nothing about them beforehand, just take with you my unreserved recommendation to read this book and stop reading here.
This is a collection of ten short stories by Megan Lindholm (7 stories) aka Robin Hobb (3 stories). They range from science fiction to fantasy and from Seattle to the Six Duchies. They feature aliens, vampires and cats alongside more ordinary human characters. There are old show more stories published several times before, some completely new ones and a couple that have been somewhat difficult to get your hands on because of very limited realeases. The selection is a great showcase of the author's work over the decades and provides excellent samples of her skill in writing gripping and thought-provoking tales about a wide variety of subjects. My only complaint (if there is to be one) is that so many stories have been left out: the Ki and Vandien stories that started her publising career as a fantasy writer and many of the older ones that were only ever printed by one source and are truly difficult to obtain now. But I realise there must be a limit to what can be published in one volume, and I hope this won't be the only such collection we'll get to enjoy!
Each story is prefaced with a short note from the author explaining how that particular tale came to be or what was its starting point. These provide a really fascinating glimpse to the work of the author and to what sort of things she finds inspiring. In their honesty, they are also quite touching and really add to the reading experience. There is also a preface to the book where she discusses her career and the choice of using two different pen names. She says that they do share a keyboard, but Megan and Robin are two different writers in her mind. For anyone familiar with her writings already, this idea of a multifaceted character with different aliases is not only familiar but makes a lot of sense.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And these are the ten stories inside this collection:
A Touch of Lavender
The collection starts off with this science fiction story from 1989 that was nominated for both a Nebula and a Hugo and won the Asimov's Readers Award for Best Novella. It's the coming-of-age tale of a young boy in some distant future where an exile alien race has come to live side-by-side with the humans on Earth - but it's not a life without conflicts. The aspect that I loved most about this story is one that this author is a master of - we're given one side of things from a narrator we sympathize with and then suddenly with a skilful twist are shown that maybe the narration has been at least a bit unreliable and there's another side to all of it. I also want to make a note about how refreshing it is to see a young male protagonist who does not spend his days learning to control magic and kill with a sword or preparing to be the captain of a space voyage but instead bathes his baby sister and goes shopping for essentials.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man
Here's a story that has the Megan Lindholm signature written all over it, firstly because it clearly (and by the writer's own admission) includes some details that intersect with the writer's life experiences but mostly in the characteristic semi-open ending that leaves the reader wondering what really happened and whether the magic was real after all (and well, what we mean by "real magic"). Another signature sign is that she can so easily make the most mundane chores like organizing dresses on hangers in a store or fixing the leaky roof of the barn sound not only important but truly interesting.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man was also a nominee for both a Nebula Award & Asimov's Readers Award for Best Novelette.
Cut
Cut is one of those rare gems I wish everyone would read. And I do mean everyone, not just fans of speculative fiction. It is that important. And it is so well written that it is a joy to read over and over again even though the subject is difficult and the protagonist's decision controversial. This is a short story set in the undefined future and it deals with the question "who owns the body" - especially who owns the body of a teenager who might have a legal right to make decisions about it, but not necessarily the wisdom that is needed to make those decisions.
"Cut" was nominated for Best Short Story Nebula in 2002.
The Fifth Squashed Cat
I have to confess I didn't fell in love with this story at first sight when I read it a few years ago. I did think it had an interesting
premise but somehow it seemed cut short. But then thinking about it and now reading it again, I've realized that is exactly the point and why the story deserves to be reprinted in this collection - it's very unusual because it stops right after where most stories have just begun. The protagonist is a person who wouldn't usually be even be featured in a story - except maybe as an old acquintance when the "real" protagonist reminisces about old days. And this again is a signature mark of Hobb/Lindholm: telling stories of those who are usually considered "minor" characters. The Fifth Squashed Cat also introduces us to a very strange and original kind of magic.
Strays
This one punched me in the gut and kicked me in the head a couple of times while I was still recovering from the initial pain.
It is a heart-wrenching story and expertly told, but it is no light reading for a Friday evening. That doesn't mean I don't recommend it, just the
opposite. Especially anyone who still argues that fantasy is juvenile escapist trash should read "Strays".
I'm sure the ending can also be seen as a victory of sorts but I came away from this story with a bleeding heart.
Finis
This is a previously unpublished story. Here's the vampire story of the collection. And while it was a good solid story with an interesting twist in both point of view and motive, I'm not only just not into vampires in general but actually quite allergic to them so my somewhat lackluster feeling toward "Finis" must not be counted as a fault of the writer. For the record, I do think the vampire drabble Hobb wrote for the 110/110 collection last year is simply brilliant and all that needs to be said about the subject.
Drum Machine
This story presents a challenging vision of humanity's future where picture-perfect designer babies are not only a reality but a norm - getting pregnant the old way is not only considered irresponsible because no one can guarantee what ailments or sickness the baby will have but is also forbidden because using "bad" genes is considered a burden for the tax payers. The main question, one that is cleverly contrasted between playing music and creating babies, is whether it is better to play it safe and stay mediocre or take the risk and progress from getting it "right" to getting better... or worse. This is a new, previously unpublished story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's not mentioned in the collection and it's not necessarily clear for someone who is new to Robin Hobb's writing, but the following three stories take place in the same world that is often called "The Realm of the Elderlings" (although not by the inhabitants of that world).
Homecoming
"Art is immersion, and good art is total immersion" writes the protagonist of this story and perhaps that is what describes "Homecoming" the best, for I can not praise this story enough. I don't see the point of comparing, but if I had to pick one story over others it might be this one. On the surface, it is a series of diary entries by one lady Carillion Carrock (née Waljin) who is one of the original settlers of the Rain Wilds and thus this story acts as a distant prologue to the Liveship Traders trilogy. But oh, it is so much more than a historical account of those first weeks and months! There's incredible character development, scenery that makes your heart yearn for a chance to see the secrets of the Rain Wild River yourself and a really complex but subtle study of socio-economical issues. This is a must-read for anyone who has read the Realm of the Elderlings trilogies just for the fascinating details alone, but would also be a wonderful introduction of that world to anyone who is not familiar with it already.
"Homecoming" won the Best Short Story Award in Imaginales.
The Inheritance
This is a story that I'm sure many fans are eager to read. It has so far only been available as a "digital short" for amazon.com's US customers and was previously only printed in a limited edition booklet of 3000 copies by Voyager. It shows that not all inheritance can be measured in coins while giving us yet another captivating glimpse of the Bingtown society and the secrets of wizardwood magic.
Cat's Meat
A previously unpublished story. This is a tale that is likely to surprise you so I won't tell you much about it. It starts out serenely enough, although already from the first sentences it's clear that some trouble is brewing. But it is a much darker tale than you'd first think and has some unexpected twists. A truly gripping tale - I had to pause reading in the middle to do some chores but my mind never left the darkening hillside of the spring evening in Buck where I lay in the thick grass quietly and hiding with a small boy on my other side and a tawny cat on the other. I can't remember when I've last felt so hungry to go back to a story.
Oh wait, I do remember. It was the previous Robin Hobb book. show less
After reading this collection of short stories, the 'question' is, is there a difference in the kinds of stories Hobb and Lindholm write? The seven Lindholm offerings, which are admittedly a little uneven, are mostly set in 'our' world with unexpected and unpredictable (and uncontrollable) magics and transformations -- a couple of them are very gritty: passionate, angry pieces inspired by the traditional mutilation of girls at puberty (what if a fad for that spread, being the premise), child abuse and the like. The Lindholm stories are more affected by the here and now, and so are more emotionally and thematically focussed, whether by indignation or compassion or humor. The three Hobb stories are set in her made-up world that I enjoy so show more thoroughly -- one of them set in my favorite locale, the Rain Wilds is a journal of one of the first settlers exiled there from Jamaillia. That story "Homecoming" and the one after it, "The Inheritance" made the book for me. But it was all very very good **** as ever. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I quite liked "A Touch of Lavender", the opening story in this collection, about an a young girl and her impoverished mother dealing with an alien refugee culture, and "Finis", a vampire story whose character dynamics were interesting enough to support the story despite a perhaps overly-telegraphed twist ending. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't live up to them. "The Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man" was overly cutesy; most of the rest of the book seemed pointlessly depressing, often with hamhanded political messages thrown in (as in "Cut" and "Drum Machine"). There was also a recurring theme of "people who like to analyze things don't get to appreciate the joys of life" that I found seriously unpleasant (probably most present show more in "The Fifth Squashed Cat", but it recurred throughout). show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I like to review anthologies on the basis of each story, especially when the stories bear little or no relationship to each other, aside from having been written by one author. That means I review each story on its own merits and then rate the book as a whole. I'll start by giving a one-line synopsis of each story with my rating for that story alone. At the end, I'll give the reasoning behind my rating of the book as a whole, which is based on the story ratings taken together.
Megan Lindholm:
A Touch of Lavendar - a coming of age story about a young boy and the aliens in his neighborhood
3 stars - interesting but not altogether enchanting as I had hoped. Might be one of the better Lindholm bunch, but still not 4 star quality.
Silver Lady show more and the Fortyish Man - A romance, of sorts. It seems to have no ending, as if the romance is still ongoing.
3 stars - interesting with a few points that almost reach that elusive 4th star.
Cut - Mercifully short, bizarre and somewhat forgettable tale of mutilation and individual rights.
2 stars - definitely not my thing.
The Fifth Squashed Cat - The key to immortality for select people?
3 stars - definitely weird. Interesting, in a way, but lacks something I can't put a finger on.
Strays - An abused girl cares for stray cats.
5 stars - clearly one of the best of the Lindholm selections.
Finis - Fear of Vampires?
5 stars - Well done story and unique twist on an over-done theme.
Drum Machine - Getting your own way does not always lead to happily ever-after.
2 stars - Confusing. Three characters in the story. Two people who interact with each other in one scene, one from their mutual past. Each of the three characters seems to have or once had his/her own agenda. Seems to be multiple plot lines, but the story is too short to pull off that sort of multiplicity successfully.
First half of the book - While there are a couple of gems in the Megan Lindholm bunch, most stories are average or fall short of their potential. Two of the average stories stand a bit above the rest, but not so far above as to rate another full star.
Robin Hobb:
Homecoming - Political exiles sent to establish new colony.
5 stars - some surprising twists; interest doesn't lag.
The Inheritance - Cerise's inheritance isn't what she expected.
4 stars - not quite as interesting as other stories about this world.
Cat's Meat - Cats speak to whom they wish; we humans should listen sometimes...
5 stars, Justice is served from an unexpected source.
Second half of the book. These stories are longer, more elaborately plotted than those in the first half, as well as being more polished and among the most interesting in this collection.
The entire collection has some interesting bits and some that might have been better left in the desk drawer... taken as a whole, I'm not sorry I read this and was grateful to experience a side of the author I had not previously encountered. A definite recommendation for the authors fans. Those looking for something new may also find a few gems here, but should be aware that the collection is variable in quality.
An advance review copy of The Inheritance: And Other Stories was provided to me free by the publisher in exchange for this review. This review has been posted on Dragon Views, LibraryThing, Amazon.com and wherever else I may deem appropriate.
Subsequent to reading and reviewing the Harper Voyager edition, I purchased a signed, limited edition of this collection from Subterranean Press. Comments regarding this purchase may be added to this review at a later date. show less
Megan Lindholm:
A Touch of Lavendar - a coming of age story about a young boy and the aliens in his neighborhood
3 stars - interesting but not altogether enchanting as I had hoped. Might be one of the better Lindholm bunch, but still not 4 star quality.
Silver Lady show more and the Fortyish Man - A romance, of sorts. It seems to have no ending, as if the romance is still ongoing.
3 stars - interesting with a few points that almost reach that elusive 4th star.
Cut - Mercifully short, bizarre and somewhat forgettable tale of mutilation and individual rights.
2 stars - definitely not my thing.
The Fifth Squashed Cat - The key to immortality for select people?
3 stars - definitely weird. Interesting, in a way, but lacks something I can't put a finger on.
Strays - An abused girl cares for stray cats.
5 stars - clearly one of the best of the Lindholm selections.
Finis - Fear of Vampires?
5 stars - Well done story and unique twist on an over-done theme.
Drum Machine - Getting your own way does not always lead to happily ever-after.
2 stars - Confusing. Three characters in the story. Two people who interact with each other in one scene, one from their mutual past. Each of the three characters seems to have or once had his/her own agenda. Seems to be multiple plot lines, but the story is too short to pull off that sort of multiplicity successfully.
First half of the book - While there are a couple of gems in the Megan Lindholm bunch, most stories are average or fall short of their potential. Two of the average stories stand a bit above the rest, but not so far above as to rate another full star.
Robin Hobb:
Homecoming - Political exiles sent to establish new colony.
5 stars - some surprising twists; interest doesn't lag.
The Inheritance - Cerise's inheritance isn't what she expected.
4 stars - not quite as interesting as other stories about this world.
Cat's Meat - Cats speak to whom they wish; we humans should listen sometimes...
5 stars, Justice is served from an unexpected source.
Second half of the book. These stories are longer, more elaborately plotted than those in the first half, as well as being more polished and among the most interesting in this collection.
The entire collection has some interesting bits and some that might have been better left in the desk drawer... taken as a whole, I'm not sorry I read this and was grateful to experience a side of the author I had not previously encountered. A definite recommendation for the authors fans. Those looking for something new may also find a few gems here, but should be aware that the collection is variable in quality.
An advance review copy of The Inheritance: And Other Stories was provided to me free by the publisher in exchange for this review. This review has been posted on Dragon Views, LibraryThing, Amazon.com and wherever else I may deem appropriate.
Subsequent to reading and reviewing the Harper Voyager edition, I purchased a signed, limited edition of this collection from Subterranean Press. Comments regarding this purchase may be added to this review at a later date. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm are one and the same! Might as well get that out of the way first. She explains the use of two names in the preface and there is nothing sinister about it. Each story is prefaced with an introduction from the author in which she tells something of its origins. The book is more or less evenly split between the pseudonyms but there are seven stories by Megan Lindholm and only three by Robin Hobb. That’s because the Hobb persona tends to write epic fantasies of greater length while Lindholm tells shorter modern urban tales. So let’s have a look at Megan Lindholm first.
‘A Touch Of Lavender’ is about an exiled alien race on Earth and the interactions of one of their number with a poor human female whose show more mother is a music fan. The Skoags are very musical and are given generous benefits by the authorities in the hope that they may reveal the secret of interstellar travel. By the end, it occurred to me that this had similarities with Heinlein’s ‘The Star Beast’ except that he would never have portrayed sympathetically helpless characters on welfare. This excellent story was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.
It was the best of the Megan Lindholm yarns but the others were pretty good. ‘Finis’ was too predictable for anyone who has read a bit of fantasy but nicely told. ‘Strays’ was snuck into an anthology about warrior princesses where it must have seemed a bit quirky as the protagonist is another kid from the wrong side of the tracks in modern America, though she is Queen of the Strays. It was sad but oddly triumphant. The author is big on cats which seems de rigueur for a female fantasist nowadays. Maybe she’s a witch. ‘The Fifth Squashed Cat’ was distinctly odd but again showed that the writer has some familiarity with being poor in the United States of America.
With our cosy European socialism, I think we don’t appreciate how tough it is at the bottom of the heap over there. Stephen King and Albert E. Cowdrey are among the other fantasists who give us some idea. I hasten to add that being poor is getting harder over here, as food banks flourish.
Men under twenty-five will be disappointed to learn that they are not worth the powder to blow them to Hell. At least, that’s the opinion of the narrator of ‘Silver Lady And The Fortyish Man’, a touching fantasy romance with some autobiographical elements, it seems. Certainly, the would-be writer in a dead end job whose given up trying might come from the author’s own experience. Happily, for us, she kept going and we get these pleasing stories. ‘Cuts’ is not from her own experience, one hopes. It’s set in a near future where anyone over fourteen has the right to do what they want with their bodies, even to the extent of mutilating them in the name of fashion. Tricky moral issues about freedom and responsibility are raised.
I enjoyed Megan Lindholm, I adored Robin Hobb. ‘Homecoming’ is a novella set in the Liveship Traders world about an aristocratic lady cast out from civilised Jamaillia because her husband has plotted against the Satrap. With other exiles, they are sent to colonise the inhospitable Cursed Shores and our narrator has to mingle on equal terms with the lesser-born. The tale is written in her journal and it’s clever how we see her growth from a spoilt rich girl to a woman of some use. It’s clever, too, that skills gained from her art, sculpture, which is disdained by her brutish husband, turn out to be almost essential in the new land. Best of all, though, are her moody, atmospheric descriptions of the haunted underground city they discover. This was like a classic from ‘Weird Tales’ of old and might have been written by Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith.
‘The Inheritance’ is the title story of the collection and while it’s okay, it didn’t mean much to me. A young lady is conned out of her money by a naughty man. A similar male brute features in the final Hobb story, ‘Cat Meat’. Pell got Rosemary pregnant and then left her in the lurch. She made the best of it and is coping, if not prospering when he comes back to take over her life and claim his son. A great story with a cat and one that might usefully be read by all young ladies apt to fall for big eyes, pretty curls and charming words. Men do that, too, of course, but we have the biological advantage of not getting pregnant by our mistakes.
This is the first time I’ve read Megan Lindholm and I enjoyed the experience very much. I especially liked Robin Hobb. Despite being wary of those gigantic fantasy trilogies which take so much time to read. I may search out one of hers.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/ show less
‘A Touch Of Lavender’ is about an exiled alien race on Earth and the interactions of one of their number with a poor human female whose show more mother is a music fan. The Skoags are very musical and are given generous benefits by the authorities in the hope that they may reveal the secret of interstellar travel. By the end, it occurred to me that this had similarities with Heinlein’s ‘The Star Beast’ except that he would never have portrayed sympathetically helpless characters on welfare. This excellent story was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.
It was the best of the Megan Lindholm yarns but the others were pretty good. ‘Finis’ was too predictable for anyone who has read a bit of fantasy but nicely told. ‘Strays’ was snuck into an anthology about warrior princesses where it must have seemed a bit quirky as the protagonist is another kid from the wrong side of the tracks in modern America, though she is Queen of the Strays. It was sad but oddly triumphant. The author is big on cats which seems de rigueur for a female fantasist nowadays. Maybe she’s a witch. ‘The Fifth Squashed Cat’ was distinctly odd but again showed that the writer has some familiarity with being poor in the United States of America.
With our cosy European socialism, I think we don’t appreciate how tough it is at the bottom of the heap over there. Stephen King and Albert E. Cowdrey are among the other fantasists who give us some idea. I hasten to add that being poor is getting harder over here, as food banks flourish.
Men under twenty-five will be disappointed to learn that they are not worth the powder to blow them to Hell. At least, that’s the opinion of the narrator of ‘Silver Lady And The Fortyish Man’, a touching fantasy romance with some autobiographical elements, it seems. Certainly, the would-be writer in a dead end job whose given up trying might come from the author’s own experience. Happily, for us, she kept going and we get these pleasing stories. ‘Cuts’ is not from her own experience, one hopes. It’s set in a near future where anyone over fourteen has the right to do what they want with their bodies, even to the extent of mutilating them in the name of fashion. Tricky moral issues about freedom and responsibility are raised.
I enjoyed Megan Lindholm, I adored Robin Hobb. ‘Homecoming’ is a novella set in the Liveship Traders world about an aristocratic lady cast out from civilised Jamaillia because her husband has plotted against the Satrap. With other exiles, they are sent to colonise the inhospitable Cursed Shores and our narrator has to mingle on equal terms with the lesser-born. The tale is written in her journal and it’s clever how we see her growth from a spoilt rich girl to a woman of some use. It’s clever, too, that skills gained from her art, sculpture, which is disdained by her brutish husband, turn out to be almost essential in the new land. Best of all, though, are her moody, atmospheric descriptions of the haunted underground city they discover. This was like a classic from ‘Weird Tales’ of old and might have been written by Lovecraft or Clark Ashton Smith.
‘The Inheritance’ is the title story of the collection and while it’s okay, it didn’t mean much to me. A young lady is conned out of her money by a naughty man. A similar male brute features in the final Hobb story, ‘Cat Meat’. Pell got Rosemary pregnant and then left her in the lurch. She made the best of it and is coping, if not prospering when he comes back to take over her life and claim his son. A great story with a cat and one that might usefully be read by all young ladies apt to fall for big eyes, pretty curls and charming words. Men do that, too, of course, but we have the biological advantage of not getting pregnant by our mistakes.
This is the first time I’ve read Megan Lindholm and I enjoyed the experience very much. I especially liked Robin Hobb. Despite being wary of those gigantic fantasy trilogies which take so much time to read. I may search out one of hers.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/ show less
Using both voices Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm present some short stories. More Lindholm than Hobb, still interesting.
The collection starts with the Lindholm Stories.
A Touch of Lavender is a story of contact with an alien race whose bodily secretions are addictive to humans and what happens through the eyes of one boy as humanity finds out more about this race.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man is a story of magic and normality and finding a life that satisfies against a life that will do. It spoke to me and made me think about my life.
Cut is a story that made me shudder, where do the rights to bodily integrity and right to choose what you do with your body start and finish and what is the right and wrong of bodily changes. This features show more Female Genital Mutilation and is an interesting start for discussion on the topic.
The Fifth Squashed Cat is an intersting story about magic and being chosen and I'm still not sure who had the better thing happen to them at the end.
Strays is a story about a child who befriends a friendless child and discovers her beliefs about cats and marking their passing. I found it both heartbreaking and touching.
Finis is a vampire story with a difference and I liked it.
Drum machine looks at reproductive rights and originality and the implications made me shudder.
Then we have the Robin Hobb Stories
I'd read Homecoming before in the Legends II anthology and I found this story of growth and coming into independent personhood interesting both times. It's a long short-story, almost a novella.
The Inheritance was also interesting, a girl grows into herself by embracing her grandmother's past and gets her revenge on the man who ruined her life. The Revenge is subtle and typical of Hobb.
In Cat's Meat Hobb explores what a woman is willing to do to stay alive and keep her child alive. How far she's willing to go and what happens when a cat decides she needs a helping hand.
Well worth reading, excellent fare, the characters and the situations really did speak to me and made me think. While there was some situations that made me squirm it was an interesting squirm and all for the right reasons. show less
The collection starts with the Lindholm Stories.
A Touch of Lavender is a story of contact with an alien race whose bodily secretions are addictive to humans and what happens through the eyes of one boy as humanity finds out more about this race.
Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man is a story of magic and normality and finding a life that satisfies against a life that will do. It spoke to me and made me think about my life.
Cut is a story that made me shudder, where do the rights to bodily integrity and right to choose what you do with your body start and finish and what is the right and wrong of bodily changes. This features show more Female Genital Mutilation and is an interesting start for discussion on the topic.
The Fifth Squashed Cat is an intersting story about magic and being chosen and I'm still not sure who had the better thing happen to them at the end.
Strays is a story about a child who befriends a friendless child and discovers her beliefs about cats and marking their passing. I found it both heartbreaking and touching.
Finis is a vampire story with a difference and I liked it.
Drum machine looks at reproductive rights and originality and the implications made me shudder.
Then we have the Robin Hobb Stories
I'd read Homecoming before in the Legends II anthology and I found this story of growth and coming into independent personhood interesting both times. It's a long short-story, almost a novella.
The Inheritance was also interesting, a girl grows into herself by embracing her grandmother's past and gets her revenge on the man who ruined her life. The Revenge is subtle and typical of Hobb.
In Cat's Meat Hobb explores what a woman is willing to do to stay alive and keep her child alive. How far she's willing to go and what happens when a cat decides she needs a helping hand.
Well worth reading, excellent fare, the characters and the situations really did speak to me and made me think. While there was some situations that made me squirm it was an interesting squirm and all for the right reasons. show less
This is a collection of ten short stories by Megan Lindholm and Robin Hobb, two pseudonyms for the same person. Seven of the stories were by Lindholm and three by Hobb, but Hobb’s stories were longer and actually took up slightly more pages in the book. I won’t review each story; I’ll just write about some of my general impressions and note a few of the stories that stood out.
This was my first time reading anything written under the Lindholm pseudonym. Lindholm and Hobb really do have distinctive writing styles, at least going by this collection. Lindholm’s stories were shorter, maybe a little less introspective, but more likely to contain commentary on society. They were often told in a very conversational style, almost as if show more the main character were sitting across a table from me and telling me the story. Also, her stories contained an extraordinary number of dead cats. I’ve never seen so many dead cats in a single book before. Hobb’s stories were much meatier and tended to hold my attention better, partly because I became more invested in her characters. She also seems to be a bit kinder toward cats.
I enjoyed reading all of Lindholm’s stories but, due to their shortness, they probably won’t stick with me as well. However, I don’t expect I’ll forget The Fifth Squashed Cat anytime soon. It started off funny, and I chuckled my way through the first few pages, but then it got very, very gross and disturbing. I liked Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man quite a bit, and also Strays.
I enjoyed Hobb’s stories the most. They were all set in her Realm of the Elderings setting, but would stand alone just fine. Homecoming was probably my favorite, by a small margin. It told the story of the first group that tried to settle in the Rain Wilds and really added a lot to the back story from the Liveship Traders series. The other two didn’t add as much to the world-building, but did make use of the world-building that had already been done. One thing I noticed was that each of her stories in this collection had a selfish, unpleasant male antagonist. They each felt at least a little bit Kyle-like to me, for those who have read the Liveship Traders series. That aspect of the stories started to feel a little repetitive, but the stories held my attention well enough that I didn’t mind much.
Before each story, the author wrote a short introduction that explained a little bit about what inspired that story or how she came to write it. Happily, she managed to do this without spoilers, and I really enjoyed those introductions and the little bits of insights they offered about the author herself. show less
This was my first time reading anything written under the Lindholm pseudonym. Lindholm and Hobb really do have distinctive writing styles, at least going by this collection. Lindholm’s stories were shorter, maybe a little less introspective, but more likely to contain commentary on society. They were often told in a very conversational style, almost as if show more the main character were sitting across a table from me and telling me the story. Also, her stories contained an extraordinary number of dead cats. I’ve never seen so many dead cats in a single book before. Hobb’s stories were much meatier and tended to hold my attention better, partly because I became more invested in her characters. She also seems to be a bit kinder toward cats.
I enjoyed reading all of Lindholm’s stories but, due to their shortness, they probably won’t stick with me as well. However, I don’t expect I’ll forget The Fifth Squashed Cat anytime soon. It started off funny, and I chuckled my way through the first few pages, but then it got very, very gross and disturbing. I liked Silver Lady and the Fortyish Man quite a bit, and also Strays.
I enjoyed Hobb’s stories the most. They were all set in her Realm of the Elderings setting, but would stand alone just fine. Homecoming was probably my favorite, by a small margin. It told the story of the first group that tried to settle in the Rain Wilds and really added a lot to the back story from the Liveship Traders series. The other two didn’t add as much to the world-building, but did make use of the world-building that had already been done. One thing I noticed was that each of her stories in this collection had a selfish, unpleasant male antagonist. They each felt at least a little bit Kyle-like to me, for those who have read the Liveship Traders series. That aspect of the stories started to feel a little repetitive, but the stories held my attention well enough that I didn’t mind much.
Before each story, the author wrote a short introduction that explained a little bit about what inspired that story or how she came to write it. Happily, she managed to do this without spoilers, and I really enjoyed those introductions and the little bits of insights they offered about the author herself. show less
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Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska. It was there that she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of five critically acclaimed fantasy series: The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, show more City of Dragons, Blood of Dragons), The Soldier Son Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Farseer Trilogy. Under the name Megan Lindholm she is the author of The Wizard of the Pigeons, Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. The Inheritance, a collection of stories, was published under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov's Readers' Award and she has been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards. (Publisher Provided) Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden was born in Berkeley, California on March 5, 1952. She writes under the pseudonyms Megan Lindholm and Robin Hobb. She writes fantasy and science fiction under the name Robin Hobb including the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, the Soldier Son Trilogy, the Rain Wilds Chronicles, and the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. Her title, Assassin's Fate, made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2017. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Realm of the Elderlings (Collections and Selections — 0.1, 0.3, 3.5)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Inheritance & Other Stories
- Original title
- The Inheritance and Other Stories
- Alternate titles
- The Inheritance & Other Stories (US title) (US title)
- Original publication date
- 2011-03-31
- People/Characters
- Lady Carillion Carrock; Cerise; Gillam; Marmalade; Rosemary; Pell (show all 8); Hilia; Billy
- Important places
- Rain Wilds; Bingtown; Cursed Shores
- Dedication
- For Fred, in our fortyish year
- First words*
- Ma sœur et moi avons grandi comme des souris dans un vieux canapé moisi. (Une note de Lavande)
Il était aux alentours de huit heures et quart du soir, et je me tenais près de la caisse d'un Sears, dans un centre commercial d'une banlieue miteuse, quand le quadragénaire se présenta la première fois. (La Dame d'Arge... (show all)nt et le quadragénaire)
Patsy est assise sur un tabouret devant mon comptoir ; elle boit un verre de lait de soja avec une paille. (Coupure)
« C'est le quatrième chat écrasé qu'on voit aujourd'hui », dit Chéryl quand la roue avant gauche sauta légèrement. (Le cinquième chat écrasé)
Lonnie Spencer avait l'air d'un garçon, assise sur son vélo, un pied sur le trottoir, le bout de l'autre basket élimée dans le caniveau ; elle avait des croûtes aux genoux, un crâne fumant sur son sweat ample et une cas... (show all)quette de base-ball à l'envers sur ses cheveux noirs coupés ras. (Chats errants)
Armé d'un marteau et d'un ciseau à bois, Josh ôtait ce qu'il fallait de bois pour placer les charnières du portail à fleur sur des poteaux en chêne, quand la berline de location enfila lentement l'allée. (Finis)
La cliente se pencha par-dessus le bureau et me dit avec une colère à peine dissimulée : « J'ai le droit d'avoir l'enfant de mon choix. » (Boîte à rythme)
Il était dans la boîte à bijoux de la grand-mère ; je le trouvai après sa mort. (L'héritage)
« J'ai commis une erreur et j'en paie encore le prix. » (Viande pour chat) - Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)C'était un appartement sympa, franchement ; j'avais une chouette famille. (Une note de Lavande)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Marrant: il n'y avait même pas de poussière sur le clavier. (La Dame d'Argent et le quadragénaire)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Il faudrait laisser le corps de la sage-femme là où il tombera ; dans un siècle ou deux, quelqu'un saurait peut-être ce qu'il faut penser de tout ça. (Coupure)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Je ne voudrais pas heurter un chat par accident. (Le cinquième chat écrasé)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)J'espère que ses prochaines vies seront meilleures que la dernière. (Chats errants)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Sans les regarder, il dit : « C'est pour empêcher un vampire de sortir. » (Finis)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)J'aurais pu jouer ce morceau cent fois, et chaque répétition aurait été aussi parfaite que la première. (Boîte à rythme)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)« Et ça, petite, c'est ton héritage. » (L'héritage)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Il s'assit et se mit à nettoyer soigneusement ses griffes. (Viande pour chat) - Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- The 2011 collection "the Inheritance" is not the same book as "The Inheritance" which is a short story - although the former includes the latter. "The Inheritance" was a digital Amazon short with no ISBN but with the ASIN B00... (show all)0A0F6PO. It was also published in a Voyager collection and translated to French and Dutch. Please don't combine these two titles. The cover image with the grey/green squares is for the digital short.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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