Red Spikes

by Margo Lanagan

Book Overview

Margo Lanagan's electrifying stories take place in worlds not quite our own, and yet each one illuminates what it is to be human. They are stories of yearning for more, and learning to live with what... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375843043
• ISBN13: 9780375843044
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 167 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Very nice short story collection

I'm not a huge fan of short story collections, so I apologize if my review comes across as being less than positive. Red Spikes deserves a positive review. The variety of stories in this book is nice (not a very good descriptive word, eh?). I read Red Spikes cover to cover like a normal book, but I have a feeling it would have been better if I had read one story at a time, taking the time to digest each story properly before moving on to the next story. The topics in the stories are such that it's hard to move easily from one story to the next. I frequently had to re-read the stories' openings to adjust my mindset and make sure I was properly in the current story. Going back to the variety of the stories, a fantasy story about toys come to life (or perhaps dreams come to life) is followed by a very realistic story of love lost. This is followed by a story one would tell to children to scare them (and it is a fine story for that!). There is a story told from a monkey's POV; a story about faeries; a story about limbo, heaven, and hell; a story about a witch. There's a little bit of something for everyone in this collection, and every story is written very well. Overall, for my dislike of short story collections, I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Certain stories stick out more than others, and I think a number of them lend themselves to becoming full-length novels if the author wanted. (I think part of the reason I don't like short stories is that they are, as their name implies, so short... there's so much more than needs to be said to leave a reader satisfied. But having written short stories, I realize it works much better to have that little tingle of, "What happens next?") This would be a good book to have on your shelf. It's got a beautiful, intriguing cover, and it would be lovely for guests who come over and want something to pass the few spare minutes they have. Rather than getting stuck in the middle of novel they might never get to finish, this would be a great alternative that leaves them with having read a good story in just a few minutes (much like a magazine article, but much more entertaining, and certainly bound much better).

Dark enchantments

The tales in this book are a good bit darker than what I usually read, but that doesn't take away the enjoyment to be found in them. The author's style reminded me of some of the darker bits of Tannith Lee's and Neil Gaiman's work. Many of the stories have a resonance to them that makes one think of fairy tales, particularly the darker, more original versions. As with any collection, some stories are better than others. I wouldn't go so far as to say that any of them is bad or poorly written, just that the subject matter could be off-putting depending on who is going to read the book. I checked my copy out at the library; I'll definitely be getting my own soon.