I received a copy of The Inner City from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I really truly enjoyed the series of short stories in The Inner City. I enjoyed the strange and rather creepy elements that were incorporated into each of the stories, even some of the more docile ones like "Fish Wish" that weren't as scary as some of the others left a lasting impression on me. My favorites among the stories were probably as follows, "Down On the Farm", "The Escape Artist", "Creating Cow", "How Lightly He Stepped in the Air", and "Thick Water". The sense of wonder I was left with is something I sometimes have trouble finding when reading although its a part of it that I really enjoy. Being left with questions after you read is something that helps it seem like the characters are real and breathing out there somewhere instead of taking up space on paper. Karen Heuler has made her characters come to life and I highly recommend The Inner City to those who don't cringe at strange and peculiar happenings

Another book I had the opportunity to read through NetGalley, and this time a blind bet, considering I didn't even know the author and the description wasn't really specific. No regrets. Though, as is unavoidable in anthologies, there were some stories I liked much more than others, in general the book was very interesting, with some original ideas and approaches different from what I'm used to.

On her website, Karen Heuler says she writes magic realism, lead there by reading Gabriel García Márquez, and I do see some similarity between some of her stories and the little I've read of Haruki Murakami, other author associated with this genre. I still can't move past my feeling that this is but another part of speculative fiction isolated from science fiction and fantasy and associated with literary fiction for commercial reasons.

Side note apart, as an anthology of short tales - be them whatever genre one says - The Inner City is an interesting work that allows for an exploration of the individual's reaction to some odd situations - often quite surreal - which end in a self-analytical tone. The plots are of such an heterogeneity that one can only understand it knowing that they were published separately between 1997 and 2011. From kids that turn into animals, human-dog hybrids to people born from the ground like plants (though adult, dressed and decided) and others that become part of an alien ocean that reminded me of a syncytium, anything can happen in the works of Karen Heuler. Addressing themes such as bio-genetic experimentation, ecology, religion and social engineering, what's new here is the simple and natural way in which characters deal with the awkward situations, allowing the author to lead the reader through unexpected paths. The focus is always on the person, her vision of the phenomena, her participation in or behaviour facing them and what she turns into or finds out about herself, creating a narrative that reminds me of Kafka or even Camus. The reader is shown realities that constantly question his concept of person, of society, of humanity or morality.

A recommended work to all those who enjoy speculative short fiction. I now want to read more of this author, any suggestions?

 

This review was originally published on my blog in portuguese and english.

I don't read many short stories but I'm glad I received a copy of this book.
It was a really interesting and fun read- a wonderful collection of incredibly bizarre stories.

I especially liked 'Thick Water'- which takes place on a different planet, and 'The Difficulties of Evolution'- where humans start to evolve into animals.

(I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

I received a copy of The Inner City from the author in exchange for an honest review.I really truly enjoyed the series of short stories in The Inner City. I enjoyed the strange and rather creepy elements that were incorporated into each of the stories, even some of the more docile ones like "Fish Wish" that weren't as scary as some of the others left a lasting impression on me. My favorites among the stories were probably as follows, "Down On the Farm", "The Escape Artist", "Creating Cow", "How Lightly He Stepped in the Air", and "Thick Water". The sense of wonder I was left with is something I sometimes have trouble finding when reading although its a part of it that I really enjoy. Being left with questions after you read is something that helps it seem like the characters are real and breathing out there somewhere instead of taking up space on paper. Karen Heuler has made her characters come to life and I highly recommend The Inner City to those who don't cringe at strange and peculiar happenings.

Weird Tales #357 - Caitlín R. Kiernan, K... Weird tales has earned my disgust with the decision to trot out the racist story, even though they have since realized how stupid that decision was. But really, the only thing I wanted to read was Jemisin's story The Trojan Girl. Thankfully, Jemisin has made it available online.And, of course, it's an intriguing story.