... which is not a word I would use for what's inside.

This is not to be read in one sitting. For the most part, the tales in this collection are  upsetting, full of triggers, dark, squicky or all of the above, with some beauty thrown in for flavor. I found about half of the stories very interesting, immersible, though provoking; half I did not quite get; about a quarter were absolutely disgusting; maybe a tenth were just mind-blowing awesome. And almost none could be ascribed to just one or two of those categories.

I'm not totally sure of my rating, I don't know that I really liked experiencing these in a couple of days. But the independent shock value of each piece is really something.

- A light in Troy: Gutting. Specially because it's left there. But maybe for the same, a bit hopeful.

- 304 Adolf Hitler Strasse: Sickening. Take-that to slash too. Recursive. My brain hurts a bit.

- The Moby Clitoris of his beloved: first, WTF is that title (same as above, actually). It was... ick

- Lydia's Body: Well, that was uncomfortable *grimace* You can see it going wrong, and then it turns a 180 and goes worse.

- Urchins, While Swimming: It's Valente. Beautiful and bittersweet.

- The Other Amazon: Meta. A readers' wet dream.

- Orm the Beautiful: Jewels, dragons. No possible loss. But damn was it beautifully bittersweet.

- Automatic: grim

- Chewing Up the Innocent: The agony of the (creepy) artist and mid-life crisis. Little good can come out of it. And it is still oddly hopeful.

- Attar of Roses: Creepy like the smell of wilting flowers at cemeteries

- Clockmakers Requiem: I did not understand that one at all, but I liked the strange world it painted.

- Something in the Mermaid Way: AH! God!

- The Third Bear: That was pointlessly cruel.

- The First Female President: Well, talk about cruelty.

- There's no Light Between Floors: Sad and claustrophobic. Those that forget history and all that.

- Qubit Conflicts: I don't know that much about programing for this, but it IS heavily ironic.

- The Oracle Spoke: That's a terrifying concept.

- Moon Over Yodok: It doesn't say it, but, Oh, my God. She's the rabbit, and she made him her soup. So sad.

- I'll gnaw your bones, the Manticore said: Loved it, for the questions it raises, and for the departure from the all around dark cast.

- Transtexting Pose: Wait, what? Also, squick.

- The Taste of Wheat: Mystical, but ew!

- The Beacon: "Ant's life" and Armageddon and drastic changes in social mores. Awesome-sauce.

- The Ape's Wife: Nightmarish collection of might have beens and excellent exploration. Bonus point for putting me to search for "The thunder, perfect mind"

- Lost Soul: I admit I though it would go deeper. Still:

Are you surprised?” Bela said. “You ought not to be. Did you not know that every woman has a soul that belongs to her alone?

Heh. I'd wondered in the 5th volume, but we were turned around so many times, I'd dropped it. Nice mind-screw.

Like this whole saga, the book rating will be very subjective. I had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the twist and turns and ridiculous fits of mightiness; rolled my eyes at some of the drama (though I got itchy eyes at some points) and in-depth search inside the characters brain-process (get on with it! Ohhh, that's why!), and loved how it fucks with your suspicions and it's own worlds-building. The shifty morality of most the cast (a point that would stick to most readers craw) bothers me none at all

Lots fertile ground for off-shot stories, but mostly neatly tied.

I so have to re-read all nine books now I know.

I came to this issue by clicking on other Valente's stories besides "Silently and Very Fast".

Mantis Wives by Kij Johnson was... a gory allegory? I'm unclear and I didn't quite care for it. Pity, because Ponies, of the same writer, was too a gory allegory that is awesome in it's absolute cruelty.

Honey Bear by Sofia Samatar was damn freaky in how fast it pulls you in an unexpected, creepy direction. Full stars.

Fade to White by Katherine Valente reads like the beginning of a Dystopia novel. Leaving it there makes it a damned grim and hopeless, but it's an engrossing and disquieting piece.

As for the articles, Magic Systems felt thin, arbitrary and too anglo-centric. Plausibility and Truth was awesome. Finding the Good is a bit heartwarming, but not unexpected to my geek self. Somewhat fringe communities tend to flock to beloved members. The Conversation with China was interesting, and I might end up reading something of his.

An uneven whole, but interesting. I wonder if the is a printed version of this, and if the magic of globalization would ever drop some issues in my corner of the word for me to purchase.

It was lovely! Fun fantasy, rosy romance, and entertainig opener. I'd like to read more.

What. The. Fuck.

After two mostly passive, build up books, and we get hanged up there?