Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2019)
BOOKMONGER Sci-fi short story collections off er intriguing portals I f you haven’t been able to head out for a regular vacation this summer, you might try creating your own mini staycation with a stack of books. Similar to travel, reading can give you a break from routine and a chance to ponder different points of view. This Week’s Book Two new short story collections “Unforeseen” By Molly Gloss by Northwest authors offer interest- ing portals. Both are science fi ction, Saga Press – 350 pp – $24.99 tinged with supernatural elements. “Section 130” By Katrinka Mannelly The fi rst author is undoubtedly Zmok Books – 180 pp – $16 familiar to you. I hope everyone has already had the pleasure of read- ing work by Molly Gloss. Gloss is a fourth generation Oregonian and a versatile and accomplished writer in many genres. Gloss’s newest book, “Unforeseen,” offers a career retrospective of her short sto- ries and stirs a couple of new tales into the mix. Over her career, Gloss has developed a reputation for using the West as an imperative setting for her fi ction. Here in the Northwest, readers will be mesmer- ized by Gloss’s evocation of landscapes that are familiar, though often tweaked with dystopian elements, making stories such as “Downstream” and “Personal Silence” distinctly unsettling. The fi rst story, however, offers no regional landmarks. “Interlocking Pieces” is set in a hospital staffed with a disturbing assortment of robo-nurses, “organic” nurses and security personnel. Despite “the fi rst sour leaking of despair,” the primary character attempts a for- bidden encounter. To offer more detail here would be revealing too much – every reader deserves to experience the way Gloss carefully assembles the bits, eventually leading to a moment of tenuous grace. The title story, on the other hand, withholds any such consolation. “Unforeseen” describes a seemingly pro forma meeting between insurance investigator and client, but “the small print” is spiked with tiny, eviscerating teeth. Gloss creates each of her stories with such a light touch and with such deft strokes of detail that the revelations always come as a surprise. This is the work of a master craftswoman. I’d also like to introduce you to a debut story collection by Tacoma writer Katrinka Mannelly. When Mannelly went to the library as a child, she was especially drawn to the books shelved, according to the Dewey Decimal System, in the 130 section. These were books about paranormal phenomena. And now, all these years later, Mannelly’s fi rst book is called “Section 130.” The characters in these stories run the gamut. There are sirens and tooth fairies, a genie, a zombie, a lake monster and a demon. There’s an apathetic faculty advisor – and a pet rock that cares too much. Mannelly has fun throwing her supernatural characters together with run-of-the- mill mortals and then exploring how they get along. Havoc, humor and occasion- ally even empathy result. These short stories are full of play and zip. Unfortunately, they are also studded with typos and other errors. “Your” and “you’re” are frequently used indiscrimi- nately for one another, and that’s just one example of many. Was there no copyedi- tor available to catch these problems? The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMichael, who writes this weekly column focusing on the books, authors and publishers of the Pacifi c Northwest. Contact her at bkmonger@nwlink.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019 // 23
