I have fallen in love with Amal El-Mohtar’s books and so I was so excited for this short story collection. It’s hard sometimes to make sure you’re keeping up on an author’s short stories. So Seasons of Glass and Iron is perfect. Keep reading this book review of Seasons of Glass and Iron for my full thoughts.
Summary
With confidence and style, El-Mohtar guides us through exquisitely told and sharply observed tales about life as it is, was, and could be. Like miscellany from other worlds, these stories are told in letters, diary entries, reference materials, folktales, and lyrical prose.
Full of Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories, Seasons of Glass and Stories includes “Seasons of Glass and Iron,” “The Green Book,” “Madeleine,” “The Lonely Sea in the Sky,” “And Their Lips Rang with the Sun,” “The Truth About Owls,” “A Hollow Play,” “Anabasis,” “To Follow the Waves,” “John Hollowback and the Witch,” “Florilegia, or, Some Lies About Flowers,” “Pockets,” and more.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
We love a good short story collection and I loved that Seasons of Glass and Iron has such a breadth of worlds. There’s a playing with the timeline as we don’t move chronologically. I love how a short story is like a time capsule. It’s a moment of time as a snapshot and this collection plays with the themes and aesthetics. I have loved El-Mohtar’s novellas, so this is such a joy to be with this short story collection. I am even more impressed with short stories as they sink into smaller word counts, whetting the appetite with worlds, and illustrating character moments.
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Within Seasons of Glass and Iron explores different mediums. It’s a testament to an inventive mind, expansive stories which pack a punch. My favorite had to be the first story since I’ve read a few different retelling of this and appreciated this new angle! Find Seasons of Glass and Iron on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.