{"id":6243,"date":"2016-11-30T09:22:28","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T14:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=6243"},"modified":"2021-09-22T18:57:21","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T22:57:21","slug":"queen-victorias-book-of-spells-an-anthology-of-gaslamp-fantasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6243","title":{"rendered":"Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy<\/a><\/em> (2013) Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling<\/p>\n

\"queen-victorias-book-of-spells\"<\/a>Queen Victoria\u2019s Book of Spells<\/em> by Delia Sherman
\nThe Fairy Enterprise<\/em> by Jeffrey Ford
\nFrom the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)<\/em> by Genevieve Valentine
\nThe Memory Book<\/em> by Maureen McHugh
\nLa Reine d\u2019Enfer<\/em> by Kathe Koja
\nFor the Briar Rose<\/em> by Elizabeth Wein
\nThe Governess<\/em> by Elizabeth Bear
\nSmithfield <\/em>by James P. Blaylock
\nThe Unwanted Women of Surrey<\/em> by Kaaron Warren
\nCharged <\/em>by Leanna Renee Hieber
\nMr. Splitfoot<\/em> by Dale Bailey
\nPhosphorus <\/em>by Veronica Schanoes
\nWe Without Us Were Shadows<\/em> by Catherynne M. Valente
\nThe Vital Importance of the Superficial<\/em> by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer
\nThe Jewel in the Toad Queen\u2019s Crown<\/em> by Jane Yolen
\nA Few Twigs He Left Behind<\/em> by Gregory Maguire
\nTheir Monstrous Minds<\/em> by Tanith Lee
\nEstella Saves the Village<\/em> by Theodora Goss<\/p>\n

I love anthologies and I love historical fiction. So this should have been an automatic win for me.<\/p>\n

Instead it was a two-plus year slow that I finally forced myself to finish.<\/p>\n

Queen Victoria\u2019s Book of Spells<\/em> by Delia Sherman is the story of an historical researcher looking for new material on the beloved queen, when she discovers hidden material under Victoria’s childhood sleep book.<\/p>\n

From the moment her father, the Duke of Kent, died, when Victoria was eight months old, to the moment she became queen of England at eighteen, her mother and Sir John Conroy, her mother\u2019s treasurer and secretary, oversaw every aspect of her life. They developed something they called the Kensington System, after the palace King George IV had given them to live in, designed to keep the young princess safe from infection, accident, and making her own decisions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Fairy Enterprise<\/em> by Jeffrey Ford. A man wants to make fairies. From corpses.<\/p>\n

From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire)<\/em> by Genevieve Valentine. The catalog of the Great Exhibit of London.<\/p>\n

Though robbed of much of her power outside the lands of her people, Salome is still presented veiled and shackled, and behind a guarded partition past which ladies and children shall expressly not be admitted, to preserve their moral character.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Interspersed with letters from Walter to his brother and from a Miss Hammond, which perhaps shows why there was a fire.<\/p>\n

For the Briar Rose<\/em> by Elizabeth Wein. I believe I was stuck on this story for several months, reading a few sentences and then switching to something else.<\/p>\n

The Governess<\/em> by Elizabeth Bear. This is an interesting twist on a fairy tale with which I am familiar.<\/p>\n

The B____ children are named Charity, Constance, and Simon. Girls are expected to embody virtues, but boys may be themselves.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Smithfield <\/em>by James P. Blaylock.<\/p>\n

The desire to kill time is a criminal offence since we have little enough of it on this earth, but I very much wished to murder twelve hours of it in order to be about my business.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Unwanted Women of Surrey<\/em> by Kaaron Warren.<\/p>\n

You know that some believe that a miasma causes cholera. I believe it is the water, and that there is one source which can be guaranteed to be full of infection. It\u2019s the Broad Street water pump. Dr John Snow has spoken of it, but he is slow to action.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

HA!<\/p>\n

Charged <\/em>by Leanna Renee Hieber.<\/p>\n

Of all my saints, Edison, in particular, engaged me. As if I were a fisherman, he called me to abandon my nets and come follow him.\u2026 I\u2019ve read every word my prophet has written, followed his every move, patent, and innovation. I studied his contemporaries. I puzzled over Tesla\u2019s alternating current versus Edison\u2019s direct. The former individual is a madman. But my prophet is a cool and capable businessman. I\u2019m a man of particular taste, and I like the word direct<\/em>. It feels right. When one is talking about a conduit of energy, the matter should flow directly <\/em>from source to target. To alternate is to be inconstant. I<\/em> am a director<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mr. Splitfoot<\/em> by Dale Bailey. A reconstruction of the Fox sisters, notorious mediums.<\/p>\n

Phosphorus <\/em>by Veronica Schanoes.<\/p>\n

The pathways the Bryant and May matchwomen take home from the factory every night are marked by piles of phosphorescent vomit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Theosophists believed that sickness, suffering, deformity, and poverty were punishments for sins committed in a past life. This belief can be dressed as God\u2019s will, or as social Darwinism, but it comes to the same thing. It is a reassuring thought to those whose lives are not thoroughly saturated with such suffering.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget how the people who indulged in afternoon tea rituals, admired clockwork-powered inventions, and wore shapely and beautiful corsets and bustles profited from the death and suffering of others every time they lit a candle. It\u2019s easy to forget how many of them resolutely believed in social Darwinism and in the essential inferiority of all nonwhite people (among whom they counted the Irish), among other vile things.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Vital Importance of the Superficial<\/em> by Ellen Kushner and Caroline Stevermer.<\/p>\n

Without exactly saying so directly, I assured him I would do no such thing. Miss Prism\u2019s Academy trained us well for some situations, and saying no without ever using the word was a large part of our curriculum.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Jewel in the Toad Queen\u2019s Crown<\/em> by Jane Yolen.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wanted to be God,\u201d the queen mused. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would anyone want to be God? It\u2019s a terrible occupation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Estella Saves the Village<\/em> by Theodora Goss. Imagine the characters from your favorite Vistorian novels all gathered together in one town.<\/p>\n

Published by Tor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy (2013) Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling Queen Victoria\u2019s Book of Spells by Delia Sherman The Fairy Enterprise by Jeffrey Ford From the Catalogue of the Pavilion of the Uncanny and Marvellous, Scheduled for Premiere at the Great Exhibition (Before the Fire) by Genevieve Valentine The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,18,30,2],"tags":[320,248,82,475,249,217],"class_list":["post-6243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alternate-history","category-anthology","category-british","category-fantasy","tag-elizabeth-bear","tag-ellen-datlow","tag-ellen-kushner","tag-jane-yolen","tag-terri-windling","tag-witches"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-1CH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":229,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/229","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":0},"title":"Snow White Blood Red","author":"Michelle","date":"April 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Snow White Blood Red (1993) Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling I often have a hard time putting down interesting books. Which means that if I'm reading a book I real like before bed, I end up staying up past my bed time instead of falling asleep. One solution is to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/04\/Snow-White-Blood-Red.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":580,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/580","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":1},"title":"The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales","author":"Michelle","date":"May 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales (2007) Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling I love short stories. Aside from collections by Charles de Lint, I best love anthologies by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling best. Their books are like comfort food, and I save them up for when I'm sick or feeling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Coyote-Road.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/41","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":2},"title":"The Faery Reel","author":"Michelle","date":"November 7, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"The Faery Reel edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling Any time I see a fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, I'll often as not pick it up, because I know that it's going to be good. Usually very good. This volume however, has the added bonus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/11\/Faery-Reel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/68","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":3},"title":"A Wolf at the Door","author":"Michelle","date":"April 14, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"A Wolf at the Door (2000) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling I love folk tales and fairy tales, and I love the idea of stories that have been told and retold, and then finally captured on paper. The problem of course, is finding an author who is good\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/a-wolf-at-the-door.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":293,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/293","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":4},"title":"Swan Sister","author":"Michelle","date":"August 5, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Swan Sister (2003) Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling I don't think I've come across a short story collection put together by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling that I didn't like, and Swan Sister is no exception to the rule. The stories are fairy tales retold, by a variety of authors--many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/swan-sister.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3287,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/3287","url_meta":{"origin":6243,"position":5},"title":"Black Thorn, White Rose: A Modern Book of Adult Fairytales","author":"Michelle","date":"November 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Black Thorn, White Rose: A Modern Book of Adult Fairytales (1994) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling There were several of these collections in the 90s--and I had the first two if I remember correctly. These are fairy tales retold--some with a change in the point of view, some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Black-Thorn-White-Rose.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}