Her hair is ruffled black feathers, it is slickery green snakes, it is as fluffy and lofty as frosting. Her eyes—one, two, three, four, maybe five—are as round and polished as green apples, are long tapered crimson slits, they are as flat white as sugar. She’s as narrow as nightfall, She’s as round as winter, She’s as tall as moonrise, She’s shorter than love. [loc. 1859]
I bought this a while back but don't think I ever read all the way through. Having indulged in a reread of the Flora trilogy, I wanted more Califa, so this was the obvious next read. It's definitely written for an adult audience rather than YA, and some of the stories feature younger versions of the 'parental' generation in the Flora books. (Though sadly not Hotspur, who is my crush.)
The collection contains seven stories ranging in length from 'short' to 'novella'. My favourites were 'The Lineaments of Gratified Desire' and 'Metal More Attractive', whose protagonist is Hardhands -- teenaged, Machiavellian, a powerful magician and a beautiful bisexual. There are a couple of asides here (a drowned sister?) that don't quite mesh with Hardhands' backstory in the Flora novels, but nothing significant. Hardhands is an absolute, exuberant delight, and I would happily read whole novels about him.
I wish there was more Califa. Wilce's writing is luscious and surprising, and her cities feel like places I've visited: I'd like to return.
No comments:
Post a Comment