A review by justkyliep
White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

...and, although it is farther off still, yet it is ever drawing nearer, a day in which an expert team will cryogenically freeze my body as well as the body of my current wife until such a time when medical advances can resurrect me into some unknown hellish future in a body that can satisfy more than three women at a time while also battling apocalyptic mutant lizards and conquering whatever remains of the New York Stock Exchange.

This one is a delightfully weird one. I wasn't familiar with most of the original fairy tales adapted in this collection, so I didn't even realize that was what it was until Hansel and Gretel. But even so, I found these stories to be so much fun. Link has an especially interesting way of crafting a setting and mood that carriers the story over absurd twists without losing the reader. It is rich and wry text.

The matter-of-fact tone, in my opinion, was very enjoyable. Particularly in The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear, revelations about the plot are dropped in such a nonchalant manner it made the discoveries all the more exciting and surprising. I don't know that it is a style that's going to appeal to a wide variety of people, but if you like your stories odd, atmospheric, and just a little bit unfinished, I can't recommend these enough.