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Karen Heuler

Auteur de The Inner City

22+ oeuvres 124 utilisateurs 4 critiques

Œuvres de Karen Heuler

The Inner City (2013) 52 exemplaires
The Splendid City (2022) 10 exemplaires
The Soft Room (2004) 7 exemplaires
Cemetery Dance Issue 58 (2008) 7 exemplaires
Glorious Plague (2013) 7 exemplaires
The Made-Up Man (2011) 7 exemplaires
The Clockworm (2018) 5 exemplaires
Other Places (2016) 5 exemplaires
The Other Door (1995) 3 exemplaires
Thick Water(Short Story) (2014) 2 exemplaires
The Difficulties of Evolution (2014) 2 exemplaires
Journey To Bom Goody (2006) 2 exemplaires
The Hair (2014) 1 exemplaire
Landscape With Fish (2014) 1 exemplaire
Alien Housing 1 exemplaire
Forgetting (2022) 1 exemplaire

Oeuvres associées

When Things Get Dark: Stories inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021) — Contributeur — 161 exemplaires
Year's Best SF 17 (2012) — Contributeur — 127 exemplaires
Invaders: 22 Tales from the Outer Limits of Literature (2016) — Contributeur — 110 exemplaires
Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror (2015) — Contributeur — 84 exemplaires
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2009 Edition (2010) — Contributeur — 68 exemplaires
The Bestiary (2016) — Contributeur — 58 exemplaires
Clarkesworld: Year Three (2013) — Contributeur — 38 exemplaires
Phantom (2009) — Contributeur — 34 exemplaires
October Dreams II (Anthology) (2016) — Contributeur — 29 exemplaires
The Big Book of Cyberpunk (2023) — Contributeur — 21 exemplaires
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet No. 27 (2011) — Contributeur — 11 exemplaires
Clarkesworld: Issue 109 (October 2015) (2015) — Contributeur — 11 exemplaires
Bandersnatch (2007) — Contributeur — 10 exemplaires
Black Apples: 18 new fairytales (2014) — Contributeur — 6 exemplaires
Mosaics, Volume 1: A Collection of Independent Women (2016) — Contributeur — 5 exemplaires
Daily Science Fiction: October 2013 (2013) — Contributeur — 1 exemplaire

Étiqueté

Partage des connaissances

Date de naissance
1949-06-13
Sexe
female
Nationalité
USA
Lieu de naissance
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Études
Long Island University, 1976 (MA|English)

Membres

Critiques

I didn't care for this issue as much as some others I've read. Too many light hearted social, political and Elon Musk adoring stories that just aren't what I'm personally looking for. I did enjoy the following:

--The Roots in the Box and the Roots in the Bones by T.K. Rex
--Woman of the River by Genevieve Williams
--Cigarettes and Coffee
--Jamais Vue by Tochi Onyebuchi

Robert Silverberg's article, "Reflections: Farewell to the Vinland Map" was well done as usual.
 
Signalé
EntreNous | Jul 22, 2023 |
This is the story of twins, one of whom is born with a rare neurological disorder that makes her unable to feel pain. The pain-free twin grows up with a sense of invulnerability and superiority over mere fearful mortals, while the "normal" twin, who is forced to monitor her sister's well-being since she could be seriously injured without being aware of it, has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. It was a little disappointing in that the ethical and psychological ramifications were not explored as deeply as they could have been. But it was quite a page-turner, and having myself a slightly older sister with an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, I found enough food for thought to make it worthwhile reading.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
Charon07 | Jul 16, 2021 |
This tugged on my heartstrings.
 
Signalé
tldegray | Sep 21, 2018 |
Rating: 3.75* of five

The Book Report: Alyson Salky lives in 1980s New York with her beloved, Peter, their dog Dingo, and a few friends that Alyson can't really account for liking. One of those friends, Maggie, snatches Peter out from under Alyson, which is as we all know a painful experience. So what does Alyson do? She sells her soul to the devil, here called Madame Hope the fortuneteller. Several stinging ironies in that, eh what?

So now we get to the title: Alyson chooses, as her first step in this revenge of hers, to become a man. Yes, actually become a man, as in physically transforming herself into the enemy. Madame Hope, an evil glint in her eye (I confess, it's a horrible pun, but it had to be said), agrees with relish to the proposal and *poof* Alyson becomes Bob. Everyone still remembers Alyson, but Bob is part of each memory now, too. Bob is friends, through Alyson, with Maggie and Peter; Bob is now part of the magazine staff where Alyson once worked; and it's these things that allow Bob to wreak his devilish (!) havoc on the lives of Maggie and Peter.

He does a damn fine job of his revenge! Oh my my, does he do a good job! I was quite awed by Heuler's vicious imagination, and I'd hate to be a character at *this* author's mercy. In the end, though, Alyson passes through her revenge fantasy, and her dark night of the soul, and emerges as a fascinating, multi-dimensional character one would like to have on the next barstool. That would be one interesting conversation.

My Review: Heuler, a well-published short-story writer and novelist, has a deft hand with prose. There's a nice economy to her storytelling, as she brings this sardonic take on the Don Giovanni story home in under 230pp. It's very easy to see how the characters, all of them, fall into the pits and traps and snares that await all humanity. It's a lot harder to judge them for it than it is other writers' characters precisely because Heuler has such a keen sense of what to say and what to leave out.

There are two problems I have with the book: First, as Bob, the author has some characters think he's gay and in love with Peter, while others don't think so at all, including Peter; second, the last paragraphs of the ending seem to me a cheat, an added-on afterthought that adds nothing to the character or the story.

My first issue is a serious one. Structurally, this mooshy-splooshy confusion isn't dealt with in any kind of story-advancing constructive way. Emotionally, it makes little difference, really, simply keeping two characters from getting inconveniently involved at a certain point; and it gives little depth to any of the interactions Bob has. I took a whole star off because of the unnecessary complication and confusion it caused me in reading the book.

The ending, well, it's not in me to spoiler it, but I can say it bothered me a lot less than the botched gay subplot because it was so short-lived, only a few sentences at the very end of this wicked little book.

A nicely made how-the-other-half-lives cautionary tale, a sharp and sarcastic "Mephistopheles in Manhattan," and a darn good candidate for the title "Love's Labours Won and Lost and Won and Lost and...." Read it soon.
… (plus d'informations)
½
1 voter
Signalé
richardderus | Oct 31, 2011 |

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Statistiques

Œuvres
22
Aussi par
18
Membres
124
Popularité
#161,165
Évaluation
½ 3.7
Critiques
4
ISBN
24

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