This is my first post, and I'm rather unsure how to begin this. I suppose an introduction is in order.
I'm Caroline. I'm a recent college grad who majored in creative writing. As one might infer, I enjoy reading and writing. I hope to do weekly post about what I'm reading, what I'm writing, and what I'm kind of watching on Netflix.
I recently discovered the work of Eugie Foster through Psuedopod. I've listened to quite a few of her stories, My favorite so far is Biba Jibun. I think the way Foster blends mythology and the modern day is fantastic. I also enjoyed Sinner, Baker, Fablist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast, though I wish I had been grounded into in the world earlier in the story. A lot of the concepts that she introduced where very interesting, but also very confusing. However, Foster tied it up with a master. I'm definitely going to have to look into more of her work.
Two other stories I listened to are Magdala Amygdala and Littleblossom Makes A Deal With The Devil. Magdala Amygdala was written by Lucy Snyder, who has a long list of accomplishments, but what I would like to highlight is how incredibly interesting her take on zombies and the end of the world. The term 'soft apocalypse' was mentioned a few times on the Psuedopod episode, and I think it fits very well. Honestly, I've never read anything like what Snyder conjured in regards to those aspects. The whole piece was incredibly gritty and visceral. Her descriptions made me cringe. It was fantastic. However, I felt a bit cheated by the end. I wasn't expecting the protagonist to make it past the ending. I wouldn't have been upset if it ended on some triumphant note, but not like it did. It felt very last minute.
Littleblossom Makes A Deal With The Devil by S. Hutson Blount was another piece that could be called high fantasy. Blount grounded me almost immediately and did an amazing job with the entire piece. I appreciated the cultural blending of mythology and futuristic technology. It could have come off as heavy handed or like Blount was trying to hard, but it was appropriately subtle.
This weekend I hope to read more of Aimee Bender's Girl in The Flammable Skirt and finish Anecdotes in Ashes. We'll see how much I get done next week.
