Book #20: The Ravens of Falkenau and Other Stories, by <user site="livejournal.com" user="jo_graham"

Historical Fantasy, All Of This Has Happened Before (And All Of It Will Happen Again), short story anthology, watch me freak out about Egyptians (again), why do I have to be allergic to cats?

Oh, short stories. I swear, I hear the word and immediately flash back to high school English, where short stories were a method of punishment in class and I got so sick of looking for themes and symbols that I went out of my way to tie in Greek Mythology just for SOMETHING TO DO.

There are a few short stories that I actually really liked before I started reading them on the internet (and writing them myself). I adore "The Pit and the Pendulum", for starters. And there's a story I can never remember about a guy who hunts people and the dude who escapes him. And something that might be called "The Destroyers" that has something to do with Christopher Wren. But mostly, before January of 2009, I didn't really think about short stories a lot.

Thank goodness I've grown up.

( Cut for spoilers and extensive gushing )

9/10, for being awesome, historical, beautiful, sad, wondrous, hilarious and including the following conversation, which sums up the Numinous World to perfection:

I couldn't look away from his eyes, and the chill ran down my arms, all the way to my fingertips. "Sigismund, do you believe that oaths are stronger than death?"

He couldn't look away either, or he would have. "Yes," he said. "And may the gods curse me if I ever betray my friends, living and dead. I'll look out for you, Lucia. That I swear on the memory of the men I fought beside who are all gone now. That I swear."

You can purchase The Ravens of Falkenau and Other Stories here, at Crossroad Press.

Snagged from lanna_kitty, who didn't know how much I needed a s

I can't top her description of it either, so:

Adam Savage, in a Farraday Cage, dancing to the Dr. Who theme, as performed by ArcAttack's Tesla Coils.

Yes, you read all those words together in one sentence.

In progress

*hyperventilates*

DYING FROM EVERYTHING.

ALL THE TIME.

EXCEPT FOR ONE THING.

BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT THAT.

BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING ELSE!

Sanctuary: Normandy

I.

Have never.

In MY LIFE.

Been so concerned.

For the fates of characters.

I ALREADY KNOW THE FATES OF.

*dies*

I don't think there will be coherency tonight. I am way, way too happy. And I am going to watch it again.

Right now.

(Right after I cry tears of joy, possibly faint, and get my hands to stop shaking.)

(OMG, YOU GUYS!)