[Yobmod]

I've only read one book from this newish author, which i thought was great - the best book i've read this year so far, and probably the best from a "new" author in the last decade: The Orphans Tale: In the night Garden. (If people are interested, it looks likely to be the March SFFworld Book of the month read).

I was wondering about people's opinions on her other books:

The Labyrinth
Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams
The Grass-Cutting Sword
The Orphan's Tales: In The Night-Garden (WFA nominated, Tiptree winner)
The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

Thats five novels in four years! She also has a cool website (http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/), with free stories and stuff.

[scooter13]

I recently read "Yume No Hon", being my first Valente. It is very short (just to let you know, seeing that you are impressed with the amount of output). I wouldn't even classify it as a novel, it's that short.

As for the book itself, her prose is simply amazing. I wish I could speak the language she speaks. It was an utter joy to read just because of the prose. However, if it had been longer I might not have been so happy to get to the end. What is really happening to the lead character is hidden (to me). I would almost call the story surreal. I couldn't discern what the plot was, and if it was symbolism of what was happening to the main character or for something else. I blame two people for that: Valente herself and me. I am not too terribly well read. I don't read poetry or care to. So I may be missing something very enriching. But she also has a great talent and I think she goes overboard with displaying it, at least in this book. I have read samples of "The Orphan Tales" and find it more accessible.

For those that love very rich prose, you are sure to love any of her works.

[Larry]

I second the goodness of Yume no Hon, as its prose creates a very "atmospheric" setting in which the story itself blends in so well with the writing that it's hard to separate one from the other.

I do have an excerpt from her upcoming Palimpsest to read in the very near future, as it's in the upcoming (April) urban fantasy anthology, Paper Cities.

[Leiali]

Well, thanks Yobmod. Never heard of her but the Orphans tales are now sitting in my basket on amazon waiting for pay day. Looks fantastic.

[Erfael]

Eventine nominated The Orphan's Tale for the book club and Yobmod came in to endorse it. That and a peek at the synopsis on Amazon kicked that one into my spontaneous order two days ago, so looking forward to this one in the book club, as well.

[Yobmod]

Eventine nominated The Orphan's Tale for the book club and Yobmod came in to endorse it. That and a peek at the synopsis on Amazon kicked that one into my spontaneous order two days ago, so looking forward to this one in the book club, as well.

I've just gotten Cities of Coin and Spice, so story should still be fresh enough in my memory till then. Although it is complicated enough that a bit of rereading might be useful too .

[Raule]

I think it is worth reading both volumes of the Orphan's Tales close together. I think I read the second volume six weeks after I read the first, and I was struggling to remember a few things.

I've only read the Orphan's Tales and a few of her short stories. You can find one of her stories in Clarkesworld Magazine that I thought was lovely and sad -- a lot of the same feeling that went into Orphan's Tales. I think her interview with Tobias Buckell is posted over there as well.

I intend to look for her earlier works, and I'm interested in what she's working on now -- a book about the Kingdom of Prester John. Of course, mythical worlds are one of my favorite subjects so I naturally gravitate toward this type of book anyway.

[thrinidir]

The reivew is originally available at Realms of Speculative Fiction

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Catherynne M. Valente - The Orphan's Tales Duology (Book Review)

Once, there was a palace of a sultan, and around the palace, a garden was spread wide and blooming. In this garden, full of beautiful flowers, exotic trees and singing birds, there was also one young, wild girl. No one knew her name and origins - even more, they all turned away from her and never let her set foot onto the palace floor. That was because this girl had dark circles around her eyes like a raccoon, and so people whispered she was a demon, a devil, a cursed one.

But despite all that, one day there came a young boy from the palace who didn't fear the girl. She revealed her secret to this young prince and then told him stories she read in the ink around her eyes ...

~~~

As a kid, how fond were you of fairytales? Personally, I loved them. I had a book where there was a tale for each day, a set of 'seasonal' books which included a book of tales for each season, Grimms' Fairy Tales and The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter. Later on, these were replaced by a depressing book, written by Oscar Wilde (The Happy Prince and Other Tales) and a huge, nameless collection of folk tales, edited and collected by Italo Calvino. Maybe you've red other stories, ones I have no clue about, but I'm sure about one thing - my younger self would kill for "Orphan's Tales" and made it reasonable with only one sentence: it's the ultimate storybook. And by this I most certainly don't mean to say that this duology is meant for children only - it's more like a book for children of all ages.

At first glance, "Orphan's Tales" doesn't differ from an ordinary storybook, despite being published in two volumes. The story begins like all classicall tales, there are pretty illustrations accompanying the text, a nicely done deckled edge and the books as a whole are overall quite adorable. But as you immerse deeper and deeper into Valente's wonderful world, you realise there is something more to the tales. There are small details and trinkets we usually don't find in fairytales - e.g. when a girl dances with a Firebird, she inevitably gets severe burns. It's a realistich touch that makes the tales much more believable, despite the fantastic elements and the often grotesque settings and creatures. A touch of light irony is also sensed at times, as Valente plays with the romantic, idealistic view which is found in classical fairytales. In "Orphan's Tales", the brave princes are often stupid, pretty princesses turn out to be half-monsters and your friend in need is the ugliest, most savage beest in the whole forest. But despite all this, the "Orphan's Tales" is essentially a 'serious' storybook, unlike Sapkowski's "Last Wish", where classical tales are turned upside-down and modernised, sometimes even made fun of.

One thing I really adored in "Orphan's Tales" is how incredibly intertwined the stories are. There is a frame narrative that supports a horde of substories, which sometimes lead to a bit of confusion, especially when you fail to remember what exactly all those were about. Both books can also be a bit long-winded if read in one big gulp and one after another, but on the other hand, it's good to read them in that way, lest you forget what exactly happened in the previous volume and miss a lot of little details that connect the stories. For example, the characters from different stories often meet later on or tell tales of one another, which I found thrilling - it's a great cohesive touch and the read is packed with realisations in the vein of "Hey, I know that one!".

While a lot of authors, even some of the masters of the trade, have trouble with writing good endings and therefore often fail to do so; Valente avoids writing a 'bad ending' with grace and certainly succeeds in writing an almost perfect ending. Since I liked the frame narrative a lot and could hardly wait to see how it ends, the fact that ending is well-written is even more important to me. It all clicks together perfectly, creating a rather surprising and (at least for me) very exciting mosaic. The only thing I would wish different is a bit happier ending for Dinrzard, but I guess one can't have everything. Anyways, "Orphan's Tales" is a superb duology and I heartily reccomend it to everyone who wishes to please his/hers inner child.

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[Bear]

I've been on a classics and non-fiction kick for a while, but I just finished Valenete's "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairlyland in a Ship of Her Own Making" last night and I loved it. I'd only read one of her books before this, but I'll be getting more. Her prose is excellent. Definitely recommended.

[Eventine]

Bear, I think you'd enjoy The Orphan's Tales. Beautiful books.