Review: Starlings

In brief ★★★

Imagine you walk into Jo Walton’s house, pull one of her writing notebooks off the shelf, and start thumbing through the pages; that’s the experience of reading this eclectic collection of poems, short stories and a play. While you won’t find a uniting thread or theme, which will be unsatisfying for some, you will find wild creativity, humour, philosophy and adventure. Clearly a talented writer, Walton canvasses both sci-fi and fantasy in bite-sized chunks. This was my first exposure to her work, and on the basis of her fertile imagination, I’m curious to try her novels.

In depth

Plot: Each of Walton’s short stories are absorbing, and their breadth is actually quite astonishing. This collections includes fairytales and nursery rhymes retold (On The Wall, Three Bears Norse) as well as vivid sci-fi worlds (The Panda Coin, Sleeper, Turnover), some of which are the beginnings of novels never completed. I was easily absorbed into each world, but was often left wanting more, or a little dissatisfied by the simplistic resolutions. Some feel hurried (What Would Sam Spade Do) and others have so very little to them it’s hard to expect them to leave much of an impression (Remember the Allosaurs, At the Bottom of the Garden), but Walton writes in her introduction that short fiction doesn’t come easily to her, and this collection shows different aspects of that journey.

Themes: It’s difficult to capture the wide range of themes covered by this work – the ethics of artificial intelligence, inequality, racism, belonging (or not), amongst others of family, identity and hope. As the best fantasy or sci-fi does, this collection holds a mirror up to the world we live in, bringing the fantastical close to home with contemporary dilemmas.

Writing: Walton is clearly a talented writer – she evokes complex systems in sci-fi worlds with so few words, plunging the reader right in with confidence and aplomb. The stories are well-polished, but not all of them feel whole or totally fleshed out, giving the collection a scattered vibe overall. The poetry generally follows more traditional rhyme schemes (including a fun series of sonnets about Godzilla), but she uses words beautifully and to good aural effect. The play was one of the most enjoyable reads for me – irreverent and fast-paced, it was a real romp of a read.

Recommended if you liked: Rubik

I received an advance e-book copy of this book from Tachyon Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.