The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This collection of Ms. Black shows her to be a master of the short story as well as novels. Betrayal, love, jealousy and fear are given sharp edges; Mr. Black understands that even love can wound. Turn the pages and enter worlds of furious werewolves, poisonous maidens and ailing vampires. Here are stories that are eerily beautiful, even when they portray degradation or horror. They are full of surprises, twists of fate that trap the reader as easily as they do their victims. Great and terrifying stuff. My husband doesn't believe in vacations in which one rests, so I got very little reading time over the last 12 days or so, but I did read this book a story at a time on planes and in hotel rooms. I for the most part enjoyed the stories. The weakest ones for me were the ones that were clearly set in her fairy books that I haven't read. I don't feel there was precisely enough context for them to be standalone, but I did like just about everything else. It's odd, but the ones that stayed with me the most were the ones that disturbed me, specifically "Virgin" and "The Dog King," and I liked the weirdness of "In Vodka Veritas." I liked the idea of "Paper Cuts Scissors" more than the execution, but it wasn't a bad story. Overall, I thought that this was a solid collection, and I don't regret dragging it along with me on vacation.
What do You think about The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories (2011)?
Irgendwie hatte ich an diese Sammlung eine hohe Erwartung, aber was für eine Enttäuschung.
—Lola
I would love to see Paper Cuts Scissors become a full fledged book one day.
—beachybear
A bunch of fun and sort of creepy short stories.
—chasky
Eerie and beautiful. The stories were amazing!
—hnhnsr
