Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynne
Publisher - Omnian Gatherum
Published - Out Now
Price - £10.68 paperback £2.59 Kindle eBook
Almond-eyed celestial, the filial daughter, the perfect wife. Quiet, submissive, demure. In Black Cranes, Southeast Asian writers of horror both embrace and reject these traditional roles in a unique collection of stories which dissect their experiences of ‘otherness’, be it in the colour of their skin, the angle of their cheekbones, the things they dare to write, or the places they have made for themselves in the world.Black Cranes is a dark and intimate exploration of what it is to be a perpetual outsider.
One of the best things horror can do is talk about how our world in the sense of culture scares us. Yes we are all scared of the dark but as the Monsters series edited by Margret Hegadottir and more recently The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones shows every part of the world have their own distinct spin on myths and fears. Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn have created a wonderful horror anthology focusing on the roles of women in Southeast Asian culture giving us stories which both make you shiver and think
Amongst the collection (all of which are worth a look) I really enjoyed these tales
The Genetic Alchemist’s Daughter by Elaine Cuyegkeng
One of my favourites is this strong opening near future tale focusing on the manufactured Leto the daughter of famed geneticist Orfelia; created in her mother’s idea of perfection Leto also serves as a example of what this technology can do. The pair specialise in not just giving the wealthy and powerful new children but sinisterly replacing those daughters that are felt to be setting a bad family example. Leto grows the new specimen; talks to the original then makes final adjustments to improve the specimen. The original will be killed. A dark tale that really got under the skin exploring how women can be forced to live up to the ideals of society and often not caring why some don’t want to comply. has a fantastic sting in the tale too
Kapre: A Love Story by Rin Chupero
Demonstrating the great range in this collection I was really touched by this tale of a monster in an ancient forest that encounters its first human. We watch their relationship develop and wither and get afraid for what the end will result in. I always love stories that make us understand that even monsters may have some dreams themselves.
A Pet Is For Life by Geneve Flynn
Another favourite in the collection. KU seeks her next human victim and is finding herself starting to stalk Tully a woman who works in a pet sanctuary for the unwanted. A tense game of cat and mouse as Ku’s supernatural form starts to explore Tully’s world to make her final moves. The pay-off is brilliant and its a story that also explores Tully as someone unafraid to do what others won’t do.
Phoenix Claws by Lee Murray
Everyone forgets horror like to make us laugh (in preparation for the following scare). Lucy is New Zealand born but of Chinese descent. She is bringing her non-Chinese boyfriend to meet the family and as per tradition the suitor must eat some fried chicken feet. Fin however ‘chickens out’ (i could not resist a pun sorry) and Lucy suddenly finds the feet appearing everywhere again and again. On the one hand amusing watching Lucy try to hide this supernatural event but also a story about the pressures of balancing different cultures in your own life plus has a bit to say about how relationships need to be balanced in understanding each other.
Of Hunger and Fury by Grace Chan
Our narrator is on a road trip to her mother in Kuala Lumpar bringing her husband along. This story again has a culture has but descends into a nightmarish weird sequence of events changing our understanding of the characters. A truly haunting and uncomfortable tale.
Skin Dowdy by Angela Yuriko Smith
Another futuristic horror tale. Leilani loves attention and for her this often means the latest technological beauty treatments - fibre optic hair, electric tattoos and glowing eyes. Her desire ro beat all others is high but as this story explains its not purely vanity its about expectations. A dark tale of betrayal and revenge that makes you re-assess the character by the end.
Rites of Passage by Gabriela Lee
Probably my other favourite in the collection is a weaving tale that crosses generations about paying a price and motherhood. A young woman’s first sexual encounter, monsters attacking young lovers and a woman condemned by her family for unmarried pregnancy all mix to create a cold tale about women meeting expectations. Body horror and fear of what lies out in the woods mixed with some older Asian myths creates a powerful and smart tale.
The Ninth Tale by Rena Mason
Much more in the style of an old folk tale we follow a Fox Spirit working on ascension to God status. For this Ju needs just one more man’s dreams and she has been cultivating a young lover. But she finds him now betrothed. A tale about lies and deceits with a reminder don’t bet against a spirit. Deliciously nasty.
Vanilla Rice by Angela Yuriko Smith
Meiko wants a child that suits her idea of perfect culture so choses to create a blue-eyed, blonde curly haired daughter. But in the Asian environment she finds her daughter isn’t getting the perfection she dreamed of. A despairing and tragic tale of forcing children to be something they are not and the future consequences of this decision are absolutely haunting
This is a wonderful eerie but intelligent set of stories that make you think of how women and culture intersect and the balance changing as we move forwards in the twenty first century. A great range of tales showing that horror can be light, bloody or terrifying. Readers will get a glimpse of myths and worlds they may not have been very aware of and perfect for those seeking some reads for a scary dark night.
