A Tiding of Magpies by Pete W Sutton
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Grimbold Books
Published – Out Now
Price - £3.99 Kindle eBook
These deliciously dark tales are themed on the counting magpies songs. Twenty-five tales, ranging from tiny flash fiction to long stories, always entertain and unnerve. Whether it is waking to unmentionable sounds in Not Alone, taking a trip to the land of stories in Five for Silver, the surprising use of a robot butler in I, Butler, or competition winner It Falls, Sutton's unique voice shines through.
What makes a good anthology? Lazy answer good stories but I think what exactly are you collating the stories for is an important question. I like those with a theme because the author or authors get to explore topics in way you in everyday life will never consider. In Pete Sutton’s A Tiding of Magpies (recently re-issued by Grimbold Books with some new stories) the old tale of magpies “One for sorrow. Two for joy etc” is the tentpole a host of strange, weird and sometimes chilling stories are gathered to make a pleasing read I highly recommend to you!
Among the stories I enjoyed were
Roadkill – a strong opening where a traffic accident and rather strange child combine to move the mundane and slightly tragic into something truly chilling.
The Stone of Sorrow – a SF tale about a farm and the children who grew up on it that then moves into dystopia and lost hopes. Tragic, compelling, and heart-breaking and I really liked how a wider conflict and dystopian world is painted sparingly in miniature.
The Night Market – a tale of a strange magical market that really reminds me of Neverwhere as an ambitious seller decides there is an opportunity for progression up the ranks, but an unexpected death then may be his downfall unless he can solve it quickly. I love tales of strange magical bargains and this is inventive.
Married in Blue - a bit of folk fantasy as a young woman is wooed by an enigmatic stranger. Regular readers of folk tales may recognise the stranger as his friends gather round. Has a wonderful mythic quality to it. One of my favourites
Le Sacre Du Printemps – Another strange tale I really enjoyed was a tale of a musician who is told how he can hear a muse. It captures the frustration of loss of confidence in oneself, the passion/madness of an idea being created and the tale has a fascinating setting we get later context for.
Bruised - This is a fascinating horror story with some brilliant shifts in perspective for the reader. A woman finds herself with a painful bruise that slowly takes over her entire body – part body horror and a lot more – deliciously creepy.
Its Always the End for Someone – A woman caring for her dying father all alone is desperately trying to contact her brother abroad. A powerful atmospheric tale that captures grief, despair anger and finally release in a very unexpected way. Excellently delivered.
The Cat’s Got It – a darkly humorous tale of a man very annoyed how a cat interrupts his favourite hobby – will leave it at that.
This is a fantastically varied collection with some flash fiction, mood pieces and so much more. Very much the type of collection you can dive into and no story will quite go where you were expecting it. Highly recommended!
