Sweet & Salty Reviews - Saints & Curses by Alexis Lantgen

Beware of the spoilers!

The Dish

Saints & Curses by Alexis Lantgen is a collection of 11 short stories, all in the general ‘fantasy’ genre. The stories range from very short to medium length and there is an aggregation of micro-fiction at the end.

The Sauce

Most of the stories deal with old regional myths and legends, like forest spirits, elves and different types of vampires than the Count Dracula kind. Some are set in modern times, others in ancient times, and some in alternative histories. All of them possess some aspect of the supernatural.

The Sweet

Alexis Lantgen can write a short story. Her work is well-constructed, pleasantly written with just a hint of poetry, and always comes to a satisfying conclusion. Not necessarily a pleasant conclusion, but certainly satisfying.

The upbeat stories are probably my favourite. ‘Grackle’ might be the strongest and it was a good idea to lead with this. ‘Elven Carols’ is sweet and ‘Cinnamon Ultra Pumpkinator’ is a little bonkers but still a good read. The other stories tend to be a little on the grim side. Not necessarily bad, it just depends on what you’re into.

‘Braids’ is written in the style of a hearth fable and it suits the content of the story. The ending is bittersweet and feels like a fairy tale with its omniscient narrator. ‘Switched’ could just as easily be a heart-warming story about a mother’s determination to get her baby back as it could be about crippling post-natal depression and psychosis. ‘The Lost Cat’ is either a revenge story or a just desserts story, depending on how you look at it.

The last two stories, ‘Blood Sausage, Salt Pork’ and ‘The King of Rats’ are very different from the others. They feature a male protagonist named Nik, seemingly a bishop in the Holy Roman Empire, going about doing good deeds. The character reminds me of a pre-modern Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files, and I found these stories quite enjoyable. In fact, I’d be happy to see more of Nik’s adventures, perhaps captured in a separate anthology. I was particularly pleased with the character, Cassia, from ‘Blood Sausage’ for one very important exchange between her and Nik, where she explains what she’d do to a strigoi with a bottle of holy water. That’a girl.

The Salty

While I’m not especially sensitive about content, the book might have benefited from a trigger warning for domestic abuse, child abuse and sexual assault. While nothing is shown graphically, I can imagine the allusions can be a little heavy if you’re upset by those issues.

The anthology also suffers from a niggling flaw, which is a lack of a central theme. Though they are all fantasy stories, they are a fan-spread of different belief systems, historical periods and, most importantly, mood. The first two stories are quite moving and upbeat. The third, ‘There was a Nicholas Once’, is not. The same could be said of most of the stories until the final two, with the exception of ‘Cinnamon Ultra Pumpkinator’, which is just mad. The anthology might have benefited from a single unifying factor (geographical location, type of monster/myth, main character, etc.)

One concern is the view of men in the stories. A male character is a villain (or otherwise an antagonist) in no less than 6 of the stories, with no positive male character to balance them out. Though I will point out that a lot of the female characters seem to be their own worst enemies a lot of the time. One major saving grace on this front is the character Nik, who I take to be the protagonist of the last two stories in the book. He was charming and pleasant and, I think, more than makes up for the shortfall in the rest of the book.

Leaving aside some minor editorial errors (grammar, typos), the book is well put together and Lantgen’s husband has provided a simple but attractive cover.

The Aftertaste

Saints & Curses is good value for money. For about $3, you’re getting 11 prettily-written, interesting and emotional stories. If you’re just looking for something to cheer you up, maybe read the first two and save the rest for when you’re feeling robust. Likewise, if you want something a little more action-oriented, read the last two stories. Otherwise, this is a good purchase, with bright prose and solid pacing.