Serpents of Sky: Nine stories of dragons
Heidi C. Vlach
Heidi C. Vlach, publisher
Fiction, YA? Collection/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Cross-Genre, Dragons
***+
Description
An old woman encounters unexpected magic in the rose garden, a desperate scientist draws inspiration from a fantasy tale, two dragons argue over the fate of a fledgling planet... in nine stories, the many facets of dragonhood are explored.
Review
Like many collections, this one is a mixed bag... so much that I wonder how far apart these stories were written. The first seven tales vary in tone and depth, from lighthearted to dark and whimsical to poetic, yet all held my interest. The final two, however, a legend and an adventure, had an oddly amateur feel to them. Set in an invented world called Aligare, basis for other novels by the same author, they introduce three nonhuman races in a setting that can't seem to decide if it's wholly alien or based on Earth; anthros and smeerps tangle with ordinary horses and other mundanities. The amateur feeling isn't helped by the author sketches of the races; she paints better pictures with her words, unfortunately, and the sudden insertion of art into an otherwise non-illustrated book hints that she wasn't willing to trust her skills. The writing tries too hard at times to drive home the otherland feel, coming across as clumsy rather than clever, and the story is half a step away from Fluffy Bunny territory: everyone's pleasant and helpful, nothing goes wrong that can't be fixed, and the only darker twist is telegraphed early on. Still, I enjoyed the variety of the earlier tales enough to justify three and a half stars in the ratings.