Different Times And Other Places by Juliet E. McKenna (book review).

‘Different Times And Other Places’ by Juliet E. McKenna is the tenth book in the ‘Polestars’ series of individual author short story collections from NewCon Press. It ‘gathers the author’s finest stories from the past twenty years and features two brand new tales,’ says the back cover. There are seventeen stories of various lengths, and these were interesting.

‘The Roots Of Aston Quercus’ features dryads, female spirits who live in trees but can take a human form that pleases the human male. The humans are going to build a motorway through a copse of old trees these spirits occupy, and they must find a way to save it. This is a sweet story with a gentle green theme.

Having learnt the craft of turning tree stumps into sculptures, Dan Mackmain receives a commission from an arboretum in West Sussex to make something from the remains of a cedar tree in Lebanon. ‘The Green Man’s Guest’ has the intriguing notion that trees from other countries might come with their native dryads. While the story lacks drama, it is nonetheless engaging. McKenna has written a number of ‘Green Man’ novels, which I’ve scooped up when they’re on promotion and must read someday.

‘The Hand That Rocks The Cradle’ reads like straight Victorian fiction about a governess struggling to make ends meet in Dickensian London but has a hopeful fantasy ending. McKenna captures the period details very well, so I presume she has read contemporary fiction from that era.

“The Echoes of a Shot” is an intriguing alternative history that features Amelia Earhart making her transatlantic crossing and expressing modern views about robber baron capitalism and women’s rights. She certainly advocated for women’s rights, but I’m not sure if she was particularly socialist. However, the changed circumstances of this alternative world might have made her so, and my research was very cursory.

An ‘Alien’ artefacts anthology inspired the writing of ‘The Sphere’. It begins with Henry Tall Deer, a Nakota Indian field biologist, witnessing a spaceship crash and follows the artefact investigation through the years with surprising results. Will little green men eat us or save us? Will we ever know?

‘Speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick’ has a strong woman using mediaeval weaponry to stop a fool spreading disease on a space station. As a small band pursues the renegade and quickly deals with him, the situation gradually becomes clear. This is especially relevant now that the USA has placed an anti-vaxxer in charge of healthcare. What fun times lie ahead!

‘Patience: A Womanly Virtue’ features Mother Valdese, a manipulative and ruthless poisoner who poses as a healer and uses her skills to change society according to her wishes. She has patience, but few other virtues.

Nederin is a humble goatherd. His climbing skills enable him to play a key part in a revolution using a powerful symbol of liberty. ‘The Land Of The Eagle’ is an uplifting tale of ordinary people inspired to fight foreign tyranny by their own folklore. Despite the fantasy setting, the sentiment is relevant forever.

Many fantasy stories are about war and mighty thewed heroes, but some authors, like L.E. Modesitt, Jr., pay attention to the technology, the crafts, and how a mediaeval society functioned in normal times. McKenna does this, too. In ‘A Stitch In Time Saves One,’ Clella operates a family-run tapestry weaving establishment that has been passed down through the generations. When the local baron’s soldiers dump a beaten youth outside her workshop, she uses subtle magic to investigate further in another intriguing yarn.

“Coins, Fights, and Stories Always Have Two Sides” is about mercenaries gathered in a forest having a tournament to recruit the best fighters for the next war. The point of view character, a likeable fellow, is Erlin, currently a caterer who feeds the soldiers now, but he’s clearly done some fighting in the past. There’s some skulduggery afoot but a neat twist at the end.

Red-haired, green-eyed, and curvy, Livak is a professional gambler who burgles now and then in ‘Win Some, Lose Some.’. Arle Cordainer is a house steward to a wealthy merchant and has inside information on a wonderful treasure he’s recently acquired for his lovely young wife. Livak and friends can’t resist such an opportunity to enrich themselves, but perhaps they should. Not everything unfolds as expected. Livak is the lead character in Mckenna’s debut novel, “The Thief’s Gamble,” the first in the “Tales of Einarinn” series if you like her and are tempted to read more.

McKenna generally writes fantasy novels and is perhaps not such a master of the short story as those who specialise in it. However, the form is flexible enough to support variety, and while these tales will not satisfy those seeking pulpish melodrama and thrills, there is a quiet satisfaction in them. As it contains a few yarns from her established worlds, this collection will please her fans and might earn her some new ones.

Eamonn Murphy

December 2024

(pub: Newcon Press. 238 page small enlarged paperback. Price: £13.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-914953-93-4)

check out websites: www.newconpress.co.uk and www.julietemckenna.com