review 1: My second Women in Horror Month read. (Only managed 2 this year, but what a great 2!) This book does something I have rarely seen accomplished well in fiction: It makes injustice and the sense of being socially trapped in a sick system the root of an awful, claustrophobic, paralyzing fear--without going very far at all from the real world. (That said, the speculative elements are well-chosen and anything but run of the mill.) The stories in this collection are filled with sharp bites that leave you worrying how they might fester if you dwell too long on them. And that's the thing... you have no choice but to dwell on them. People who are looking for something different from the usual horror--and who aren't afraid to look ugly realities in the face to see who flinches first... more--should read this collection. review 2: What I like best about these eleven stories, which range in tone from the fantastic to the horrific, is that Burke writes about people and situations I rarely get to read about in speculative fiction. Not just the African-American experience, though that's different enough in itself from what you find in run of the mill speculative fiction, but characters who are down and out, who are at the end of their ropes, who are blamed for things they didn't do and know damn well why. Burke has a strong point of view as a writer, and I look forward to seeing more from her. less
