Pretty Monsters: A retrospective view

Kelly Link's Pretty Monsters was a whimsical anthology of short stories that defied expectations. Rather than just talk about the book as a whole, I feel it is better to review a few of my favorites.

The Wrong Grave was a fun adventuresome romp with characters that were easy to relate with. Its ending was somewhat unexpected and decidedly clever.

The Wizards of Perfil: One of my favorite stories of the book, it has a vague Grimm's Tales feel and was very satisfying.

Magic for Beginners: Absolutely my favorite story in the collection. The meta structure of the story was unusual and the story felt stylistically distinct.

The Surfer: Definitely my least favorite of the stories. The Surfer takes a swing at mild science fantasy and misses just by a little.

Overall, the anthology was one of the best books this semester.