Strange Horizons, March 3 & 10, and 17, 2014

Reviewed by Clancy Weeks

Carlie St. George’s story, on first glance, appears to be an updated re-telling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” but as the protagonist, Reagan, makes her way through adolescence it begins to look more and more like a coming-of-age tale about a confused and traumatized little girl. Reagan, you see, was once eaten by a wolf and then saved by the Hunter. All the elements are there—the Wolf, the Grandma, the Hunter, and Little Red herself—all much as they were, but placed in the modern world where evil has become more concept than tangible danger. Whether as an updated classic, or a simple coming-of-age with horror overtones, “Such Lovely Teeth, Such Big Teeth” transcends both by the end to become something entirely new.

There are enough overlapping ideas to keep the reader busy with nuances of perceived reality for days after finishing. Recommended.

Nathaniel Lee’s “The Mountain Demon’s Ballad” is a well-worn tale of the trickery of demons. Never trust a demon, especially one who grants wishes. Ah, but where would it leave the reader if everyone heeded such advice? This is a very short story created as a set of mini-stories told in succession: the blacksmith, the advisor, and the fool are all connected, but do not create together a narrative whole. And yet… there is an arc to this story that requires the presence of each to make a complete lesson.

If the reader has trouble understanding the lesson, they can always ask the demon. It is said he grants wishes.