REVIEW: Myth - Understandings Ed. Ian Whates

Myth-Understandings ed. Ian Whates
Paperback: 219 pages
Publisher: NewCon Press; (Mar 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0955579127
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought from the Editor at Eastercon 2010

From the back of the book:
Featuring a World Fantasy Award winning story from Gwyneth Jones

Plus original stories from:
Pat Cadigan, Storm Constantine, Justina Robson, Tricia Sullivan, Freda Warrington, Liz Williams, Leigh Kennedy, Deborah J. Miller, Sarah Pinborough, Kim Lakin-Smith, Kari Sperring, Heather Bradshaw, Elizabeth Priest and Claire Weaver

Fifteen stories of science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and horror, from fifteen of the finest authors in today's speculative fiction marketplace... all of whom happen to be women.

Full contents:
Introduction - Ian Whates

Myth A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that servers to explain the worldview of a people.
Owl Speak - Storm Constantine
Seaborne - Kari Sperring
And Their Blood Will Be Prescient to Fire - Freda Warrington
Do You See? - Sarah Pinborough
Queen of the Sunlit Shore - Liz Williams
Heart Song - Kim Lakin-Smith
The Grass Princess - Gwyneth Jones

Understandings Accurate interpretations and comprehension of meaning through the use of intelligence.
Found in the Translation - Pat Cadigan
TouchMe(tm): Keeping in Touch - Heather Bradshaw
We Shelter - Leigh Kennedy
Dinosaur - Deborah J. Miller
Further Orders -- Elizabeth Priest
The Tollhouse - Claire Weaver
Body of Evidence - Justina Robson
The Ecologist and the Avon Lady - Tricia Sullivan

I am fast becoming a fan of the short story format and to find an anthology of women speculative fiction authors all writing on the theme of myths is a guaranteed winner for me. Chatting to a group of writers at the BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) stall while attending Eastercon 2010 led to this particular purchase, especially as Ian Whates was one of those authors - he was rather persuasive, even though I had already heard of this collection and was going to buy it anyway. I should have got him to sign the book! I had read  several of the writers included in Myth-Understandings before and had heard of some of the others, so I was looking forward to reading their short stories.

The anthology is divided into two sections: Myths is broadly fantasy and Understandings leans more towards science fiction. Communication, or the lack of it, is a strong theme throughout.

"Communication... Such a hazardous undertaking... So easy to be misunderstood"

For example, in "Seaborne" by Kari Sperring a unnamed spirit-type creature finds a barely alive human male cast from the sea into to her small patch of shore. By saving the man and caring for him as he recovers, she transforms from an innocent and carefree entity to one who feels pain, loss and despair; their communication being how she learns about emotions and feelings previously unknown to her. Another story, "TouchMe(tm): Keeping in Touch" by Heather Bradshaw, an amusing satire of modern life, explores the world of a call centre where the equipment provided by her company seems to be something more than a mobile phone: a personal device meant for communication between lovers that somehow sends touches by telephone.

My favourite story was "Do You See?" by Sarah Pinborough, a very creepy tale of whispered magic words and disappeared children that raised several questions about the narrator and her motivation. I also enjoyed "Further Orders", a beautifully descriptive début story by the teenage Elizabeth Priest which describes a 30-day period of waiting experienced by a young woman alone in a small meadow with only the trees, lake and various animals to occupy her time. The stories by Liz Williams [Queen of the Sunlit Shore], Gwyneth Jones [The Grass Princess] and Justina Robson [Body of Evidence] were sufficiently intriguing to make me seek out more by these authors.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Myth-Understandings. Yes, there were some stories that were stronger than others, but this is only to be expected from an anthology. Not all them were to my personal taste, though this would not prevent me from recommending this collection as an excellent introduction to many well-respected British speculative fiction writers and their work.

Overall 8/10

Myth-Understandings: BFS Awards 2009:

• Winner of best short story: “Do You See?” – Sarah Pinborough
• Shortlisted for best anthology: Myth-Understandings
• Shortlisted for best small press publisher: NewCon Press