The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities is out now. While
Rick Riordan is no stranger to short story collections, this time it includes
the other authors from his Presents line of books. Ten different writers grace
the 464 pages of this book. Myths from all over the world and most of the
continents are represented. At first glance, it’s a bold experiment.
Rick Riordan perfected his style in his earlier Percy
Jackson books. There’s a spunky hero, usually a bit sarcastic, who feels out of
place among their school and family. At times, it follows the Joseph Campbell’s
Hero Journey with reluctance at their calling. Along the way, the reader is
either introduced or reacquainted with classic mythology. His Presents line
replicates this success by finding other authors that have a similar style to write
about the mythology from their specific upbringing instead of having a white
guy write about Anansi. At the bookstore, Riordan’s series are available as a
set with all Book Ones together. There is also a set of all Book Ones from the
Presents line. Those sets can feel intimidating, but this book serves the same
purpose in one volume. It makes a lot more sense for one book to introduce a
variety of heroes for the reader to pursue afterwards.
Telling a short story is a skill. All these authors have
published full-length books so it’s clear some forgot how to write a shorter tale
or never had it. These weaker stories have pacing problems, depending too much
on telling instead of showing. However, they’re very few. The majority of
stories have a natural starting place and a believable flow, making one eager
to start the next one.
One of the stand-out “Calamities” is Kwame Mbalia’s tale
about the Gum Baby. She’s a modern retelling of the “tar baby” from the Uncle
Remus stories and such a delight that Tristan Strong’s absence wasn’t felt
until that last line. I’d still love an adaptation of the Strong series just to
see how they would work in the jokes about "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".
Another favorite is by Tehlor Kay Meija. I admit that I’m a sucker for
Chupacabra stories. They’ve been spotted in my county before. Doesn't Bruto look adorable on the cover above? Also, Rebecca
Roanhorse’s story was very memorable complete with science leading to the villain
being vanquished.
New readers won’t be lost joining in on
these heroes’ journeys already in progress. Current readers will love the
continuation and hints towards the next book in that series. The Cursed
Carnival and Other Calamities is a fantastic collection of stories from myths
across the globe. Every protagonist commands our attention and encouragement.
Go check it out at your favorite local bookseller, online store or library!
6/8
P.S. If you’re an email subscriber for Disney Books, their
current email has a deal to download the first Tristan Strong book for just 99
cents!
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