Reviewed by Lisa
TITLE: The Firebird and Other Stories
SERIES: Being(s) in Love #5
AUTHOR: R. Cooper
NARRATOR: Robert Nieman
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 14 hours and 21 minutes
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2016
BLURB:
Magical creatures known as beings emerged from hiding amid the destruction of the First World War. Since then they’ve lived on the margins of the human world as misunderstood objects of fear and desire. Some are beautiful, others fearsome and powerful. Yet for all their magic and strength, they are as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to matters of the heart.
A firebird in 1930s Paris is drawn to a writer with a haunted past. Upon returning from fighting in the Pacific, a jaguar shifter finds a third-gender human on his doorstep. Early rock ‘n’ roll DJ Hyacinth the fairy shocks his listeners with his admiration for his quiet assistant. During the AIDS crisis, a gruff, leather-wearing troll dreams of a settled life with a mixed-species elf across the bar. An imp, who remembers only too well how cruel the world can be, tells himself he’s content to stay behind the scenes – if only his chaotic, impish magic would stop getting in the way. And a shy human tending his poisonous and carnivorous plants is convinced no one will ever want him, certainly not the handsome werewolf grieving for a lost mate. Human or being, all must overcome fear to reach for love.
REVIEW:
This is a collection of shorts set in the Being(s) universe and they span roughly about 100 years beginning during WWII.
The Firebird – Kazimir is a rare Firebird who sings opera in WWII era France. For many years he’s been enslaved by greedy men who were destroyed because of his nature. Jacob is a failed writer who drinks to forget memories of the war. He’s referred to Kazimir by a mutual acquaintance who thinks Jacob could write a book to entertain Kaz. Kaz is intrigued by Jacob because Jacob is the one man who doesn’t try to use Kaz for his own purposes.
I had a difficult time getting into this story, I felt like I was missing something important and by the time I started to understand what was happening, it abruptly was over. I was underwhelmed by the narration which felt rushed and wasn’t well-enunciated in places.
Rating: 2 hearts
The Warrior’s Sacrifice – Teo is a cross-dresser or non-gender conforming non-binary human who’s beaten and left as a sacrifice for the neighborhood’s jaguar. Carmelo is a jaguar shifter who’s a bit of an enforcer for the neighborhood. When Teo is left as his sacrifice, he’s thankful because he’s been attracted to Teo for ages and it’s definitely mutual.
I also felt dropped in the middle of the story with this and again felt like by the time I understood what was happening the story was over. I did enjoy the dynamic between Teo and Carmelo and loved how accepting Carmelo was of Teo’s nature. I enjoyed the narration more than the previous story.
Rating: 3 hearts
Hyacinth on the Air – Hyacinth is a radio DJ who’s also a fairy. Walter is the radio station’s human attorney. Hyacinth is wildly popular with his audience and much of it probably has to do with his complete disregard of rules. He swears and tells his audience outrageous stories about his sex life as well and about his feelings about Walter. Walter is tasked with trying to keep Hyacinth radio friendly but is unable to repress him.
This story was one of my favorites, it was fun and sexy. I could really sense the “free love” feelings that were prevalent during the 1960s.
Rating: 4 hearts
A Giant Among Men – Tank is a troll who’s a former police officer and he uses his size and reputation to self-patrol the neighborhood which is plagued with vandalism and fear during the 1980s AIDS epidemic. Simon is one of the bartenders at the local Beings friendly bar as well as an elf.
I felt like this story had a lot of depth. It felt real and the social commentary was unmistakable with the workplace discrimination against Beings in the police force and the fearmongering against Beings with the onset of AIDS. Although it’s not explicitly mentioned to be Kazimir, Tank is mesmerized while listening to a being singing opera. I like how the stories interconnect. I also liked that one of the MCs was a troll.
Rating: 4 hearts
The Imp and Mr. Sunshine – Rennet is an imp who we first meet as a child in The Firebird. He was taken in by Kazimir as a child and in this story is now an adult. John is the city’s Deputy Mayor and has earned the nickname “Mr. Sunshine” because of his calm unflappable demeanor. Poor Rennet is always creating chaos. He doesn’t mean to, it’s just the nature of an imp. The chaos gets noticeably worse when he’s feeling upset. He and John have a friends with benefits type relationship although neither knows the other wants it to be more.
I liked seeing Rennet as an adult since he made a brief appearance earlier on in the anthology but didn’t like the lack of communication between him and John which caused a lot of trouble especially for Rennet.
Rating: 3 hearts
The Wolf in the Garden – Miki is a gardening shop employee and human. He has a fascination with unusual plants, most especially the carnivorous and poisonous ones. Diego is a wolf shifter who’s a musician. Miki has a hard time accepting Diego is interested because he can’t quite wrap his head around Diego falling in love with him. We see Kazimir again many years after the beginning of his story and he felt like more than just a secondary character to me.
This story was both sweet and bittersweet. Sweet because Diego is able to find love again. Bittersweet because Kazimir is also mourning the loss of his mate and life has taken its toll on him, which is clearly painful for Miki. It doesn’t explicitly detail how Jacob dies, but it hints at something horrible and I found that sad.
Rating: 4 hearts
The Dragon’s Egg – We first meet Bertie and Arthur in A Boy and His Dragon. This short catches back up with the couple in a slice of life perspective told through Bertie’s POV. Arthur is amazed to find out he and Bertie have created an egg and Bertie is as happy as can be because dragon eggs are rare and almost unheard of from a same gender pairing.
I thought this story was cute and endearing and was happy to see Bertie and Arthur again. I hope to be able to learn more about their offspring in the future.
Rating: 4 hearts
I had a difficult time getting into the first couple of stories because they didn’t contain much backstory and seemed to end just as I gained understanding of what was happening. Once I learned the basic flow, I enjoyed them much more. I would suggest reading A Boy and His Dragon before this for Arthur and Bertie’s backstory. I would recommend to anyone who likes anthologies of short stories, supernatural/paranormal creatures, and the author’s previous works.
I had mixed feelings on the narration. I really enjoy Robert Neiman’s voice, however there were times when his enunciation wasn’t the best, and times when he was speaking too fast. There were also times when I thought his performance was wonderful.
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