Ten stabs to the heart. Ten tales to poke and jab - at your darkest fears, your secret desires. Margo Lanagan's electrifying short stories take place in worlds not quite our own and yet each one illuminates what it is to be human. they are stories of yearning for more, and learning to live with what you have. Stories that show the imprint love leaves on us all. For anyone who likes to be surprised, touched, unsettled, intrigued, or scared, prepare to be dazzled by what a master storyteller can do in a few short pages.

Red Spikes won the 2006 Children's Book Council Award in Australia, equivalent to the UK Carnegie Medal. A dark, mystical mix of stories, reminiscent of Angela Carter or Isabelle Allende. Some I enjoyed more than others, but all left me gripped by the fine, more often invisible line between fantasy and reality. Fairy tales combined with everyday occurrences - the birth of a baby, bullies in a boarding school, the day to day grind and gossip between workers - workers who are employed in Hell. I was especially moved by the final story, which depicts the touching, yet matter of fact way that a changeling child relinquishes her human life to its real owner. Filling me with tears, repulsion and warmth by turns, these stories are original, yet familiar; ethereal, yet earthy. Perhaps this text could be used as further reading for English Literature students studying the short story genre. The acknowledgements also provide a wonderful opportunity for further reading as the author's inspirations are discussed story by story.

2008-05-26