Review: Laughter at the Academy

Laughter at the Academy by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How long have we waited for a collection of short fiction by Seanan McGuire? So long, and yes, I know there is a collection of her short fiction as Mira Grant, but that's Mira fiction (Rise: A Newsflesh Collection and watch out, because it's full of zombies.) This collection, as Seanan McGuire, doesn't have stories from any of her series universes. You will find no Velveteen, no Toby Daye, no InCryptid, and no portals for Wayward Children. But you will find some of my favorite stories she's written over the past decade, from the heart-searing "Threnody for Little Girl, With Tuna, at the End of the World" to the chilling "Down, Deep Down, Below the Waves," an entirely satisfying Lovecraftian tale that strips out everything I loathe about Lovecraft's world and leaves me with the creepy-scary things I love about it. Of course, we aren't short on horror here, because it's still Seanan, though it isn't the science-y horror of Mira Grant. There are still places you shouldn't go to, like the Connolly House. (No, really, don't go there, really don't... go... don't... Come, Come, Come) There is the story of Dot (that would be Dorothy) in her role as the Wicked Witch of the West, Princess of Oz, Crossover Ambassador, and her falling out with the Undying Empress, Princess Ozma, her ex, who called Dot a political liability. There are twenty-two stories in the volume, which is a generous 376 pages in length. Longtime readers may recognize them, though the author has polished them further for this edition. The collection is already sold out in a limited hardcover edition with beautiful illustrations from Subterranean Press. But you can still enjoy it in ebook format if you didn't get in early on pre-orders, which are becoming a must for SubPress's Seanan McGuire titles.

Laughter at the Academy releases October 31 (so apropos), but readers should note that a series of printing press repairs have slightly delayed the hardcover edition. Anyone who has ever held one of the spectacular limited editions from Subterranean Press in their hands will know that a short delay means nothing once you're holding a gorgeous volume in your hands. The paper! The illustrations! I'll happily wait for mine to arrive.


I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from Subterranean Press in exchange for an honest review.

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