(no subject)

[skygiants]

I quite enjoyed the Flora Segunda books when I read them over a decade ago, but I don't really want to reread the whole trilogy at this time. I have trilogies that I haven't actually yet finished reading that I ought to be reading instead!

Unfortunately I did just pick up [from the library sale] and read Ysabeau Wilce's short story collection set in the same universe, Prophecies, Libels and Dreams. genarti, who happened to read this short story book before me despite having no context for Califa whatsoever, assures me that it's an enjoyable experience regardless of whether you've read the Flora Segunda books. For me, a person who did read the Flora Segunda books and has a vague memory of the fact that most of what I cared about was the Dramatic Parental Backstory of which the short stories fill in some brief and tantalizing snippets, it was simultaneously an enjoyable experience and an exercise in frustration. I don't think the novels ever fill in more than tantalizing snippets either, but they're different tantalizing snippets and I want to know what they were!

...this post therefore is mostly to say that if you have read the Flora Segunda books and you recall anything about the Dramatic Parental Backstory, please save me from myself by infodumping anything that you remember into the comments before I turn back to the trilogy that I don't have time to read.

If you haven't read the Flora Segunda books: genarti says these short stories may be an enjoyable experience for you! The world is a highly fun and highly arch magical California; the prose walks the narrow and tottering tightrope of 'funny and charming' above the vast abyss of 'unbearably twee' (and occasionally falls in and has to pull itself out again); the snotty academic footnotes at the end of each short story explaining how the thing described in them almost certainly didn't happen are for me a real highlight of the ride. I especially liked the one about the thirst zombie (although I felt so, so sad for his pet armadillo) and the one about Tiny Doom going on a wig-stealing rampage. I have some very mixed feelings about the one about the chupacabra.

Comments

[genarti]

Can confirm! I did have the Califa context of you having described the Flora Segunda books to me over a decade ago, but that is not exactly detailed and in-depth context, and these stories were by and large a great experience, if one where I could feel various nuances and easter eggs whizzing right by me.

(Also, extremely agreed about the chupacabra one. The others were mostly just fun, for me if not necessarily the character; that one was... let's go with awkward.)

[sovay]

a vague memory of the fact that most of what I cared about was the Dramatic Parental Backstory

You will be completely unsurprised to hear that Flora's disaster father is my favorite character in the series. I've never read the short story collection, though.

[starlady]

I read the first book yonks ago and I've always meant to read the other two. Literally last night I was thinking about picking up the short story collection first, as it's sitting on my TBR shelf and has been for a while. I do not recall the Disaster Parents Backstory at all.

[chestnut_pod]

Magical California?! How have I never heard of these?

(Is it… a racist chupacabra?)

[osprey_archer]

Ask and you shall receive! I was apparently so overwhelmed by the Dramatic Parental Backstory in the Flora Segunda books that I devoted an entire post to recounting it! I reread that today and WOW, what a wild ride, I had forgotten all of that, and indeed everything about these books except that I enjoyed them, and also that Flora was always calling sandwiches "sandwies."

Apparently (looking at my Ysabeau Wilce tag) I confidently expected a fourth book to come along any day, and I guess in a sense this book is it? But it sounds like the short stories don't pick up the Flora Segunda story where it left off.

[kadharonon]

I think I stopped reading them before the third book came out and never picked them up again, but now that you've reminded me of them I probably ought to go do that.

[mneme]

Oh, I thanks; I didn't know there was more Wilce! I probably need to reread the Flora books at some point though.