skygiants | (no subject)

Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette's works have been hit or miss for me in the past -- I wrote, confidently, and then realized that in fact I have only read The Goblin Emperor (which I found both pleasant and frustrating) and read enough about various of her other books to be fairly although possibly unjustly convinced that most of them are probably not for me.

However, a.) people have in the past told me that I might like the Kyle Murchison Booth stories and b.) A Theory of Haunting was one of my fellow Solaris Satellite novellas this year and I felt like I ought to at least purchase it in the spirit of solidarity.

And in fact I liked it quite a bit! It felt very Classic Victorian Ghost Story in a very pleasing way: there's a haunted house, there's an assortment of people ranging from awful to gullible who have set up shop in the haunted house, there's a sinister spiritualist, there's a fraught undercurrent of homoeroticism. The protagonist has been voluntold to be there for work reasons and does not want to be there and spends the whole book attempting not to be there, which I find pleasant, refreshing, and relatable in a protagonist; I too often feel this way about unavoidable work travel. Also he is a museum archivist and I went in fully expecting to want to fight with his portrayal as an MLIS professional and instead I thought it was quite reasonable! His cataloging priorities made sense to me!

I admit I have no idea what the book was trying to convey to me on its last page -- it felt like it thought it was either providing a shocking twist or a thematic coup de grace and I just ended up confused (though I am willing to accept

coffeeandink's explanation as making much more sense than anything I came up with on my own) -- but this didn't really detract from my reading experience very much and I may go on to read the other Kyle Murchison Booth stories on the strength of this, sometimes one does just want to experience a Classic Ghost Story.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

starlady

Monette's books are hit or miss for me too, but I adore the Booth stories unreservedly; this might be my favorite of them all. For the record, I felt zero confusion about the ending and assumed that interpretation was what happened without any ambiguity.

From:

skygiants

I was reading on a plane and had completely forgotten about Fire Death Powers Ritual by the time I hit the end so I was just like "??? okay???"

From:

sovay

Also he is a museum archivist and I went in fully expecting to want to fight with his portrayal as an MLIS professional and instead I thought it was quite reasonable! His cataloging priorities made sense to me!

This delights me!

I am probably one of the people who has been telling you to read the Kyle Murchison Booth stories, but just in case I haven't been, you totally should. They are my favorite thing that Sarah Monette does and I am holding out cautious hope that since it has now been proven that Booth works at novella-length, perhaps some year he will finally turn up in a novel. The Thara Celehar mysteries are close, but not the same cigar.

Re the last page, rot13 for people who care: va yvtug bs gur xabjyrqtr gung Nyrkvf Evtol/Wbanguna Yrfyrl unq npprff nf n puvyq gb Pbaenq Brggvatre'f Qr Cevzbeqvn Erehz va juvpu vg vf nffregrq gung gur fgeratgu bs n fnpevsvpr ol sver pna or genafsreerq gb gur crefba jub cresbezf gur fnpevsvpr naq gung uvf puvyqubbq sevraq jub jnf sbhaq zlfgrevbhfyl ohearq gb qrngu unq unq n unovg bs cynlvat va gur przrgrel jvgu fb-pnyyrq vzntvanel sevraqf, V gbbx gur svany qvfpybfher gb zrna gung guvegrra-lrne-byq abg-lrg-Nyrkvf npdhverq uvf cbjref nf n zrqvhz ol zheqrevat avar-lrne-byq Znggurj Snypbare, nofbeovat gur lbhatre obl'f novyvgl gb gnyx gb gur qrnq guebhtu gur evghny bs gur sver fnpevsvpr; vg vf na bqq abgr sbe gur obbx gb raq ba, ohg sbe zr vg qvq gvr gurzngvpnyyl onpx gb nyy gur qrnguf ng Guvequbc Fpnec orpnhfr Nyrkvf ol hfvat gur fnzr zrgubqf nf vgf bjaref znqr uvzfrys n xvaq bs unhagrq ubhfr. Vs vg jnf zrnag gb rkcynva jul Obbgu fheivirq gur rkbepvfz bs gur ubhfr jvgu uvf fnavgl vagnpg naq Nyrkvf jub jnf cneg bs gur fnzr cnggrea bs arpebznapl qvqa'g, ubjrire, gung jnfa'g fb pyrne gb zr.

I also find A Theory of Haunting strongly in dialogue with The Haunting of Hill House, which means the queerness is part and parcel of the vibe. It is also part and parcel of Booth's vibe generally. I would settle for a second collection of the short stories if I can't get a novel.

From:

kore

They are my favorite thing that Sarah Monette does and I am holding out cautious hope that since it has now been proven that Booth works at novella-length, perhaps some year he will finally turn up in a novel. The Thara Celehar mysteries are close, but not the same cigar.

Yes!

I don't think I found the ending of the novella very confusing, but I think I was kind of taking it at face value.

I hadn't thought of comparing this with Jackson! That's a neat idea.

From:

sovay

I don't think I found the ending of the novella very confusing, but I think I was kind of taking it at face value.

I don't think it is confusing. The only reason I mention a possible point of uncertainty is [return of rot13] orpnhfr vg npghnyyl qbrfa'g znxr frafr gb zr gung gur rkbepvfz rssrpgviryl qrfgeblf Nyrkvf; vg'f gehr gung ur'f n shyy-syrqtrq zrqvhz juvyr Obbgu vf zreryl vapbairavragyl frafvgvir, fb creuncf jr'er whfg zrnag gb nffhzr gung uvf cflpuvp ragnatyrzrag jvgu gur ubhfr znqr vg vzcbffvoyr sbe Obbgu gb fuerq gur sbhaqngvbaf bs vgf fragvrapr jvgubhg nyfb unezvat gur crefba jub jnf gharq va gb vg, ohg gung srryf fbzrubj zber neovgenel guna gur bgure qrinfgngvbaf jernxrq ol gur ubhfr bire gur pbhefr bs vgf uvfgbel/gur abiryyn. Vs vg unq fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu ubj Nyrkvf unq bognvarq uvf cbjref, ng yrnfg vg jbhyq srry cneg bs n cnggrea. V whfg pna'g dhvgr znxr vg jbex.

I hadn't thought of comparing this with Jackson! That's a neat idea.

Thank you! The house which is itself not sane, with its history of violent deaths some of which can be laid at the feet of its builder and some which were simply its own doing; the séances which interact badly with the people who are holding them; and since it very definitely does not want to be investigated, I would also put The Legend of Hell House in its DNA, although I am referring to the film because I have not actually read more than a couple passages of the novel. The Booth stories started in dialogue with Lovecraft and James, so it makes sense to me that Jackson could serve as a spark, besides the fact that it is very difficult to write a certain kind of haunted house story without engaging with her. There was also a moment that made me think of The Innocents, but that might be my apophenia more than Monette's influences.

Edited (clarifying) Date: 2024-01-04 10:56 am (UTC)

From:

aella_irene

I just re-read, and it is dedicated to Shirley Jackson.

From:

kore

Hah, how did I forget that!

From:

sovay

I just re-read, and it is dedicated to Shirley Jackson.

That'd do it!

(I had also forgotten.)

From:

aella_irene

I only noticed because I clicked back too far returning to the beginning!

From:

kore

Hmm, now remembering the dedication, I wonder if the ambiguity is meant to be very heavy -- it certainly is in Hill House. ("I am doing this, all by myself, at last, I am doing this -- why am I doing this?")

From:

sovay

Hmm, now remembering the dedication, I wonder if the ambiguity is meant to be very heavy -- it certainly is in Hill House.

Thinking of different aspects of Eleanor and Theo as split and refracted through both Booth and Alexis makes more sense of the ending, because Eleanor canonically does not escape the event horizon of Hill House.

From:

kate_nepveu

it's funny because to me Thara Celehar is ... basically the same person?

I agree with you/coffeandink about the rot13 and with Becca in that I found it to come kind of out of nowhere.

From:

skygiants

I think you are indeed and you were absolutely right! This definitely does seem to be the niche of hers that works best for me [at least as for this novella, and I have Bone Key queued up for whenever I am next traveling and want a solid library ebook.]

guvf qbrf znxr frafr! V unq pbzcyrgryl sbetbggra nobhg gur npghny evghny zrpunavp ol gur gvzr V uvg gur raq, fb V jnf whfg yvxr 'jul ner jr bayl ABJ orvat vagebqhprq gb guvf qenzngvp onpxfgbel zheqre bs n puvyq jub unf arire orra cerivbhfyl zragvbarq? guvf frrzf yvxr n ybg bs vasbezngvba gb erprvir harkcrpgrqyl va gur svany guerr cnentencuf bs gur grkg?'

You are definitely right about the dialogue with The Haunting of Hill House, which tbh makes it all the more charming to me that Booth looks at the seductions and camaraderie offered by the extremely haunted house and is like 'yes all right I too am queer and dissatisfied but I don't want to be here! the vibes are so bad! rip to Eleanor but I'm different!'

From:

sovay

This definitely does seem to be the niche of hers that works best for me [at least as for this novella, and I have Bone Key queued up for whenever I am next traveling and want a solid library ebook.]

Yay! Should you like The Bone Key, most of the uncollected stories are available online; I just wish they were collected (anywhere other than Unnatural Creatures (2011), which was a limited-edition fundraiser chapbook and I'm not even sure you can get copies direct from the author anymore).

guvf qbrf znxr frafr! V unq pbzcyrgryl sbetbggra nobhg gur npghny evghny zrpunavp ol gur gvzr V uvg gur raq

That's fair! The Booth stories are by nature full of fictional occult authorities, but I particularly liked the ones in play in this novella.

which tbh makes it all the more charming to me that Booth looks at the seductions and camaraderie offered by the extremely haunted house and is like 'yes all right I too am queer and dissatisfied but I don't want to be here! the vibes are so bad! rip to Eleanor but I'm different!'

So true.

From:

kore

I was sure Unnatural Creatures was on Kindle, but on searching apparently I just looked for the individual stories and read them that way.

From:

sovay

I was sure Unnatural Creatures was on Kindle, but on searching apparently I just looked for the individual stories and read them that way.

Hey, if it means you can read "The World Without Sleep" without buying Somewhere Beneath Those Waves (2011), more power to you.

(Somewhere Beneath Those Waves is quite a good collection, I should say. "The Seance at Chisholm End," which despite its title is not a Booth story, is one of my other favorites of Monette's fiction.)

From:

kore

Aww man is everyone on Bluesky now? At least that's not Discord.

I really liked the Goblin Emperor, but I liked its two sequels much more -- the lead character is a lot like Booth, come to think of it. I read this and was mildly disappointed by it for some reason. I like the collected Booth stories much better, especially the ones set in the creepy creepy museum.

From:

sovay

I really liked the Goblin Emperor, but I liked its two sequels much more

Same. Thara was my favorite character in The Goblin Emperor—how not—which if anything meant I expected him not to be the hero of any spin-off books.

-- the lead character is a lot like Booth, come to think of it.

They are sufficiently differentiated as characters and narrators that one doesn't just feel like a transplant of the other, but this was basically also my reaction. I am waiting eagerly for The Tomb of Dragons, which briefly had a release date and now seems not to have one.

From:

kore

Yes! They are sort of like siblings. Or at least, cousins. One interesting thing, to me, is how they don't seem aware of how they may appear to other people -- like when Thara is called "intimidating," or someone doesn't treat Booth like the total unappealing hot mess he thinks he is. And Thara has more enjoyments in life than Booth -- he has the teahouses, the tea, the cats!, the opera composer/director (who is absolutely perfect, I wonder if the author spent time around opera casts).

I am waiting eagerly for The Tomb of Dragons, which briefly had a release date and now seems not to have one.

AUGH

From:

sovay

One interesting thing, to me, is how they don't seem aware of how they may appear to other people -- like when Thara is called "intimidating," or someone doesn't treat Booth like the total unappealing hot mess he thinks he is.

It's very believable for social anxiety/depression: neither of them can believe that they don't depress and stress other people by their sheer existence. Thara might be getting better at it. (Booth is an extremely appealing hot mess, thank you.)

And Thara has more enjoyments in life than Booth -- he has the teahouses, the tea, the cats!, the opera composer/director

And how characteristic it is of Thara not to notice that he has been brought home to meet Pel-Thenhior's mother.

(who is absolutely perfect, I wonder if the author spent time around opera casts).

I have never been part of a repertory company, but I have been in operas and the Vermilion Opera rang true to me. I love everything about the composition and performance of Zhelsu, which is like Tosca crossed with Shostakovich and Menotti.

From:

aella_irene

I am impressed by Booth's social nous: he's not good with people but he is good at recognising undercurrents in a situation, and in making a decent guess at what they are: thinking particularly of The Replacement, where it takes him about five minutes to work out why he's been invited. It's just the...everything else. Plus the talking.

From:

sovay

It's just the...everything else. Plus the talking.

Being expected to talk to people is just unfair.

(His instincts for when people want something from him are impeccable, unless what they want is something neutral to positive, like enjoying his company without being any kind of eldritch thing with ulterior motives.)

From:

skygiants

(I don't think everyone is, I just can't break my habit of tabbing away for micro-distractions so I'm dispiritedly straddling several locations.)

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Booth stories at some point in the nearish future!

From:

aella_irene

I am glad you enjoyed it! Booth's desire to not be there appealed to me also, as did the point where it is clear that his boss is happy for him to not be there, but does need something to work with! You need to try, Booth!

I came out of it 90% sure that the guy in prison was right about the murders he was accused of committing.

I am now coming up with a list of KMB stories You Should Read, but it comprises most of the canon, so I may just recommend the collection of short stories and have done with it.

From:

sovay

I came out of it 90% sure that the guy in prison was right about the murders he was accused of committing.

J. A. Cathcart? Yeah. [son of return of rot13] Vapyhqvat gung jura ur vafvfgrq gung uvf jvsr jnf fgvyy nyvir va gur jnyyf bs Guvequbc Fpnec, ba fbzr ubeevoyr tubfg-genc raretl yriry ur jnfa'g jebat.

From:

skygiants

He sure wasn't!

From:

skygiants

Yeah, the library has the short story collection so I'm planning to load it up on my e-reader for next time I'm traveling! Theory of Haunting was the perfect kind of airplane read for me and I'm hoping this will be also. (I used to read Steven King on airplanes so maybe there is just something about horror and liminal space ....)

From:

aella_irene

There are a couple that aren't in collections yet, but you can find them linked from the TV Tropes page. (Though I will note that it is incorrect when it says his name is anachronistic: the author has said it is his grandmother's maiden name.)

From:

sovay

(Though I will note that it is incorrect when it says his name is anachronistic: the author has said it is his grandmother's maiden name.)

Oh, God, it's the Tiffany Problem.

From:

snickfic

FYI, I believe the most complete list of links currently is on the wikipedia page; there's at least one there that's not on the TV tropes page.

From:

evewithanapple

I enjoy the Booth stories as well, although they don't leave much of an impression after they're done. Like, if I want a quick fix of Gothic pastiche, I'll pick them up and walk away satisfied, but I don't feel any especial hankering for more.

From:

skygiants

Yeah, I think in many ways that's what made it a perfect airplane read for me -- enjoyable, atmospheric & distracting for exactly the right amount of time.

From:

chestnut_pod

Hm, interesting! I too have been reluctant to step outside the bounds of GE-verse and into the rest of KA/SM's oeuvre, but this one sounds like a good start.

From:

skygiants

I think it's worth a shot for sure! I was fairly skeptical going in and perfectly satisfied coming out.

From:

osprey_archer

I would never have thought of it myself, but yes, upon reflection, Kyle Murchison Booth is the Sarah Monette/Katherine Addison protagonist written specifically for you. I've read the short stories but not the novella; maybe I should give it a go.

From:

skygiants

At one point when I was in grad school I went to an Occupy Wall Street Archives Committee meeting with a friend from my cohort, who complained bitterly to me: "I understand that this is important but I am not looking forward to it! Why are we going here to talk to people? I entered this program because I want to spend my whole time in a basement not talking to people!" One hates to engage in Archivist Stereotypes but the type of guy that Booth is is so much a real type of guy and I thought fondly about this the whole time I was reading this book.

From:

snickfic

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Booth's stories are far and away my favorite of Monette's works. In my opinion the early short stories are actually meatier than the novella on a character level; sometimes he gets what looks suspiciously like a tiny bit of character development. There are also some fun one-off characters that I enjoy very much.

Thanks for your thoughts. :) I look forward to hearing what you think of the short stories, whenever you get to those.