Reviews of Short Stories
It's All About the Shoes
Reviewed in The Fix, 24 January 2008. Paul J. Iutzi says:
"Of all the stories in this issue, Stephanie Burgis's 'It's All About the Shoes' was the hardest to review. Without question, it's the best story... Wrap all that up in a witty and charming package, and that's 'It's All About the Shoes.' For me, it's entertaining and meaningful, which is about the best you can get." Read the full review.
By the Light of the Dark
Reviewed in Tangent Online. The reviewer, Aliette de Bodard, says:
"This is a lovely story with a strong sense of atmosphere - the language is beautiful and sings like that of a poem. The story's thrust is the fight between Reason and Need; as the narrator puts it: 'I was the girl who had been praised for her reason. I could not dare to trust my heart.' Her journey into a country where reason no longer applies is well depicted, and the lessons she learns about the nature of love are timeless ones - but still very much needed.' Read the full review.
Locked Doors
Reviewed in Locus, March 2007. Rich Horton says:
"Strange Horizons opened the year with a fine Stephanie Burgis piece, 'Locked Doors,' about a boy living with his father. The father locks himself away a few days each month or so, which no one outside the family is to know... It's quietly told, and for that reason plausible, with an ambiguously hopeful conclusion."
Reviewed in Tangent Online, 2 February 2007. Elizabeth A. Allen says:
"With his mother having run away and his father in the grip of a strange, enchanted affliction, the little boy is the man of the house. How he deals with such supernatural pressures makes for an affecting story, naturalistic and transparently metaphorical in its simplicity." Read the full review.
Stitching Time
Reviewed in The Mumpsimus, 13 March 2005. Matthew Cheney says:
"Thus, the story itself becomes like the cross-stitch, its threads woven together more carefully than might be apparent from a quick glance. Like a snowstorm, it contains both beauty and terror." Read the full review.
Ivy and Thorn
Reviewed in Tangent Online. Nicole McClain says:
"Author Burgis does an excellent job crafting Mary's world, intermingling folklore and British history." Read the full review.
Some Girlfriends Can
Reviewed in Tangent Online. Suzanne Church says:
"Burgis shoves her protagonist into a most uncomfortable position, and to my joy, pulls her out stronger on the other side. In our society, where women struggle every day to dig up a shred of self-esteem, Lauren is a touchstone of wisdom and courage." Read the full review.