Genius Loci

 

 
"There are places in the world that feel alive."

All places have their own personalities.

The Romans believed that the spirit of the land - also known as 'genius loci' - protected his own area.
Nowadays some people might dismiss this as mythology.

But have you ever had that strange feeling that you can sense a landscape's atmosphere?

 

 

If so, the books Genius Loci and Animus Mundi might be right up your alley!

 

Almost every short story in these anthologies is based upon a real location.

What's totally unique about the concept of these books is that (almost) each story is preceded by information about the environment in which it takes place. So first you (often) get factual info, followed by a tale in which this place comes to life. You could see it as a combination of non-fiction and fantasy, two of my favourite genres.

 

Lots of the stories really sparked my curiosity and sent me surfing for several hours, making one beautiful discovery after the other.

Of course I'll share some of the most interesting movies with you today 😉
If you want, you can first read my review of the books (purple text).
But if you prefer to immediately watch the footage, you can scroll down.

Anyway, enjoy!

 

One becomes two

 

This project started as a discussion on facebook between Jaym Gates and Brooke Bolander about the weird 'genius loci' of the places where they grew up, respectively Northern California and Texas.

As lots of other people jumped on the conversation, the idea formed to make an anthology around this theme.

It became a Kickstarter project and thus in 2016 a book saw the light: 'Genius Loci' (Ragnarok Publications).

 

In 2020 this project was apparently renewed, as the aforementioned book with 32 short stories seems to have been cut in two.

The republishing is now in the hands of Outland Entertainment.

One of the newborns was named after his parent: 'Genius Loci' (which now contains 15 short stories).

The other book was named 'Animus Mundi' (which contains 16 short stories).

 

At first sight, there's no information to be found about the reasons for that, nor about the actual changes (f.e. no illustrations anymore and other stories).

What's also rather strange is thateditor Jaym Gates doesn't mention this in either one of the two books.

It would've been nice to have more background info about it, as some stories - while some of them áre mentioned in the foreword - are not available anymore in the book itself.

 

If you want to know which 32 stories were included originally, I recommend you to take a look at the review of Alexander.

 

The stories that are left out now from the two books, are:

- 'The snow train' by Ken Liu (if you're interested in that story, you can read it online on the website of Lightspeed Magazine)

- 'The Town The Forest Ate' by Haralambi Markov

- 'Drowning Again in the Ocean of Her' by Ken Scholes & Katie Cord

 

On the other hand there are two other stories that replaced them:

- 'Pocosin' by Ursula Vernon (in Genius Loci)

- 'Second Verse, Same as the First' by Stina Leicht (in Animus Mundi)

 

 

 

 

Here's a list of the stories in the new version of Genius Loci:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The City - Vivienne Pustell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not only is the city alive, it's intelligent and deeply menacing as well.

Really impressive how the author has been able to describe it convincingly as a real character and how she pictured such a dark atmosphere in just a few pages.

 

The Grudge - Thoraiya Dyer ⭐⭐

Although the premise sounded intriguing, the description of the futuristic environment was rather confusing. The author has definitively interesting ideas in mind, but isn't able to present them clearly. This would probably come better into its own in novella-form instead of a short story.

 

Santa Cruz: A True Story - Andy Duncan ⭐⭐⭐

I loved the introduction about Santa Cruz, as I didn't know anything about the history of the place.

The story in itself seems like one that's told to you by one of your friends or by someone you meet at a bar. Although there's nothing extraordinary about it, it's a nice read nevertheless.

 

And the Trees Were Happy - Scott Edelman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you've ever read Shel Silverstein's book 'The Giving Tree' and thought that another ending would be better suited, then Edelman's story will be your cup of tea. For those don't know it (just like me), there's a short summary of the story in the introduction. Interesting alternative ending of a well known story.

 

Well of Tranquility - Steven H Silver ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The setting and background were very original as the story takes place in the G'ndevank Monastery in Armenia. An interesting view on how pagan rituals were taken over by Christianity. Even though there's not much happening in the story, I was compelled to continue reading.

 

Forest for the Trees - Steven S. Long ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Despite the heavy themes, this smoothly written story feels delightfully joyous. Maybe a little bit predictable sometimes, but still very enjoyable.
 

Iron Feliks - Anatoly Belilovsky ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story is a bit different from the previous ones, as the location wasn't a bigger area. Instead of a natural environment  or a city, the central place around which everything takes place is the Iron Feliks aka one of the most controversial statues in Russia as it's dedicated to Felix Dzerzhinsky (the head of the first Soviet secret police organization, which was succeeded by the KGB).

Despite this smaller scope, it was a nice read during which you also learn a few Russian words along the way.

 

The Crooked Smile Killers - James Lowder ⭐

How on earth did this story get selected for this anthology?

First of all, it's not about genius loci. Instead it's about superheroes (or rather supervillains) who are a cheap mix of existing ones like Batman, Frankenstein, …

Secondly, it's not based on anything, contrary to the other stories. Most of those use an existing place and let them speak through their words. A few of them are based on other things like an existing book. Anyway, there's always an interesting background story behind those creative writings. But for this story the introduction was just a few lines about a fictional character.

Furthermore with 24 pages (of the 176) it feels totally disproportional to the other stories which count only 10 pages on average. And if those number of pages were really needed to tell the story, it would be understandable. But as it is now, most of them are just repetitive bla bla bla. After a strong and intriguing beginning, the story only went downhill and wasn't able to keep my attention anymore.

This was such a deception on so many levels that it totally clouded my overall perception of the book at the moment I read it. Luckily the following stories were all better again.

 

Transplant Specialist - Sarah Goslee ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The several twists are nicely done, especially in such a short story. My only gripe is that it should have been longer than 5 pages. With some extra storylines there's even potential to make a good urban fantasy book out of this.

 

The Gramadevi's Lament - Sunil Patel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A gramadevi is a spirit that guards a village. This tradition is practised in the state of Orissa in Eastern India and comes from a folk religion that predates Hinduism.

Not only was it interesting to read about this unknown (at least to me) tradition, but the story was really well told. It kept you guessing about what would happen and the changes in atmosphere were very palpable.

 

Beer and Pennies - Richard Dansky ⭐⭐⭐

This one has some real 'Blair Witch Project'-vibes. Thus it's an excellent story to tell by a campfire or on a Halloween night. Probably it would've been even better if it had been a bit shorter with less repetitions.

 

Afterparty, or: Not Out of the Woods - Chaz Brenchley ⭐⭐

Some mixed feelings about this one. Although I liked the smooth writing style and the atmosphere pictured in the story, the narration was rather confusing and the whole didn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

The Sleck - Keris McDonald ⭐⭐⭐

The feelings of the father who lost his daughter one year ago were described in a way you could totally empathize. It was a quick read, but overall I wasn't blown away.

 

Pocosin - Ursula Vernon ⭐⭐⭐⭐

There's something very enthralling about this author's writing style. Even though this is only the second story I've read of her, it strikes me that she's always able to write the most absurd things in a way you immediately accept them. And she certainly masters the art of piquing your interest in what's coming next. The only thing that disappointed me a little bit was the end, hence 4* instead of 5*.

 

Blue and Gray & Black and Green - Alethea Kontis ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both the title and the introduction of the characters intrigued me from the beginning. Well told from the point of view of a young boy.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a list of the stories in Animus Mundi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coaltown - Heather Clitheroe ⭐⭐

If you liked 'The Lottery' from Shirley Jackson, you'll certainly appreciate this story too as it has a slightly different take on the same theme.
Sadly enough, I've never been a fan of that story, so this one couldn't convince me either.

 

Blackthorn - B. Morris Allen ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Moldova (between Romania and Ukraine), friends give each other a 'mărțișor' on the first day of March. Romania and Bulgaria each have a variant of this tradition.

Very interesting to read about this unknown habit through this beautifully written story. The personification of seasons, plants, … is done in such a way you really empathize with the characters.

 

The Forgetting Field - Caroline Ratajski ⭐⭐⭐

Original idea, but the execution was a bit less my taste.

Sometimes rather pompuous prose, although other times there were some beautiful descriptions.

 

Reef - K.C. Norton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a gem!
Very visual descriptions in such a way that it seems you're watching a movie. You feel for the characters and share in their misfortunes and their joys. The only minor point were the several (small) editing errors. But given the originality of the story and the smooth yet beautiful writing style, totally worth 5*.
 

Ouroboros in Orbit - J. Daniel Batt ⭐⭐⭐

Not much action and pretty short.
But all in all a nice take on the theme of the Ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail.

 

In the Water, Underneath - Damien Angelica Walters ⭐⭐⭐

Original story about Holland Island in Chesapeake Bay which disappeared in the water.
Especially interesting if you've never heard of this place before. If you want to see some pictures of the last standing house which finally collapsed in 2010, you can take a look here and here.

 

Scab Lands - Wendy N. Wagner ⭐⭐⭐

Despite the fact that it's smoothly written, the emphasis in this story is more on the characters instead of the location. The two timelines were interesting, but the whole didn't overwhelm me.

 

Cactus Flowers and Bone Flutes - Mercedes M. Yardley  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very atmospheric story about the San Rafael Swell desert in Utah. This certainly makes me curious to discover the book PrettyLittle Dead Girls by the same author which is also set in the same environment.

 

The South China Sea - zm quynh ⭐⭐⭐

The introduction was very informative as I have to admit I didn't know much about the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Apparently between 1975 and 1995 approximately 800.000 people fled the country by small fishing boats. Between 25 to 50% of them died at sea: drowned in storms, dead from dehydratation, starvation and disease or murdered by pirates.

The story in itself couldn't hold my attention the whole time as the writing style wasn't entirely to my taste, but nevertheless I'm glad I read it.

 

The Other Shore - Rebecca Campbell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the oddest reading sensations I've ever had! In the beginning it was confusing and rather dull. But the longer I read, the more I became captivated by the narration style and by all the mentioned things I'd never heard of before (f.e. abalone). My search on the internet for footage learned me so much and really makes me want to dive even deeper into all of these interesting subjects (pun intended).

Overall it managed to evoke the same sense of wonder as (reading about) larking with respect for the ancient stories that accompany your findings.
 

The Threadbare Magician - Cat Rambo ⭐

This is definitely a case of 'tastes differ'. But for me personally, there's just no click whatsoever. Lots of sentences are beginning with "I" and for some reason that turns me off as it often comes across as lazy writing. First POV doesn't mean that the writing style can't be more varied. Furthermore there were a lot of non-sensical events and decisions (to avoid spoilers I won't go into those). Finally, it seemed that the author tried to stuff too much different things in one story. It didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for you. Some people rate this story with 5*. So, as always, I encourage you to discover it for yourself.

 

Imperator Noster - Sonya Taaffe ⭐

Maybe the long sentences (sometimes half a page) were used on purpose to ressemble a Latin text (which didn't have any punctuation). However in this short story of 3 pages it doesn't work for me at all. Furthermore there's no tension, emotion nor atmosphere. The 'story' consists of an endless enumeration of events which is even more boring than a shopping list read aloud. Horresco referens.

 

Long Way Down - Seanan McGuire ⭐⭐⭐

After reading the first five Wayward Children-books of this author, I had to admit that her books weren't my cup of tea. But I remained curious to discover her short stories, as I had the impression that shorter works would suit her better. And yes, even though this isn't my favourite story of this anthology, I definitely enjoyed it much more than her novellas.

 

Second Verse, Same as the First - Stina Leicht ⭐

Do you like stories full of repetition, unimportant details and endless ramblings about relationships?

Then maybe this one could entertain you more than it did to me.

How a 'short' story of 30 pages (of the 183) can feel so endless and still have so many loose threads, is beyond my understanding. Luckily Chekhov is already dead. Because I don't know what would've happened if he'd had the same thought as me after reading this story: "Shoot me!"

 

Twilight State - Gemma Files ⭐⭐⭐

What is real and what's not? Very alienating story, but also hypnotizing at the same time.

 

Heartbeat - Laura Anne Gilman ⭐⭐⭐

This isn't really a story, but more some kind of vignette which gives you a good idea of the atmosphere at the Chalk Pyramids. As I'd never heard of these natural wonders in Kansas, I especially found the explanation beforehand very interesting.

 

 

As promised there's also some footage!

 

Thanks to the last story 'Heartbeat' I learned more about Kansas (USA).
Apparently the land is very flat, except for the western part of the country. There you can find the so-called Monument Rocks or Chalk Pyramids, which are one of the 8 wonders of Kansas. They're a reminder of a previous inland sea.
You can read more about them and watch some pictures here.
Or you can listen to the following movie:

The story 'In the Water, Underneath' was about Holland Island in Chesapeake Bay (Maryland, USA).
Learn the story about this island and about the last standing house that sadly collapsed in October 2010 in the video below.
If you prefer a bit longer documentary, I can also recommend the one made by Grayson Middleton for the National History Day - competion which you can listen to by clicking here.

 

 

'The Other Shore' is definitely the story which learned me the most.
It mentioned lots of new things that I didn't know and when I looked them up, whole new worlds opened up to me!

A selection:

Although I do like to visit aquariums where some of the most extraordinary sea creatures are shown, I've never encountered this original specimen: the abalone.

 

 

Of course I knew how pearls were formed. But I'd never heard of 'Tahitian pearls' which apparently are the only pearls that come in a full array of colors because the rainbow-like mantle of the Pinctada margaritifera has the ability to produce a “rainbow” of natural colored pearls.

Following movie is a bit longer, but very informative:

 

 

When the name 'Greenstone from Aotearoa' was mentioned, I learned a lot about 'Pounamu'. This jade stone can only be found on the southern island of New-Zealand and has a special meaning for the Maori's.

You can read about the legend here and there's a bit of information here.

In following movie Rachael tells more about the significance of Pounamu:

 

In the story 'Blackthorn' the main theme is "mărțișor".

If you'd like to know more about this yearly tradition on the 1st of March, I can totally recommend you following explanation!

So many interesting places and traditions!
Will certainly be continued 😉