Book Review: To Wonder and Starshine

A wonderful, whimsical fantasy and science fiction short story collection from Jendia Gammon.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jendia’s previous short story collection, The Shadow Galaxy, the review for which you can read here. And so it was only natural to pick up To Wonder and Starshine. Here we have a collection of fairy tale like stories (some literally involving fairies) mixed with whimsical sci-fi and the whole thing was a delight to read. And I really dig the cover art for this one, perhaps a little more than the one for The Shadow Galaxy.

Blurb

From Nebula and BSFA Award finalist Jendia Gammon, To Wonder and Starshine is a charming collection of tales from fairylands to alternate realms, from Appalachia to deep space, and points in between.

Following her multi-award-nominated The Shadow Galaxy: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (written as J. Dianne Dotson), Gammon showcases fantasy and science fiction stories within this book. Themes include whimsy, love, grief, beauty, exploration, and friendship, whether between people, animals, robots, aliens, or fairies. This is Jendia Gammon’s homage to all the wonder tales that have shaped her life, whether real or imagined.

Within this collection, Gammon spins tales of a future, autumnal Appalachia with “The Dewdrop Bot and the Honey Fae.” Seaside memories glimmer with supernatural visitors in “A Swirl of Leaves and Sand” and “Upon the Gloaming Hour.” Robots, whether cantankerous or charming, make appearances in several stories, such as “Starry Eyes and Fireflies.” There are flashes of alternate cities, woodland enchantment, deep space adventures, and a little bit of homespun magic throughout.

Review

To Wonder and Starshine is an excellent time full of whimsy and wistful nostalgia. This collection of short stories transports you into wondrous lands of fairies and adorable little robots. I really appreciated the nod to her other works such as the Questrison Saga as well with several short story set in its universe. It’s all very charming and it was a joy to read through.

Among my favourites were Star’s End Gloaming, Copper, Watercolors at the Edge, Ash and Violet,Dewdrop Bot and the Honey Fae and A Break for Pastries. Honestly it’s so difficult not to just list all of the stories, because I had a great time with all of them. I especially liked the inverted take on cosmic horror with the Great Indigo creature in Watercolors at the Edge. That was so much fun. Also, cheeky bots show up a lot in Jendia’s writing and here we have an embarrassment of riches in that regard! I like the way she writes them with such whimsy. Sentient robots are always great fun.

Overall, I’d highly recommend picking this one up and to give yourself “permission to daydream”. You won’t be disappointed.