Bumpy Oak Books

3 stars

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Kathryn Harlan presents Fruiting Bodies, a short story anthology that seems to defy any genre other than to classify it as speculative. There are some stories than lean into scifi, fantasy, or horror, but there is also something that feels literary about Harlan’s writing. Most of the stories feature queer folk going about their lives, though their stories are all different in tone and nature.

As with any anthology, some stories will hit harder than others. My favorites from this collection were “Fiddler Fool Pair” and the titular “Fruiting Bodies”. Some stories did not appeal to me, but most were just fine. After rating the stories individually and averaging them, the rating came out to be a true 3 stars for this collection.

Harlan’s strength is in her descriptions. She is able to develop atmosphere and tone to each story that is distinct and that is pervasive to the reading experience. I would also say that Harlan has strong concepts for each story, despite whether or not I fully enjoyed the stories themselves.

Overall, I feel like fans of speculative anthologies, particularly folk who enjoy darker works, will find something to enjoy in this collection.