Name: Laughter at the Academy
ISBN: 9781596069282

Seanan McGuire

From fairy tale forest to gloomy gothic moor, from gleaming epidemiologist's lab to the sandy shores of Neverland, Seanan McGuire's short fiction has been surprising, delighting, confusing, and transporting her readers since 2009.

Laughter at the Academy

Jennifer

Wow, I had fun reading Seanan McGuire's eclectic collection of short stories aka Laughter at the Academy! The stories in this anthology are creative, whimsical, and also spooky - and it definitely did its job of pepping me up for Halloween mood early.


  "Halloween is the holiday for everyone. You're never too old to love that one perfect night, when every stranger's door is open to you, and every face you see bears a monster's beautiful scowl."


Some stories in Laughter at the Academy read like Sci-Fi / Fantasy shorts, others are more experimental in the story / storytelling structures, but one thing unifies this wide range of short stories: they're creative, fun, and contain some horror elements. I felt pulled right into the whimsical Halloween-tinted worlds that she crafted in these stories. I also enjoyed reading Seanan McGuire's notes before each short story: on what inspired her to write these stories and what she really intends to tell in these entries. Overall the notes + the stories speak volume of McGuire's versatile and prolific nature.


  "The children of the war are growing up, and no matter how hard the toys try to stop it, they can't. Children become teenagers; teenagers become adults; and adults, of course, are the enemy."


One thing that Seanan McGuire is really good at (and had demonstrated in her iconic Wayward Children series) is juxtaposing childhood elements with adult themes. This is no exception with a number of short stories in Laughter at the Academy. In particular, I really enjoyed the two short stories inspired by dolls. This is where McGuire is truly at home: exploring the sinister side of human nature through the transition between childhood to adulthood. Not only the doll-inspired stories showcased McGuire's signature styles, it also have enough punches & spookiness that fit well with the other stories within this spooky anthology.


  "No clouds, no rain. No rain, no rainbows. No rainbows, no girlfriend. She needs clouds if she wants to be here, and that means she'll be gone as long as the sun stays out."


I feel like the impact of the short stories featured in Laughter at the Academy would be more intensely felt if I read the stories aloud. McGuire definitely has a knack with words and integrating interesting ideas and making them into some forms of stories. While I certainly had joy reading the short stories - I loved the concepts behind them, I think it still came a tad short of making me laugh. I believe the main drawbacks of this anthology are found in the short of the short stories.

Personally, the shorter stories in the anthology felt a little lacking to me. Due to the length, I felt that these stories are a bit underdeveloped in terms of the characters and substance. So I didn't have the opportunity to engage in the narrator's headspace due to the lack of words & fleshing out. Another qualm I had with the shorter stories is the lack of substantial storytelling: while McGuire did toyed & experimented with the structuring, it sacrificed thematic development. So there's the fun factor, but not enough substance for me to feel wowed by the shorter stories in the collection.

Despite my concerns with the shorter stories, Laughter at the Academy more or less accomplished what it intends to do: it is a fun & spooky collection of short stories showcasing Seanan McGuire's versatility and it managed to induce me into Halloween mood. To anyone who's looking for a short story collection ahead of the Halloween season, look no further than Laughter at the Academy! 

N.B. The major content warnings are mentioned in author's notes in before the beginning of the short stories. As of other potentially triggering content: blood mention / gore, death, and loss of loved ones

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Nickie Mohler

Short stories are not my thing, but I love Seanan McGuire and have to read everything by her. That being said, I gave it 3 stars based on my enjoyment. Her writing is still fabulous, I just don't enjoy short stories very much. I did like the story about the outbreak. It was scary because it could really happen.

I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Laughter at the Academy

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