I love Kij Johnson's writing. She has written some absolutely stunning stories, e.g., "At the Mouth of the River of Bees"; "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" (bulky title, amazing story that has stuck with me ever since I read it); "Fox Magic"; "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss." When I heard she was joining in the current trend of writing a novella based on H.P. Lovecraft's writing, I was intrigued. I've read Lovecraft since high school. When I read she was going to base her work on The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, I thought "huh." It's been a while since I read that story, but I remember liking it when I was young. Vellit Boe has to find a young woman who's run away from school. It turns out to be a much longer trip than she anticipated at the outset. Very, VERY much longer. There's lots of gorgeous imagery here. There are lots of hints that Vellit's world is full of strange and dangerous things. The gods of her world are fickle and capricious. There's a nod to "The Cats of Ulthar" and probably some other Lovecraft stuff that I missed because it's been too long since I read the source material. It's an interesting story. I probably gave it an extra star because Kij Johnson wrote it, and I'm a fan. :)

I cannot speak to how well Johnson's novella adapts the original Lovecraft story, but The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe is a beautifully written story about a strange world so unlike our own. Boe, our protagonist, is on a journey to find one of her students who has run after a "dreamer" who is taking her to his world. I always enjoy seeing older women take centre stage, and Boe is a fascinating character to follow given her youthful adventures being what she draws on now as she traverses the landscape of this odd place. I am not sure I loved the ending given how quick things were wrapped up, but such is the dilemma of a novella. Also, cats are awesome. That is all :)