Let’s let Robert rave about Elizabeth Bear’s ‘The Chains That You Refuse’: ‘There are lots of reasons to get this book. I could go on about every story — there is that much in each of them — but I’d rather talk about the surprises, the little twists to character and circumstance, the way diction changes from narrator to narrator — not just speech patterns, but vocabulary, pacing, even the sound you hear in your mind changes. I could note Bear’s refusal to explain the little universes she’s created while giving us the clues we need to figure it out (a trend in recent fantasy and science fiction, and one I applaud heartily). Or, I could just mention the strength of her prose, that keeps you reading and reading just because you’re enjoying it so much.’ You can hear her read it thsaway.
