Fucking bizarre. I honestly do not even know what that was.

I don't know about the 'fabulous' part but yeah... quite disturbing, indeed. Well, let's just say - not the family history you would look forward to. I liked this quote though: "Snakes are easy. It’s people that I don’t know how to charm."

Loved this,well written. Would read more of her work.

I often find myself at TOR.COM perusing original fiction found on the sight. A lot of unique stories in all kinds of genres are found there. I happened to see this offering on a few of my fellow Goodreads member's shelves. I'm not one of those people affected by triggers. If you are, this one's a loaded gun. WARNING: Don't pull the trigger! FABULOUS BEASTS examines the lives of a VERY dysfunctional family. Priya Sharma writes exceptionally well. While I'd describe it as a slimy story, it's a dam...

Look at your princesses, Kenny. See how special we are.Do you enjoy being emotionally destroyed? How about being punched in the gut by literature? Do you find yourself being drawn to fucked-up situations and characters, knowing you are in for a hell of a ride? Then BOY do I have the short story for you!Read it here: http://www.tor.com/2015/07/27/fabulou...A pillow to hug and a stiff shot of alcohol are recommended, but not included.

No, this is NOT a Harry Potter tie-in!The exotic Eliza and her stunning partner Georgia are now the toast of the high-society art world. But in Eliza's past - before she was 'Eliza' - are disturbing secrets. We follow her back to when she was just Tallulah, a little girl with a single mom, living in poverty - and discovering some very strange abilities that may slither through her family's DNA. It's lucky for her that she has her beloved cousin Lola to support her. But will that support be enoug...

Lola is a girl with many secrets. She was raised by a single mother who was not always nice to her. She is also very close to her cousin Talulah and they do everything together. Lola also has an aunt, Ami, who is also the mother of Talulah. Ami and Lola's mom, Kathy, have a difficult relationship and they also have a brother who is currently in prison, Kenny. Kenny wants to be a part of their lives and Ami is more than willing to remain connected to him. Not Kathy though. As Lola grows up, she s...

Reading this one was an ambush. It sounded a tad cliched and bland in the beginning with Lola calling herself a monster and conversations amongst her family members that gnawed at the pace of the story, but that’s exactly what a concealed weapon is like: hitting you when you expect it the least, hard and unrelenting. Not only does the author draw upon Indian legends (view spoiler)[of shape-shifters (hide spoiler)] but deals with taboos like incest without batting an eyelid. It’s horror that is u...

I read this here on Tor.com and it was amazing, horrific, dangerous, sultry, elegant - all the words that may be used to describe a snake could probably be used to describe this short story. Looking for more from Priya Sharma.

My interrogator doesn’t look convinced. Nor should they be. I’m not even called Eliza. My real name is Lola and I’m no princess. I’m a monster. That was really gripping and gut-wrenching. It was horrifying in every way, with a satisfying yet melancholy ending. So powerful.When I was a kid, I found a whole shed snake skin in the wooded area behind my house. I thought it was a live snake, so I threw a rock near it to scare it off, but it didn't move and I realized it was a shed skin. I didn't k

This story feels very understated, I would say. It's an interesting story, but it never really draws you in to the point you don't want to put it down like some books do. Despite this, though, the mystery behind the characters is still interesting enough to keep you reading. You read it wondering about the characters, and their backstories as facts are slowly revealed. There's an obvious supernatural element going on with the story, but despite it being out in the open it's almost a background f...

Trigger warning: Rape, incest, snakesRead this story hereBe it with movies or books, I’m picky when it comes to horror. I’ve mentioned multiple times before that I don’t scare easily, or in the conventional sense. Anything that relies on gore and jump scares to deliver it’s spookiness will not hold too much interest for me. I’ve sat through years of this kind of horror, and at this point, I’m just really careful with any horror-thing I pick up.Except for when I want to watch a shitty horror movi...

The writing is brilliantly visceral, but this story is just not for me because of 1.snakes2. incest3. rape4. All the above happening all at onceSomebody hand me a fluffy bunneh pls!!!http://www.tor.com/2015/07/27/fabulou...

When I saw snakes and a woman on the cover and noticed that the writer was Indian, I assumed that this is going to be about a nagini. Taking Gods and mythical creatures, putting them in a modern context and imagining their lives in the current world seems to be a trend in writing nowadays. So, I put this one off for a long time.This story was nothing like what I imagined it to be. It was darker and creepier than I expected. Not sure how I managed to complete it. Definitely not for people who are...

This intriguing short supernatural / horror novelette is the story of a strange woman living in luxury with her lover, but irrevocably tied to her childhood of deprivation and dark secrets in northwest England. The woman recalls the unraveling of the family upon her uncle's release from prison. The author explores the difficulties of growing up in a poor family, with an abusive uncle and a psychologically dependent mother. One of the best stories of the year.This is one of my nominations for the...

The darkest of family secrets: rape, incest, murder and betrayal coil and writhe beneath the skin in this dark novelette set among the seedier neighborhoods outside Liverpool. Two timelines entwine to show how ugly little Lola along with her pretty sister-cousin, Tallulah, escapes her horror-filled past to become scientifically-successful, if not still socially awkward Eliza on the arm of her beautiful, celebrity lover, Georgia. More than just her name was sloughed off to become the adult surviv...

Snakes are easy. It’s people that I don’t know how to charm.this tor short is equal parts beautiful and disturbing. it also comes with a warning: Please be warned that this story deals with difficult content and themes, including child abuse, incest, and rape.and also snakes. up close and personal and slithering, so if you've got phobias, or any triggers around the themes mentioned above, there are many other free tor shorts for you to read. me, i have no triggers and no phobias (not any real on...

Snakes are easy. It’s people that I don’t know how to charm.In both her work and personal life, Lola/Eliza is surrounded by vipers. Though the subject matter is disturbing, this is an excellent, beautifully written story. Keep an eye on this author.So it is that serpents are reviled when it’s man that is repulsive.

Priya Sharma, whose first collection of short stories All the Fabulous Beasts was published in May, recalled as a child her brother reading comic books, her mother Hindu mythology, and her father Hitchcockian tales.“I came from a house where books were treasured,” she told me of her childhood in Cheshire, England. “Stories were loved in all their forms.”Her own tastes were eclectic. She read Hardy too young, she said. Later came Jeannnette Winterson, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Isabel Allende.

This was so well-written that I got goosebumps while reading. Errie and chilling, Fabulous Beasts was a very satisfying read and the perfect choice to get me out of my reading slump.