I can happily say its amazing. Each story has a small forward with a snippet of background. I would like to thank NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the arc. All opinions given are of my own volition.
This collection just released on 4/30 and is 100% worth picking up. So far a few of my favorite stories have been Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse, Now Rest my Dear, and Heart of Straw. Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse is just what it sounds like. Its an Alphabetical Catalog, with notes of delectably wry whit. Now Rest My Dear is one of the stories that takes place in a library. Its magical and unusually soothing for one of her stories. Heart of Straw explores the possibilities of Halloween. Its a portal fantasy but not connected the Wayward Children Series. I adore Halloween and this story scratched a brain itch I didn't know I had until now.
I am generally not a short story person but I have really enjoyed picking up a story in between tasks and taking a small brain break to a new world/reality. The snippets of background given before each story is a treat and adds nuance to the stories. The stories are unique and range from fantasy to light horror. There are content warnings before each story for those that need them and it is an incredibly nice touch. The Proper Think and Other Stories is a perfect book to pick up for anyone wanting to sample Seanan McGuire's work or who needs a break from the mundane.

Seanan McGuire does it again and I always enjoy the types of stories that they write. It had that style that I enjoyed and was glad I got to read this. The stories and characters were interesting and worked in their world. I enjoyed getting to read this and left me wanting more.

For those craving an exhilarating literary escape, "The Proper Thing and Other Stories" by Seanan McGuire is a must-read. McGuire's collection offers a captivating journey through a diverse array of tales, from the edge of apocalypse to the dawn of creation. With themes ranging from superhero insecurities to the transformative power of love, McGuire skillfully blends the fantastical with the familiar. Each story is a literary gem, promising an enchanting and thought-provoking experience for readers. So, if you're ready for an adventure unlike any other, dive into "The Proper Thing and Other Stories" and prepare to be spellbound.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The Proper Things and Other Stories is an absolutely amazing collection of must read stories that both enrich other works by Seanan and beautifully stands on its own.

This is a fascinating collection of weirdly interesting, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics. I absolutely love Seanan’s writing, world building and creativity. I loved these stories and it is truly a great collection. It truly is a wonderful way to explore this author and visit her worlds.

The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up in an ever changing world fraught with political uncertainty. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy. All the things I love about this author who never reads to explore the hard topics in a way that always leaves redemption n the pages. I find it poetically brilliant so few authors can craft in this manner so fully and completely.

This collection truly shines because although vastly different each story stands on its own merits and can be enjoyed for the story it brings to the table. Sone are dark others joyful and yo me all satisfied me. I do believe I mentioned I am a truly devoted fan so this is well if it where a kitchen it’s a Chef’s Kiss 💋!

If you are someone who loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with depth, pick up this collection. It us to be treasured at least for sure by me!!

The Proper Thing and Other Stories is a great collection that showcases the author’s work very well. Nothing in this collection was bad, and even the ones that I felt less about, I could appreciate what was being done. The art was also a great touch at the beginning of each story.

Personal favorites were:
The Proper Thing
Now Rest, My Dear
In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
Belief

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a hefty tome of weird, wonderful, creepy, and sometimes sad stories about a variety of topics (there's more than a few pandemic-centric stories here, too). I feel like story collections can be hit-or-miss, but I love Seanan McGuire's writing and creativity and, for the most part, I loved a lot of the stories in this collection. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how many of them I enjoyed. The topics in these stories encompass a lot of the issues and fears that have cropped up specifically in a post-Trump world. There's anger, there's hope, there's revenge, there's joy.

I think the one thing I would've liked is for there to be a bit more shuffling around of certain stories so that two pandemic stories or library stories weren't quite so close back-to-back. It just became a bit easier to compare the two when they occurred so closely after one another (and while I realize that there's only so much space, this is quite a chunky short story collection and I think there's a bit more room to move things around). I think it'd be better to make them stand on their own merits.

Other than that, if you're someone who feels frustrated by the political landscape, loves Seanan McGuire's writing, or likes stories with a bit of bite, pick up this collection.

This book is hard for me to review. Like with any anthology, there were stories that I absolutely loved and others that just weren't my cup of tea. I will say, though, that even the ones that I didn't like kept me engaged. McGuire has a real talent for pulling the reader into a story, fully enveloping them in it, and making the real world disappear. I really liked that McGuire had an intro before each story. It was nice to get some insight into them. My favorite stories are listed below.

Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - This was a bit of a “choose your own apocalypse." It was a fun, yet slightly terrifying, way to start the anthology.

Now Rest, My Dear - This was an emotional and whimsical love letter to libraries.

In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - I really enjoyed this one. While it isn’t a 'Wayward Children' story, it very much felt like one.

Heart of Straw - An ordinary Halloween night of trick-or-treating turns out to be anything but ordinary.

Good Night, Sleep Tight - This was another story about the library, only this time, with more bugs. Yikes!

Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - I thought this was one of the best stories in the anthology. It's set in a dystopian world where night and darkness are forbidden. There’s no place for the monsters in the shadows, but the monsters fight back. I loved the connection to Snow White.

Under the Sea of Stars - This story is about the horrors found in the Bolton Strid. I loved the historical setting of this one.

What Everyone Knows - This was an emotional story about Kaiju. I loved it.

So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - A rabies outbreak causes a zombie-like apocalypse. Terrifying because it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Pedestal - This was a superhero story that delved into the cost of celebrity. I really enjoyed this one. I thought her superpower was really interesting and would love to read more set in this world.

The Proper Thing - This was the longest story in the anthology and the best. It’s McGuire at her finest. I'll just say one thing: magic cheese.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest reivew!

This is a massive collection! This is my first time reading this author's works, but I can understand why she is so well loved. Her writing is rich and beautiful and leaves readers with much to ponder while still being satisified with what they have read.

I think it’s going to appeal more to people who like the Mira Grant side of the author’s works than the Seanan McGuire side. It goes to a lot of fairly dark places. Excellent stories of course, it’s Seanan McGuire, but if you’re not in a good place for going dark places today maybe save it for another day…. Or just embrace the darkness. I’m glad I got to read the ARC.

I'm a huge fan of Seanan McGuire, so I knew going into this that I'd enjoy it. Like every anthology, some stories didn't work for me, but a majority of them were great. This took me a while to get through, and it was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but overall I enjoyed my time with this!

Big thank you to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

So, Seanan McGuire is quickly becoming my most read author. She's still a few books under Stephen King (who I've been reading for more than 35 years) and I legit don't even know how much of her stuff I haven't read yet but it feels like a lot. Which is great bc it feels like I will p much always have something new from her to read. Everything she writes may not be an instant favourite, but I can always appreciate what she was going for.

Which is pretty much exactly how I felt about [***The Proper Thing and Other Stories***](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-65f8qukrjx/images/stencil/640w/products/7590/17739/McGuire_The_Proper_Thing_and_Other_Stories_cover__77713.1702997548.jpg?c=1). There WERE some new favourites, and I DIDN'T love everything, but I at least liked and appreciated where each story was coming from. My lowest rating (one story) was 3½ stars. I gave seven stories 5 stars (this is actually a lie, my notes for one of them simply say "infinity stars sob sob sob"). I tend to hand out 5s for short stories more easily than I do for novels bc short stories are harder to get right, I think. Those seven 5s equal a whole year's worth of 5s for me for novel-length work.

All of the stories in this collection were written in 2016 or later, so there's a lot of heavyness, sadness, and anger here. This may be why I so thoroughly enjoyed this whole book. I just was telling a friend the other night "honestly, if I let go of the simmering ball of rage at my core, I'd probably drop dead bc spite is all that is holding me together." Many of the stories in this collection speak to the rage I use to keep me going, and I appreciate that.

**My Favourites**

* "Rest Now, My Dear" - the "infinity stars" story mentioned above. I will always love a love letter to libraries and this one hit me right in the space I occupied as a child.

* "Heart of Straw" - my notes for this one just say "yes yes yes yes yes."

* "The Levee Was Dry" - I read this one while waiting for my kids to finish their activity at the library and could not keep myself from sobbing in public. I hated the *idea* of this story, but it was executed to perfection. Then I read it out loud to my 13y/o the next day bc I needed someone to share in my misery.

* "Under the Sea of Stars" - uh, my notes for this one simply say "goddamn." When I was telling my kids about it, the 13y/o said "why is it always cannibalism with you?" BECAUSE IT JUST IS, OKAY?

* "Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World" - I desperately need to know what happened next/before. Like, as soon as possible.

* "Belief" - my notes say "gonna have to write a letter about this one," and I am. Another story aimed directly at the heart of who I was when I was small.

* "Sweet as Sugar Candy" - another where I'm dying for more in this world.

**Some Further Notes**

* "Coafield's Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events" (4½) - "legit ELL OH ELL"

* "Good Night, Sleep Tight" (4½) - "you do not fuck with the ~~Violent Femmes~~ fuckin library, man."

* "File and Forget" (4½) - "yes, moar bureaucratic bullshit and corporate espionage, pls."

* "Come Marching In" (4¾) - "Probably liked this so much more bc of having read 'The Sound of Children Screaming' [for the Hugo Readalong](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1ccpg65/2024_hugo_readalong_how_to_raise_a_kraken_in_your/) earlier this week, which started from a similar place but didn't stick the landing like this did."

* "Foundational Education" (4½) - "yesssss, more SASSwitches, please and thank you"


As you can see, I genuinely loved this collection overall (which is *very* rare for me with collections and anthologies), so big thanks to Subterranean Press for the ARC. The limited edition illustrated hardback (ah, shit, I forgot to talk about Carla McNeil's outstanding illustrations) [will be out on April 30th](https://subterraneanpress.com/mcguire-tptaos/).




TL; DR: 105 (total score of all stories) divided by 24 (number of stories) equals 4.375, rounding up to 4½

Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the early copy of this anthology. Below is my honest review.

More from Seanan McGuire? Absolutely yes. Many of these shorties were published through her Patreon, so I've read them before, but definitely had to pick this one up.

My favorite was either the one with the magical cheeses (the Proper Thing) or the one with the creatures of the dark going against the creatures of the light (Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon). Phantoms of the Midway was a favorite too. I'd love more from these worlds!

If you like wild and weird and wonderful short stories and novellas, this anthology should scratch your itch.

Highly recommended.

I have been craving a cozy fantasy as of late and this book definitely delivered on that front and so many more! Seanan McGuire has such a poetic and descriptive writing style that you are immediately immersed within the story and can relate to many of the characters. Not to mention the world-building, which is very lush and intriguing. Unlike anything you’ve come across before. I highly recommend this read to any lover of fantasy stories, or anyone interested in dipping their toes in the genre.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Subterranean Press presents The Proper Thing and Other Stories, a collection of short works by Seanan McGuire. There are 24 pieces of fiction in this anthology along with accompanying illustrations for each. The stories chosen were written by McGuire between 2016 and 2022. None of the featured stories are exclusive to this collection aside from McGuire's introduction to the collection and her introductions for each piece. Many of the collected pieces were originally available on Patreon. The chosen works span the genre of speculative fiction to include fantasy, scifi, and horror.

I always mention this in my anthology reviews, but there will always be stories a reader is more or less attached to. I will say that this is the third (I think) collection of Seanan McGuire's works specifically that I have read, and I love how she does short fiction. Even if the story doesn't connect for me, I love McGuire's crafting of words and worlds.

Given that I read Laughter at the Academy, the previous Subterranean Press Seanan McGuire anthology, one can't help but to compare the two. I would say that overall this anthology is a bit more bleak as a whole as it includes writing generated during the pandemic. Nothing included in this anthology got under 3 stars for me, but likewise nothing got over 4 stars either. My personal highlights were as follows:

- Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events (an alphabet story which is a format I love)
- Now Rest, My Dear
- In the Land of Rainbows and Ash
- Vegetables and Vaccines

Overall, this was a cohesive collection that I was happy to have the opportunity to read early. I will undoubtedly continue to read Seanan McGuire's works in the future.

Me 🤝 The writings of Seanan McGuire.

I am biased in her favor. McGuire is one of the few authors that I feel like I am cut from the same cloth as.

Imaginative but mature, colorful but bleak, and curious but oh so fearful.

The illustrations, the variety in writing styles, and the heartfelt introductions to each piece solidifies this as one of my favorite collections of an author's work. It's also a behemoth. This is not a single sitting read. It's best enjoyed in small, mulled over doses.

"The Land of Rainbows and Ash" took my heart and stomped on it- then I immediately thanked it for doing so.

I now wonder how hurt I'd be if new music turned to static once I am older and what I'd do if I occupied a more fantastical world.

The heavy handed and unsubtle opinions of McGuire that are baked deep into her writings will likely be too loud for some. I, though, find it at the perfect volume for these issues severity.

One of my favorite things about Seanan McGuire's releases with Subterranean Press is that she writes introductions to each of the stories giving you a glimpse into the writing process and her thoughts while working on them.

I also appreciate McGuire saying <i>Laughter at the Academy</i> had a different vibe, and how these stories are from a different era post-COVID. A lot of stories were available in different books and a few were posted on her Patreon.

Coafield’s Catalog of Available Apocalypse Events - If you've read anything Seanan McGuire, you know her penchant for scientific apocalypse stuff and how much detail goes into it. Her research is incredible and she goes into so much detail. This is just a fun little alphabet story of the various ways this shop offers to end the world.

Now Rest, My Dear - A BEAUTIFUL story about libraries and the impact they have on children

Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me? - A child wakes up each morning and their mother asks them if they would like to play a game. As the child navigates the games, they learn about feelings

In the Land of Rainbows and Ash - McGuire says this isn't a Wayward Children story, but it so easily could be, especially with that ending.

Heart of Straw - A Halloween adventure with three friends who are growing up and finding out who they are. While trick or treating they run into two more kids, and have some very interesting conversations.

The Levee Was Dry - Five minutes into the future, a virus is unleashed with nanobots that humanity has been using. This virus causes people to immediately lose the ability to hear music the exact second they reach the age of 35. Our protagonist navigates this future with her family.

Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - McGuire's twist on the legend of Snegurochka. This would fit in perfectly with her Indexing series.

Good Night, Sleep Tight - In her introduction for this story, McGuire mentions she read a news story about a bedbug outbreak at a library. TW for that because, while this was brilliant, I felt so itchy the entire time.

Rise Up, Rise Up, You Children of the Moon - Another story that would brilliantly fit in with the Indexing series. There's a war between the children of the moon and the children of light. And one side is making advances in the fight.

Phantoms of the Midway - I just happened to read this a few weeks ago in the Mythic Dream! A genderbent retelling of Hades x Persephone, following two characters, one of whom lives with a traveling circus. On their most recent stop, she meets someone who makes her question everything.

File and Forget - McGuire's take on the corporate espionage between two companies that could also be five minutes into the future with the way we're headed. I loved the bioreactive documents; McGuire's brain is just something else.

Under the Sea of Stars - It's so cool seeing shades of McGuire's other works in her fiction. This could go well in the Rolling in the Deep universe, where a team explores the Bolton Strid and our protagonist has more of a connection to it than she could've guessed

Vegetables and Vaccines - If you read In the Kingdom of Needle and Bone, you've gotten a dose (haha) of this story. A traveling train of scientists in dystopian USA is attempting to help a population who have embraced the antivaccination movement. Particularly terrifying because, yeah, this could happen

Come Marching In - I felt a particular way about this story because I myself am mentally ill, and this story deals with a future where, since everyone keeps blaming gun violence on mental illness, there's a registry. Furthermore, you have to be tested and placed on it, unless, of course, you can afford to have a doctor give you a clean bill of health

Foundational Education - A girl tests into a very good university, with a few stipulations

Ratting - This one still managed to hit close to home in 2024. A disease has ravaged the world and split it, almost literally, into those who have money and those who don't. Those who don't are considered expendable and fenced in to do the labor for the haves. When a few of the have-nots get sick, they gather in groups and go "ratting" in the neighborhood of the haves.

Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World - McGuire does these superhero / time travel / doomed world stories so well. This one she calls a "conversation" with Superman and it deals with the main character being in love, her brother's obsession with Superman comics, and, of course, the state of the world

What Everyone Knows - This felt like such a McGuire story, somewhere her brain would go and think about and write. A Godzilla-like monster comes out of the sea, destroys a city, and is killed. The protagonist happens upon one of the monster's eggs and hatches a child from it

Belief - I don't know if you can be a fan of McGuire's and not care about the same things she does, so when she mentioned in the forward that this was about the postal service and the state of it, you could tell this was gonna be a passionate but brutal look into McGuire's mind and how it could go

So Sharp, So Bright, So Final - I happened to be reading Good Night, Sleep Tight at work, and, as luck would have it, I read this one at work too. McGuire imagines what would happen if rabies goes airborn and it's every bit as terrifying as you could imagine.

Sweet as Sugar Candy - A woman opens a bakery specializing in marshmallows and an old school recipe. Her partner in her college cooking class offers to find investors for the shop, much to her chagrin.

On the Side - I think this was possibly one of the more surprising stories and definitely a pretty neat one. Five minutes into the future, certain foods and spices have been cracked down on, leading to food trucks serving food under the radar, and our protagonist dreams of being able to serve and eat avocados again one day

Pedestal - Another superhero story and one McGuire said she'd love to return to some day, and I hope she does. Alice has the ability to command clones of herself from mirrors. Due to sexism in the superhero industry, she usually has to go without a mask, which makes her mundane, day to day existence pretty hard to navigate, and all she wanted to do in this story was buy some ice cream

The Proper Thing - The titlular story and the longest in the book! Fantastic, but I feel like that's synonymous with Seanan McGuire really. There's a special shop you can't get to easily that sells cheese with magical properties, staffed by people who might be more than they let on. One day, the shop is robbed and Maisie, our hero, is left to sort out the mess the villains left for her...

I love Seanan McGuire, particularly her Wayward Children series, so I was stoked to read a collection of her stories. These were a mixed bag for me, though there were some incredibly high highs toward the middle of the collection. I know collectors will love what I'm sure will be a gorgeous edition from Subterranean Press, though. (And the cover is stunning.)

"The Proper Things and Other Stories" is like a box of assorted chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. Some of the stories are like delicious truffles, rich and satisfying, while others are more like the odd flavor you politely try and then set aside.

One thing I really appreciated was the author's personal touch in the forewords. It felt like sitting down with a friend who's about to tell you a great story and giving you some background to set the scene. It made diving into each tale all the more enjoyable.

While not every story hit the mark for me, there's no denying McGuire's knack for spinning a yarn that's completely out of this world. "The Proper Things and Other Stories" might not be a perfect read, but it's definitely worth a dive for anyone who loves a good speculative adventure.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this in advance!

Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors. She excels in all genres of fantasy/paranormal. Moreover, she knows how to pull emotions out of her readers. Her honesty shines through.

The Proper Thing is an eclectic, interesting, relatable mix of stories. One of my favorites is Now Rest, My Dear. As a child, I found solace in reading and valued the libraries where I found so many new worlds, This story moved me.

Fantasy lovers, I recommend giving this book a try.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

Seanan McGuire moves in mysterious ways. Her mind is a thing of wonder and beauty, and I kind of want to examine it under the microscope, (which, given the subject matter she sometimes writes, she should not consider that to be macabre, at all—plus, I’m joking).

I had recently finished the short story anthology “Wink”, edited by Henry Herz, when I saw Ms. McGuire’s book come available on NetGalley. Her story in “Wink” was disturbing to the max, but I still read it with horrified fascination and wanted to see where she’d go next.

This anthology stacks UP. It’s so, so good. Yeah, there were a couple of tales in here that didn’t grab me as much, but by far the majority of them were amazing. Where does she come up with this stuff??

The author’s forewords about each story are so informative, and I enjoyed the background knowledge as I dove into the tales.

Here are my very favorites:

“Now Rest, My Dear” - Seanan perfectly captures the magical comfort and peace a library can give, and blessed is the child who grows up cherishing the library as a safe haven, where those who enter can lose themselves in fantastical new worlds, until they are jarred abruptly back to reality by the clock nearing 5pm (or 6, or even 9pm). This story takes me right back to my own childhood, where my siblings and I were taken to the library on a regular basis, where my mother had to limit each of us to ten books, probably because we couldn’t physically carry more than that on our own, and/or because she didn’t want us losing them and accruing fines. We have since grown up to adore books, and I am truly grateful for it.

“In the Land of Rainbows and Ash” - This one got me right in the feels. It really matters who or what you encounter first when you step through that magical doorway. Best be careful.

“Phantoms of the Midway” - I did not grow up roaming the carnivals. We had Cedar Point forty-five minutes away (Cleveland, baby), and it was too expensive to go to except maybe every other year. My parents didn’t want us going on rides that were iffy, and they considered most carnival rides to be iffy.
However, in this story, the author really makes you feel what it would be like to be a child of the carnival. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the boundaries, the edges where the lights don’t quite reach. I think we all remember what it’s like to be in that awkward space where you’re not a child anymore, but you’re not quite an adult, either—and you’re just itching to break some of those inexplicable-to-you rules that are beginning to chafe.

“Under the Sea of Stars” - Oh my gosh, I adored this one. All I will say is that it’s about the Bolton Strid in England, and it is absolutely a must-read.

“What Everyone Knows” - This is a fascinating take on monsters of the embiggened variety. Yes, that’s the technical term. I personally wouldn’t do what the MC did, but I was enthralled reading about it.

“Sweet as Sugar Candy” - A very few of us do one thing and do it very well. We don’t need to be the leaders, but we do need to be left alone.

“Pedestal” - Speaking of needing to be left alone…

And finally, “The Proper Thing” itself. This is a longer tale, and it takes you places you never thought you would go. It delves into what it means to be human, and it’s a perfect way to end the anthology.

There are many more stories, and once you finish this book, you will see that my favorites tend to be the fairytales, myths and the fantastical come to life, rather than the ones set more in the real world, although I do enjoy the latter from time to time. This anthology is a good mix of both sets, and I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy when it becomes available (very soon!) on April 30th.

Thank you to NetGalley, Subterranean Press and the inimitable Ms. McGuire for the advance copy for me to feast upon early. All opinions are my own.