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2.In “Above the Silver Sky” the rain stops, endangering everyone who dwells there. As the story says, “Our sky was broken, but we could not leave.” Does this type of catastrophic environmental change mimic, in a dramatic way, what is occurring in our own world? What should we do to prevent our sky from breaking? And if we cannot, what then? Can we fly away like the winged horses or are we trapped like Neshka’s father?
3.Neshka’s grandmother provides not only encouragement for her to mount a magical horse and fly away, but a physical tool—a bridle—to help her with that. What do you think motivates the grandmother to help Neshka escape? How long has she been working on the bridle, waiting to press it into her granddaughter’s hands?
4.Despite repeatedly asking her to forget about the horses, in the end, Neshka’s father puts her on the mare’s back and watches her ride away from their valley. Did that decision surprise you? Why or why not?
5.When her father sets her on the horse and encourages her to leave, Neshka promises to come back to him after she fixes the rain, but in the end of the story she chooses not to do that. How does that make you feel? Did she make the right decision?
A Mother Unicorn’s Advice to Her Daughter
1.What did you think about this advice? Did the mother miss anything important? What was your favourite advice?
2.Do you think this advice is unicorn-specific?
Ladies Day
1.What do the characters’ names reveal about them? Lord Henry Dinglecrumb? Sissy Sutherland? Charles Cavendish? Duchess Ragnhild? Cassandra?
2.A multitude of details, from language choice to designer names, work together to establish the setting of this story. Which bits had the biggest impact on your impression of it?
3.The glyphs on Cassanda’s tunic translate to “There is no one who deceives who is not deceived, no one who does wrong who prospers at great length.” Do you agree with that sentiment? Can you think of a time in your life when it has been proven to be right? What about a time when it has been shown to be wrong?
4.The idea of destiny is important in this story, especially to Cassandra. Do you believe there is such a thing as destiny? If so, can it be changed?
The Boys from Witless Bay
1.Jimmie and Paul have very colourful personalities (to say the least). Are they the kind of guys you’d want to hang out with?
2.What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled, or had pulled on you? Can it compete with what Jimmie and Paul did to Berton Blake?
3.This story includes plenty of local flavour in the dialog, from words like “b’y” to the phrase “I handy ‘bout died” which is something you’re unlikely to hear outside of Newfoundland. What phrases or slang terms are local to where you live?
4.Paul essentially plays a game of Twenty Questions with the kelpie at Dunker’s Pond. If you could ask any mythological creature twenty yes/no questions, what creature would you choose to talk to? What would you ask it?
5.How do you feel about the people from Ecobay being left in the pond until it’s cleaned up? Does that seem fair and reasonable to you?
6.At the conclusion of this story, Jimmie suggests that this will become just one of many ghost stories coming out of Newfoundland. What’s your favourite local ghost story?
The Horse Witch
1.Do you believe in magic?
2.Lillian Jones is set up at the beginning of the story as an antagonist for Wendy, but before the story ends Wendy has made some peace with her. Was there ever a time in your life when you thought someone was your adversary/enemy and it turns out they weren’t?
3.Lillian is big on pumpkins and cooks them in a couple different ways over the course of this story. What is your favourite pumpkin recipe?
4.When was the last time you rode a carousel?
5.Devon says, “Everything is temporary, Wendy.” Is that true, do you think? Or can you think of something that isn’t?
6.This story deals with the cull of wild animals. How do you feel about animal culls in general? Are there times when they are appropriate? Are there times when they are not?
7.Have you ever had occasion to deal with someone as unpleasant as Clive? How did that go?
Eli the Hideous Horse Boy
1.The very first line of this story is “Taryn escaped from home whenever she could…” Have you ever felt the need to escape from your own home? Did you act on it? Where did you go? How did you get there?
2.Derrel stalks Taryn because he’s obsessed with a version of her that only exists in his own mind and Eli is thought to be stupid until he was hit hard enough that he could speak. Have you ever been confronted with the fact your impression of someone was completely inaccurate? How did you react and process that?
3.Have you ever been to a carnival? When was your most recent visit? What made it memorable?
4.“She saw a policeman working security and understood something when Derrel called her a bitch and the officer only chuckled.” Have you had this same understanding? What was the situation that lead you to that understanding? How did/does that make you feel?
Different
1.In “Different” the main character is torn between wanting her daughter to have an easier/better/safer life and accepting her just as she is. Have you ever felt like that toward someone or something?
2.If you could ask a unicorn to grant you one wish, what would it be? What would you pay to have it come true?
3.“No creature should live restricted, defined by others.” This is the advice Kyra’s mother offers the unicorn. Can you share a time when you’ve felt like you were living restricted, defined by others? How did you overcome that feeling, or have you?
4.In the end, Kyra’s mother chooses to not have the unicorn make Kyra “like everyone else”. Do you think she made the right decision? Is it the same one you would have made?
To Ride a Steel Hors
1.Have you ever had a relationship with a non-living object like the one Demy has with her motorcycle? What was it, and what made you feel so strongly about it?
2.Did you undergo a quarter-life crisis when you turned 25 (assuming you have)? What form did that take?
3.When she was younger, Demy had read every horse-related book she could find. What was your favourite horse-related book when you were a child?
The Last Ride of Hettie Richter
1.At the beginning of this story, Hettie feels powerless, unable to stop her family from making poor decisions. Have you ever felt that way? How did you cope with that?
2.Hettie resents being compared to her brother Hector, but given what you know about the two of them from this story, do you think the comparison is an accurate one?
3.If you were ever to throw up your feelings at a crossroads and they would then take some sort of physical form, what shape do you think that would be?
4.If you were given the ability to separate your emotions from yourself and only feel them when you chose to, would you?
We Us You
1.Have you ever been to a rodeo? How was that? Do you think they are exciting entertainment, animal abuse or something in between?
2.Patrick mistakenly spells the word I’ll the way he pronounces it (all). Have you ever made a similar error?
3.When Patrick asks Nicole out he surprises himself with his own boldness. Have you ever surprised yourself with your own boldness? Was it a good thing?
4.At the rodeo Nicole is in unfamiliar territory but is she or Patrick the most uncomfortable with that? Have you ever been in Nicole’s position? What about Patrick’s?
5.Years later, Patrick looks back on his decision to run from the unicorn in the barn and knows that had he done something different his life would have been a lot different. Is there a moment like that in your past? Are you happy or sad that you made the decision you did? Given a choice and a chance to do things over, would you do something different?
Scatter the Foals to the Wind
1.In “Scatter the Foals to the
Wind” Loki talks about one of his questionable romantic partners. Everyone has made some regrettable choices in the past, but at least most of us didn’t end up pregnant with a six-legged horse, right?
2.“Scatter the Foals to the Wind” and “A Complete Mare” both deal with magic returning to the world and causing the descendants of gods to manifest unusual powers, but Loki’s ancestors’ powers show up quite differently in each story. If you were given a choice, would you rather have the abilities of Loki’s descendant in “Scatter the Foals to the Wind” or “A Complete Mate”?
3.When Michelle’s nosey neighbour sees her transform into a horse, she knows her life as it was is over. Have you ever experienced a moment like that, where you knew it was the end of one thing and the start of something new?
4.“How could you not suspect you’re at least part horse?” Loki asks Michelle. If you were to discover you were and animal/human hybrid, what animal would that be? How does that manifest in your personality or physique?
Lightless
1.At the beginning of “Lightless” Fulsa wants nothing more than to earn his mother’s approval. Has there ever been someone whose approval you wanted above all others?
2.Phaios describes being lightless and losing himself as “falling into the sky”. Have you ever felt that way? What inspired those feelings?
3.Though “Lightless” has many layers and hidden depths, on its surface it is a story about a boy’s rebellion against his mother. How did you rebel when you were younger? Were there chariots and starfire involved?
4.Fulsa endures physical pain in order to try and achieve his goal in “Lightless”. What would you be willing to endure to achieve your ultimate goal? What is that goal?
A Glory of Unicorns
1.Read this poem silently in your head. Now read it aloud. Does that change your experience of it? How?
2.How does the rhythm of this poem complement or contradict its subject?
Copyright Extension
“Stars, Wings and Knitting Things” Copyright © 2017 by J.G. Formato
“Eel and Bloom” Copyright © 2017 by Diana Hurlburt
“A Complete Mare” Copyright © 2017 by Tamsin Macdonald
“Neither Snow, nor Rain, nor Heat-Ray” Copyright © 2017 by Margaret Curelas
“Rue the Day” Copyright © 2017 by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
“Riders in the Sky” Copyright © 2017 by Megan Fennell and Leslie Van Zwol
“Above the Silver Sky” Copyright © 2017 by Dan Koboldt
“A Mother Unicorn’s Advice to Her Daughter” Copyright © 2017 by J. J. Roth
“Ladies Day” Copyright © 2017 by Susan MacGregor
“The Boys from Witless Bay” Copyright © 2017 by Pat Flewwelling
“The Horse Witch” Copyright © 2017 by Angela Rega
“Eli the Hideous Horse Boy” Copyright © 2017 by Michael Leonberger
“Different” Copyright © 2017 by Sandra Wickham
“To Ride a Steel Horse” Copyright © 2017 by Stephanie A. Cain
“The Last Ride of Hettie Richter” Copyright © 2017 by Cat McDonald
“We Us You” Copyright © 2017 by Andrew Bourelle
“Scatter the Foals to the Wind” Copyright © 2017 by Chadwick Ginther
“Lightless” Copyright © 2017 by K.T. Ivanrest
“A Glory of Unicorns” Copyright © 2017 by Jane Yolen
Contents
Introduction by Rhonda Parrish
Stars, Wings, and Knitting Things by J.G. Formato
Eel and Bloom by Diana Hurlburt
A Complete Mare by Tamsin Showbrook
Neither Snow, nor Rain, nor Heat-Ray by M.L.D. Curelas
Rue the Day by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Riders in the Sky by V.F. LeSann
Above the Silver Sky by Dan Koboldt
A Mother Unicorn’s Advice to Her Daughter by J.J. Roth
Ladies Day by Susan MacGregor
The Boys from Witless Bay by Pat Flewwelling
The Horse Witch by Angela Rega
Eli the Hideous Horse Boy by Michael Leonberger
Different by Sandra Wickham
To Ride a Steel Horse by Stephanie A. Cain
The Last Ride of Hettie Richter by Cat McDonald
We Us You by Andrew Bourelle
Scatter the Foals to the Wind by Chadwick Ginther
Lightless by K.T. Ivanrest
A Glory of Unicorns by Jane Yolen
Review this Book
About the Anthologist
More Magical Menageries
Discussion Questions
Copyright Extension