Downside Girls

By Jaine Fenn

The floating city of Khesh rests above the uninhabitable planet of Vellern. For the Topsiders life is about luxury and opulence, while for those of the Undertow day to day survival takes precedence. Khesh City is a democracy by assassination, where the Angels - deadly state-sponsored killers - remove those unworthy to hold office.

When Vanna Agriet accidentally spills her drink over an Angel it could spell death, but instead it leads to a rather peculiar friendship. The downsider Geal hopes for a better life topside, only to find herself embroiled in a 'removal' by the Angel Thiera. Downside, Isha's brother Rakul brings a little black box home with him, and sets Isha on a journey that takes her to a meeting with the most powerful man in Khesh City. Larnia Mier, a talented topside musician and instructor, is injured after witnessing a removal first-hand. As her abilities diminish, new possibilities open up.

With a foreword by Alastair Reynolds (author of 'Revelation Space' and the recent 'Blue Remembered Earth', as well as 'On the Steel Breeze'), 'Downside Girls' is a standalone collection of interlinked stories by Jaine Fenn, that also shines new light on characters from 'Principles of Angels', Jaine's first novel in the 'Hidden Empire' series. ('Principles of Angels', 'Consorts of Heaven', Guardians of Paradise', 'Bringer of Light', and 'Queen of Nowhere').

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tower Of Chaos Press
• Release date: May 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311503008

Jaine Fenn

Jaine Fenn studied Linguistics and Astronomy at college before spending a decade and a half developing a healthy distrust of technology whilst working in computing. As well as numerous published short stories in the science fiction and fantasy genre she is the author of the Hidden Empire series, published by Gollancz. This far future space opera saga consists to date of five novels, starting with Principles of Angels.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 Jaine Fenn

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein.

Any slights of people, places or organisations are unintentional.

‘Collateral Damage’ first appeared in ‘Subterfuge’, October 2008.

‘Death on Elsewhere Street’ first appeared in ‘Shadows of Saturn’, April 2005

‘Angel Dust’ first appeared in ‘Labyrinth Inhabitant’, May 2009

‘The Three Temptations of Larnia Mier’ first appeared in the first edition of this collection.

Downside Girls was first published in November 2012 by Clarion.

This edition published in 2015 by Tower of Chaos Press, Hampshire, UK.

www.towerofchaospress.com

Cover design by Nik Keevil: www.keevildesign.co.uk.

Foreword

Alastair Reynolds

Here are some excellent stories by the equally excellent Jaine Fenn. Three are linked; the fourth is new and unrelated to the others. The challenge for me now is to introduce these pieces by saying as little about them as I can, since – at least for me – a large part of the joy of short fiction is the thrill of leaping into the unknown and seeing where the fall takes you.

We need to be careful. Novels, generally speaking, are big, robust things, built like battleships. They can take a lot of poking and prodding and still maintain structural integrity. Short stories, even the best of them, are rather more fragile – ships in bottles, perhaps. It’s hard to spoil a good novel by talking about it too much but you can easily wreck a short story by over-analyzing it. Writers know that more than anyone. We put a lot of time and effort into these things, an investment of energy and emotion ridiculously disproportionate to the likely monetary or acclamatory rewards. We do it because the form fascinates us. We do it because we are enchanted with the technical challenge of squeezing a slice of human life - an imagined city, a world, even a universe - down the narrow throat of that bottle. We hope that we have contrived our story in such a way that it will pop open in the reader’s imagination, as if spring-loaded. A successful short story will seem bigger on the inside than the outside – or at least bigger on the inside than it has any right to be.

Jaine Fenn knows this. Jaine is very good at implying a world much larger than the compass of the story can possibly contain. A properly populated world, too. The three linked stories presented here are riotous with life, glimpses of a fully-realised society, both alien and familiar. With her background in astronomy and linguistics, Jaine can be trusted to put together a science fictional universe that won’t collapse at the first interrogation. But that’s not to say that these stories readily disclose all the answers we might want, or that the scientific worldbuilding is rammed to the foreground. Jaine chooses her viewpoints carefully, and she’s careful that we should only see things through the narrow prism of our particular narrator’s plausible concerns. We know that we’re on a city, probably of artificial construction, with a topside and an underside. There’s some weird gravity stuff going on. It seems to be floating somewhere, perhaps in the atmosphere of an alien world. Technology runs to implants, energy weapons and data-spikes.

All very well, but don’t expect Jaine to break off the narrative to tell us where and when this is happening. She knows, of course, and so do some of her secondary characters (and the readers of Jaine’s novels, which share this background, will come into these stories with a different perspective to those encountering this milieu and its inhabitants for the first time). But in the cut and thrust of these city tales, there isn’t time to dwell on matters of invented cosmology, and that’s exactly as it should be. Jaine’s slumdog narrators have other things on their minds: immediate survival often being fairly near the top of the list.

I’ve known Jaine since she began publishing novels, about four years ago, but she has been part of the British SF scene for quite a bit longer than that. I’m sorry our paths didn’t cross sooner. It shouldn’t matter, but you may as well know that Jaine is also popular and pleasant company, well regarded at conventions. Like me, her route into print depended to a degree on fortuitous timing as well as basic hard graft – any writer who tells you that there isn’t a measure of luck involved in this business is a lying liar. But, since Jaine has an amusing story involving her own break into publishing, involving the consumption of a popular headache remedy, I won’t spoil it by repeating it here. Buy Jaine a drink, then ask her about that panel. But not too many drinks. There’s a lesson in it for all would-be writers: seize the moment, and don’t be backward in coming forward. As a field, we should be grateful that Jaine seized her particular moment.

Jaine has continued to write novels, but she has also continued to write short fiction, and that is very good news. For what it’s worth, most of my favorite writers operate at both the long and short ends of the spectrum as well – and sometimes at all stops in between. I regard that as healthy, a sign of a creative imagination that will not be fettered. Writers who only write to pay the rent – no matter what distant artistic impulse may have drawn them to writing in the first place – tend not to have much time for short fiction. There are, of course, many excellent writers who work exclusively at novel length. However, the more mercenary a writer is, the less likely you’ll find them working at anything so unremunerative a length as the short story – it just doesn’t (as a rule) pay well enough to make it worth their while.

So I am always happy when a writer continues to produce short fiction, because it betrays a genuine affection for the genre, and even more so when the short fiction is as cleverly executed as it is here. These are dangerous little fables, sleek and sharp as an Angel’s retractable blades, and just as likely to cut when you least expect them to.

Enjoy.

Collateral Damage

‘So sorry, I didn’t see you there!’

The bitch just spilled her drink in my lap. I could cut her for that.

Best not. She’s topside class. And I’ve been wondering about her, this stranger with her smart suit and sad eyes.

I stood up and stepped into the light so she could see me brush the booze off my lap; these new clothes had stuff in them so dirt didn’t stick. Then I looked down at her to see if she’d run.

She hadn’t, though she was trying to suss me. A downside girl alone in a topside bar, dressed for comfort and style rather than the usual business. What could I be?

The barman came over, abandoning the raucous end of the bar where a bunch of coves were celebrating making it big in some offworld venture. He offered me a napkin and said, ‘Can I get you anything else Medame?’ Then he shot the woman a look, like she might want to leg it while she had the chance.

I smiled at him. ‘No thanks. But I think my friend here’ll have another—‘ I sniffed the soiled napkin ‘—jian and bitters. Light on the bitters.’ When I handed the napkin back her gaze settled on the bloodless wound on the inside of my wrist. I turned my smile

Reviews for Downside Girls

[weisser4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Although I enjoyed the stories, I did not like the style in which the book was written. I felt as if the stories needed to be longer. They were only a taste of a story in order to tempt the reader.

[iamandypieters · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about heroines. They come in all shapes and forms and are all intricately connected to the city's political system. If you don't do your job as an elected official properly, then you will be asked to leave office. The asking is done by the city's angels. The angels ask the elected officials to leave office by killing them. The book is set in this world of castes and strange political systems with plenty of blood and plenty of humanity. A delight to read

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Downside Girls is a collection of four stories, all set in a futuristic city divided between the wealthy "Topside" and the squalor filled "Downside." The city has an unusual political system where the citizens elect politicians to be assassinated by Angles, Downside girls chosen to fulfill the citizens choice. The first story follows an unusual friendship between a Topside woman and an Angle. It is the strongest story in the collection and every thing a short story should be. I'd recommend reading Downside Girls for it alone. The other three stories are interesting too, but they lack the strength of the first one.

[cwallen_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Definitely enjoyed this. There was a bit of a feeling of missing context, like reading the middle book of a series, but short stories don't really have space for more. I look forward to finding the rest of the series.

[storeetllr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Four short stories set in the same world, where the well-to-do reside "Topside" and the poor and criminal element live "Downside" and political graft is resolved by assassin "angels" ~ young women taken from the Downside and bionically enhanced with the ability to fly and with blades implanted in their forearms. First of all, I'm not an aficionado of short stories in most cases but prefer novels. Short stories usually feel a bit thin, and these are no exception. EXCEPT that they provide a brief look into a fascinating world that I I am excited to have discovered is the world of the "Hidden Empire" series. As for the individual stories in the "Downside Girls" collection, I really enjoyed the first and third, was okay with the second, but was a little meh on the fourth, which wasn't actually about the angels but had an odd religious theme going on. Anyway, bottom line, I'm going to be searching out the novels, the first of which I guess is "Principles of Angels."

[scistarz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The short studies included in "Downside Girls" can be viewed as character sketches, where each main character has their illusions revealed. Sometimes the illusion was about their own character and sometimes it was about the world around them; regardless, the amibiguity of the stories (where "happy endings" are bittersweet at best) with the stratified setting of topside vs. downside lead to an interesting read.

[khrister · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book of short stories. A good short story is hard to write, and hard to find, but in my opinion, Jaine Fenn has done very well here. All the stories are set in the same universe, and from reading the foreword by Alistair Reynolds (an author whose books I really like), there are also novels in this universe.The fun (or frustrating, as the case may be) part with short stories is that there's almost no room to explain the universe, so you're dumped straight into the story without much background, and it really works for me in these stories. My ideas of what an Angel really were changed quite a bit while reading the stories, and now I want to find out more.I will look for more books by Fenn, and I recommend these to any short fiction fan.

[kalyssa_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won a copy of Downside Girls from a Librarything giveaway in return for an honest review. I found Downside Girls fast paced a quick read that I was able to read in a short time without putting down. The shorts stories take place in the world of the Hidden Empire Series. I found the idea for the floating city with the two types of people unique and exciting. I found the concept for the Angels new and refreshing compared to most of the other Angel books out there. The short stories are an awesome teaser into a world I want to read more about.

[the_jman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an overall entertaining book of four short stories. All four are set in a world that is well thought out by the author. She has a way of building a realistic world and society, even within the confines of a short story. I found the place and setting believable even with so little background and information. It felt like something she had fully thought out and realized, but was only giving us little tidbits of. The first three stories were about the "Angels." State-sponsored female assassins that are taken from the city's lower class, and then altered to give them implanted weapons and abilities. I found them enjoyable and leaving me wanting more. The only one I was not particularly fond of was the final short story. It was a story about one of the citizens in the city, and her encounters with one of her music students. It seemed like a toss-up between a religious story and a romance. Out of all the short stories, this is the only one I came away from feeling like it was unfinished. It felt less like a real plot with a story arc, and more like just a series of events in some woman's life.

[lsmurphy524 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having not read any of Jaine Fenn's novels, I was a little worried that a collection of short novellas would leave me with questions about the city of Kesh. It was a needless worry. Fenn's writing is strong with four very distinctive voices for each one of the novellas. The stories moved quickly and weren't bogged down with useless description that usually turns me away from science fiction. The world building was quite excellent. I easily imagined myself on the city. My favorite story was "Death on Elsewhere Street." I felt in the moment as the events took place and couldn't put the book down for a moment. "The Three Temptations of Larnia Mier" was another favorite, but as Larnia wasn't a downside girl, it didn't fit as well with the other stories. "Angel Dust" had me hooked until the story moved from the downside back into the city of Kesh. I enjoyed reading about life beneath the city and wished it had continued in that vein. "Collateral Damage" kicked off the stories nicely with a solid introduction into the world. I loved that this story was from the point of view of an Angel. Overall, this is a really good collection of stories for even casual science fiction fans.

[gustavog_90 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this via the EarlyReviewer program, in electronic format - which had only minor glitches.Four short stories that make for a quick and intriguing read. A complex background world is shown in glimpses, its deeper history only hinted at. The main characters are rich enough, their thinking and reactions sometimes alien, but reasonable in context.Overall, a good read. I'll probably read more by Jaine Fenn.

[pvincent-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being a short (novella-sized) book, I read this in a single sitting. It's a collection of four short stories by a British SF writer who I admit is new to me, but has previously written a series of novels - the Hidden Empire series - set in the same story universe. These stories are set in that shared universe, and the first three are interlinked. Fenn is a gifted writer, having the uncanny knack of explaining very little, but leaving the reader enough clues to fill in the blanks and slowly begin to understand the universe of the stories. I'm sure this makes the Hidden Empire novels even more rewarding to read, and I'm very keen now to do so! The realisation of exactly how the Angels fit into the society was nicely shocking! I won't talk about the specific storylines here, since as Alastair Reynolds says in his excellent introduction, the brevity of short stories makes spoilers even more annoying than for novels. I'll certainly be reading more of Ms. Fenn's work!

[drichpi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first reaction to [Downside Girls] was Is this all? It is a short collection of short stories, each dealing with a different girl from the poor side of the floating city of Kesh. Each story features a strong female protagonist, with an upbeat theme about just getting by on the poor side of town. This book is a delightful introduction to [Jaine Fenn], and I look forward to seeing more from her.

[amkm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The stories in "Downside Girls" were well developed describing a society in the future or on a distant planet. Females are chosen from the lower class and transformed into enhanced assassins to rid society of the corrupt,(usually political). The first three stories where interesting and left me interested in reading some of the author's related novels. Although the fourth story takes place in the same society, it was out of place. It was more of a lesson in religion and would probably do well as a lesson in a church youth group.

[kinsey_m · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Downside girls is a collection of short stories that takes place in an imaginary universe previously portrayed in some novels by the same author. Not having read the previous books by Janie Fenn, I felt I was missing part of the information, although you can tell this is a complex and well thought out universe. You can read Downside girls without previously reading any of the other books, however some issues may seem a bit confusing (at least for me) without the benefit of the previous knowledge, for instance the differences in gravity between topside and downside, or the physical structure of the downside. The social differences between topsiders and downsiders are quite clear and are possibly the main characteristic to be able to follow the stories, so no problem there.This is a fast and quite enjoyable read if you like action or plot-based stories. If you prefer character-driven stories, you may find the characters a bit flat (I cannot speak for the characters in the novels). I kept thinking of the "angels" as these gorgeous, dangerous and doomed girls, almost characters in a Manga cartoon. Whether this is good or bad, it will depend on your personal taste.

[raevon-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Generally, a good read with plenty of scope for the imagination to fill in the details of the cities, streets etc. Enjoyed it just as much if not more on the second read than the first. Different style to what I am used to even in Sci-Fi, I did read with an open mind and was pleasantly rewarded. Enjoyable read and it would be interesting to see the stories expanded into a longer version i.e. perhaps books on their own. I have yet to read other works by Jaine Fenn, but I would indeed recommend this as an "appetiser". Thank you for the opportunity of reading it and for your patience in getting it to me.

[nickdevonald · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first introduction to Jaine Fenn's work, and this is a collection of four short stories set in her Hidden Empire series. What an introduction. Not being familiar with her work I worried I wouldn't understand what was going on, but this just served as an excellent taster for the rest of the series.The length of the stories meant that there wasn't tons of background information, no infodumps as are quite often prevalent in sci-fi work, instead the reader has to piece together the setting from what limited information we have. I loved the whole concept of the angels, a fairly unique creation. This world is dark and gritty, filled with prejudices, interesting characters, and plenty more to explore.I assume if I was familiar with Jaine Fenn's other work there might be a bit more significance in some of the stories, but at the same time not being familiar didn't detract from the stories. And once I have read the rest of her works I think I will find myself re-reading these shorts to better appreciate them.It didn't take long to read these stories, but at the same time it's only four short stories, what do you expect? I have no doubt I will go on to read the rest of her novels now, this has just whet my appetite nicely.Anyone considering reading any of Jaine's work I would recommend this as a good place to start. Definitely one Sci-Fi author to watch. And I think I should just mention there is an intro from Alastair Reynolds, that should be a good indication of what a good collection this is. Go on, read it, you know you want to.

[hinwblog · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of 4 short stories that make for an amazing novella style read. Before reading Downside Girls, I had never heard of Jaine Fenn or her "Hidden Empire" series. I am now hooked. I can't wait to get my hands on more!Ms. Fenn's style of writing is captivating! I was drawn in from the first couple of paragraphs. She does an amazing job at world building. It's one of those stories where you can actually envision yourself right there in the middle of it. Of the 4 stories, "Collateral Damage" was my absolute favorite. It's based on such a simple storyline. Two strangers meeting by "accidental" chance, becoming friends and then enemies (in a sense.). The twist ending I did not see coming!Each story is completely stand alone but yet they intertwine with each other. There are some characters who make repeat appearances in the different stories. They give you just enough of a taste of their world that you can't help but want more and more.I am super excited to give Jaine Fenn's "Hidden Empire" series a read! I want to know more about this world of Topsiders, Downsiders and Angels. I highly recommend you all check this one out as well! Especially if you like a quick read. An amazing way to "test" a book series without jumping in head first!*I received my copy from the Library Thing's Early Reviewers Giveaway program.

[musiciscool12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the concepts and the style of writing. Personally, I love strong female characters. Well done, and the cover is really cool.

[rinnreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book for free via Librarything, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Clarion Publishing for sending it to me (along with some very friendly emails), and for putting me on their 'nice people' list! =) This review is also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.This collection of four short stories by Jaine Fenn, set in the universe of her series Hidden Empire, assumes no previous knowledge of her work. Leaping straight in, without any introduction to the world, it is still completely accessible to readers who have never read any of the series. Facts were laid out when they need to be, rather than dumping lots of information on the reader. It is for this reason that I believe it is the sort of science fiction that is accessible to any reader. One of the downfalls of the science fiction genre is that it is often very specialist, and so much of it is very heavy - someone who does not usually read sci-fi could easily be put off. However, that is not the case with Downside Girls.The city in these stories has a 'topside' and a 'downside' - topside being the upper class area, and downside for the poorer citizens. Patrolling the city are Angels - downsiders chosen to be assassins and given special powers, who target corrupt politicians. The descriptions and feel of the city definitely gave me a bit of a Mass Effect vibe - I was imagining the scenarios taking place in the Citadel, which was pretty cool.All four stories have very different situations, and weave together the lives of humans and Angels. The stories are also interlinked in small ways, but I think you have to read the main series to truly understand the link - I only picked it up from reading the synopses of Jaine Fenn's other work. The narrative of the stories is just about different enough to show that each one is being told by another character, but I do feel that this aspect could be improved on.The writing flowed very well - not overly showy, or too simple. Despite only spending a short amount of time with each character, I somehow felt for them all - particularly in the last story. Fenn manages to pack a lot into only 80-odd pages - trickery, assassinations, gangs, as well as a rather sweet tale at the end.This novella has made me definitely want to check out the main books. Whilst appealing to science fiction fans, I believe it is also a perfect collection of short stories for those wanting to ease themselves into the genre.

[chowchow_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book for free via Librarything, in exchange for an honest review.  I have not read any previous novels by Jaine Fenn but if the well written and intriguing four short stories are anything to go by I will be reading more of her books.All four stories entwine the lives of humans and Angels living in above and below/ rich and poor cities. The writer has made the female characters stand out in each of the four stories. All together a very good book and hard to put down until it is read from cover to cover.

[cedargrove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in Fenn's City of Kesh, a 'double sided' city that floats above a hostile word, this series of four shorts tell the separate stories of four characters as they struggle to make their way in a very dangerous world, especially for denizens of the 'downside' – the poor, disinherited… struggling section of the society.The prose is tight, the pace as befits short stories is fast, and all but the last of the four stories leave the reader satisfied at the telling of a good tale. Unfortunately, the last of the four shorts feels in some way unfinished and was therefore the least satisfying of the four, it was also the only one of the stories that, although set within the same world, did not revolve around the 'angels' of Kesh City, but one of the city inhabitants. The world, however, is well imagined and richly detailed, and overall the stories are very entertaining, however I couldn't help but feel they were either meant as teasers for the longer novels set in the same world, or backstories for extant characters of that would, that Fenn somehow couldn't include in the main novels, but wanted to tell.

[ed0jones · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book had great potential. First there is a fascinating method of correcting corruption in a representative republic through a democratic permanent recall vote. Next is the intersection of a plain citizen and an Angle, not a real Angle but the person who’s responsibility is to execute the results of the recall vote. Then the story does a flash back to the Angle’s early life. Then….well then that’s when the wheels fall off. The story is never tied up and we’re left hanging. Then a new story starts in the same universe. This story is complete, just not too interesting for me.

[bobh1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alastair Reynolds (no less), in his introduction, talks of the joy of short fiction being the thrill of leaping into the unknown, I agree. The joy of short fiction is that it *allows* you to leap into the unknown without having to commit days of your life to the experiment. He goes on to talk of its fragility and how a successful short story will seem bigger on the inside. Again I agree, in these days of the blockbuster novel, where words are sold by the pound, the art of the short story is being lost. Jaine Fenn shows here that she knows exactly what not to say. She has written four stories based in her Khesh City where she sparingly tells us just enough background (for instance the city’s name is not mentioned in any of the stories). Like an impressionist painter, she paints just enough dots of detail that we think we know it all. Her characters are sparsely painted without descending into caricatures. On top of all that these stories are interesting!To my mind the sign of a good short story is when you spend longer thinking of the implications of the story than you did to read it. These stories are masterpieces of thought provoking science fiction.

[reading_fox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For what it is, it's very good, but at only four very short stories, there isn't enough. They are good short stories, well written and well imagined, all set in an intriguiing city, but I'd have felt ripped off if I'd paid more than £1 for the lack of content. The book is 78pages total, of which the last 10 are blurb for the author's novels (the short stories are good enough that I'll consider buying them) and there are several preliminary pages too, including a glowing foreward from Alistair Reynolds - leaving barely 60pages of actual story.There are three linked stories featuring the same Angels - enhanced humans serving as the democratic will of the people in a some space age city. The ultimate democracy if enough people don't think a politician is doing a good enough job the Angels' will kill that person. No Mercy. The four stories look at the effectes this has on the poor underclass of the city trough short vinegrettes of a few days of their lives - day's they'll remember for as long as they may live, when the Angel took personnal (rather than professional) interest in them.Both the Angels and the cityfolk were well drawn, living and experience very real feeling lives in a very starnge city. Of course in a short story action has to dominate, but there was enough from the character's viewpoint to understand and empathise with how they acted. The city and technolog was sparsely described, enough to get a feel for the surroundings, without excess wordage - at times a bit more descripotion of how the world worked would have been nice, but balancing this between action, character, and individual readers is always going to be hard in a short story.Enjoyable introduction to the Fenn's world - could stand to read a lot more of it.

[randystafford · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Using the old and reliable device of a society split between the haves and have-nots, these are mostly crime stories set in a future city. Here the city is floating. The rich people live Topside, an area of heavier gravity. The have-nots, taller and lighter-skinned, inhabit the Downside. It is from them that the Angels – women who have knives implanted in their arms and gravitic implants enabling them to fly – are recruited. They are authorized and required, under the Concord, to kill politicians who have failed to get a minimum of public good will. The first three of these stories are braided, characters and events central to one story showing up more peripherally in other stories.“Collateral Damage” plays out a somewhat predictable plot of a newly minted Angel, who still has not executed anyone, happily accepting the friendship, as a way out of her social isolation, of a Topside woman.“Death on Elsewhere Street” is about how some Angels go bad under the strain of their work and their machinations to get around the rules governing their legal sanctions.“Angel Dust” takes its young heroine all the way from Downside to Topside to reluctantly aid a wounded Angel. She eventually meets the Minister, the mysterious man who manages and recruits the Angels. Like most stories here, it does not end happily.“The Three Temptations of Larnia Mier” was my favorite story. Unlike the other stories, it is not primarily a crime story or narrated in the first person. Its fervently religious protagonist, a music teacher facing the trial of losing her hearing, must also face temptations presented by a new pupil.Those who have read Fenn’s novels Principles of Angels, Guardians of Paradise, and Bringer of Light will probably want to read this collection since, evidently, they share not only the setting but some characters with these stories. These were all well-told stories that I’m not sorry I read, but I don’t think I’ll be diving any further into this particular universe.

[gord3barker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have not read any of the novels that describe the universe these short stories come from. Our local books stores do not carry Jaine Fenn as an author. That as it turns out is not a problem as the writing in these short stories is crisp and direct. You can make a connection with the players almost immediately and understand (at least as much as is required) with the city of Kesh to make the stories enjoyable.The setting is dark with a realism that is intriguing.I really like the idea of the Angels, we should seriously think about that for our own version of democracy. This offering left me wanting more so I guess it’s off to Amazon to see what I can find.

[rickellebr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I picked up this book and realised it was a sequel of sorts (same characters that appeared in a previous book by the same author) I was a bit worried that, having not read the previous work, I wouldn’t be able to follow what was going on.While there is some obvious back story missing that would probably be in the other book, it didn’t stop me enjoying these stories any less.I really loved the world created by author Jaine Fenn and was intrigued enough by the characters that I am keen to read her previous work and find out more about them.Downside Girls is a compilation of short stories (very short) – three stories that all relate to each other in some way and a fourth that is independent of the others. Each story gives an intriguing glimpse into a futuristic world and the rules that govern it and focuses on a special breed of people who act on the requests of the public to assassinate those who are deemed guilty of something and need to be punished. The stories here don’t focus so much on what these punishable-by-death crimes are, they focus more on the assassins, or “angels” as they are called, and the dilemmas they face while doing their duty. I would have liked this book to be a bit longer, either the stories themselves extended or more stories included in the book. But I guess that’s telling of how much I liked these stories and Fenn’s writing – I wanted to know more about this world, the angels and the “criminals”. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick read, but to get a bit more involved in the story I’d suggest reading Fenn’s earlier work to get some more background on the characters.