Magic for Beginners is a short story collection by Kelly Link.
Finished on: 10.5.2026

Magic for Beginners collects a few stories that I had already read in Pretty Monsters, and some that were new to me. But the old stories I could barely remember (the upside of having a shoddy story memory), so it feels like an all new collection – and definitely a good one. The stories range from absurd and surreal to meta. They have a good sense of humor, but also quite some darkness to them. They are beautifully written and filled to the brim with ideas. Good work all around.

The Faery Handbag [Re-Read]

Genevieve’s grandmother recently died and she left Genevieve her furry handbag. But it isn’t just any old purse – her grandmother has been taking care of an entire world full of faeries inside the bag.

The Faery Handbag is such a cute story, definitely one of the more lighthearted ones in the collection. I loved the idea and it was very well executed.

The Hortlak

At a small gas station slash supermarket next to the Canadian Border and the Ausable Chasm, strange things happens. The Chasm is zombie territory and those zombies seem to want to shop or trade, but the rules remain unclear.

The Hortlak might be the strangest, most surreal story in the collection, and that is saying something. It’s the kind of story where I wasn’t sure I understood all of it, but I loved the ride anyway.

The Cannon

Venus used to be fired from a cannon, so did her brother.

The Cannon, to me, was the weakest story in the collection. It is semi-lyrical and very strange, and I just couldn’t find my way in.

Stone Animals

A family moves into a new home that seems perfect at first, if it wasn’t for the rabbits infesting their lawns. But the longer they live there, the stranger things become.

Stone Animals is creepy indeed, and a very fresh take on this kind of haunted house story that I really enjoyed. Even if you know a lot of haunted house stories, I’d wager that you’ve read nothing like it.

Catskin

When the witch dies, she has a plan to still carry out her revenge through her children, especially one in the shape of a cat.

Catskin is one of the darker stories in the collection, and I’d say that it, too, is like nothing I have read before. It reads like a fairy tale in many ways, but it is also its own beast entirely.

Some Zombie Contingency Plans

Soap just got out of prison. He crashes a party where he meets a cute girl. He tells her about this habit he developed of making zombie contingency plans.

Some Zombie Contingency Plans looks at first like one of the lighter stories in the collection, but then it punches you in the gut in the last moments, and I think I would have liked it better if it hadn’t. But you can’t say it isn’t good at what it does.

The Great Divorce

Mediums have their work cut out for them, especially since marriages between the living and the dead became legal. And sometimes, people want to get divorced again.

The Great Divorce is again, such a great idea, and I also really enjoyed the execution that is often quite funny.

Magic for Beginners

The Library is a cult TV show. It stars Fox and it all takes place in a Library as big as a world. One never knows when the next episode will come on. Jeremy and his friends are fans. But then Fox apparently dies on the show and afterwards contacts Jeremy to send him on a mission.

Magic for Beginners is such a good story and such a great idea, and it reminded me in many ways of I Saw the TV Glow – I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Schoenbrun had read the story. It really swept me away again, and I still wanna actually watch The Library.

Lull

Ed and Susan are separated. One night, when Ed is out drinking with his friends, he calls a hotline where a person tells you a story. The story seems to be about Susan and Ed.

Lull is probably the most complicated of the stories, a high concept tale told in layers and with reverse chronology that deserves, and maybe needs, two reads and not just one. I didn’t absolutely love it, but it was definitely interesting.

Summarizing: really good.