An albino girl wanders the sun-scorched backroads of a south Georgia summer, following the bidding of an angel – or perhaps only voices in her head – searching out and slaying ancient monsters who have hidden themselves away in the lonely places of the world.

First introduced in Caitlin R. Kiernan’s second novel, Threshold, Dancy has gone on to be the unlikely heroine in several short stories and even a novella. Each story is a small piece of a larger fantasy narrative and in Alabaster they are finally gathered together in to a single volume.

I admit, dear reader, I wasn’t quite sure what I was picking up when I picked Alabaster up off the shelf in my local library. In truth I had been looking for another book by the same author and ended up getting this one instead. From what I understood (or thought I understood), Dancy was a minor character in one of Kiernan’s novels and this collection of short stories expand upon her background.

Having not read Threshold, I don’t know if I’m correct or not. I do know, however, that these stories presume that the reader has at least a passing knowledge of Dancy. And having no prior knowledge of the character, I found myself a bit lost.

Kiernan is an excellent author, that much I do know from reading these short stories. She is able to spin a believable yarn; to give the reader information while still leaving something to the imagination. She does have the occasional penchant for run on sentences, but I have yet to read an author who doesn’t.

Readers who have read Threshold and are familiar with Dancy will likely enjoy this collection. It gives glimpses in to her character and takes the reader on brief adventures. I’m sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first book in the series, but all in all I found it a nice read.