The Bird Catcher, by Somtow Sucharitkul

I enjoy stories by Somtow Sucharitkul because Thailand seems underexploited as a SF setting, though Paolo Bacigalupi represents that part of the world well too.  The Bird Catcher seems like more straight fiction, just a memoir about hanging with a serial killer, but it's a very rich story for all that.  Made interesting by the description of the Police Museum in Bangkok, which seems to be a real place.  The protagonist is passing on his story of befriending this monster, and even understanding to an extent what makes him tick.  And it all seems to fit well in that weird, florid setting.  Somtow (he also writes as S. P. Somtow) manages to describe Bangkok as more chaotic than Calcutta, which is saying something.  This is a good story if you like horror with not too extreme (for today) doses of grossness.  I give it 3 stars.

Dragon's Fin Soup, By Somtow Sucharitkul

I had a lot of fun reading Dragon's Fin Soup.  It was a World Fantasy Award Nominee in 1996.  I have not read Somtow before, though I've seen plenty of books by her.  This story is light as a feather, kind of a tasty clear thin soup, probably not much like the soup in the story but good nonetheless.  Her family is making a living selling soup made from a fin of a dragon the family had bound.  Her struggle for her own identity is the central theme.  It all works together well, and it's pretty apparent all will be happy in the end.  It's a good introduction as far as I'm concerned.  3 stars for it.

The typeface on the story is an ordinary enough Courier, but it did defeat my Kindle's efforts to render it in Article Mode.  Went to the Nook for web mode.  Interesting.