Russell is at her best with more delightful weirdness in Vampires in the Lemon Grove: women transformed into silkworms, American presidents reincarnated as horses, tailgaters for a yearly battle between whale and krill (TEAM KRILL). Not every short story is a hit, but pieces like "Proving Up" (a tale of homesteading and the marshaling of a glass window from one unsteady outpost to another) showcase her truly outstanding talent.