Anthologies
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword And Sorceress
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword And Sorceress XXI (2004) edited by Diana L. Paxson
I wasn't sure that I was going to get the 21st edition of Sword And Sorceress. MZB died, and so I wasn't certain whether the anthology was going to be continued because it was a quality anthology, or because they were looking to sell on her name.
I'm pleased to say it was the former. Diana L. Paxson, who was chosen as the as the editor, is not only an author I like, but has also edited other anthologies that I have read and enjoyed.
There were, however, changes. Diana Paxson has added poetry, and one story, 'Rose in Winter' struck me as more of a romance than the type of story I'd come to expect in a Sword & Sorceress anthology. Despite that, this is still an excellent anthology, and I look forward to XXII.
As always, there were several stories that I particularly liked. 'Multiple Choice' by Leslie Fish had a nice twist on men thinking they can get what they want, whenever they want it. 'Oulu' by Aimee Kratts focused on the wisdom that women learned over time. But then I've always been fond of wise old woman characters. 'Necessity and the Mother' by Lee Martindale was the type of sword-for-hire story where the hired sword gets to use her brains as much as her brawn.
'Plowshares' by Rebecca Maines I liked because it didn't go where I was expecting, yet managed to fit my idea of story for this anthology perfectly. Esther M. Friesner's 'Child's Play' was also a story I liked, despite the fact that it had an evil-stepmother.
'Step by Step' by Catherine Soto was a good story, and it managed to remind me a bit of 'The Boy Who Loved to Draw Cats' so there was little chance I wasn't going to like it.
And as always the anthology closed with a short, amusing story. Marilyn A. Racette's 'Love Potion # 8 1/2' fit well into that place and ended the book well.
Now I just have to wait a year until Sword and Sorceress XXII comes out, for the next anthology collection where I'm almost certain to like every story.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword And Sorceress (2003) edited by Diana L. Paxson
I have loved Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress anthologies since I first came across them, and was saddened when MZB died, because I assumed that, like Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, this would be the end of the Sword & Sorceress anthologies.
Needless to say I was surprised to read that the anthology series will be continued, and XXI is already in the works. I'm not sure how I feel about this, however. I know that Elizabeth Waters et al had lived and worked closely with MZB, but I wonder whether the tone of the volumes will change?
Not that it will stop me from buying the volumes; after all, a quality anthology is not something that I come across frequently, and I expect the quality to remain high, I just wonder if the tone of the series will be different. We shall see.
Anyway, the latest installment is quite good. My personal favorites:
'Bread and Arrows' by Deborah J. Ross, 'The Mask of Medusa's Daughter' by Kathryn J. Brown, 'The Last Swan Princess' by Patricia Sayre McCoy, which is a twist on the folktale of the swan princes who are saved by their sister's persistence, 'Celtic Beauty' by Winifred Phillips, which is Derdriu and Naoise of Celtic folklore, and 'Shen's Daughter' by Mary Soon Lee, which seems like a reworked Chinese folktale, but I have never before read.
All in all, this is an excellent collection of tales, with some authors (Diana L. Paxson, Phyllis Ann Karr) wrapping up plots and characters from previous volumes. Despite the continuation of characters and plots from previous volumes, I don't think there would be a problem in picking up this volume as a first foray into MZB's Sword and Sorceress. If you like good fantasy, then you should enjoy this installment of Sword and Sorceress.
Sword & Sorceress II and V
Sword & Sorceress II and V were the last volumes I was missing in my Sword & Sorceress anthology collection, and I had been looking for them for years. Last year my father managed to find me used copies, so of course since I had been searching for so long, I waited a year to read them (Don't look for any logic, there isn't any.) Was it worth the wait? Of course.
Sword & Sorceress II came in its own plastic wrap, which is probably what led me to hesitate to read it. I've never had a book deserving of plastic wrap, as if it were to be valued and treasured for something beyond the contents of its pages. Strange concept, and one that, given the ease with which I can obsess over things, I should try to avoid in the future.
But, I discovered that once the plastic bag was removed, it read just like any other book, so there you go.
Sword & Sorceress II contains several early stories by authors who went on to become favorites, and also stories that were later developed into books in their own right. Charles de Lint's Cold Blows the Wind later became The Harp of the Gray Rose which is a very good short novel, and may have been re-released recently. It also contains Jennifer Roberson's The Lady and the Tiger which is an introduction to Tiger and Del, a series that I have always liked. I really liked 'The Chosen Maiden' by Paul Reyes which is a wonderful twist on the "young virgin sacrificed to the dragon" tale. Richard Corwin's 'Red Pearls' is also very good, especially since I was never quite sure where it was going, and the same was true for Rachel Pollack's 'The Red Guild'.
The only problem with this volume is you'll need luck finding it.
Murder by Magic (2004)
I love fantasy, and I love mysteries, so I figured that this should be a great short story collection. After all, I've read some excellent fantasy mysteries recently, such as those written by Charlaine Harris and Simon R. Green. This collection, however, was a mixed bag. For one thing, it look me about three months to read. I'd zip through a couple of stories, and then get bogged down in a story that took days to read, and then I set it aside for something else that looked more interesting.
The problem with several of the stories seemed to be that the ability to write good fantasy does not mean the ability to write good fantasy, and vice versa.
But there are some excellent stories in this collection.
My favorite story was Laura Resnick's "Doppelgangster," and I even made Michael read that one (he also loved it). It's quick and funny, it even made me laugh out loud. And it was a good mystery as well, with the clues there to be found, if you noticed them.
I enjoyed Esther Friesner's story "Au Purr" which was well done fantasy and a pretty good mystery. I also really liked Lawrence Watt-Evans' story "Dropping Hints." It reminded me of a puzzle that I'd heard, or perhaps a folk tale, of five identical creatures, and how do you tell them apart? M.J. Hamilton's "Double Jeopardy" was also interesting, although I found the fantasy element rather confusing in the beginning.
And confusing is where the stories I didn't like seemed to go wrong. I had a terrible time trying to make any sense of Debra Doyle's "A Death in the Working." The story was only 8 1/2 pages, but took me three days to read, and I never did make sense of what was happening.
And there were some stories that were good fantasies, but really didn't seem like mysteries. I enjoyed Mercedes Lackey's "Grey Eminence" but it hardly seemed a murder mystery.
So, as a mystery collection, I found this anthology mostly disappointing. But I really do recommend looking for Laura Resnick's "Doppelgangster," which was just plain fun.
Rating: 5/10
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006)
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding is an anthology of short stories featuring supernatural creatures and weddings. All the stories are good, but some are better than others. In some of the stories the wedding is the main feature, while in other stories the wedding felt a bit tacked on to make the story fit into the anthology.
One of the stories I particularly liked was P.N. Elrod's "All Shook Up." While catering a wedding, Frankie meets an Elvis impersonator who seems too good to be true--in more ways than one. I particularly liked how Frankie reacts to "Elvis" and tries to keep hormones from getting in the way of her good sense.
Esther M. Friesner's story, "The Wedding of Wylda Serene" was also an interesting one--and I very much enjoyed the story and the crazy twists and turns it took, however, I misread an important detail at the beginning of the story, and was confused as to the gender of the storyteller. For some reason I was convinced the storyteller was a female--which lead to my consternation later on in the story.
L.A. Banks' story "Spellbound" drew me in immediately. The idea of the Hatfield-McCoy being exacerbated by magic users in each family amused me, and I very much liked the writing. Michael picked up an L.A. Banks series a year or so ago. Perhaps I should pick up the first book in that series.
The story that was my favorite was Susan Krinard's "...Or Forever Hold Your Peace." I'm very fond of stories set in a Victorian setting--even an alternative Victorian England. Sticking magic into the middle of that is just a bonus. I also liked Kit and Olivia. I searched but I didn't see any books written by Susan Krinard that have those characters. But if she writes one, I'll definitely buy it.
All the stories have a romantic plot; some have boinking, but not all. (I, of course, prefer the stories without the boinking.) There were some stories that I preferred over others, but all the stories in the collection were strong and well worth reading, while several of the stories were well-written enough to make me glad I bought the collection.
Rating: 7/10
Emerald Magic (2004)
This book first caught my eye because I didn't expect to see Andrew Greeley's name in the fantasy section. Then I looked at the list of authors who wrote in this anthology: Charles de Lint, Diane Duane, Elizabeth Haydon, Morgan Llywelyn, Judith Tarr, Peter Tremayne, Jane Yolen. Even one of those names would have been enough inducement for me to pick up the book--but all those? And more!
Irish mythology, folktales, and fantasy. What more could I want?
Every story I read was excellent, although I did skip L.E. Modesitt Jr's science fiction story (I am rarely in the mood for science fiction.)
I probably would have recognized Charles de Lint's writing without seeing his name on the story. The Butter Spirit's Tithe is set in Newford (another giveaway that this is a de Lint story). Conn O'Neil has accidentally angered a butter spirit, and has to figure out how to remedy the situation, especially when the butter spirit claims that Conn will be his tithe to the devil.
I loved Elizabeth Haydon's The Merrow. It's the story of a mermaid marriage to a human, and even talks of the old tales where a sailor or fisherman hides a mermaid's item of power to keep the mermaid in her human form--and keep her as his wife. The tale is set during the Irish potato blight, as one town is trying to survive and concludes that traveling to America is the only way they'll survive.
The Hermit and the Sidhe by Judith Tarr was wonderful. Catholicism and faerie run through many Irish folktales and stories, and this tale brings the two together and into conflict.
I was quite surprised by Peter Tremayne's story For the Blood is the Life. I love his mysteries, and would never have guessed that this story--set in Modern Ireland--was one of his. On a similar vein to Peter Tremayne's story was Fred Saberhagen's A Drop of Something Special in the Blood.
Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Long the Clouds Are Over Me Tonight was a retelling of another familiar story from the Fionn mac Cumhail tales, and one I've read in other folktales. You know how things are going to turn out, yet you keep hoping things will be different this time. In this tale things were different, though in the way I'd expected.
This is an anthology that I will come back and read again, so if you're wondering whether you should make the purchase, my recommendation if definitely YES!
Rating: 8/10
The Repentant (2003)
edited by Brian M. Thomsen and Martin H. Greenberg
I love short stories, so I tend to pick up anthologies when I come across them--assuming they look even remotely interesting. The Repentant looked particularly interesting, since it had several authors I particularly like: Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and especially Nina Kiriki Hoffman. And the theme was also one that interested me: supernatural creatures.
As expected, I loved the Nina Kiriki Hoffman story. Here's the first paragraph.
When Dominic Cross was nine, he watched a monster his father summoned from the netherworld escape its ensorcelled circle, kill both his parents, and devour them.
The demon then decided to adopt the boy and see to his magical training. However, the boy has to survive on his own, and learns to navigate the world. The idea behind the story was fascinating, and as always I loved Nina Kiriki Hoffman's writing. She always goes places I don't expect, and resolves her stories in ways I wouldn't have guessed. The anthology was worth buying for this story alone.
The P.N. Elrod Jack Flemming was also good. Jack and Gordy come across a new vampire who is muscling in on Gordy's territory, and Jack has to stop him. It wasn't
There were several also other pleasant surprises.
Jeff Grubb's story Lycanthrope Summer was an interesting twist on the werewolf tale. Even though I saw where part of the story was going, I didn't see everything, and the writing was good enough that it didn't matter.
I also enjoyed Edo von Belkom's story The Den Mother. It was a werewolf/abused wife story, that went in an unexpected direction.
The Tanya Huff story, Sceleratus, had Henry Fitzroy telling Tony a story of his past, and of one of his past loves, and of the Inquisition.
Snarling, Henry stepped over the bodies, the blood scent wrapping around him. Prisoner of the Inquisition or not, the (man) would learn fear. He caught (the man)'s gaze with his, but to his astonishment, couldn't hold it. When he tried to look away, he could not.After a moment, the old (man) sighed, and released him. "Not evil, although you have done evil. Not anger, or joy in slaughter. I never knew your kind could feel such pain."
That's actually a good summary for the anthology. The monsters are not necessarily what you would expect, and don't behave or believe in the manner you would expect.
Although there were a couple of stories I didn't like, overall, it was a strong anthology with a variety of interesting and well written stories. Although I have to admit that when I see them name Martin H. Greenburg on an anthology, I'm pretty certain of liking the majority of stories.
Rating: 8/10
Maiden, Matron, Crone (2005)
edited by Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg
I try to pick up fantasy anthologies when I see them, since chances are they won't be there the next time I look. I picked up Maiden, Matron, Crone while ago, but saved it to read during the school year, because short story collections are much easier to put down than books.
Some of the stories in this collection were good, some were so-so, and a couple were quite excellent. And there weren't any stories that I absolutely hated, which is always a good thing. The best part of this collection, however, is that if focused on female characters, and for the most part strong female characters.
The excellent category started with Nina Kirki Hoffman's story "Strikes of the Heart." From what I have read, Nina Kirki Hoffman has been very good about writing good and unusual stories. It's always good to come across the unexpected, and so far her stories have all been just that. In this story, a young woman discovers that her grandmother's magic is failing and that she is the only one who can take her place and protect the land.
One of the reasons I picked up this anthology was because it contained a Charles de Lint story. "In Sight" is an evening spent with Ruthie Blue, a middle aged Newford folk musician. I suppose that's one of the nice things about books--you can have middle aged women in your stories, without someone telling you to make them younger and more attractive. I'm hoping that he will write more stories about Ruthie Blue, because I found her a very interesting character.
Devon Monk's "Bearing Life" was another story with a middle aged hero, this time, a queen who has lost her children and her husband, and rules alone in a besieged country. I like the way that Queen Thera dealt with her problems, and I liked the story, even though the very end wasn't a surprise.
Also good were Fiona Patton's story "The Three Gems of the Fianna," which read a bit like the Celtic tales I like so much, and Alexander Potter's "Opening Her Door," which was a twist on the tales I typically find in female centered anthologies.
The concluding tale, "The Unicorn Hunt" by Michelle West was very good. I'm pretty sure that I have one or two Michelle West books around here, and I think I'm going to have to find and read them.
Rating: 6/10
Assassin Fantastic (2001)
edited by Alexander Potter and Martin H. Greenberg
I know that Martin Greenberg puts together good anthologies, however there's something about the "Fantastic" that gets tacked onto the end of each anthology theme title that puts me off for some reason. However, I've always been fond of Assassin characters, so I picked up the book.
After the first few stories I almost gave up--the story by Tanya Huff I found confusing, and I saw the trick of Stephen Leigh's "Green Stones" almost immediately, so although it was a good story, it wasn't a great story. The same went for Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Coin of the Realm" I knew where the story was going, so it lost much of its punch. (It's an anthology about assassins--chances are that the main character--especially in a first person narrative--is going to be the assassin. Because it's hard for the assassinated to tell their story after the fact. So that pretty much kills any surprise or twist.) However, it picked up from there.
I really liked Anna Oster's "History and Economics". It was well written, and I wasn't sure where it was going up until the end. I think I would have liked Josepha Sherman's "Never Say Die" far better if it hadn't be written in the first person--or perhaps if it had been in a slightly different style. What is it about assassin stories that so many were written in first person? As if assassins have to channel hard boiled detectives? For instance:
The neat little sign in my tiny office reads simply, "Alexei Danilovich," which is almost my true name. And beneath that, in smaller, precise letters: "Removal Service--Discreet and Efficient"I would think that assassins and detectives would have quite different voices--the in-your-face bragging of detectives seems to have little place in the world of death by stealth. But here, the narrative voice just doesn't strike me as discreet.
On the other hand, Teresa Edgerton's "Dying by Inches" was very good. It was quite different and not what I was expecting.
Miss Odilia Rowan--with eighteen years to her name, and a world of bitterness in her heart--moved through the maze of Cour-de-Fer prison with the studied nonchalance of a long time resident.Quite lovely. It drew me in immediately. Mickey Zucker Reichert's Nightfall story was also very good, although I have to admit that I already liked Nightfall. (This story would be pre-Legend of Nightfall I think.)
Also excellent were Jane Lindskold's "A Touch of Poison" and Michelle West's "Echoes". I particularly liked "A Touch of Poison"
Watching the plump, dark-haired young widow working up to her elbows in break dough, a dusting of flour on her cute, slightly up-turned nose, no one would have guessed that Adalia Backer had sworn to kill a man--a man who trusted her.Well, maybe I could have done without the cute nose bit, but I really enjoyed this story as well.
All in all it was a good anthology, and I quite enjoyed it. There were lots of original stories, and for the most part even the ones I didn't care for were well-written, making it more a matter of taste than of quality. And I found a couple of new authors to look for as well, which is always a good thing.
Rating: 7/10
Children of Magic (2006)
edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
As I have mentioned on many previous occasions, I am a huge fan of short stories. Occasionally I have been disappointed, but for the most part the anthologies I have read have good, especially the one edited by Martin H. Greenberg.
The theme of Children of Magic is (as you would guess from the title) children with magic and the ability to change the world around them. The major problem with this review, however, is that I only read a one or two stories at a time, and then left the book on the headboard for a few weeks while I was reading something else (anthologies are good for that). So it actually took me several months to read Children of Magic as it dropped to the bottom of the pile in favor of whatever I was currently reading during the day (or sometimes something more boring, to put me to sleep.)
Unsurprisingly (at least to me), my favorite story in the anthology was Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s story “The Weight of Wishes” (in fact, the fact she had a story in this anthology was part of the reason I picked up this book). Will and Beth have two children, one of whom is a magic user and is barely under control. But on Christmas, Lisa’s powers create unexpected gifts for her entire family, that may change not only Lisa’s ability to control her magic, but also the family’s ability to deal with Lisa.
“Touching Faith” by Alexander Potter was another story I liked, especially when the boy decides that his path will require a Southern accent.
Another very good story was Brenda Cooper’s “The Horses of the Wild Hills”. Carly tries to protect her mother–from herself as much as far everyone discovering her drinking, but she also has to protect and care for herself–something an eleven year old girl is not necessarily capable of doing. What I particularly liked was Carly’s discoveries not only about the world, but also about her self and her strengths and weaknesses.
When I started reading Karina Summer Smith’s story “An End to All Things” I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. However, once I got into the story and figured out what was going on (in some ways it was as much science fiction as fantasy, and adjusting to strange technology is sometimes difficult for me) I quite enjoyed it. Although I never did quite understand why she didn’t “register.”
“Titan” by Sarah A. Hoyt was another story I very much enjoyed. It tells how Leonardo da Vinci gained his powers, from the point of view of one of Leonardo’s childhood friends.
I found the rest of the stories adequate, but not anything particularly I’d go out of my way for. Some of that may have been that several stories were about teenagers, and I tend to dislike stories about teenagers unless those characters are very well written. (I remember all to well what it was like to be a teenager, and dislike reliving those feelings.)
So if you like anthologies, you may want to pick up this collection. Or you could wait and see if any of these stories ends up in a “Year’s Best” collection.
Rating: 6/10
Places to Be, People to Kill (2007)
Edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Brittany A. Koren
I really like short stories, so I’m a sucker for anthologies. I’ve been burned a couple of times, but for the most part, anything that Martin H Greenberg has a hand in will most likely contain a majority of stories I’ll enjoy. The fact that the stories were about assassins was an added bonus. (For some reason I love to read about characters I would want absolutely nothing to do with if I read them in life: assassins, thieves, and scoundrels. Places to Be, People to Kill contains all three.
As with most anthologies, there were some stories I especially liked, and some I cared for less.
Bloodlines by Jim C. Hines was one of the story I particularly liked. It somewhat uncommon to find a man who does a decent job of writing a female protagonist, but Jim Hines did a pretty good job with Valerica, especially since she turns out of be a complex and somewhat flawed character. I especially liked the part that the role of destiny plays in this story. As a firm believer in free will, stories that question the idea of destiny I always find particularly interesting.
Sarah A. Hoyt’s story While Horse and Hero Fell was one I particularly enjoyed–it’s a mix of science fiction and fantasy, and I especially loved the idea of a computer wizard. Sometimes geeks have what it takes to be people of action. It just takes the right motivation.
Substitutions by Kristine Kathryn Rusch was another story I liked. It’s somewhat of a supernatural fantasy, only it focuses upon the more spiritual aspects of the supernatural rather than the creepy crawlies. I also like the idea of death outsourcing to multiple individuals to help cover the work load.
Fealty by S. Andrew Swann was a rather strange story in some ways–a cross between horror and medieval history almost, it also touched on the nature of good and evil, as well as forgiveness.
Although it meandered a bit, John Marco’s story The Hundreth Kill was both interesting and well done, even though for awhile I feared it was going to go to a place I really didn’t like.
And finally, I very much enjoyed Tim Waggoneer’s story All in the Execution, which started out making me think it was one thing, and ended on a completely different level. Although it had a slight Asian feel to it, it was not a particularly Asian story. But it was a particularly good one.
Although the cover isn’t bad, I just am not convinced that the boy on the cover is an assassin. He’s slouching in such a way that makes me think of moody teenager rather than stealthy cold-blooded killer. But really, that’s picking nits, since the overall feel for the anthology was correct.
If you enjoy short stories–especially short stories about scoundrels and assassins, then I recommend that you check out Places to Be, People to Kill.
Rating: 6/10
Many Bloody Returns (2007)
edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
I pre-ordered this, not realizing it was in hardback. As much as I love anthologies, I’m not that excited about hardback books–especially anthologies where I don’t know all the authors or the quality of the stories.
Many Bloody Returns pretty much tells you the focus of the stories: vampires and birthdays. In some cases it’s the vampire who is having a birthday, in other cases…not.
Luckily, I wasn’t too disappointed with my purchase. There were several stories by authors I like and charaters whose books I’m reading, namely, Charlaine Harris, PN Elrod, Jim Butcher, and Tanya Huff. Unsurprisingly, some those were also some of the stories I enjoyed most, as they built upon characters with which I am already familiar.
Of those, my two favorite stories were Jim Butcher’s “It’s My Birthday Too” and P.N. Elrod’s “Grave-Robbed”.
Jim Butcher wrote a very solid Harry Dresden story. Although there isn’t a lot of development of Harry’s character, what I did like was how this story added another dimension of Harry’s relationships with Molly (his apprentice) and Thomas (his half-brother). The continued building of those relationships was really the strong point of this story for me. One of the things that has annoyed me about Harry is his inability to turn to his friends for help, so I really liked seeing him working with others.
I also really enjoyed the P.N. Elrod story. Although I’ve found the Jack Flemming stories to have their ups and downs, I enjoy reading about Jack, and enjoy the time period in which his stories are written. Strangely, this was hardly a period piece in comparison to the other Jack Flemming stories. Instead, the focus is on the mystery/problem, and how Jack solves that mystery. And I quite liked Jack’s solution to the problem at hand.
Another story I particularly liked as Jeanne C. Stein’ story “The Witch and the Wicked”. Although I did guess part of where the story was going, I enjoyed Sophie’s musings and thoughts about her future, and her interactions with the vampires. But I mostly liked how the story went in a direction I was not at all expecting.
And I thought Elaine Viets’ story, “Vampire Hours” was wonderful. Although being in a vampire collection, it was pretty obvious who/what the people Katherine was watching were, it didn’t particularly distract from the story, since the focus was upon Katherine and her chase for eternal youth. The story felt a bit like First Wives Club crossed with a vampire tale. Fun and amusing, although I am not sure how I felt about the fact that Katherine was so focused upon her body and her beauty as her main assets.
But I have to admit that there were stories that I found disappointing. As much as I enjoy Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, this story didn’t seem to add much, and in some ways Sookie felt to me as if she was acting slightly out of character. nothing I could put my finger on, but the story just felt a bit off to me.
I also didn’t care too much for Rachel Caine’s story “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life” because I felt like I was missing something–I was never quite certain what was happening or why, and why Eve really had no clue as to what she was going to do. Instead of interesting, I found her somewhat annoying. Which was somewhat surprising to me, since I enjoyed Rachel Caine’s first Weather Warden book.
Otherwise, this was a pretty good collection of stories. I probably would have preferred the book in paperback, but over all I enjoyed it.
Rating:7/10
Year's Best Fantasy (2001)
I'm a sucker for short story collections--I love short stories, and fantasy collections are my favorite, so if I come across a collection, I usually buy it. This has, of course, led to some rather poor choices, such as "The Sorcerer's Academy" and "Earth, Air, Fire, Water", neither of which I've been able to finish. But for the most part collections tend to be good, and help to give me that reading fix, at times when I just can't get involved in a novel.
I'm not certain that I'd agree with the tag at the top of the book "A dazzling treasury of stories," but it is a nice collection. Some stories I liked, other I didn't care as much for, but on the whole it is a good collection.
"Hunger of the Leaves" by Joel Lane was one story that particularly struck me--it was more horror than fantasy, but still good. Although from a biological point of view, I did take issue with the premise of the tale. I also liked "The Golem" by Naomi Kritzer, but then I've always been fond of golem tales and Jewish folklore. This story has many of the elements I like about folklore--especially the dark side of the tale.
Scott Bradfield's "The Devil Disinvests" was very short, and very good. There's something about very short stories that are well done that is perfect. "Magic, Maples, and Maryanne" by Robert Sheckley I also liked, although like many of the stories in this collection, it was set in modernish times rather than a fantasy realm (as one would be lead to believe by the cover of the book.)
I have two other collection, volumes two and three, of which I've read volume three I believe. I'm not sure that they live up to the year's best fantasy, but the stories are good.
Year's Best Fantasy (2001)
Twisted Tails (2006)
This anthology probably wasn't meant for someone like me. It's an eclectic mix of short stories, of fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror. The problems is that I don't enjoy science fiction, and horror simply bothers me. (Horror leaves me feeling icky--a slight headache and an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know this isn't normal, but that's how I react to horror and stuff like it [I felt off kilter for a a full day after fishing Joyce Carol Oates's book Blonde.])
I realize that those are my personal quirks, so I'll avoid writing about the science fiction and horror stories in this collection, as I don't have the background and interest to judge them. However, there were a lot of stories that my brain categorized as horror, and many that were science fiction--probably more than half all told, so please be cognisant of the fact that I'm talking about maybe half the book.
There were several stories that were quite good. Marilyn Peake's Tiger in the Plum Blossoms jumps immediately to mind. I liked the style and the story, and although all the stories had twists at the end (hence the name, Twisted Tails) this is one of the stories where I didn't quickly guess what the twist was going to be. Plus, I have a strong fondness for Asian flavored stories, so that added to my enjoyment.
I found Steve Lazarowitz's story An Affair of the Mind especially amusing, because it was a riff on Sherlock Holmes, and I didn't expect it to go quite where it went. And although it had vampires, I quite liked A Matter of Grave Importance. Most likely because it wasn't horror (I find it strange that most of the vampire stories I've read recently are far more fantasy and mystery or even romance than horror.)
Peter Prellwitz's tale Eye for and Eye was also one I enjoyed, and one that twisted in an unexpected direction. A revenge story and a secret agent spy story all in one.
As a whole, there were several things that bothered me about this collection. First, like Kathleen Ragan's Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters, I hated the blurbs and bits that went each story. However, I learned my lesson this time, and just skipped them.
Secondly, this collection needed a much more editing than it got. Mind you, part of my day job involves copy editing, so some mistakes stand out more to me than they might to others, but things like ringing for wringing just threw me completely out of the story. Along those lines, I think that several of the stories needed tightened up--something that perhaps a good editor might have recommended. Several of the stories went into far more detail than I wanted and thought was necessary. If a story is only a couple of pages long, I don't really need paragraphs of details about the protagonist's face.
As a whole, this collection was a mixed bag. There were some stories that were quite good, and other stories that weren't quite as good as they could have been. As far as the science fiction and the horror, someone who reads and enjoys those genres would be a better judge than I. So if you're a straight up fantasy reader, this may not be the anthology for you. However, if your tastes are a little broader than mine, then this collection may be a better fit.
Rating: 6/10
Twisted Tails (2006) e-book ISBN: 1-55404-339-5
Twice Upon A Time (1999)
Fairy tales seen from another perspective--the wife of the giant from the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The hunter in the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The Wolf who appears in multiple tales.
This book is hit and miss. Some of the stories are excellent, others are so-so. The idea of retold fairy tales is an excellent one, unfortunately not all the stories in this collection were able to pull it off as well as it should be done.
(What I found interesting is that although no single story was a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, they still managed to show up in several different tales.)
Nina Kirki Hoffman's "How I Came to Marry a Herpetologist" was one of the stories I did like. It's the tale of what happened to the girl who had reptiles fall from her lips as she spoke, after the fairy tale ended. It's a story I think Erin would like, as she has addressed this story in her poetry.
Jane Lindskold's "The Beanstalk Incident" was also a story I really liked. It relates the criminal suit against Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk) by the wife of the Giant. This tale also looks at the story from what happened after the story ended--in this case looking at the moral character of Jack, who really doesn't come off all that well in the original story.
"Savior" by John Helfers is another excellent story--a short-short just four pages long. If I told you the plot it would take more words than the tale, so I'll just recommend it.
Another short-short is Tim Waggoner's "The Castle and Jack" is another look at Jack and the Beanstalk. I guess there's something about the tale that made authors want to take revenge against Jack.
The other tale I really liked was Jacey Bedford's "Baron Boscov's Bastard" which was a Cinderella tale of sorts, only without all the cutting off of heels and toes. Not that there's anything wrong with a little blood in a folktale. After all, it wouldn't be a fairy tale if everyone didn't get what they deserved.
Of the rest of the tales, some were good, some less so. I'd pick it up if I saw it used, but I don't think it's worth the $6.99 cover price.
Rating: 5/10
Rotten Relations
I was really disappointed in this collection. I had, as the song goes, high hopes, but was, in the end, let down.
I picked up the book because the idea of it sounded great: villains from fairy tales and literature telling their side of the story (much like Gregory Maguire's Wicked I believe.)
As with Twice Upon a Time, we got stories based on the same tales, several times, when there are so many other stories out there besides Cinderella, and I can only take so much of Cinderella.
There are some good stories in this collection, such as Josepha Sherman's The Trick of the Trickster's Tricked, where we get to see the wife of Iktome, Spider, and what she's learned, living with a trickster for so long. Josepha Sherman got the Trickster tale tone perfectly. I also liked Von Jocks Thrice Told, which reminded me of a story I heard on Selected Shorts. However many of the stories came across as half-hearted attempts of the evil-doer to justify their actions.
No offense, but there's enough of that in the news and media, I don't need it in my fantasy.
Rating: 3/10
Legends II (2004)
I picked up this book just for the Neil Gaiman Shadow story, so the fact that I found it in the bargain bin means that any stories beyond 'The Monarch of the Glen' were an added bonus.
And 'Monarch of the Glen' was good. Very good. It made me want to go back and reread 'American Gods' Right Now. Which I have not done, but may very well do. Because I really like Shadow, and I liked reading more about him, as well as learning more about his past. I'm not sure what it is about Neil Gaiman's writing that I love so much, but it's there, and I read his on-line journal for the moments when his day to day bits turn into one of his small tales that draw me in.
Besides 'Monarch of the Glen' there were three other stories I read: 'Homecoming' by Robin Hobb, 'The Messenger' by Raymond E. Feist, and 'Threshold' by Elizabeth Haydon. All three stories had the same effect on the that 'Monarch of the Glen' did. I wanted to go back and reread that authors' other books. The Riftwar Saga, the Farseer Trilogy, and the Rhapsody Trilogy.
Robin Hobb's 'Homecoming' was especially good--the main character started out particularly unlikable, yet she managed to keep me reading despite that. It also gave backstory for an area of her world I knew little about.
Of the other stories in the book, there were three stories that I have no interest in reading (the stories by Card, McCaffrey, and Brooks) and stories that are from books that we have, but I have not yet read: George RR Martin, Tad Williams, and Robert Silverberg. Michael has read two of the three series, and loved them, so I should read them, but just haven't gotten around to them yet.
I'll let you know when I do.
Legends II (2004)
Dana Stabenow
I like fantasies. I like mysteries. So... "Stories of Mystery and Fantasy" sounds like a good thing. Plus Charlaine Harris has a Sookie Stackhouse short story, and that had to be a good thing.
Well, it was an okay thing.
The Charlaine Harris story was good. In "Fairy Dust," Sookie has to figure out who killed Claudine's sister, Claudia.
Having read Anne Perry's fantasy before, I skipped "The Judgement" entirely. She may write good mysteries, but what fantasy I've read has been not good.
I liked Jay Caselberg's "Cairene Dawn" even though I caught onto where he was going with it. It was fun and amusing. Anne Bishop's "The Price" was an interesting story. The setting and the world were strange, but the story was still fascinating.
I also liked "The Nightside Needless to Say," which was a quick read, and in the hard-boiled vein, which I enjoy when done well. John Straley's "Lovely" was interesting as well, seeing as how it was written from the point of view of a crow.
The other stories were for the most part okay. I didn't like "The Death of Clickclickwhistle" too much, but it was science fiction rather than fantasy, and that was the part I didn't care for, rather than the mystery.
Rating: 5/10
Powers of Detection (2004)
