Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
While a relatively short anthology, what Mythic lacks in quantity is more than made up for with the quality of its selections. Each poem and story stands out as well as fitting the “mythic” tone the book is attempting to capture. Right from the very start, I was already enamored by the opening poem, “Syllables of Old Lore” by Vandana Singh and Mike Allen keeps the interest, flow, and beat consistent throughout the volume.
There are some editorial choices I’d like to highlight.
July 11th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Catherynne M. Valente, Theodora Goss | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories by Garth Nix
Most fans will find that the most exciting feature of this Garth Nix collection is undoubtedly the short story “Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case,” set in the world of the Old Kingdom (the setting of the Old Kingdom trilogy; Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen) and acting as a type of coda for the character of Nicolas Sayre, left damaged and traumatized in the last book.
June 4th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Garth Nix | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I’ve been seeing Sarah Monette’s name for a while but, for the most part, this collection of short stories was a blind purchase. The Bone Key deals with the exploits of Kyle Murchison Booth which are homages to M.R. James and H.P. Lovecraft. Now I’m not familiar with the former but I can attest that Monette captures the mood of the latter with this book. Even the protagonist himself is similar to Lovecraft’s “heroes” although Monette improves upon the concept and provides us at the very least with an interesting character instead of simply delivering a verbose narrator who can’t hold a decent conversation.
May 31st, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Sarah Monette | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke
The moment I finished Susanna Clarke’s wonderful first novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I wished that there was more of it. It was a long wait, but finally the fans of Clarke’s magically-soaked nineteenth-century Britain have a sequel — of sorts. Clarke presents eight short stories concerned with the presence of Faerie in England, and its influence on human inhabitants, all set in the same universe (with the same magical structure) as her previous work.
May 14th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Susanna Clarke | Audio, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Two edited by Jonathan Strahan
The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Two is one of several anthologies that collects the best science fiction and fantasy of 2007. I’ve read many of the stories included, yet revisiting them actually made me appreciate them more rather than feel exhausted. One thing I noticed is that there’s a stronger science fiction balance in this anthology compared to the previous volume, although that might also be because the lines between science fiction and fantasy easily get blurry.
April 3rd, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4 | Daniel Abraham, Jeffrey Ford, Jonathan Strahan, Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle, Ted Chiang | Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Bad-Ass Faeries by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Although I disapprove of the title, I still found Bad-Ass Faeries edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, to be a pretty good collection of stories. At least, that’s true if you discount the one or two stories that really boiled down to faerie porn. Which, ironically, is part of the humor in the story by Den C. Wilson, “Heart of Vengeance” (Well, elf porn, anyway). All, in all though, the collection is pretty good. It is targeted in its concept, but broad in its application.
March 29th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 4 | Danielle Ackley-McPhail | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Out of Avalon: An Anthology of Old Magic and New Myths by Jennifer Roberson
Out of Avalon: An Anthology of Old Magic and New Myths is an anthology for everyone who loves re-takes on the Arthurian legends, and especially those readers who loved The Mists of Avalon and are seeking more of the same sort of retellings, laced with gender politics, religious issues, and romance.
As in all anthologies, some of the stories are to my taste, some aren’t, and there is probably something for everyone.
March 5th, 2008. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | David Farland, Diana Gabaldon, Jennifer Roberson, Judith Tarr, Katharine Kerr, Kristen Britain, Laura Resnick, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Michelle Sagara West, Mike Resnick, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Rosemary Edghill | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
M is for Magic‘s title is an homage to the short story collections of Ray Bradbury and is a worthy successor. (Now if only we had 25 more short story collections to complete the alphabet.) Gaiman’s stories in this collection are easy reads that both young readers and adults will enjoy. It has a diverse set of stories, everything from mystery to coming-of-age to horror. There’s even a poem that managed to sneak into this collection.
Gaiman’s prose is quite easy to understand yet nonetheless charming.
February 20th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4.5 | Neil Gaiman | Children, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The FIREBIRDS anthologies edited by Sharyn November
Firebirds is the first of the three FIREBIRD anthologies edited by Sharyn November. Some people don’t like short stories, especially in anthologies where you are reading several different authors. I, however, almost always have a volume of short stories on my bedside table. Even if I manage to get no other reading done during a hectic day, it is a way for me to finish a whole story in 15-20 minutes. In an age where many authors seem incapable of writing anything other than multi-novel epics,
February 16th, 2008. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4.5 | Delia Sherman, Diana Wynne Jones, Emma Bull, Garth Nix, Kara Dalkey, Lloyd Alexander, Megan Whalen Turner, Meredith Ann Pierce, Nancy Farmer, Nancy Springer, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Patricia McKillip, Sherwood Smith | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman‘s place on my personal “favorite authors list” is cemented firmly by Smoke and Mirrors, a versatile collection of his short stories and narrative poems. There is a wide variety of “types” of story here, from fantasy to horror to mystery to wildly hilarious comedy. I liked almost all of them.
Neil Gaiman‘s two finest gifts are (1) humor, and (2) truly scary horror that gets under your skin rather than just grossing you out with gore.
January 25th, 2008. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Neil Gaiman | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
Oh...and the men used the name "The Great Northern Expedition" to throw people off as to their actual destination, even…
Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
Sorry if I mislead you in this detail, Paul...the voyage by ship was only the first leg of the quintet's…
The geography is confusing me--how does one get to a village in Tibet by ship? And even the northernmost part…
Oh, this sounds interesting!