Print Anthologies
Reviews of print anthologies.
The Return of the Sword: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure, edited by Jason M. Waltz
I’ve made no secret of the fact that swords and battles, and especially gory battles, aren’t quite my “cup of tea.” Anyone who reads my reviews—I hope somebody does—may be wondering why I’m even reading this sort of story. Blame editor Eugie, if you will, for catching me in a weak moment, or […]
Continue ReadingIlluminations: The Friday Flash Fiction Anthology, edited by Paul Graham Raven
Illuminations: The Friday Flash Fiction Anthology, edited by Paul Graham Raven, gathers together sixty-six tales by eight different authors in a charity project to benefit the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Its genesis was an exercise in motivation by Gareth L. Powell; he committed to writing a new flash fiction piece […]
Continue ReadingBest Fantastic Erotica, edited by Cecilia Tan
Best Fantastic Erotica combines nineteen stories from authors in the United States, Australia, and the UK into a volume that contains all the things most submission guidelines specifically forbid. And I do mean all so readers be warned: this is not for the shy or conservative. Do not leave it laying around the house for […]
Continue ReadingThe Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Two, edited by Jonathan Strahan
Editor Jonathan Strahan opens The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Two with a brief introduction in which he identifies a major challenge facing science fiction and fantasy—the fragmentation of the genre. The point is well made. This reviewer tries to read as much short fiction as possible each year; pretty […]
Continue ReadingThe Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
The Coyote Road is Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s third mythic fiction anthology and, once again, they’ve assembled a strong collection of stories by an equally strong stable of genre writers. Though the anthology is aimed at the YA market, these are not children’s stories. And though Coyote and all the other […]
Continue ReadingThe Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume 2, edited by George Mann
The second volume of original science fiction stories published by Solaris, The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume 2, repeats the successful formula of the first: freestyle, all new tales, no strings attached, no theme restrictions. Readers will find a most variegated selection of stories, from quasi-fantasy in medieval settings to high-strung technological adventures […]
Continue ReadingPaper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy, edited by Ekaterina Sedia
Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy is an eclectic collection of fantasy tales set in cities. The selections range from the highly literary to more straightforward adventure. While not every story appealed to me, there are several that I enjoyed, most of those for their use of language and fantastic invention more […]
Continue ReadingAustralian Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2007 Edition, edited by Angela Challis
Edited by Angela Challis, Australian Dark Fantasy & Horror: 2007 Edition is the latest in an ever-burgeoning sub-genre of books which could be described as “Subscription-Lite.” The reader can, by buying eight, nine, or ten individual books, save themselves the cost and time spent reading all the magazines and anthologies from which their contents are […]
Continue ReadingThe New Weird, edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
The New Weird, edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, is a veritable case study in anthology-making. Divided into several sections, it offers readers an analysis of recent precursors and their quintessential representatives such as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Mervyn Peake, and stories from the likes of such writers as M. John Harrison—author […]
Continue ReadingEclipse One: New Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Jonathan Strahan
Eclipse One: New Science Fiction and Fantasy is the inaugural volume in Jonathan Strahan’s new annual original speculative fiction anthology. Strahan’s introduction is enthusiastic and even inspiring; he tells us of how the SF/F short story is flourishing and describes the huge quantity of wonderful, imaginative work coming from writers new and old. Eclipse One […]
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