Ruined Cities edited by James Tallett (2013) – I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this anthology before. I like beginning writers and original stories, so independent publications’ short story collections are right up my alley. I’m not wild about dystopian or post-apocalyptic stories, but this one is large and meaty (420 pages) and has some exceptional writing. I’ll talk about a few of my favorites. “The City Over Hell” by Jennifer Povey – A young illiterate girl discovers her city is actually a dying space […]
Meeting new friends and reuniting with old
This is a collection of short stories, most of which take place in Tamora Pierce’s Tortallan Universe. Well, six do, and four take place in other fantasy settings, and there’s one nonfantasy story that was inspired by one of Pierce’s early jobs. I liked all of them, although one of them was a bit spoilery for me, as I haven’t read the books that it follows. (They’re sitting in my TBR pile right now, actually.) “Student of Ostriches” This story follows Kylaia, a young […]
Fifties and Sixties Time Travel
Time-Jump by John Brunner (1973) I know I’m reliving my youth, but I picked up “Time-Jump” by John Brunner for some classic science fiction. It was published in 1973 but contains his pulp science fiction stories from the periodicals of the fifties and the sixties. This is a short collection of ten of his time-related tales. At first glance, you’d think “these stories have all been done before” until you realize that these classic tales are the originals. Written before Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, […]
Just a Spoon Full of C12H22O11
SciFan Magazine, Dayne Edmondson, Richard M. Mulder, and Patrick Hodges, Editors (2017) This anthology is a little different than most. Not only does it include science fiction and fantasy short stories, but it also contains excerpts from new science fiction and fantasy novels. It’s an interesting way to read a bit of a novel and see if you like it or not. Clever. I’ve marked the excerpts with an asterisk. Across the St. Lawrence: A Tale of the Pendragon Empire by Teel James Glenn – […]
Smoke and mirrors are more useful than you think
This was my second anthology by Neil Gaiman, and at first I had to check that this wasn’t the same as the first one. There are four stories toward the beginning that are also in M is for Magic (“Chivalry,” “The Price,” “Troll Bridge,” and “Don’t Ask Jack”) , so if you would like my opinion on those you can go here. The first thing that surprised me was that the introductions for the stories were all in the beginning, instead of before each […]
Don’t Let the Cover Fool You
Phantaxis, James Edward O’Brien, editor (2016) These short stories of fantasy and science fiction reach across a broad and enjoyable spectrum. From a police detective in Victorian England looking for a supernatural murderer for to a bodiless head trying to survive in the far future, there’s something in here for everyone. Frostfire – In Victorian England, a gifted police detective enlists the aid of a young washerwoman witch to stop a chain of supernatural murders. Lengthy but strangely contemporary. Countdown to Extinction – Three scientists […]
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