Jack DannCritiques

F/SF

F/SF

Quick Word: Some stories were well crafted, but the collection as a whole was to dark and unsettling for me.

A particularly well crafted collection of magical tales, from classic to urban fantasy, some steampunk-ish SF/fantasy blend, some particularly well done reimaginings of Arthur lengends and children's tales (Alice in Wonderland), this collection has it all.
Unusually, i do not feel the need to remind folks that not all tales in any given anthology will appeal to all readers, as this is one i read everything in it.

This book seems to be shortchanged by it's reviews. In one case the review states it was due to a lack of space combat.
As a disabled Veteran, I have to point out the title is Space SOLDIERS, and there is a lot more to soldiers than combat, wherever it happens. The stories here dig into those other parts.

Harlan Ellison's Run for the Stars was pretty awesome. I'm loving that it's about a vengeful addict who wants to kill the human race - into it.

I didn't bother with Echoes of Thunder since its summary described it as 'an indian magic' story written by two white dudes. So, fuck that racist shit forever.

quality of these stories varied more than usual for an anthology of this type. I liked some, but didn't even pick up one new-to-me author I feel like reading more from, sadly.

Florencia, siglo XV. Aquí, en una ciudad gobernada por los Médici, y en una época en la que la ciencia y la magia van de la mano, el talento de Leonardo da Vinci empieza a dar señales de su temprano genio. Rodeado de grandes figuras históricas, como Sandro Botticelli y Nicolás Maquiavelo, Leonardo disfruta de la privilegiada vida del artista y ama a una joven increíblemente hermosa. Pero un enemigo cruel y despiadado está tramando su caída. El gran artista e inventor se verá obligado a abandonar la ciudad que lo vio nacer, dando así lugar a un mítico viaje hacia su destino, una aventura magnífica que podría haber sucedido.

Too odd for me. Not able to grasp the outlying concept and the characterization just doesnt get me either.

Stand-outs: Stonefather and The Witch's Headstone.

Honestly, I just got his to read the Obernewtyn short story, but I skimmed the others. They're all in their respective series form what I could tell. But the Obernewtyn story was worth it. Not sure why I was expecting it to be a sequel about either Elspeth or Dragon, but if you are for some reason expecting it to be that it's not. I don't even thing the series was finished when this was published.

short stories

I didn't enjoy these tales as much as I had thought I would. There is too many vampire stories and not enough of the other members of the horror genre. I would say that unless you are a big fan of vampire horror you are also going to be disappointed with this collection. The only reason I'm giving this book a 3 is because I did find one or two stories that were interesting and made the reading worthwhile.

It's weird. Well written, starts well, then slowly goes downhill from there. I think the title refers to, this case, me as the reader.

It took me a while to get into this book but I'm glad I stuck with it. A disconcerting book set 200 years in the future, Raymond Mantle is trying to reclaim his lost memories and to find his missing wife, Josiane. Dann's writing style feels a bit like Kafka or Gene Wolfe to me - very literary as well as mysterious and puzzling at times. One scene that stuck with me is the physiological card game that Pfeiffer and Joan play against another couple at the casino where all players are "hooked in" to each other's minds. A book that is well worth reading!½

Lots of dragons from many perspectives with some good stories. The Dragon's Tale and Vici, a cut above.½

This is a book of short stories in the fantasy genre about cats. Some of the authors are Fritz Leiber, Cordwainer Smith, Stephen King, Ursula K. LeGuin and Gene Wolfe. Pretty good collection and if you like cats and fantasy you'll love it.

From the back of the book: "A 1985 Nebula Finalist for Best Novel, The Man Who Melted is the stunning odyssey of a man searching through the glittering, apocalyptic landscape of the next century for a woman lost to him in a worldwide outbreak of telepathic fear. Filled with passionate humanity and writing of the highest order, it is an important and resonant work by an exceptionally talented writer."½

I picked up this early 80s anthology at a used book store. I had a few problems with it. first, despite the title , it's not a fantasy anthology, quite a few of the stories are science fiction. Second it's very dated (the first story, "The Silken-Swift," by Theodore Sturgeon, features a rape, and is handled in a way that wouldn't fly today. While the rest of the stories are less rapey, they're still dated in other ways). Thirdly, despite the unicorn theme, the stories don't go together that well, and it almost feels like the editors threw together any stories they could find with unicorns in them that had been written by an author who was fairly well known in the time. This really wasn't worth my time in 2017, though I probably would have enjoyed it in 1987.½

Steampunk is far and away one of my favorite escapist genres to explore. The playful Victorian aesthetics aside, there is something quite freeing in the retro-futuristic landscape of the worlds it encompasses. It allows for us to play in a setting where things were perhaps a bit more stifling for anyone that wasn’t a white, upper class man, and oftentimes show women who are going against the grain a bit. More recently, a subgenre of steampunk has emerged, that takes the ideas of steampunk, and focuses it less on scienes and gadgets and more on the Gothic horror literature of the Victorian era. This genre is aptly called dreadpunk.

Ghosts By Gaslight is a collection of steampunk horror fiction, falling squarely into the perimeters of dreadpunk. Naturally, I was very excited to see so many things I loved come together into one collection of short stories, as Gothic horror has such a unique charm for me. But did Ghosts By Gaslight manage to meet my hopeful expectations? Unfortunately, the answer is a very strong no.

Full review: https://thebechdelscream.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/ghosts-by-gaslight/

As usual, there are no spoilers in this review.

I read this book in 1983. It is now 2014. In 31 years, I've never forgotten this book. Well, actually, there is one story in this anthology of unicorn stories that will always be with me because of its timeless beauty and universal truth.

It is The Silken-Swift by Theodore Sturgeon.

If you like seeing goodness and light triumph over darkness and evil, read this story. There are no cliches, no tired moralities. Just a beautiful story that shows what a masterful writer can do with pen and ink. This is one story that I will remember until I'm gone from this earth.

This story (and book) is for readers of all ages. I've read some reviews that mention how the cover looks like it was designed for a preadolescent girl. Maybe it was, but the stories weren't.

I'm sorry to say that I don't remember any of the other stories in this anthology, hence only three stars. Isn't that how it so often is with anthologies? Some stories shine like diamonds, others, not so much. It isn't because those other stories were not good, it is because Sturgeon's story was so good it completely buried the others, at least for me.

Listen to how much praise I'm heaping on this story! I'll bet the first person to read it will wonder what all the fuss was about. All I can say is that beyond a certain point, no matter how well-written a story is, personal taste is what decides the fate of the story, and personally, I'm wild about this story.

I hope my words will encourage someone to seek out this anthology, perhaps on Amazon, or maybe interlibrary loan. It is an old book, but some library somewhere must still have it.

Good hunting.

This is the first collection I've read in a long while that is all good or better. There isn't a stinker in the bunch! My favorites were:
Jonathan Stroud's "Bob Choi's Last Job": Bob Choi goes after a dragon who is hiding in human form, eating humans, and stacking their bones neatly in the alley. Dark and really fascinating.

Naomi Novik's "Vici": debauched Roman Antony is charged with murder. His sentence: to slay a full grown dragon by himself (which means certain death). But Antony is sly and clever, and things don't procede precisely as planned. A fun prelude to the Temeraire series (though reading that series is wholly unnecessary to enjoying this tale).

Cecelia Holland's "Dragon's Deep": Perla is a young woman in a medieval fishing village. After the local Duke takes all their supplies, Perla and a few of the bravest fishermen go in search of more fish. But instead, they find a dragon. Perla is the dragon's prisoner for some time, trading stories for fish and her life. At last, she finds people again--but discovers that dragons and humans are not so unalike.Good"

Tad Williams's "A Stark and Wormy Knight": A darkly funny bedtime tale as told by a dragon. Marvelous use of language and kennings.

Andy Duncan's "The Dragaman's Bride": a wizard is traveling through the mountains in Virginia when she comes across a dragon who invites her to dine. At his dinner table, she meets ghostly miners, imps, the devil's son-in-law, and a girl who went missing rather than be forcibly sterilized. The style is unique and took me a couple pages to get used to, but then I loved it. I want more of this world!

Neil Gaiman's "The Witch's Headstone" is a weird little tale of a boy living in a graveyard, surrounded by ghosts--they are also his teachers and only friends. Garth Nix's "Holly and Iron" is a novel take on the Norman conquest and the Robin Hood legend. "The Ruby Incomparable" is another wonderful tale by Kage Baker, and shares many characters with The Anvil of the World. Jane Yolen's "slipping Sideways Through Eternity" actually plagirizes *herself*, which takes doing (it's a terrible, pat, short-story version of The Devil's Arithmatic). Terry Dowling's "The Magikkers" tells the story of a school for magic--but unlike other magic schools, each student can only perform one piece of true magic. Will they keep it for themselves? Or "share" it with the headmaster? Creepily enough, the latter choice is the one the author favors. Orson Scott Card's "Stonefather" might have been a good story (I liked the world building) except that once again, it's the tale of a young, righteous man who upholds truth, justice and his own personal religion against the thoughtless cruelties of his fellows. In the end, of course the mocking, high-spirited girl says "I'm only a weak-skinned girl" before aquiesscing to be his nurturing mother/wife figure. Yay!

While reading this book, I just came across this article: http://factualfacts.com/funny-facts/a-man-tried-to-rob-a-bank-after-paying-500-t...

It's pretty unusual that an anthology ever gets more than 3 stars from me - after all, tastes differ, and in any random selection, there's bound to be a few stories I think are great, and a few that don't do much for me. However, this anthology was, really, really good. I'd say 4.5 stars.

Contents:
Neil Gaiman - “The Witch’s Headstone”. (2008 Locus Award winner for best Novelette.) The story later turned out to be a chapter in 'The Graveyard Book,' so I'd already read it. But it was worth reading again.

Garth Nix - “Holly and Iron”. A female Robin Hood in an alternate-history "Ingland" is shaken when her poor tactics lead to her sister's death. Will she be able to find a way to unite a divided country?

Mary Rosenblum - “Color Vision.” I've read Rosenblum's first two novels (because they were part of the Del Rey Discovery series, which featured a bunch of great new authors) - but apparently she's published 8 books since then! I might have to try some catching up! This story is a teen sci-fi piece, about how a young girl's synaesthesia turns out to be a lifesaver, when the new school principal turns out to be a villain from another world.

Kage Baker - “The Ruby Incomparable.” Kage Baker is truly missed. I only have a few more books by her to read, and I've sort of been saving them, since I know no more are coming... Here, she tells the tale of a fairy-tale marriage between Pure good and Pure evil. The story is available for free online: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-ruby-incomparable/

Eoin Colfer’s - “The Fowl’s Tale.” I'm not a huge Colfer fan (didn't like Artemis Fowl), but this story's only 5 pages long, so it doesn't grate. Amusing tale of a greedy parrot who shows up at court with a tale to tell...

Jane Yolen - “Slipping Sideways Through Eternity.” A modern Jewish girl meets the Prophet Elijah, who takes her on a trip through time, helps her understand her heritage, and inspires her for the future.

Tad Williams - “The Stranger’s Hands.” A village takes in two wanderers - a man who seems to have lost his wits in an injury, and his caretaker. Soon, it is discovered that some who touch the disabled man's hands have their heart's desire magically granted. Soon, the needy flock to the town in hopes of having their wishes granted. But with greater exposure comes the revelation that the village's miracle man is (or was) actually one of the most powerful, dangerous, and evil wizards around. Is there some trick here? A well-crafted and thought-provoking tale.

Patricia A. McKillip - “Naming Day.” A young woman eagerly anticipates her 'naming day,' when her magical academy conducts a ceremony in which the students choose their magical name. But her mother has a lesson about values to teach her daughter.

Elizabeth Hand - “Winter’s Wife”. Hand is really good at short stories, and this in no exception. This was probably my favorite in the book... about a 'mountain man' from Maine, who marries a bride from Iceland that he met on the Internet. When a developer starts destroying ancient trees, something must be done...

Andy Duncan - “A Diorama of the Infernal Regions, or The Devil’s Ninth Question.” I'd read this Southern Gothic piece before (in Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2008) but again, it was worth re-reading. Basically, a girl runs away from working in a sideshow, ends up living in a witch's house full of ghosts, and meets the devil... but there's more to it than that.

Peter S. Beagle - “Barrens Dance.” The reason I got this book - I was looking for more from Peter Beagle. This story is redolent of ancient myth, as it tells the story of what a woman must do to escape an evil wizard's unwanted advances.

Nancy Kress - “Stone Man.” Under stress, a boy discovers he has heretofore-unknown magical powers. it loses him a friend, but gains him a new group of friends and a mission in life... Not Kress' best, but not bad.

Jeffrey Ford - “The Manticore Spell.” A monster might be dangerous - but also sublime: endangered and strangely beautiful. Should every monster be killed?

Tanith Lee - “Zinder.” By day, Zinder is a deformed dwarf who lives in an impoverished village, tormented by ignorant bullies. But by night he is a powerful wizard, who travels the world, dispensing advice and magical boons amid glittering courts, and doing good deeds for the needy. Kind of a retelling of the Biblical tale that Jesus may be disguised as any lowly beggar... written with Lee's own poetic language and lovely imagery.

Terry Bisson - “Billy and the Wizard.” Short, surreal tale of a boy who finds a wizard in his garage. Not my favorite, but I can see why others would like it.

Terry Dowling - “The Magikkers.” If someone told you you had only enough magic for one true spell - and then asked you to give away that magic, would you?

Gene Wolfe - “The Magic Animal.” Sometimes I love Gene Wolfe, and at other times I feel that his stories go off track due to their ambition. This Arthurian tale verges toward the latter, but there are still some lovely aspects to it.

Orson Scott Card - “Stonefather.” This novella is apparently in the world of Card's 'Mithermages' series (2 books published so far; haven't read either yet.) However, I probably will - this is a good (if a bit typical) high fantasy story, with an original take on earth/water magic and an interesting setup.

I am a fan of short stories, and of themed anthologies as a rule, and this was a very good one. While it's being presented as a book of Steampunk stories, it seems many of the contributing writers have only a rudimentary understanding of Steampunk as a set of aesthetics, which is what I think makes the collection so very interesting. Fantasy writers not known for their Steampunk aesthetic try their hand at some 19th Century Ghosts Stories with terrific results. Gene Wolfe has the very compelling "Why I Was Hanged", and John Harwood gives us "Face to Face" and darkly disturbing exploration of the Myth of the Fatal Book (one of my favorite tropes). And Peter Beagle's "Music, When the Soft Voices Die" was equal parts terrifying and heartbreaking.

Another reason I tend to like themed anthologies, is that it is a way I often discover new readers. "Kiss Me Deadly" introduced me to Caitlin Kittredge's "Iron Codex" series, and "The Eternal Kiss" gave me Holly Black's *tremendous* "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown". "Ghosts by Gaslight", too, introduced me to new (to me) writers from whom I am anxious to hear more: Theodora Goss (her "Christopher Raven" was lovely. Part allegory, part cautionary tale), and Margo Lanagan to name only two.

I was also interested to see how the Victorian tropes were used throughout -- authors made great use of both travelogues and correspondance.

I recommend this for lovers of dark and elegant stories -- there is not much here to truly keep you up at night, but sometimes an elegant shiver is what I want more.