A fantastical collection
919606
This is a fantastical collection of poems. Fantasy, whimsy and supernatural creatures abound. It's a magical escape for all ages.
3784418
As a longtime follower of John Kenn's work online, I was pleased to see it all collected in one place. Full of fantastical creatures as it is, it seems fitting to be a physical object, to sit alongside dark, old fairy tales. It certainly conjures similar feelings of fear and danger.

I do have reservations that prevent a fifth star from being awarded. Given the nature of Kenn's illustrations as one-off pieces, taking them in in succession gradually diminishes the effect. As an occasional blog post, the drawings were all fresh; in print, it is easy to grow tired of yet another "just before something dreadful happens" scene.

It makes for a wonderful "coffee table" book, something to leaf through at random, and take in gradually.
4077557
The collection of stories within aren't just great folk tales but the author has also created a world in which I believe, and haven't wanted to leave. And this collection has inspired me to ponder on the other inhabitants in other bizarre stories and lives they might lead. Love it when that happens.
2011963
This collection contains stories that will satisfy your longing for impossible events, unexpected truths, and dazzling stories of things that can only exist on the page. The stories here come from many different sources: online literary journals, print genre magazines, and venues in between. The authors range from people as well-known as Stephen King to authors you have probably never heard of. Give it a try and discover new authors, new places to read fantasy, and stories that will leave you breathless.
4796357
I have a strong liking of fantastical stories set in cities, which made me very keen to read this anthology. I'm glad I managed to pick up an early copy of it.

It's very good.

The 21 cities are all different. They range in technology level from the medieval castle of Forrest Aguirre's "Andretto Walks the King's Way" (which is a darker, more peculiar piece than any other medieval fantasy I've read) to the cyberpunk city of Darin C. Bradley's "They Would Only Be Roads" (in which charms and rites are a hacker's tools).

Some stories could be set in our world, if things were a little different. Vylar Kaftan's "Godivy" is set in the familiar office landscape, except that "the administrators [are] mating with the photocopiers and producing children born for office work." In the wars over photocopiers, the office-men forget that their mates are more than objects. A brief, moralistic tale, well-handled, and delightfully quirky.

Other cities are not of our world. Stephanie Campisi's "The Title of This Story" sees Boy come to half-sunken Skendgrot to have a religious book named, in order that his people can discuss it and that it might become more powerful. The language is dead, and impossibly complex for onomastician Regent to decipher. Campisi gives her moulding city a presence within the story, almost as strong as Boy and Regent -- who consider the significance of naming, Boy of himself and Regent of the book. It's a full story (that's a good thing). And the linguistics details are fascinating.

Hal Duncan makes the city an object of death and rebirth in "The Tower of Morning's Bones," in which the bones of old go into the tower of morning, in the city at the end of time and life: "...a tower of all the bones of morning, falling always and forever into the glorious confusion of the world" is its finishing line, and is an apt descriptor of the story as a whole. Duncan does not write simply. But he does write well; he expects a lot of the reader, but gives to one who re-reads, re-examines. Heady stuff (with the double-meaning intended).

A particularly strange city is Catherynne M. Valente's "Palimpsest": a viral city, passed among lovers who, when they sleep, walk its streets. Newcomers are quartered: four of them, who came to the city at the same time, each told that "you will go nowhere, eat no capon or dormouse, drink no oversweet port that they do not also taste, and they will visit no whore that you do not also feel beneath you, and until that ink washes from your feet ... you cannot breathe but that they breathe also." Lucia, quartered, wanders Palimpsest while passing it onto others, until she meets in our world one of the women with whom she was quartered. This is a sensual, beautiful story. (And a novel, Palimpsest, is coming out in 2009; I can't wait to read it.)

An element of the strange runs through most of the stories in this anthology, particularly so in my favourites. Not every story worked for me, but that's the way with any anthology; I think there were only 2 (out of 21) that I disliked, while I immensely enjoyed many more. Other than the ones already mentioned, stories by Jay Lake (set in the same city as his excellent novel Trial of Flowers), Ben Peek, Cat Sparks, Mark Teppo and Anna Tambour were very, very good. What makes this anthology so strong is its variety. Variety in setting, topics, prose. Among the cities modern and old, familiar and strange, cities where it rains vinegar or where an escape artist captivates the population, a suburbia where toys are threats, underwater cities or a city on people's flesh, every reader is likely to find his or her own favourites. And with the overall quality high, readers of different tastes will not be disappointed.
2181955
A Box of Dreams is a striking and attractive package of Denis Bells imaginings. These 26 short fictions are in turn reality-bending, strange, disturbing, hilarious, enigmatic, and a few need to be read more than once to grasp the meaning of the ending; others are left for the reader to surmise. Each story is a gem in its own right, but together with Louise Freshman Browns extraordinary illustrations, the collection is a rich collaboration of art and language.
 Of the 26 stories, I found the first story in the collection, Time Lapse, smart and sassy. Its about a philosophy professor who, after being shown a best-selling book of short stories by his daughter, decides he can be a creative writer too; he sends his story to numerous publications and is rejected over and over again by the editors, the rejection letters filled with clichs most writers are familiar with. One in particular he finds particularly galling. He decides to get even by fashioning a new piece that satirizes the pretentious claptrap of the editors reply. He waits for a replythen discovers that the publication has gone under following the editors deathrevenge denied. Another story which caught my attention is the slightly more than one page, Turkey, about roasting a turkey from the turkeys perspective. And of course, there are many others to tickle the imaginations of flash and short fiction readers.  Sandy Raschke, Calliope Fiction Editor
4865409
I was drawn to this collection by "The Ceiling", a story in which a relationship crumbles as an invisible ceiling slowly descends onto a town and squishes everyone. Very Twilight Zone... or Simpsons movie... or Under the Dome. But a weighty story nonetheless.

A few other stories in this collection are just as phenomenal. The title story, "Things That Fall from the Sky," is about memories, our perceptions, and unexpected friendships. "Space" is a story about loss and illuminating what is lost through stories.

Many of these stories are stories about stories. Some of the more gimmicky ones, like "The Passenger" (a story in which people life their entire lives on an airplane -- where is it going, where has it been? -- as an allegory for life on this planet), wear thin, but they're all interesting to think about, if a bit heavy on details at times.

This is a solid collection, and the stories within are incredibly varied. Included is everything from a modern take on Rumpelstiltskin, to a strange story with a twist right out of "The Village" (but better), and all sorts of literary fiction in between.
738055
Each one of these authors has a way of captivating the reader. I found myself getting caught up with each story, fearing for the characters and getting lost in the worlds the authors created. I thought when I got into this collection that one or more of the short stories would be about something out of classic horror- a vampire, a werewolf maybe, the typical antagonist- yet, that is most definitely not the case. These stories are refreshing twists on the classics, some with more of a modern feel, others rooted in the past. These stories take you down to the root of human fears and how twisted around some of our desires become

Most of these short stories are exceptionally well written, the only reason I gave it four stars is that I found a few of them to feel a bit rushed, a bit lacking in explanation and detail of why the outcome of the story is the way it is. Yet, that didn't take away from the overall enjoyment of these stories, and the fact that they float around and haunt you well after youve put the book aside. If you like horror and don't mind the twisted or macabre nature of the human condition, then I highly recommend this collection.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
2494956
An excellent collection; the works range from spooky-entertaining to downright mind-bending!  A must have for any fans of the authors, or the Lovecraftian horror genre.
2898301
The latest collection from the prolific and multifaceted Stephen Graham Jones contains mainly reprints, with two original stories. If youve never read his work, its a great place to jump in, especially now that the Halloween season is once again upon us. His stories tend to have a timeless quality, but the ones collected here in particular are notably fitting for the onset of the cold, dark corners of the year.

In this book youll read about vampires, werewolves, spirits, aliens, murderers, mad science, and zombies, among other things. Its obvious that Jones has an abiding love for horror, as most of these stories deal with long-standing genre tropes to some extent. That said, they're far from typical and he doesnt settle with simply rehashing whats come before (unless hes deconstructing something and reforming it into his own wild configuration).

Welcome to the Reptile House perhaps best exemplifies this, its cyclical structure weaving around seemingly disparate parts (supernatural abilities, tattoo culture, mortuary work), making its way to a conclusion that both comes as a shock and feels perfectly natural. It would be almost a disservice to mention the particular trope at play here. Suffice to say its quite possibly one of the best short stories dealing with it that you're ever likely to read.

The title story takes the haunted house concept and again brings a unique spin to an age-old theme. Its one of the more emotionally driven pieces in the collection (a quality that Jones does well with, which is no easy task considering the clipped prose style that characterizes his writing). In this story the characters are haunted by a past accident as much as the house itself is haunted, but make no mistake  Its truly not a place youd want to spend the night in.

The Dead Are Not takes an outsiders perspective on the ritualistic nature of funerals, and explores the possibility of other ways to say goodbye, or possibly not have to say it at all (providing, of course, you're privy to the secret words that must be spoken). If you could circumvent the great equalizer, what would be the cost? The chilling final words of this story may seem maddening in their ambiguity, but theres more than enough there for readers to draw their own conclusions.

If theres anything readers are likely to take issue with here, it is that ambiguity. Just as Jones isn't content to go the typical route as far as subjects and plotting are concerned, his stories tend to leave a lot open to individual interpretation.

As far as the reading goes, the collection is a balanced mix of deeply imaginative stories, emotional weight, out-of-the-box structure, and prose that will at times leave you breathless. Top that off with Alban Fischers inspired book design, the eerie yet inviting cover art by George C. Cotronis, and Luke Spooners subtly sinister illustrations, and After the People Lights Have Gone Off is a sure bet for the kind of book youll want to keep coming back to over the years. Recommended.
2219298
A great collection! I love the lyrical language, the imagination, and the depth of William O'Brien's prose and poetry.

"Peter: A Darkened Fairytale" is absolutely enchanting. Like the Chinese shop that the young protagonist of this novel visits, this imaginative novel by William O'Brien is "crammed with all sorts of unusual things." The story starts with a perfect setup for an adventure: we have a ten-year old curious and smart boy Peter who is prone to daydreaming, and a mom who is preoccupied with daily tasks.

But this is no ordinary adventure. The author, William O'Brien, uses his diverse experiences, from a degree in geosciences to a master's in science communication, in combination with his childlike vision of the world, to create a fascinating, mysterious, and multi-faceted world for Peter to explore. He brings in elements from a variety of disciplines and ways of knowing to weave this tale, providing the readers with a wide scope of possibilities to explore and ponder.

Peter is fascinated with boxes, especially boxes with secret compartments, holding keys to adventures. Unlike a toy designed for a specific purposes, a box is an open-ended play object that leaves it up to the child to decide what to do with it. It allows for both control and imagination - great things for any child unless that child gets trapped in a box. Then, it could be on to Skinner-style experiments.

The theme of new possibilities seems to be central to this story: there are doors to open, staircases to explore, strange creature to meet, and new experiences to have. That was my favorite book in the collection, but I also enjoyed the "tiny thoughts" and the poetry. Five stars!
1634084
I enjoyed this collection for a lot of reasons.  I found a variety of tales, from serious to funny, from ones with dark endings to ones where everything turns out just fine.  The author doesn't try for rhetorical heights in his prose, but takes a matter-of-fact narration style that works well for these stories and fits in with the characters he draws.  All characters strike me as fairly realistic, with real occupations, motivations, and so on.  The stories are well constructed, and the author has clearly been at this business for awhile.

Despite the title, most of these tales are not time travel fics.  It's a hard subject to tackle, but the three time travel tales all make a credible effort to add to the subject.  Prehistoric Tours is funny as heck.  The other two are serious tales.  I enjoyed the tour of historical battlefields in "Time Wars"; the author did some research.  This Time Around was a bit better as a story, though.

It's hard to pick a best story.  All of them are fairly good.  My Best Friend is a T Rex stands out a bit because the narrator is a kid.  The reader can tell what's going on, though the kid himself doesn't understand the situation completely.  It's one of the more inventive tales in the collection and the author tried out a different voice.  Most of the other stories have a middle-aged guy as the POV character.

As a side note, The Call of the Weird is part of a series of linked tales about the same character.  I'd read them before on Quantum Muse, an e-zine.  The others don't appear in this collection, but they're worth checking out.  Or perhaps the author will put together another collection soon...

Short stories don't seem to be in fashion these days, but I enjoy being able to read a tale or two in between doing other things.  I recommend this collection.
838410
A collection of spook-licious tales that will taunt, and in a few cases, tickle the fear bone in any reader.

Throughout each story, vivid word choices paint living pictures. Well-developed settings draw the reader even deeper into each small world, while diversity breaths life and uniqueness to each. Some characters speak volumes through quick-witted and sassy dialog, while others hold their secondary positions to enhance the tales.

At points, unexpected paranormal elements mix nicely with old England or a drab forest. Each text is paced nicely, filled with action, mystery, and a bit of BOO. There's even tantalizing serenity to some prose--a calm before a storm within an ominous journey.

Lessons of love that could never, should never be, and some passions are just stronger than curses bleed throughout. Character growth takes a ride, and sometimes in unexpected ways. Intrigue is found among the stories, which are fairly quick and easy reads. A few even play on old tales, but all pull in ancient superstitions we all know.
3411146
From the 'Just Us League,' a group of authors dedicated to the craft of telling stories, comes Volume 1 of From the Stories of Old.
Here, we see traditional fairy-tales given a modern make-over, featuring characters ranging from humans and Selkies, to goblins and mermaids.

Each author has their own unique style, which helped them to stand out from their colleagues. One of my favourite re-tellings was The Glass Maker, a delightful twist on Cinderella, with a male playing the Cinders role.

I was struck by the beauty of the thirteen tales involved. Each held its own and together, they provided hours of on the edge of your seat reading.

I would recommend this collection for lovers of Fantasy, mythology, and Fairy tales.
Rated 4 stars.
1947632
A delightful collection of short stories, relating the travels and adventures of the oversized self-proclaimed space-faring "Ecological Engineer" Haviland Tuf.  These stories, for the most part, were orignally written in the mid-1980's, and this collection itself was originally published in 1986.

I found the Haviland Tuf main character to be so uniquely different from any other SciFi character I've ever encountered, that it was delightfully refreshing.

Virtually all of the seven stories themselves are individually captivating; however, my favorite is the first from the collection, Plague Star.  Plague Star is by far the longest individual story of the seven, weighing in at over 100 pages (none of the others are much more than 50 pages).

Another unique factor regarding this book are the illustrations; which I also found to be another refreshing difference versus the hundreds of other SciFi books I've read.  I'd say that there are over 40 illustrations, and in all but maybe two or three cases, I found them to add to the enjoyment of the stories.

Another kudo goes to the jacket art for the book - extremely well done, and oddly, nothing like the illustrations found inside.

Unfortunately, it seems that the author's other works are mostly fantasy-related, and that he produced nothing else quite like these stories - so I suppose I'm going to have to be content with this limited sample of uniquely enjoyable SciFi.
1863436
When even the introduction is enthralling, you know you have a strong collection of stories.  I had only read one story before, "The Company of Wolves," but I was well-acquainted with some of the authors and looked forward to the stories by, from my point of view, newcomers.  Each story starts with a brief author bio, and I would have liked maybe for the editors to have said why they chose the particular stories they did, but that's a minor complaint.

Don't let the "Signet Classic" talk you out of it.  Sure, Henry James and Rudyard Kipling are in most English class textbooks, but if you have imagination and are willing to let yourself be swept off into these worlds, no one story disappoints.  Fans of "The Turn of the Screw" will love Joyce Carol Oates' companion piece, "Accursed Inhabitants of the House of Bly," and I found "For the Good of All" by Yvonne Navarro nightmare-inducing.

Best of all, as the title suggests, this book doesn't endorse just one type of horror story.  There are Gothic thrillers, stories bordering on science fiction, others reminiscent of dark forest folklore, and some with as much mystery as scares.  Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Anne Rice, Jane Yolen--there is something for everyone and most of the stories are at a friendly length.  If you want to curl up in a chair on a dark and stormy night and feel your eyes widen in fear, a quick shudder here and there, pick up this book.
3178551
Overall a very good collection of "weird" fiction.  One or two of the stories are a bit "huh?" (or at least, I need to re-read them more carefully) but the majority are unique, creative, and engaging.  Several stories have a mythical feel to them, like they could be expanded into a pantheon of characters.  The author's Swedish background, knowledge and experience help to create some very memorable tales, characters, and (checks dictionary) milieus.

Recommended if you like weird fiction, in the vein of HP Lovecraft, but not in the cosmic, Cthulhu world-ending sense, though I think the author could easily compose HPL-worthy stories.