Ages of Wonder [Mass Market Paperback]

Julie E. Czerneda (Editor), Rob St. Martin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Nineteen stories of myth and magic through the centuries

Here are nineteen original stories of myth, magic, and the creatures of fantasy, as seen through different historical eras— from the Age of Antiquity to the Age of Sails, the Colonial Age, the Age of Pioneers, the Pre-Modern Age, and the Age to come...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Biologist Julie E. Czerneda's science fiction has received international acclaim, awards, and best-selling status. She is the author of the popular "Species Imperative" trilogy, the "Web Shifters" series, the "Trade Pact Universe" trilogy and her new "Stratification" novels. She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her stand-alone novel, In the Company of Others, won Canada's Prix Aurora Award and was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award for Distinguished SF. Julie lives with her husband and two children in the lake country of central Ontario, under skies so clear they could take seeing the Milky Way for granted, but never do.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW; Original edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756405432
• ISBN-13: 978-0756405434
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Canadian > Short Stories

More About the Author

A love of reading turned into a love of writing for Julie E. Czerneda. A former biologist, then writer and editor of non-fiction, in 1997 DAW Books published Julie's first sf novel, "A Thousand Words for Stranger" and she hasn't stopped since. Her work has received international acclaim, multiple awards,and best-selling status. You'll find her work in anthologies as well, as she enjoys working with other writers. Julie is a popular speaker, whether on writing, science, or the use of science fiction to promote scientific literacy. Her most recent adventures included being Guest of Honour for the national conventions of New Zealand and Australia, as well as Master of Ceremonies for Anticipation, the Montreal Worldcon (2009).
Julie is currently writing her first fantasy novel, A Turn of Light, to be published by DAW in 2011. (She started by building a scale landscape for Marrowdell, where the story takes place, so you can see she's having great fun with it already!)
For more on Julie's work and upcoming events, please visit www.czerneda.com
Oh, and when not writing or at conventions? Julie and her photographer husband grab their canoe and disappear into the glorious wilderness surrounding their central Ontario home.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An Okay Compilation, November 7, 2009

By 

Steven Woodcock "Ferretman" (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ages of Wonder (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this subject matter and the general format of this entire series of books so I looked forward to this quite a bit. Unfortunately I'd call this collection uneven.

The 19 stories vary from the somewhat "standard" middle-ages fantasy to a future Mars settlement and what happens when fantasy creatures make the trip. This format of setting stories in different timeframes was refreshing and I liked it quite a bit. I found the stories themselves to vary wildly however--this is one of the most uneven books of its type--with my finding some stories to be absolute page-turners ("Mars Bound", "To Play the Game of Men") and others to be skipped after a page or two.

Overall a good collection and a nice "one story before bed" kind of book to have around. Just don't expect every story to keep your interest.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating "Age" comparability, March 8, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ages of Wonder (Mass Market Paperback)

This anthology collection is based on the premise that there are other eras besides the medieval and the modern periods in which fantasy can thrive. The collection is broken into six categories as follows: the Age of Antiquity with four entries; the Age of Sails contains four tales; the Colonial Age includes three stories: the Age of Pioneers provides three submissions, the Pre-Modern Age includes three stories; and the Age Ahead contains two. All nineteen contributions are new and well written with this reviewer's favorite period being the Pre-Modern Age with the awe of new technologies and major scientific advancements. Within each age the tales radically differ and even more so between the sections so that a reader can choose to go in placement order (chronological at the section level) or as I did rotate between sections. Fresh, AGES OF WONDER is an intriguing fantasy collection that lends itself to a fascinating "Age" comparability as the reader can determine which era is best suited for "myths, magic, and monsters".

Harriet Klausner

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anthology of fantasy throughout the ages, April 7, 2009

By 

Laura Wenham "lkw" (Bellmore, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ages of Wonder (Mass Market Paperback)

This anthology explores fantasy stories set in a variety of time periods. The time periods are divided into categories such as the Age of Sail and the Age of Pioneers, with two to four stories per category. I bought the anthology because I am a fan of Sandra Tayler (who wrote the short story Immigrant in this anthology). I've previously enjoyed her short stories (some of which are available for free here: http://sandra.tayler.com/stories.php). I was impressed with the quality of all of the stories in the volume. I would like to see additional anthologies with this theme!