Customer Reviews

In Celebration of Lammas Night

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This was a very interesting collection of stories. It's neat to see how different authors interpreted the song and provided their own little twists. To the people who say that the story is repetitive...You have no idea what you were talking about. Each story was different from the one before it; though the main points were the same (ghost, spell, Lammas night), that was the only thing that was. I found myself enjoying the stories and wondering how each author would make each one new and interesting. I especially loved Miranda and Lady of the Rock. If you find the stories repetitive, read them one at a time whenever you feel bored.

This book is based upon a fascinating premise: take a poem, written by Mercedes Lackey, and use its basic outline to create a story. The basic outline remains the same: wandering female mage settles into the house of the village's former (male) mage, and finds herself courted by a phantom, who she realizes she can bring to life on Lammas Eve.The interesting thing is to see how these elements are used by the different writers to bring their characters to life. Each of the main characters is imbued by her author with a different background, abilities and vulnerabilities, just as each phantom is given different reasons and tone (save for the constant element of the floral offering found by her plate which reappears in each story).The ending varies as well, according to the authors' whim (the original poem was open ended). Is it sometimes repetitious, as cited in another review? Yes. But rarely has an anthology illustrated so well the difference an author's "voice" makes in a story. In addition to providing some interesting sci fi short stories, this collection provides readers with insight into the creative process that is fiction writing as well.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a bunch of short stories, with a twist. Josepha Sherman took a song written by Mercedes Lackey, and has several authors use it as the basis for a short story. The result is several short stories with similar plots. But, few of the stories are actually similar. The various authors came up with some interesting plot twists.

This book is amazing. The reviewer above who was disappointed in an anthology obviously never looked at the contents to see what she was buying. This is one of the best pieces of fantasy I have ever read. Each author puts their own spin on a basic premise designed by Mercedes Lackey. Some of the authors I recognized, some I didn't. A brief introduction of each author would have been helpful, but didn't detract from the story. If anyone figures out why the pig story is in there, please let me know. Also,the last entry could have been left out and the book would have had a better ending. I hope this comes out in a collector's edition someday because it's going on the shelf next to Shakespear, Homer, and Chaucer as a commentary on the human condition. This is a must-have for anyone who likes to read through the ancient seasons of the year!

Mercedes Lackey wrote a poem (a not-very-good one) about a wizard who settles in a village where the previous wizard has died. She begins to sense his presence in the house where he lived (and she lives now). In the end, she is faced with a choice of laying his soul, or bringing him back to life.

The conceit of this book is to have several authors use this theme as a jumping off point for their stories. It's an intriguing idea, but it doesn't work. The primary reason for this is, I think, that rather than use the story as inspiration, the authors simply put flesh on its bones. They don't use their own creative powers (assuming they have any) to make something unique and different of it. As a result, it's all much of a muchness and ultimately boring.

The other difficulty I had with it is the same difficulty that I have with much current fantasy writing. Many writers of this kind think that putting together a hash of various mythologies along with invented names that have no linguistic similarities are all you need. It's all very unsatisfying.

Having been introduced to fantasy via masters such as Lord Dunsany and Arthur Machen, I have no patience for this sort of thing.

I liked this book, I really did... And I understand that, as they're all based on the same song/poem, the stories are all going to have some things in common. However, while the stories were all enjoyable, they did get a bit repetitive after a while. I'd recommend buying this used, or taking it out of the library.

this was one of the best books i have read!!!! the difference in the stories were interesting and enjoyable. i have read this book several times always picking it up again and again! i've read many many different kinds of fantasy novels and this book has some of the more interesting collections of stories that are based on the same theme

Interesting set of short stories based around the Lammas Night premise. Anchored by Mercedes Lackey and with contributions from many people

THe local high school had a "tribute to Elvis" which wasn't bad as school concerts go - but I would be unhappy had I bought the tape believing it was bonafide Presley.

I felt the same about this book. Big type saying MERCEDES LACKEY and obvious fantasy - great, picked it up for airplane reading, and was annoyed to find Lackey had written only the verses it was based on. ANd I have never been an admirer of her verses.

It was a bit like being a high school teacher and having to read the efforts of a whole class told to write an essay on one topic. I would want to get paid to do that!

When I bought this book the synopsis sounded interesting but I would have bought it anyway since Mercedes Lackey's name was on the cover. What a disappointment. The story was good as far as it went, which was one chapter, but it just kept repeating and repeating and repeating ad nauseum. When I finished what I thought was the first chapter I was intrigued and curious to see how the story would be developed. It wasn't. After the third rewriting of the story I put the book where it belonged, in the garbage. This was an extremely disappointing story. I also expected to find more development of the significance of Lammas (August eve). I obviously do not recommend this book to anyone.