Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness [Paperback]

Mike Allen (Editor), Nicole Kornher-Stace (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2010

"Allen's third volume of extraordinary short stories reaches new heights of rarity and wonder . . . Without a wrong note, all the stories in this anthology admirably fulfill Allen's promise of 'beauty and strangeness.'"
-- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Story cavorts with style.

The result is a cornucopia of modern cutting-edge fantasy.

The third volume of this extraordinary annual anthology series of fantastic literature dares to surpass the first two, with works that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the manner in which they cross genre boundaries, that aren't afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques, and yet seamlessly blend form with meaningful function. The effervescent offerings found within these pages come from some of today's most distinguished contemporary fantasists and brilliant rising newcomers.

Whether it's a touch of literary erudition, playful whimsy, extravagant style, or mind-blowing philosophical speculation and insight, the reader will be led into unfamiliar territory, there to find shock and delight.

Presenting Clockwork Phoenix 3.

Includes stories by Marie Brennan, Tori Truslow, Georgina Bruce, Michael M. Jones, Gemma Files, Shweta Narayan, Cat Rambo, Nicole Kornher-Stace, C.S.E. Cooney, S.J. Hirons, Gregory Frost, Kenneth Schneyer, John C. Wright, John Grant, and Tanith Lee.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Allen's third volume of extraordinary short stories reaches new heights of rarity and wonder. Marie Brennan sets the bar high with "The Gospel of Nachash," a fine reinterpretation of the Adam and Eve legend from a fresh perspective. Tori Truslow's scholarly "Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day" tells the story of the Great Ice Train and its encounter with the merfolk on the Moon. Gemma Files's "Hell Friend" and C.S.E. Cooney's "Braiding the Ghost" are sinister, spine-tingling ghost stories. Cat Rambo deals with realism and escapism in her futuristic "Surrogates," where appearances and reality are mutable. Shweta Narayan's "Eyes of Carven Emerald" eloquently rewrites the history of Alexander the Great to include mechanical entities. Without a wrong note, all the stories in this anthology admirably fulfill Allen's promise of "beauty and strangeness."
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From Booklist

With a balance of new names and established authors, the third Clockwork Phoenix installment collects some magnificent interpretations of fantastic ideas. “The Gospel of Nachash” opens, Marie Brennan’s haunting tale of the beginning of time, and a very interesting reinterpretation of a gospel it is, too. Tanith Lee’s “Fold” is a story of a man who wrote love letters to the people he saw passing beneath his window, and only left his apartment once. Gemma Files’ “Hell Friend” is really a heart-warming ghost story; Georgina Bruce’s “Crow Voodoo” is an unnerving take on something common to fairy tales; and Gregory Frost’s “Lucyna’s Gaze” starts off sweet, and grows more awful with every revealed detail. Clockwork Phoenix delivers on its promise of both beauty and strangeness, and adds in some fright and a few new ways of looking at old tropes. All in all, it’s a very successful collection of thematically similar, but wildly varied in subject, works. --Regina Schroeder

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Norilana Books (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607620626
• ISBN-13: 978-1607620624
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic collection, July 27, 2010

By 

Anastasia (Staten Island, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness (Paperback)

The best volume yet. Clockwork Phoenix is one of few short story collections (I prefer novels) that I enjoy, and this one blew me away. Over half of the stories I absolutely loved and liked the rest. It's a good balance of familiar and completely unknown (definitely not for long!) names, fantasy and scifi. Almost all of them were easy to get into, and the transitions between stories were smooth. Almost all of them had killer endings and left an emotional impact. One thing I generally don't like about short stories is they set up an interesting concept, and then abruptly end unsatifyingly. Pieces in this volume were complete stories, like mini-novels, fully developed and with satisfying conclusions.

"Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day" by Tori Truslow is about merpeople who live on the moon, "the moist star," and a researcher who goes to live among them. The ending last two sentences were like a silent thunderclap that changed my perpective on it all, and I immediately had to go back and re-read the story. (Same with "Fold.") It's told in a scholarly voice and dense albeit beautiful prose, and on the first reading I didn't get it.

"Crow Voodoo" by Georgina Bruce is an almost painful, piercing tale about a crow who peddles magic to a desperate young woman.

"Braiding the Ghosts" by C.S.E. Cooney is about a girl whose grandmother teaches her how to enslave ghosts.

"Lineage" by Kenneth Schneyer was a surprise favorite, about interconnected historic scenes where, in extreme circumstances, people act strange, almost possessed. You think you know what's happening, and then the last sentence puts a cherry on top. I near teared up.

"Eyes of Carven Emerald" by Shweta Narayan is a retelling of Alexander the Great's story. I hated seeing this one end, although one of the longer stories at 23 pages, and wanted to see it go on much longer. I'd love to see a novel version.

"To Seek Her Fortune" by Nicole Kornher-Stace reads like another a mini-novel, about a Lady Explorer on a flying sentient ship, obsessed with visiting psychics and mystics to find an answer to a critical question.

"Fold" by Tanith Lee - about a man who lives in a tower and spends his days gazing at the people on the street below, falling passionately in love with them and sending them love letters on paper airplanes. This is the last story of the volume and the perfect closing piece. Loved it, had to immediately read it again.

"Surrogates" by Cat Rambo was also good, as was "Lucyana's Gaze" by Gregory Frost (very good in fact, but too mundane for my tastes - not enough fantasy elements, and the subject matter was too heavy). My favorites are Tanith Lee and Shweta Narayan and Kenneth Schneyer and...

In conclusion, if you're going to read one short story collection this year, this is it. These stories are dark, strange, beautiful, sad, joyous, moving, fresh and original. An exceptional book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a well-crafted anthology, October 17, 2010

By 

Far-ranging Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness (Paperback)

Not only does Clockwork Phoenix 3 contain a diverse array of excellent stories, but the anthology itself is crafted to maximize your enjoyment as you read. You can, of course, dip in and read at random--and all the tales are well-written and unusual, so you're very likely to be pleased with what you hit--but if you read through in order, there's a rhythm and pacing that makes for a truly enjoyable experience. Stories contrast with and complement their neighbors. People's favorites will depend on their tastes, but I recommend "Braiding the Ghosts," an unusual love-story/ghost-story; "Murder in Metachronopolis," a nonlinear detective story with multiple timelines; and "Crow Voodoo," about bad bargains and the borders between humanity and corvidity.