Customer Reviews

DAW 30th Anniversary Fantasy Anthology

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The 30th Anniversary DAW Fantasy Anthology edited by Elizabeth Wollheim and Sheila Gilbert is a celebration of 30 years of publishing fantasy novels. There are a total of eighteen short stories included in this anthology. From what I understand each story is brand new and written specifically for this anthology. While I consider myself rather well-read in the fantasy genre there were several names I was unfamiliar with, but also some I was familiar with so I was excited about the mix. In an effort to keep this review a reasonable length I will say a few things about each story but won't go into great detail. Here are my thoughts on the stories:

1 - Sow's Ear - Silk Purse by Andre Norton: A quaint little story with a spin on the "careful what you wish for" type of parable. It's about a woman who does not want to marry someone and seeks to become ugly and undesirable. Solid writing and a decent amount of description. It held my interest, but didn't really wow me. 3 out of 5.

2 - The Rebuke by Michael Shea: An interesting premise, but for me the execution was flat and uninteresting. Within four pages I no longer cared about the main character or his plight I was just waiting for it to get better, sadly it never did. 1 out of 5.

3 - Persian Eyes by Tanith Lee: Writing a mystery in as a short story has to be a challenge in the best of circumstances. I have never heard of Tanith Lee before, but after this short story I will certainly be looking for more from her. Solid writing, deeply engaging, and a fun mystery to watch unfold. 4 out of 5.

4 - Coronach of the Bell by Christopher Stasheff: This is one of those short stories that you lament when it is done, simply because it was not a novel. Very good writing, a very interesting plot. Another author I had not heard of before, but one I very much want to read more from. The story of a hermit and the choices he has to make. Simple, but elegant. One of my favorite stories from this anthology. 5 out of 5.

5 - Ending and Beginning by Jennifer Roberson: Yet another author I want to read more from. Very good writing, flow, and descriptions. Within two pages I was engage with the characters and wanted to know as much as I could about them and their situation. That's the feeling you should get from a short story. The dialogue is really well done in this one too. 5 out of 5.

6 - After Midnight by Mercedes Lackey: I know Ms. Lackey is widely popular, but I hated this one. It felt like she said "Oh I need to pound something out for this anthology." And what she produced was a conversation with herself while she was sleeping. The premise is blah at best and painful at worst. Simply put, I didn't care for this one in the least. 1 out of 5.

7 - Nightfall's Promise by Miriam Zucker: Another mystery as a short story. The beginning seems to struggle a little to set things up. However, once the setup is accomplished the story really picks up and becomes very interesting. Solid writing and a good all around tale. 4 out of 5.

8 - We Two May Meet by Tanya Huff: I know Ms. Huff's work from a Ravenloft novel. This is nothing like that. A humorous romp mixed with some psychoanalysis and a little bit of magic thrown in for good measure. A concept I have never before seen in a fantasy work, but one I hope to read again. Not the typical fantasy story, but a solid tale none-the-less. 4 out of 5.

9 - The Sacrifice by Melanie Rawn: I have to admit I struggled through this story. The flow just seemed choppy and uneven. The story seemed to rely to heavily on dialogue and that left me wondering what was happening and what the scene looked like. I was uninterested in the characters and story, I just didn't connect with them at all. A disappointing story. 2 out of 5.

10 - Heart-Healer by Deborah Ross: Another mystery rolled into a fantasy tale. It is about a healer who finds herself in the care of a body, barely alive, but is much more than what it seems. Good writing, solid dialogue, and an interesting plot. For the most part it held my interest and I was entertained. 3 out of 5.

11 - A Perfect Day in Valdemar by Larry Dixon: Another gem in this collection. The story of a military commander after being routed in an attack and an unusual friend he meets on his death bed. Great story, solid writing, and the dialogue really adds to the feel and urgency of the story. Another author I will try to find more from. 5 out of 5.

12 - Draconis Ex Machina by Phyllis Irene: Another story that I just didn't get. It seemed slow, sloppy, and not well organized. The dialogue didn't seem to help much either. I would have liked a little more description about what was going on instead of a mad rush to try and get through the story. 1 out of 5.

13: - The Hamlet by Marjorie Kellogg: This one seemed to have a good deal of potential, but once it was done I realized that potential stayed on the sidelines. This story is all about buildup and little follow through. I was hoping for more from this story than what I got. 2 out of 5.

14 - Moonlover and the Fountain of Blood by Jane Fancher: Odd for a short story, but I simply could not wait for this one to be over. I have never heard of Ms. Fancher but if this is who she writes I know I am not missing much. After the quality of some of the stories in this anthology I am left wondering why this one was included. 1 out of 5.

15 - The Memory of Stone by Michelle West: The first thing I noticed about this story was it wouldn't end. It's long, very long. When I read an anthology of short stories I expect short stories. The beginning of the story was quite good and had me interested in what was going to happen, but the longer it went on the less I cared. It's too bad really; this could have been a gem of the collecting. Instead it turned into mediocrity. 3 out of 5.

16 - The Huntsman by Fiona Patton: The concept of this story seemed rather interesting, but it suffers from uneven pacing. The characters, at least at the start are interesting, but as the story progresses they become uninteresting and flat. I wanted to like this story, but the degree of predictability and sub par dialogue did not help at all. 2 out of 5.

17 - Linked, on the Lake of Souls by Kristen Britain: An interesting story. Small and intimate in scope with good writing sprinkled in. It held my interest throughout and left me wanting to read more by this author. In the few pages of this story the characters became very real and I was immediately drawn into their predicament. 4 out of 5.

18 - It's About Squirrels by Lynn Abbey: I am very confused by the inclusion of this story in this anthology. It seems this one would have been better suited for the Sci-Fi version of this dual anthology set. It is set in modern times, and has a mythical plot line. Disappointed that this was the story they selected by Ms. Abby. 2 out of 5.

When all is said and done this is an average anthology. Certainly there are some very good stories within the pages, but more often than not there are stories that fall flat and feel as though they were rushed. I have always like DAW, as they produce some very good fantasy novels, this just seemed not up to par with their regular standards. I would encourage readers to read a select few of the stories here, but there really is no need to read the whole thing. Save yourself some time. I really wish I would have liked this book more.

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I have read oodles of Mercedes Lackey and like it as light, comforting reading. But I'm running out of her Valdemaran titles, which are my favorites, and I hoped this book would give me some new authors to peruse. Michelle West's <i>The Memory of Stone</i> is worth the book by itself. I suppose that the book could make you feel like an outsider to some of the authors' worlds presented within, but I felt that almost all of the stories were easy to get a handle on and great fun to read. If you want serious reading, it's probably not the best choice, but if you want to be seriously entertained, I recommend it highly!

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of its founding, DAW books published two anthologies; one of new science fiction stories, and the other of new fantasy stories, all by celebrated authors (including Andre Norton, Tanith Lee, Larry Dixon, and many more). This anthology of fantasy stories has eighteen stories, all of which are of at least very good quality. Some of these stories are comedic, while others are deadly serious. Most of them revolve around goddesses, or women with magical power.

I like Christopher Stasheff's Coronach of the Bell, found Mickey Zucker Reichert's Nightfall's Promise gripping, thought that Tanya Huff's We Two May Meet was both funny and thought provoking, liked Larry Dixon's A Perfect Day in Valdemar, and absolutely loved Michelle West's The Memory of Stone. OK, there were a couple that I found too confusing to be entertaining, but overall, I do think that this is a very good anthology, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to you!

Three decades have passed since the great seer Donald A. Wollheim founded Daw as a place for some of the best fantasy and science fiction works to have a home. This 30th Anniversary Daw Fantasy anthology provides strong stories that run the gamut of the genre from some of the more renowned writers to the future stars. The stories pay homage to the company, but the contributors including the editor pay deference to the deceased founding father. Each tale is new, but more important well written as if each writer understood whom they really honor with this collection. Fans of fantasy will enjoy the tales, but also the short introductory blurb that each author adds about Mr. Wollheim (never realized he wrote the tale that Mimic is based on until Michael Shea pointed that out). Great short story book worth reading and hopefully its companion on science fiction holds up as well.

Harriet Klausner

I purchased this collection along with the SF companion volume. I enjoyed them both, but I found the fantasy collection the better of the two. Most of the stories were by authors I had not read in the past, yet I did not have any difficulties (that I recall) because of my lack of familiarity with their work. The Michelle West story, which is set in the same world as her Hunter's series and her Sun Sword series, goes in an entirely different direction -- one that I wish she had pursued more in her subsequent novels. The story, which focuses on the strange creative powers of a young girl -- for example, she is able to craft a wooden box that is much larger inside than out -- is very original in conception and heartbreaking to boot. Jennifer Roberson's contribution is an intriguing introduction to her new KARAVANS universe, where a woman loses her lover and then discovers the secret of a man who can die many times and come back to life. Both stories are, sad to say, a good deal better than the novels that the stories inspired me to purchase. (This is partly because both authors are long-winded in their novels but, most likely with stern editorial guidance, had to write much more tightly for this collection.) It's true that some of the stories are light and silly riffs on earlier (mostly light and silly) work, but that didn't stop me from enjoying them even though (or possibly because) that's not what I usually read. I suspect that most fantasy readers with enjoy this collection.

I read a great deal of fantasy. But, since Im middle aged, it tends to not be of the Young Adult sort. I prefer fantasy thats more literary, more sophisticated, and often, darker. In other words, not the kind thats full of Dragons, Sorcerers, Heirs to the Throne, Good Versus Evil, etc.

In terms of sophistication, this anthology was a disappointment to me. I can, however, see that it might appeal to those who do prefer Young Adult fantasy. But theres another problem. Most of the authors have apparently been writing about the same worlds for years. Most of stories are set in the authors worlds. Many stories purport to fill readers in on some unexplained aspect of some other novel, or are jokes about characters obviously well known to fans.

In other words, many of the stories are not only written for fans of these authors, but do not stand well on their own. As a non-fan, I was usually rather bored, somewhat mystifiedand not intrigued enough to hunt up any of the authors other publications.