Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn [Hardcover]

Rosemary Edghill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy | Publication Date: May 2, 2003

This collection of Edghill's finest short fantasy works includes: "The Piper at the Gate" where Mary Frances Baynes longs all her life for Real Magic and finally achieves it . . . at a price; "The Intersection of Anastasia Yeoman and Light" where a midlist SF-writer-turned-successful-editor gets a glimpse of the way her life could have gone; and the story of Ator, Jannifer, Ancel, and the Grail, set in ancient Britain and told by the son that Ator tried to kill as an infant, is told in "Prince of Exiles." (20021201)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Edghill, aka eluki bes shahar, demonstrates impressive versatility in these fantasy and sf stories. "Lizzie Fair and the Dragon of Heart's Desire" features a New York messenger with a Faerie lover as well as a plot twist, while "The Piper at the Gate" speaks to the dilemma of the fantasy writer in a world from which magic seems to have vanished. "We Have Met the Enemy" fondly pats and satirically slaps the shopworn sf theme of alien invasion, while "The Maltese Feline" is a thoroughly respectable treatment of that venerable fantasy figure, the PI in the realm of Faerie. "The Long Divorce of Steel" sets what is almost a horror story in a convincing medieval milieu, while "And King Hereafter" whimsically regards the amorous misadventures of "Lord Peter" (i.e., the prospective Edward VIII/duke of Windsor). "The Fairy Ring," a fantastical Regency romance drawing on Beauty and the Beast, is the strongest entry in the book, but perhaps everyone will find something to enjoy among these 17 tales. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"From a darkly humorous tale of the power of words (Death and the Librarian) to a never-before-published response to events of September 11 (Ilion), Friesner's 12 stories illustrate the author's acutely sensitive vision of wonder in the everyday world... Known primarily for his 'Star Wars' novels... Zahn's short stories also deliver strong plots and memorable characters... Zebrowski's many novels (e.g. Macrolife) mark him as a visionary as well as a master of hard sf. The ten short stories collected in In the Distance provide a benchmark of his creativity... the author expands his concept of the human condition to embrace the stars. Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent author's, these three volumes belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal 20020615)

"...Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent authors, these three volumes (Death and the Librarian and Other Stories/ Star Song and Other Stories/ In the Distance, and Ahead in Time) belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal )

"Four more titles in Five Star's new series (God Is an Iron and Other Stories/ Generation Gap and Other Stories/ The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature/ Suppose They Gave a Peace and Other Stories) of short fiction by noteworthy sf authors offer a variety of tales that illustrate the depth and staying power of the genre...Most of the stories in these volumes have only appeared in periodicals. Libraries wishing to augment their sf or short fiction collections should consider any of them."
-- Library Journal (June 2002) (Library Journal )

"... a talented writer with a sharp sense of how to spin bizarre thread smoothly into a skein of golden story."
-- The Green Man Review (UNKNOWN )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (May 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786253452
• ISBN-13: 978-0786253456
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,660,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful, June 11, 2003

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Hardcover)

I've already tried once to write a review for this terrific book, "Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn," but maybe it was swallowed up somehow.

No matter. This is a terrific, fabulous, absolutely wonderful book, in which just about every possible fantasy genre is represented, and quite a few different styles are, too.

There's "The Maltese Feline," humor and a detective send-up, all in one. There's "The Intersection of Anastasia Yeoman and Light," which shows how one woman's life could have been -- and could have been _again_. Very, very powerful, as well as oddly moving.

And yet, there's more!

There's "The Fairy Ring," truly an inspirational love story, as well as an unusual quest story/fairy tale; the Aesopian "Two Gray Horses," in which a young man does the right thing and is rewarded -- but not as much as you'd think; "Scandal," a story of swords and men -- but not quite the way you'd expect; and even a Boscobel League story, which harkens to the world "The Shadow of Albion" set up, where Silver Stick in Waiting makes the biggest mistake of his life, all to prevent his King from marrying a totally unsuitable woman.

And there's much more than this!

Let me put it this way; since receiving this book, I have read it four times. I've enjoyed it more every single time. And I think Ms. Edghill is one of the best s/f writers extant.

Go read this book already!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story to please every appetite, June 9, 2003

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Hardcover)

"Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn" is one of the best short story anthologies I've ever read -- and every story here, every delightful one of them, has been written by one woman, Rosemary Edghill. It's very difficult to believe at first that one person can write in so many different styles, as there are quest stories here, fantasies, humorous fantasies, alternate historicals (of a sort), and many more. The earthshattering fantasy of "Prince of Exiles" and "Scandal" makes way for the more lighthearted "The Maltese Feline," stopping for the extraordinary fairy tale "The Fairy Ring." And there's much, much more; the Aesopian "Two Gray Horses," the alternate-history (personal) "The Intersection of Anastasia Yeoman and Light," the alternate-history overtones in "May Eve," and even a return to the Boscobel League (featured in Ms. Edghill's novels with Andre Norton, "Leopard in Exile" and "Shadow of Albion"), where Silver Stick in Waiting makes the biggest mistake of his career, in trying to prevent . . . well, you'll see. Ms. Edghill's writing career has spanned several genres, including Regency romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and probably more I'm forgetting at the moment. And her short story collection reflects the same broad-based appeal as her novels, being as there are several wonderful stories almost too tough to classify except as the general, "Read this!" Now, I've read this collection at least four times so far (one of these days, I might share, but not just yet), and I enjoy it more every time. All I can say is, "Read this book! You won't regret it!"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine short fantasy collection, June 15, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Paying the Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Hardcover)

Fans of short fantasy will appreciate this fine collection consisting of seventeen tales, all except one written in the last seven years. The stories run a wide gamut (as expected from an author who has entries in several genres) in the field so they are aimed more at a generalist. Each of the contributions is well written and fun to follow, as in most cases the fantasy elements seem real in spite of the relative size of the story. However, "The Prince of Exiles" was particularly fascinating as the narrator tells the tale of his family in Ancient Britannia especially once the reader understands who he is. Rosemary Edghill keeps her audience on the edge of their seat with this delightful anthology that will send fans seeking her novels and other works.

Harriet Klausner