Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy [Hardcover]

Al Sarrantonio (Editor), Catherine Asaro (Collaborator), Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Collaborator), Joe R. Lansdale (Collaborator), Charles de Lint (Collaborator), Neil Gaiman (Collaborator), Harry Turtledove (Collaborator), Robert Silverberg (Collaborator), Janny Wurts (Collaborator), Gene Wolfe (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

The fantasy publishing event of the year-from the award-winning editor of Redshift...This daring, all-new anthology showcases some of the genre's biggest names and best newcomers-and sets the standard for fantasy in the twenty-first century. Includes new stories by Neil Gaiman, Harry Turtledove, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stoker-winner Sarrantonio (Redshift) delivers another exciting all-original anthology, stocked with a host of high-profile authors who show that fantasy, at its best, can't be defined, only expressed through an ever-changing menu. Robert Silverberg's elegant prose sets the stage with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a rueful romance. The second tale, Kit Reed's surreal "Perpetua" (about a girl who's been miniaturized by an overprotective father and trapped inside an "alligator" in a nightmarish near future), likewise avoids familiar fantasy tropes, though enough elves, witches, dragons and magicians surface elsewhere in this hefty volume to soothe readers who have come to expect them. Among the finest selections are Elizabeth Hand's exquisite "Wonderwall," about a confused student haunted by Rimbaud; Charles de Lint's "Riding Shotgun," a ghost story about the consequences of trying to change the past; Thomas M. Disch's "The White Man," a vampiric delight regarding race relations; Patricia McKillip's "Out of the Woods," an enchanting meditation on lost love, replete with Pre-Raphaelite imagery; Harry Turtledove's poignant "Coming Across," about AIDS in faerie land; and Sarrantonio's own "Sleepover," an ode to unwanted children. Gene Wolfe's mysterious "Golden City Far," a multi-layered dream regarding "the magical power of death," closes a book as strong as any year's best-of anthology.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Editor Sarrantonio asked some more of the best sf and fantasy writers to create their own "dangerous visions" a la the stories in Harlan Ellison's famed 1967 anthology of that name, which is actually the inspiration for all three of Sarrantonio's acclaimed selections (999 [1999] and Redshift [2001] are this one's predecessors). Big names like Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, Harry Turtledove, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Silverberg, Charles de Lint, Thomas M. Disch, and Gene Wolfe obliged, as did still-rising stars such as Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Jeffrey Ford, and Terry Bisson. Among stories of consistently high quality, standouts include Patricia A. McKillip's "Out of the Woods," a variation on Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott"; de Lint's "Riding Shotgun"; Peter Schneider's believably frightening "Tots"; and Kit Reed's "Perpetua," which should give old Freudians fits. Another sterling assemblage by a master anthologist. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Roc Hardcover (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451459776
• ISBN-13: 978-0451459770
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerhouse Anthology, November 28, 2004

By 

Cami Su (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy (Hardcover)

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Robert Silverberg - The twist is that the sorcerer is actually a woman, and the apprentice is a young man who is instantly smitten by her. However, she treats him coldly...most of the time.

"Perpetua" by Kit Reed - Strange story in which a father's love is carried too far.

"The Edges of Never-Haven" by Catherine Asaro - In the town of Never-Haven, people live in curved houses and cannot create any straight line, not even a line in the dirt, without summoning demons.

"Pat Moore" by Tim Powers - Brilliant, suspenseful ghost story.

"Six Hypotheses" by Joyce Carol Oates - Strange story showing six hypotheses for the basis of a violent incident in a seemingly normal family.

"The Silver Dragon" by Elizabeth A. Lynn - In this land the King can shapechange into a dragon.

"Fallen Angel" by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Devout religious people may not care for this story much.

"The Following" by P.D. Cacek - Chilling ghost story with a twist.

"A Tower With No Doors" by Dennis L. McKiernan - Nice take on Rapunzel

"Boomerang" by Larry Niven - Too short to describe

"Wonderwall" by Elizabeth Hand - Sorry, don't remember much about this one (I don't have the book anymore)

"Blood, Oak, Iron" by Janny Wurts - Every time a King dies, the successor is possessed by an evil spirit. Can the cycle ever be broken?

"Riding Shotgun" by Charles de Lint - A man clearing out his deceased father's estate stumbles upon an old car and is transported back in time to a critical event in his past.

"Demons Hide Their Faces" by A.A. Attasnasio - A skeptical young man discovers the truth about missing books.

"Relations" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Can't remember

"Tourists" by Neal Barrett, Jr. - Can't remember

"The White Man" by Thomas M. Disch - A chilling tale of race relations and vampires.

"Out of the Woods" by Patricia A. McKillip - can't remember

"Perchance to Dream" by David Morrell - A doctor tries to treat a patient for sleep disorder.

"Coming Across" by Harry Turtledove - Elves who can live forever (if they don't die of boredom-literally) created a gate to visit another world (ours) in search of interesting experiences. Little do they know what they will find and accidentally bring back with them.

"The Problem of Susan" by Neil Gaiman - Related to C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle

"Keeper of Lost Dreams" by Orson Scott Card - A young person discovers he is the keeper of the title

"Watchfire" by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts - can't remember

"Tots" by Peter Schneider - Four-year old children who fight each other to death for the amusement of adults

"Jupiter's Skull" by Jeffrey Ford - A strange psychic woman leaves a legacy in tea leaves for a man and woman who had visited her often when she was alive.

"Death's Door" by Terry Bisson - What happens when the dying can't die?

"Bill, the Little Steam Shovel" by Joe R. Lansdale - A totally irreverent, hilarious tale of a steam shovel who dreams of being more than he is.

"Sleepover" by Al Sarrantonio - Two children wake up on a flat, deserted, alien plain.

"Golden City Far" by Gene Wolfe - A young man's dreams invade his waking life.

A wonderful mix of classic and modern fantasy, as well as stories that defy categorizing. Despite the title, the stories are not about flights or flying. Not all of the stories are winners, but there is enough good stuff here to warrant a 5 star recommendation.

My personal favorites: "Pat Moore" by Tim Powers, "The Silver Dragon" by Elizabeth A. Lynn, "Riding Shotgun" by Charles de Lint, "Coming Across" by Harry Turtledove, and "Bill, the Little Steam Shovel" by Joe R. Lansdale.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars original and refreshing, February 27, 2006

By 

Dana the Witch (IN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't quite know what to expect from such a tile, what they meant by extreme. It's mostly unusual ways to approach fantasy, intended for an audience that matured from dragons and elves and expects a little bit more. I found many of the stories refreshingly original, twisted, and mind-bending. Among my favorites was a new take on Rapunzel told by an unlikely character, a sweet and sad story of a fallen angel, an interesting visit to Hell, and last but not least, a lion a bit too friendly to a certain witch. I also found some useful information, like how to tell when there's a demon around, by an unusual separation of cold and hot air. Good to know. An entertaining collection on the whole and that will most likely make me search for more books from some of the authors.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality Reading, Wonderful Book full of surprises...., December 31, 2004

By 

J. Bilby "littlebibs" (Kingston, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy (Hardcover)

Just received this this week,(good way to start the new year) and I'm impressed with this book but I'm not surprised with
anything that Al Sarrantonio put his hands to. What a cast of
characters that deliver these stories. I'm just finishing up
the great American East Texas storyteller Joe R. Lansdale and
his new story, "Bill, the little steam shovel" and its nothing
like I've read by Joe before but its so good, so like Joe Lansdale in its detail, humor and vision. This anthology has
so many great stories and what a list of who's who... Orson Scott Card, Joyce
Carol Oats, Neal Barrett jr., Charles De Lint, P.D. Cacek,
Robert Silverberg, Nina Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, David Morrell,
Ray Feist as well as the above master story teller Joe Lansdale
this is a great way to spend extra time around the holidays!
Pick your favorites!