Customer Reviews

Mainly in Moonlight (Fanfare)

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Haunting, evocative, whimsical, mysterious, and occasionally heart-breaking, the fantasy stories of the late Nicholas Stuart Gray have too long been out of print, both in America and Great Britain. These days, a library is your best bet at tracking down this treasure, a circumstance that I, for one, would love to see change. The ten stories in this collection explore the many facets of the fantasy genre--its wonder, its horror, even its unexpected humor. Notable stories in the lighter vein include "The Sorcerer's Apprentices"--in which a peasant lad and a haughty princeling compete for the attention of their master, a powerful sorcerer--and "A Letter to My Love," which borrows a leaf or two from the famous ballad, "Tam Lin." Of the darker stories, "The Silver Ship"--a haunting tale of a generous, self-sacrificing king and his relationship with his spoiled, selfish only son--and "The Thunder Cat"--in which a reckless minstrel crosses the fragile barrier between storytelling and reality, with devastating effects--are standouts. Gray's style--spare, fluid, and effortlessly graceful--is well-suited to both extremes, casting an otherworldly glow over his fantastical terrain. Which is, after all, as it should be--for magic happens "mainly in moonlight."