The Mammoth Book of Fantasy [Paperback]

Mike Ashley (Editor), John Howe (Illustrator), Roger Zelazny (Collaborator), Charles de Lint (Collaborator), Theodore R. Cogswell Ursula K. Le Guin (Collaborator), George MacDonald Robert E. Howard (Collaborator), Harlan Ellisona Jack Vance (Collaborator), Michael Moorcock & James Cawthorn (Collaborator), Lucius Shepard, Tanith Lee A. Merritt (Collaborator), Louise Cooper Lisa Goldstein (Collaborator)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Books | Publication Date: November 9, 2001

However you take your fantasy—comic, dark, heroic, or supernatural—your taste will be tantalized by this outstanding collection that brings together in one generous volume originators of this ever-popular genre like George MacDonald and Lord Dunsay; great writers from the golden age of fantasy like Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian, and J. R. R. Tolkein, who captivated readers worldwide with The Lord of the Rings; and such contemporary masters of the craft as Terry Pratchett, Michael Moorcock, David Eddings, David Gemmell, Tanith Lee, and Ursula K. LeGuin. Compiled by Mike Ashley, the esteemed editor of the popular Mammoth Comic Fantasy trilogy, this new Mammoth anthology explores the realms of the bizarre, extraordinary, and impossible in more than two dozen ingeniously fashioned tales. Among them stand such classics as Theodore Sturgeon's "Yesterday Was Monday," in which a man wakes to discover he has lost more than a Tuesday; Cleveland Moffett's "The Mysterious Card," a tale chillingly and brilliantly contrived out of opposing perceptions; and "The Wall Around the World," Theodore Cogswell's story of a young boy who masters flight in order to escape the world that has entrapped him. Offering a wide and varied selection of fantasy tales, Mike Ashley's newest anthology promises adventures, journeys, passages, and quests sure to delight readers of every type of fantasy fiction—from the ardent fans of J. R. R. Tolkein to the exuberant followers of Harry Potter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Indomitable British editor Ashley has collected 22 classic fantasy tales (plus one original story) by authors ranging from Victorian George Macdonald to such modern giants as Ursula K. Le Guin and Harlan Ellison in an apparent effort to lure Harry Potter fans to the wider genre. The anthology opens with Theodore R. Cogswell's "The Wall Around the World" (1953), which charms apart from its affinities with the Potter books. Lord Dunsany and his school are represented by the Irish fantasist's own "The Hoard of the Gibbelins"; Lucius Shepard's witty rejoinder to the Dunsany tale, "The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule"; Darrell Schweitzer's ironic "King Yvorian's Wager"; and Jack Vance's wry "The Sorcerer Pharesm." The entries by pulp masters Robert E. Howard ("The Valley of the Worm") and Clark Ashton Smith ("The Last Heiroglyph") are well chosen, but A. Merritt would have been better represented by his "The Woman of the Woods" than by his barely breathing 1918 novelette, "The Moon Pool." The clever and disconcerting concept of Theodore Sturgeon's "Yesterday Was Monday" (1941) more than compensates for the tale's dated style. A new, very human story by Louise Cooper, "The Sunlight on the Water," features a ghost tiring of her still living but aging husband. Other contributors include Roger Zelazny, James P. Blaylock and Tanith Lee, though it would have been nice to see such less familiar if equally worthy names as Frank Owen, John Collier and Walter de la Mare. Still, like other titles in the Mammoth series, this offers high quality at a most affordable price.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Mammoth series has a highly respectable track record in producing handy, well-edited anthologies of various types of fiction and nonfiction. Its fantasy entry spans the genre's history from the Victorian George Macdonald to such hearty contemporaries as Lisa Goldstein and Charles de Lint. From in between those milestones come stories by the Edwardian Lord Dunsany, Jazz Age pulpster A. Merritt, '30s yarnspinner Robert Howard (Conan's creator), Fritz Leiber and Theodore Sturgeon from the '40s, and, from younger generations, Harlan Ellison, Ursula Le Guin, Tanith Lee, and others. Seasoned fantasy buffs probably will have read most of the contributors, but even they may find a surprise or two among the specific contents. Newcomers to fantasy and those studying it may consider the book invaluable. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 1st Carroll & Graf Ed edition (November 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786709170
• ISBN-13: 978-0786709175
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of diverse stories, July 8, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Fantasy (Paperback)

Fantasy collections tend to be like the genre itself: a few gems among the dross. This collection is a refreshing exception, with many good stories and only a few that I didn't enjoy. Mike Ashley displays a great deal of knowledge about the genre and about what makes a good fantasy story.

"Mammoth Book" kicks off with an intriguing story by Theodore R. Cogswell, "The Wall Around the World," a HP-esque story of a wizard boy who yearns to cross an incredibly high wall that blocks off another part of the world. "Darkrose and Diamond" is one of Ursula Le Guin's returns to Earthsea, a touching little love story. Robert E. Howard's "Valley of the Worm" is a relatively dry piece of work about a warrior reliving a battle against a monster. Ashley then digs back to the very beginning of fantasy for George MacDonald's "Golden Key," a story about a young boy who finds a strange golden key. Another pre-Tolkien master is Lord Dunsany, whose chilling "Hoard of the Gibbelins" tells about a man's run-in with the goblin-like Gibbelins, who eat "nothing less good than man." Clark Ashton Smith's "The Last Hieroglyph" is a vaguely Dunsanian story taking place on a future time when the world is dying. Jack Vance's "Sorcerer Pharesm" is an intriguing story about the naive thief Cugel and the creature TOTALITY.

Darrell Schweitzer's "King Yvorian's Wager" is a very traditional-feeling fable about a proud king who makes a wager with Rada Vatu, a very sinister god. Fritz Leiber's "Howling Tower" is a story about a barbarian and his sidekick Gray Mouser, who find a strange tower in a wasteland, and a man who has been afraid for many years. Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn bring back Moorcock's classic anti-hero Elric of Melnibone for an adventure with a love interest, ghouls, and a mad minstrel. Robert Zelazny brings Dilvish the Damned from Hell for a new battle in "Bells of Shoredan." Tanith Lee produces an intriguing, beautifully-written short story in "Hero at the Gates," where a strange man arrives to help a desert city escape an evil scourge. Patricia McKillip's beautiful "Lady of the Skulls" has a group of men arriving at the home of the mysterious Lady. Louisa Cooper's "Sunlight on the Water" is an excellent story, in which a man mourning his beloved late wife finds out a few things he hadn't noticed about her personality. Harlan Ellison's "Paladin of the Lost Hour" is about young Billy's friendship with the strange old Gaspar, who hides a secret side to his personality.

Theodore Sturgeon provides the slightly disturbing "Yesterday Was Monday," in which it is found that the world is only illusion. Charles de Lint's "Pixel Pixies" is a light fantasy about irritating little pixies and industrious hobs. Another classic fantasy is A. Merrit's "Moon Pool," a bizarre fantasy about strange and beautiful things along the moon path. Lucius Shepard's "Man Who Painted the Dragom Griaule" includes many of the usual trappings of fantasy, but thankfully does not fit into the ordinary mold. James P. Blaylock's "Nets of Silver and Gold" is an intriguing story about two childhood friends, one of whom definitely has an unusual outlook. Lisa Goldstein's "Phantasma of Q____" takes place in a world quite like ours, except slightly different in its fantasy elements, in which a phantasma has shown up in front of the author. James Womack earns an "Audience," a poignant story in which a curator tells a saddening story to the narrator. And the collection rounds out with Michael Swanwick's "Edge of the World," a slightly bizarre but very snappy story.

With a gorgeous, intricate cover and a foreword by Ashley before every story, this is obviously not a quick-and-dirty collection. Rather, it shows a great deal of thought. Only a few of the stories left me unaffected; I wasn't really impressed by Moorcock's, Howard's, or Sturgeon's. On the other hand, most of the others were ones I had not read before, and I enjoyed the introduction to underrated fantasy authors.

Fantasy fans searching for good, original, non-derivative reads should check out this book, for stories ranging from earliest fantasy to modern-day twists and turns. Good work, Mr. Ashley.