Abundant with tales of quiet heroism, life-changing decisions, and determined searches for deep answers, this extraordinary collection of contemporary fantasy explores the realms between this world and the next. From the top of the Berlin Wall to the depths of the darkest seas, gods and monsters battle their enemies and innermost fears, yet mere mortals make the truly difficult choices. A slightly regretful author and a vengeful-but-dilapidated dragon square off over an abandoned narrative; the children of the Shark God demand painful truths from their chronically absent father; and a bereaved women sacrifices herself to change one terrible moment, effortlessly reversed by a shuffle of the deck. Whether melancholic, comedic, or deeply tragic, each new tale is suffused with misdirection and discovery, expressed in the rich and mesmerizing voice of a masterful storyteller.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This bittersweet collection of 13 recent stories pays tribute to the complicated power of family ties. "Sleight of Hand" lauds the good magic of parental love, while "What Tune the Enchantress Plays" shows its dark side. "Children of the Shark God" addresses children's influence on parents, and in "La Lune T'Attend" a grandfather protects his descendants from the family's longtime enemy. Slighter but still entertaining are "Up the Down Beanstalk," the nostalgia-heavy "The Rabbi's Hobby" (Brighton Beach Memoirs with magic), and "Oakland Dragon Blues," whose title character deserves better than his pat ending. The surprise hit of the collection is "The Bridge Partner," psychological horror in the best Twilight Zone tradition. Fans of The Last Unicorn will also appreciate "The Woman Who Married the Man in the Moon," a Schmendrick prequel in classic bittersweet Beagle style. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review
"Peter is one of those writers who just seems to be getting better and better." —Neil Gaiman, author, The Graveyard Book
"Few can match [Beagle] when it comes to a particular mix of the fantastic and the ordinary, with a tinge of nostalgia. As one character observes, the magic is in the telling, always." —Interzone
"One of my favorite writers." —Madeleine L'Engle, author, A Wrinkle in Time
"[Beagle is] not only one of our greatest fantasists, but one of our greatest writers, a magic realist worthy of consideration with such writers as Marquez, Allende, and even Borges." —The American Culture (March 2011)
"Each piece bridges the rich intersection of fantasy and fairy tale, reality and possibility. . . . Short story and fantasy lovers will devour these tasty tidbits that whet the appetite for more." —Library Journal Online (April 18, 2011)
"[An] engaging and wide-ranging selection of fantasies . . . the perfect book." —www.StrangeHorizons.com (September 18, 2011)
"He brings the fantastic into our everyday world and makes it real." —Booklist (May 2011)
"Wise, warm and deep." —New York Times (June 5, 2011)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The lead-off story in this new collection is 'The Rock In The Park', one of a series of stories that Mr. Beagle wrote and narrated for the Green Man Review podcasts (They're all still online so go over and take a listen!). Each podcast relates a fantasy tale set in the 1940s-1950s revolving around a young Jewish lad (someone we know?) and his friends. This one is one of the best, dealing with the boys meeting up with a family of lost centaurs in a Bronx park.
The title tale, 'Sleight Of Hand', is a semi-autobiographical story that deals with wish fulfillment and a unique form of time travel. This is the type of story that has a way of sneaking up on you.
'The Children Of The Shark God' is a crackerjack story set in the Hawaiian isles before the coming of the white man. A brother and sister discover their father is the legendary Shark God and embark on a quest to find him and ask why he left their mother and them to fend for themselves.
'The Best Worst Monster' is a short and previously unpublished tale originally intended for a children's book. It relates the story of a mad scientist, a la Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster to avenge the petty slights he's endured throughout the years. However, his monster has a bit more conscience in him than his creator intended.
'What Tune The Enchantress Plays' is a classic fairy tale, set in the world of 'The Innkeeper's Song' and deals with the conflict between a sorceress mother and her enchantress daughter. The differences between the two women's brands of magic are crucial.
'La Lune T'attend' is a werewolf tale set in bayou country. The heroes are two elderly men (one white, one black) who are both tight friends and werewolves and who face a menace they thought they'd eliminated decades earlier. The evil is back, however, and hot on their, and their human families, trail.
'Up The Down Beanstalk' is a tale written for a YA anthology that deals with someone who isn't quite as happy with Jack the Giantkiller as he is himself.
'The Rabbi's Hobby' is the best story here and one of Beagle's best ever. A boy and his Rabbi discover a mysterious woman who keeps popping up in a series of old photos from magazines decades old. The two embark on a search for the alluring woman which leads them to a new friend and an old tragedy. Simply haunting.
'Oakland Dragon Blues' is a fast paced and funny tale involving an Oakland cop and Mr. Beagle himself dealing with a dragon created by a slightly too vivid and somewhat pre-occupied imagination.
'The Bridge Partner' is previously unpublished and a change of pace for Beagle as it is a straight crime story with no hint of fantasy. Still and all, it's one of the strongest stories in this collection, bringing to mind the dark crime stylings of Ray Bradbury, Stephen King and John D. MacDonald while remaining resolutely a Peter Beagle tale.
'Dirae' is a warrior woman story, although the woman in question is bed-ridden and in a coma. The prose is a little tricky at the beginning but stick with it and this strong story's rewards will also stick with you.
'Vanishing' is another strong entry, dealing with a man who has let incidents occurring in his youth at the Berlin Wall color, stain and largely destroy his family and his life. One day, sitting in a hospital waiting room, he gets a chance to revisit those memories at an eerie Ellisonian version of the Wall. What he encounters there may just show him the path to redemption.
The final entry is a never before published solo story featuring Schmendrick (this tale takes place before the events in The Last Unicorn). It's called 'The Woman Who Married The Man In The Moon'. A wandering Schmendrick meets a young girl and boy and their mother, who tells him the story of the children's missing father. This is a warm, poetic, and meaningful story to end this volume with and it's one of Beagle's best tales to boot.
All in all, this is an excellent collection--a worthy successor to the previous collections which include The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche, The Line Between and We Never Talk About My Brother (all still in print--look for them!). Beagle has been conjuring a whirlwind of beautifully rendered short stories in the last seven years. It's also some of the best work of his career. This collection is an stunning example of his talent and sense of wonder. Highly recommended!!!
The title tale, 'Sleight Of Hand', is a semi-autobiographical story that deals with wish fulfillment and a unique form of time travel. This is the type of story that has a way of sneaking up on you.
'The Children Of The Shark God' is a crackerjack story set in the Hawaiian isles before the coming of the white man. A brother and sister discover their father is the legendary Shark God and embark on a quest to find him and ask why he left their mother and them to fend for themselves.
'The Best Worst Monster' is a short and previously unpublished tale originally intended for a children's book. It relates the story of a mad scientist, a la Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster to avenge the petty slights he's endured throughout the years. However, his monster has a bit more conscience in him than his creator intended.
'What Tune The Enchantress Plays' is a classic fairy tale, set in the world of 'The Innkeeper's Song' and deals with the conflict between a sorceress mother and her enchantress daughter. The differences between the two women's brands of magic are crucial.
'La Lune T'attend' is a werewolf tale set in bayou country. The heroes are two elderly men (one white, one black) who are both tight friends and werewolves and who face a menace they thought they'd eliminated decades earlier. The evil is back, however, and hot on their, and their human families, trail.
'Up The Down Beanstalk' is a tale written for a YA anthology that deals with someone who isn't quite as happy with Jack the Giantkiller as he is himself.
'The Rabbi's Hobby' is the best story here and one of Beagle's best ever. A boy and his Rabbi discover a mysterious woman who keeps popping up in a series of old photos from magazines decades old. The two embark on a search for the alluring woman which leads them to a new friend and an old tragedy. Simply haunting.
'Oakland Dragon Blues' is a fast paced and funny tale involving an Oakland cop and Mr. Beagle himself dealing with a dragon created by a slightly too vivid and somewhat pre-occupied imagination.
'The Bridge Partner' is previously unpublished and a change of pace for Beagle as it is a straight crime story with no hint of fantasy. Still and all, it's one of the strongest stories in this collection, bringing to mind the dark crime stylings of Ray Bradbury, Stephen King and John D. MacDonald while remaining resolutely a Peter Beagle tale.
'Dirae' is a warrior woman story, although the woman in question is bed-ridden and in a coma. The prose is a little tricky at the beginning but stick with it and this strong story's rewards will also stick with you.
'Vanishing' is another strong entry, dealing with a man who has let incidents occurring in his youth at the Berlin Wall color, stain and largely destroy his family and his life. One day, sitting in a hospital waiting room, he gets a chance to revisit those memories at an eerie Ellisonian version of the Wall. What he encounters there may just show him the path to redemption.
The final entry is a never before published solo story featuring Schmendrick (this tale takes place before the events in The Last Unicorn). It's called 'The Woman Who Married The Man In The Moon'. A wandering Schmendrick meets a young girl and boy and their mother, who tells him the story of the children's missing father. This is a warm, poetic, and meaningful story to end this volume with and it's one of Beagle's best tales to boot.
All in all, this is an excellent collection--a worthy successor to the previous collections which include The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche, The Line Between and We Never Talk About My Brother (all still in print--look for them!). Beagle has been conjuring a whirlwind of beautifully rendered short stories in the last seven years. It's also some of the best work of his career. This collection is an stunning example of his talent and sense of wonder. Highly recommended!!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This anthology contains thirteen fascinating "family" fantasies in which three have not been published before; one was released as a podcast; and the remaining released in the last four years. The collection is terrific though my personal favorite is "The Rock In The Park" from (the Green Man Review podcast) as Montefiore, Gun Hill Road, Jerome Avenue (with the el) and Van Cortland remind me of growing up in a more mundane household in the 1950s and 1960s in the Bronx. I suggest reading back to back the whimsical title tale in which nurturing love is the strongest magical bond and its counterweight of smothering magical love is its only equal in "What Tune the Enchantress Plays". Other super strong entries include the dark crime thriller "The Bridge Partner", the aftermath of Jack's homicide in "Up The Down Beanstalk" and "The Rabbi's Hobby" as a child and his Rabbi notice a woman appearing magazine photos from decades ago. Whether it is New York, Hawaii ("The Children Of The Shark God") or "Oakland Dagon Blues (in which Mr. Beagle co-stars), these are all winners; topped off by the opening act of Schmendrick prior to The Last Unicorn in "The Woman Who Married The Man In The Moon".
Harriet Klausner
Harriet Klausner
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not much of a fan of short stories because I always want more story. This compilation though was truly fantastic. I liked each and every story in this collection. Not only did I like them, I found each one to be thought-provoking although there were a couple which stood out as the best.
The magic in each story is different and some of it is more subtle than in other stories, but all of them have the feel of a master storyteller behind them. There is a foreword for each story with some background about how the story came to be written, and even the stories where Messir Beagle says he didn't feel was in his zone of comfort for writing were artfully spun.
If you're looking for a collection of short stories which will touch you emotionally as well as intellectually, you should definitely pick up Sleight of Hand.
Copy Courtesy of Tachyon Publications
The magic in each story is different and some of it is more subtle than in other stories, but all of them have the feel of a master storyteller behind them. There is a foreword for each story with some background about how the story came to be written, and even the stories where Messir Beagle says he didn't feel was in his zone of comfort for writing were artfully spun.
If you're looking for a collection of short stories which will touch you emotionally as well as intellectually, you should definitely pick up Sleight of Hand.
Copy Courtesy of Tachyon Publications
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joyous and fascinating writing from Peter S. Beagle
I admire Beagle's writing. In particular, regarding this book, I find his story about the misplaced and annoyed dragon wonderful. Why? Read more
Published 3 months ago by Susan Rushton
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Peter S. Beagle book
This collection of short stories was a real joy to read. Beagle manages to create interesting and believable characters and describe their world in a few pages and have them do... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michael J. Amos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly new stories from a favorite author
I was predisposed to like this collection, because I love Beagle's writing and he is not exactly prolific! The care he takes to get everything just right really shows. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cissa
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Worst.................
Okay, Mr. Beagle, I have to be one of your oldest and most faithful readers. I have combed the used bookstore shelves in search of your out-of-prints; I have seized upon any idiot... Read more
Published 15 months ago by P. Chapin
5.0 out of 5 stars
unmatched imagery
Peter Beagle is a compelling writer whose imagery is so evocative you feel as though you are inside the story. Makes me want to go back and reread his earlier works.
Published 21 months ago by gaynell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sleight of Hand
Peter S. Beagle is the master of the short story. They are neatly packaged with no loose threads. A real joy to read.
Published 23 months ago by S. Vrooman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thirteen excellent stories
Peter S. Beagle will probably always be best known for The Last Unicorn, the 1968 fantasy novel many consider his masterpiece, but the author has assembled a long and impressive... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Stefan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful book
As always, Peter S. Beagle amazes his readers with wonderful and magical stories. Touching, amazing. It's a wonderful book. Lovely!
Published on March 23, 2011 by Cinderellatmidnight
5.0 out of 5 stars
Savor these stories
Savor these stories as you would a fine wine. They represent Peter Beagle at the top of his game. Imaginative and addictive, each tale makes you eager to read the next. Read more
Published on March 2, 2011 by Richard Mandrachio
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