Brimming with magic, lyrical prose, and deeply felt emotion, THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE is master class given by one of our greatest fantasists
As we begin our countdown to the May release of THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE, excitement builds as evident by the effusive praise for both Volumes I and II in a pair of Kirkus *starred* reviews (Volume I Volume II) and Gary Wolfe at Locus as well as Book Reviews Forevermore of just Volume II. (Book Reviews Forevermore previously covered Volume I) Meanwhile, Civilian Reader shares an excerpt from Volume with a piece from “Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros.”
Though not coming out until May, both volumes (VOLUME I: LILA THE WEREWOLF AND OTHER STORIES and VOLUME II: OAKLAND DRAGON BLUES AND OTHER STORIES) of THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE are available directly from Tachyon and all finer booksellers.
Design by Elizabeth Story
Whether set in a fantastical landscape, the New York City of Beagle’s youth, or the invented northern California town of Avicenna, these are fables that explore how a brush with the uncanny can either change a life or simply spotlight what is already present. Magic is the lens through which the author shows us how fraught a mother-daughter relationship can be, how difficult it can be to let go of a dead friend or lover, and how a greater threat can unite two squabbling siblings. Delicate line drawings by artist Stephanie Law add a charming coda to each
Kirkus on Volume I
Brimming with magic, lyrical prose, and deeply felt emotion, this is, indeed, essential reading.
There are perhaps many readers who know Beagle only from his classic novel The Last Unicorn (1968), unaware of his considerable body of long and short fiction; others are longtime fans already familiar with such gems as A Fine and Private Place (1960), The Folk of the Air (1986), and The Innkeeper’s Song (1993), among others. This two-volume collection is a must-have for all of them.
Kirkus on Volume II
Yes, essential, for whomever you are.
[I]t’s a master class in using the materials of genre to forge a highly personal vision that almost always leads in surprising directions, revealing magic where we least expect it.
Locus
Highly recommended for fans of the fantastic and short stories.
Book Reviews Forevermore
Four and a half stars, rounding up. Lovely writing, evocative moods; if each story wasn’t amazing, the collection as a whole is.