seregil of rhiminee

October 11, 2017

You’d be a fool to miss these brightly sparkling gems

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized camille andre, elizabeth story, ellen klages, jacob weisman, James Morrow, Jane Yolen, patricia a mckillip, peter s beagle, review, risingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, the asylum of dr caligari, the emerald circus, the forgotten beasts of eld, the new voices of fantasy, the overneath, Thomas Canty, wicked wonders

For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee delivers six short reviews.

You’d be a fool to miss these brightly sparkling gems of fresh and imaginative speculative fiction, because they have something for everybody. Please, take a look at them and let yourself be entertained by good fiction and wonderful prose.

Ellen Klages: WICKED WONDERS

A wonderfully inventive, imaginative and original short story collection that contains exceptionally good stories. This collection demonstrates the author’s writing skills in a perfect way and lets readers wonder at her range of imagination.

Photo: Scott R. Kline

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this collection, because each of the stories is excellent (there are no bad stories). If you enjoy reading fascinating, witty and thought-provoking short stories and expect richly-drawn characters from your stories, this collection should be on your reading list.

Ellen Klages is clearly one of the most interesting authors working in the field of speculative fiction, because her stories are something different.

James Morrow: THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI

I was positively surprised by this novella, because it was unlike anything I’ve recently read due to the author’s idea of using a cult horror film as a basis for his story. This story was an extremely entertaining reading experience for me, because I’m a long-time horror fan who appreciates originality, inventiveness and satirical elements.

I liked the author’s writing style, and I enjoyed reading about how he used insightful and sharp dialogues in his narrative. In my opinion, the author’s way of using of satirical elements feels charmingly fresh. There’s something in his writing style that slightly reminds me of Brendan Connell.

Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman: THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY

THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY wonderfully showcases the talents of many new authors who have gradually become famous for their stories and are on the brink of becoming established and respected authors. The authors featured in this anthology are: Alyssa Wong, Sofia Samatar, Brooke Bolander, Sarah Pinsker, Max Gladstone, Ursula Vernon, E. Lily Yu, A. C. Wise, Maria Dahvana Headley, Hannu Rajaniemi, Chris Tarry, Kelly Sandoval, JY Yang, Ben Loory, Amal El-Mohtar, Adam Ehrlich Sachs, Eugene Fischer, Carmen Maria Machado and Usman T. Malik.

Photo: Jill Roberts

This anthology is without any kind of doubt one of the best anthologies of the year, because it contains excellent stories that demonstrate the writing skills of many authors. In my opinion, this anthology is essential reading material for everybody who loves well written speculative fiction. No m<snip>atter what your taste in speculative fiction is, you’ll find something to love in this anthology, because the stories demonstrate how diverse and inventive speculative fiction can be at its best.

Patricia A. McKillip: THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD

Patricia A. McKillip’s THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is one of my all-time favourite fantasy novels. It’s an eloquent and beautifully written fantasy novel that is one of the best fantasy novels ever written.

One of the reasons why I love and adore this novel is the author’s stunningly beautiful prose. The prose is so descriptive, elegant and delicate that it immediately charms those who enjoy beautifully written fantasy tales.

Photo: Stephen Gold/Wikimedia Commons

The cover image by Thomas Canty does justice to the beauty of the story.

To be short, this novel is an absolute delight that deserves to be read. (If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the magic of Patricia A. McKillip, I strongy urge you to read this novel.)

Peter S. Beagle: THE OVERNEATH

THE OVERNEATH contains excellent and well written short stories from the author who has become famous for THE LAST UNICORN (he has also written other exceptionally intriguing works of speculative fiction, including SUMMERLONG and IN CALABRIA).

If you’re a fan of Peter S. Beagle, I’m sure that you’ll find this collection intriguing, because all of the stories are good. If you’re a newcomer to the author’s fiction, this collection serves as an excellent entry point to his stories.

Photo: Rina Weisman

I find these stories excellent, because they’re wonderfully written and feature intriguing happenings. It’s great that this collection has something for everybody (the stories range from fantasy fiction to steampunk fiction and there’s enough magic and wonders to satisty the needs of many fantasy readers).

Jan Yolen: THE EMERALD CIRCUS

THE EMERALD CIRCUS is a marvellous and entertaining short story collection featuring re-tellings and transformations of well-known stories. Each of the stories has plenty of entertainment values to those who are familiar with classic fantasy stories, fairy tales, myths and legends.

Photo: Jason Stemple

I enjoy the author’s prose and writing style, because she writes excellent prose and knows how to keep up the reader’s interest. She effortlessly creates a magical atmosphere that enhances the reading experience and highlights the happenings.

For more info on WICKED WONDERS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

For more info on THE OVERNEATH, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE EMERALD CIRCUS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

March 15, 2017

HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE is a masterpiece

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized andrew wheeler, excerpt, hap and leonard, hap and leonard: blood and lemonade, hap and leonard: mucho mojo, Joe R. Lansdale, not our kind, pamela scott, review, risingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, sundanceTV', the antick musings of g.b.h. hornswoggler, the book lover's boudoir

With tonight’s premiere of SundanceTV’s HAP AND LEONARD: MUCHO MOJO and the recent publication of Joe R. Lansdale’s HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, the Internet is a buzz.

Photo: Karen Lansdale

At RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee praises the book.

Joe R. Lansdale’s BLOOD AND LEMONADE is a masterpiece of addictive and stylistic storytelling. It’s satisfyingly pulpy entertainment to those who enjoy reading clever and vivid stories with memorable characters.

I was delighted to read this mosaic novel, because I enjoy Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard stories. I find these stories amazing, because the author’s writing style appeals to my twisted taste in pulp fiction. I don’t normally read this kind of fiction very much, but Joe R. Lansdale’s stories are among the few exceptions that fascinate me.

BLOOD AND LEMONADE oozes steadily pulsing raw power that is rare in this kind of fiction. As experienced readers are aware of, there are way too many pulp and crime novels, in which the authors try too hard to reach for something fascinating, unique and wild, but fail miserably due to lack of vision and poor writing skills. Fortunately, this novel is something totally different, because it’s original and entertaining, and – what’s most important – it has style and substance that is lacking from other novels.

If you’re a newcomer to Joe R. Lansdale’s fiction, this novel may not be the best place to start reading his Hap and Leonard stories, but I see no reason why newcomers wouldn’t enjoy it. Because the stories are good and entertaining, they can be read and enjoyed without knowledge about the previously published stories.

<snip>

One of the main reasons why I love BLOOD AND LEMONADE is that it features excellent dialogue. I love reading the sharp, thoughtful and striking conversations between the protagonists, because the author excels at writing them in a lively manner. Another reason why I love this novel is the author’s sense of humour, because it’s delightfully amusing, insightful and twisted. It adds a nice flavour to the stories.

I give BLOOD AND LEMONADE full five stars on the scale from one to five stars, because it’s pure pulp goodness from start to finish.

I highly recommend BLOOD AND LEMONADE to Joe R. Lansdale’s fans, because it has everything you could ever hope to find in Hap and Leonard stories – style, substance, humour, insightful commentary, interesting happenings, fights etc. It’s a delightfully entertaining reading experience for those who love crime and pulp stories, but it will also appeal to horror readers.

Excellent and wonderfully vivid entertainment!

Pamela Scott of THE BOOK LOVER’S BOUDOIR enjoys her first Hap and Leonard book experience.

I’ve never really read Lansdale’s work before other than the odd story. I have seen some of the Hap and Leonard TV series and thought it was mad and brilliant so wanted to read BLOOD AND LEMONADE.

This is my first time reading a mosaic novel. I had no idea such a thing existed. I really enjoyed BLOOD AND LEMONADE which is really a series of stories delving into the past of Hap with occasional forays into Leonard’s past. I liked the way the book is structured with flashbacks of the past triggered by places Hap and Leonard visit or people they encounter. This works really well. I enjoyed all of the individual tales and how well they worked together. However, as I’ve not read anything about Hap and Leonard before I felt like something was missing or I missed something and didn’t get as much from BLOOD AND LEMONADE as a proper fan would. Nevertheless, I enjoyed BLOOD AND LEMONADE enough to read more of the author especially Hap and Leonard’s adventures. My favourite tales were Not Our Kind, Down by the Riverside, Blood Lemonade and The River of the Dead. The other stories were good but these appealed to me a bit more.

At THE ANTICK MUSINGS OF G.B.H. HORNSWOLLGGLER, GENT., Andrew Wheeler was thrilled to receive the book.

HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE is a follow-up to last year’s HAP AND LEONARD, which collected all of the stories about Joe R. Lansdale’s crime-fighting odd couple that had been published to that point. Well, Mamma Lansdale’s youngest son has been very busy this past year, because BLOOD AND LEMONADE contains thirteen more stories about Hap and Leonard (though I think one of them was the new story in last year’s book), all copyright 2016 or 2017.

You’d think there was a new season of a Hap and Leonard TV show hitting, or something!

SUNDANCETV is offering exclusive experts from HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE.

SundanceTV is heading back to Hap and Leonard’s teenage years in the exclusive digital release of “Not Our Kind,” a short story from Joe R. Lansdale’s most recent book HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, which is now on sale via Tachyon Publications.

In the story, we meet up with Hap and Leonard back in high school, a time when their friendship is first blossoming. They join forces alongside Leonard’s Uncle Chester to defend themselves against some unsavory bullies.

This short story is the first of two stories to be featured exclusively on sundance.tv in anticipation of the Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo premiere, airing Wed., Mar. 15 at 10/9c on SundanceTV. The second release will be a never-before-seen Hap and Leonard adventure, “In the River of the Dead.” The story will first be available to those subscribed to the Hap and Leonard newsletter and doled out in weekly chapters throughout the run of the HAP AND LEONARD: MUCHO MOJO season.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

February 16, 2017

Peter S. Beagle’s IN CALABRIA is a masterpiece of magical realism

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, elizabeth story, fantasy, in calabria, jl jamieson, joel cunningham, nissi shawl, peter s beagle, pop culture beast, review, risingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, the last unicorn, the seattle review of books

The reviews keep rolling in for Peter S Beagle’s well crafted IN CALABRIA.

Photo: Rina Weisman

For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee praises the book.

Peter S. Beagle’s IN CALABRIA is a lyrical, touching and exquisitely beautiful story set in Calabria. It’s perfect fiction for those who enjoy reading well-told literary stories, because it’s a magical tale for adults. It’s like a slice of real life that has been spiced with fantasy elements.

Before I delve into writing about this story and its contents, I’ll mention that it can be classified either as a short novel or as a novella. I personally classify it as a novella, because it is of novella length.

For a while now, I’ve admired Peter S. Beagle’s literary voice, because he writes beautiful fiction in his own unique way. I like his way of combining fantastical and realistic elements, because he does it extremely well and engages the reader’s attention from the very first page. In my opinion, this novella is an excellent example of his writing skills, because it’s a beautiful fable for modern readers.

IN CALABRIA is one of those novellas that are not meant to be read in haste (it is not intended to readers who skim through stories without taking the time to ponder their meaning). This novella is a relatively fast read, but please don’t let its length fool you into believing that it’s a simple story without depth. It’s anything but simple, because it features such themes as isolation and loneliness, which are explored in a delicate yet surprisingly strong way.

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One of the most important things why I love this novella is that the author writes lyrical prose. His beautiful prose is a pleasure to read, because his descriptions about the happenings are elegant.

Peter S. Beagle’s IN CALABRIA is a delicious and noteworthy masterpiece of magical realism for everyone who loves literary speculative fiction and enjoys reading beautifully written stories. It’s a captivating and rewarding story that should not be missed by fantasy readers, because it pulses with elegance and subtle beauty.

Highly recommended!

JL Jamieson of POP CULTURE BEAST finds the story to be the perfect Valentine.

Beagle writes a modern fairy tale with so much heart and grace, and rather than the world he writes being transformed by it, it’s the characters who are changed deeply and utterly by unfathomable events.

It’s always a pleasure to see a new Beagle novel, as he writes these wonderful tales that involve the supernatural–but are actually about the characters and the way they’re changed by fantastic events. He’s been at this a long time, and it shows in how well crafted the novel is. He’s created the perfect Valentine.

Pick this book up, you won’t regret it.

At THE SEATTLE REVIEW OF BOOKS, Nisi Shawl reviews the fantasy.

Peter S. Beagle’s story of an Italian farmer encountering a gravid unicorn, is reminiscent of his 1968 masterpiece THE LAST UNICORN. But the new book emphasizes the interior transformations caused by this mythical animal. A simultaneous affair between 50-ish widower Claudio Bianchi and a fierce motorcyclist young enough to be his daughter reads alternately as metaphor for the irrationality and vulnerability of love and as simple wish fulfillment. The unicorn colt’s sire, black and furious, appears near the book’s end as counterbalance to the dam’s white beauty, a compelling vision of the positive masculine principle lacking in Beagle’s early work.

Joel Cunningham of B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG announces the book’s release.

A master of fantasy returns with a new unicorn and a new story, set in the rural farmland of Calabria. Frozen by a past tragedy, Claudio lives a simple life with a few animals, writing poetry and barely surviving. He is astonished when into his life appears a unicorn, forcing him to remember the true freedom that all living things have lost in modern times. The unicorn attracts hordes of reporters and tourists, as well as animal rights activists and those who intend the creature harm. Claudio stoutly protects her, and when he helps her bear her foal, Claudio sees his own life returning to him, the birth of new possibilities. Anyone who loved THE LAST UNICORN knows the power of a Peter S. Beagle story.

For more info about IN CALABRIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

November 16, 2016

NIGHTMARES is the perfect tool for discovering the very best of modern horror

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Ann Monn, anthology, becky spratford, booklist, darkness, darkness: two decades of modern horror, diabolique, elizabeth story, Ellen Datlow, horror, nightmares, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, nihil, review, risingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, sheila m merritt

A trio of fresh reviews for Ellen Datlow’s NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR.

For BOOKLIST, Becky Spratford praises the anthology with a starred review.

Building off her indispensable DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR (2010), which covered the years 1985–2005, Datlow has here collected the 24 stories that she has most enjoyed from 2005–15. Her task is aided greatly by the fact that the last decade has been a fertile one for the genre, with the emergence of incredible new voices and the decision by nongenre writers to give horror a try.

This volume is not only the perfect discovery tool for readers looking for the very best of modern horror, it should also be used as a collection-development tool by library staff.

Sheila M. Merritt at DIABOLIQUE is impressed by the collection.

NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR is a follow-up of sorts to editor Ellen Datlow’s DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR. Released in 2010, DARKNESS covered select short stories published between 1985-2005. NIGHTMARES deals with the period from 2005-2015, and largely contains tales by authors not included in the previous volume. Datlow stresses that the works chosen for NIGHTMARES are stories she loves. Indeed, there’s a subjectivity inherent in picking a story for publication. Subjectivity also comes into play when a reviewer singles out certain tales to praise from a collection.

<snip>

Editor Ellen Datlow has compiled works that display her ability to cull quality horror fiction, as well as her enthusiasm and esteem for the genre. Published by Tachyon, NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR is a pleasant reminder that horror’s short fiction “golden age” is ongoing.

At RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee reviews the book.

NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR (edited by Ellen Datlow) is a diverse and well-edited horror anthology that demonstrates what kind of terrors and mesmerising strangeness modern horror has to offer for readers who are looking for something dark, terrifying and unsettling to read. It doesn’t disappoint its readers, because the editor has done her best to gather as many different kind of stories as possible and has paid attention to quality.

<snip>

As many of us are aware of, horror fiction – and especially weird fiction – has become increasingly popular during the last decade. I think it’s great that several new and talented authors have emerged during the recent years and have taken their place alongside the old masters. This anthology allows readers to explore what kind of unsettling stories various authors have written.

For more info about NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Nihil

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about DARKNESS: TWO DECADES OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Ann Monn

September 7, 2016

SUMMERLONG is one of the best literary speculative fiction novels of the year

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized andrew liptak, brazos bookstore, elizabeth story, emmet o’cuana, hopscotch friday, magdalena korzeniewska, peter s beagle, review, rishingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, summerlong, the verge

The fine folks at TOR.COM are hosting a giveaway for Peter Beagle’s new novel SUMMERLONG. For details visit TOR.COM.

Seregil of Rhiminee at RISINGSHADOW praises the book.

SUMMERLONG is the long-awaited new novel by Peter S. Beagle, who is the well-known and respected author of THE LAST UNICORN, A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, and THE FOLK OF THE AIR. It’s a touching and enchanting novel filled with quiet beauty and tender magic.

I’m glad I had an opportunity to read SUMMERLONG, because it’s one of the best literary speculative fiction novels of the year. I consider it to be something magical for those who love well-crafted literary stories, because it exceeded my expectations and surprised me with its beauty. It turned out to be an extremely rewarding reading experience.

SUMMERLONG is a fairy-tale kind of a novel – a literary fantasy novel – for thinking adults who are fascinated by myths, because it’s a modern take on the Persephone and Hades myth. It’s a captivatingly gentle yet rich blend of reality and myth with an evocative atmosphere.

I think it’s good to emphasise SUMMERLONG is not a novel for those who rush through stories and want quick resolutions, because it’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking meditation on life, love, loss, passion and friendship. If you rush through it, you’ll miss out on a lot and won’t get much out of it. This novel has been written for readers who love to think about things and let the story’s atmosphere seep into them.

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Peter S. Beagle’s SUMMERLONG is such a marvellously written and touching novel that fans of literary fantasy simply can’t afford to miss it. It’s a masterpiece of subtle storytelling that enchants you with its beauty and wistfulness. I recommend this novel to everyone who enjoys literary fiction and loves gradually unfolding stories.

Highly recommended!

At HOPSCOTCH FRIDAY, Emmet O’Cuana enjoys SUMMERLONG, her introduction to Peter S. Beagle.

What impressed me about this tale was how its fantastical leanings complement the narrative of a loving relationship’s almost seasonal rhythms. In exploring the theme of a couple questioning why they are together through mythic archetypes Beagle gives a sense of universality to this gentle fable.

BRAZOS BOOKSTORE sent out this tweet.

For more info on SUMMERLONG, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Magdalena Korzeniewska

Design by Elizabeth Story

August 2, 2016

Each story in Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT is a work of art

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Ann Monn, beelzebub, cheryl eddy, collection, elizabeth story, io9, michael swanwick, not so much said the cat, review, risingshadow, sam lubell, seregil of rhiminee, sfrevu, short stories, the dog said bow-wow

Reviews and recommendations for Michael Swanwick’s recently released collection NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT keep coming.

At IO9, Cheryl Eddy includes the book among her 15 Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Arriving This August.

A second collection of short science fiction from the author of THE DOG SAID BOW-WOW, with tales that promise to include the Devil, time travelers, a horse with magic powers, and “a semi-repentant troll.”

Sam Lubell at SFREVU praises the collection.

Michael Swanwick is one of the best short story writers in the science fiction/fantasy field. He will be a guest of honor at this month’s Worldcon, MidAmeriCon in Kansas City. While he jokes that he has lost more major awards than any other science fiction writer, his display cabinet holds five Hugo awards, a Nebula, and a World Fantasy Award. Swanwick writes clear, elegant prose that is a joy to read, and excels at creating lifelike characters. Each story is a complete work of art.

<snip>

Perhaps the best reason to read short stories is the way they give a skilled writer many different canvases to display his talents. Not So Much Said the Cat tackles themes of love, identity, morals, and reality in varying settings and plots. Still, Swanwick’s style shines through in all of these and each story will make the reader think.

For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee lauds NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT.

Ah, what a pleasure it was to read Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT. This magnificent collection was everything I hoped it would be and more, because it contained imaginative and well written stories. It wonderfully demonstrates Michael Swanwick’s strengths as an author and lets readers marvel at his vast imagination. It’s a collection that I can wholeheartedly praise and recommend, because it’s excellent.

<snip>

NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT is an excellent collection of imaginative and beautifully written stories that deftly explore various themes, issues and elements ranging from magic and robots to love and aliens. There’s something for everyone in this collection.

<snip>

I’m impressed by the author’s ability to blend science fiction with fantasy elements. He’s one of the few authors who succeed in combining these genres in a flawless way, because his stories are at their best wildly imaginative. He even manages to spice up some of his stories with a few horror elements.

I like the author’s storytelling skills, because he’s a masterful storyteller who takes his readers on a journey into fascinating places. He writes imaginative stories that offer plenty of food for thoughts.

<snip>

What makes these stories especially good and memorable is the author’s literary writing style, because he charms readers with his fluent and atmospheric prose. His prose is irresistibly beautiful, vibrant and vivid, but also strikingly effective.

If you’re a newcomer to Michael Swanwick’s fiction, you’re in for a special treat when you pick up this collection and begin to turn its pages. I’m sure that you’ll find each of the stories intriguing, because they’re well-created stories with lots of imagination.

I highly recommend Michael Swanwick’s NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT to speculative fiction readers. This magnificent collection is essential reading material to those who love quality and originality. The stories contained within its covers are simply marvellous and offer plenty of entertainment, excellent prose, memorable scenes and thought-provoking moments to readers. What more could you possibly hope to find in a speculative fiction short story collection?

Beelzebub celebrates all the kind words

For more information on NOT SO MUCH, SAID THE CAT, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on THE DOG SAID BOW-WOW, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Ann Monn

June 9, 2016

The nuanced INVADERS is excellent

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized a.v. club, alex mccown, anthology, invaders, invaders: 22 tales from the outer limits of literature, jacob weisman, review, risingshadow, science fiction, seregil of rhiminee, short stories

Jacob Weisman and friend (photo: Jill Roberts)

At the A.V. CLUB, Alex McCown enjoys Jacob Weisman’s satisfying INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE.

Far from feeling like an assemblage of writers dabbling in the literary equivalent of baseball pros trying their hands at hockey, Invaders is a playful and imaginative exploration of what it means to write in the field of science fiction. The stories within contain a broad array of styles and narrative topographies; some of them merely utilize tropes or fanciful conceits as the background folderol to a more humanistic tale of love or pain, while others incorporate deep sci-fi premises in ways that suggest as profound an investment in the genre’s possibilities as an Iain Banks or a Charles Stross. And it’s a usefully diverse range of entries: Not all stories are equally effective, which is to be expected, but taken together, they illuminate the breadth of scope among authors not known for the form and the strategies they use to pursue these far-flung ideas.

<snip>

The standard pluses and minuses of a compilation apply—there are lesser stories, but even they add to the range of ideas, and are over quickly enough—and the hook of watching more traditional storytellers splash about in the weird end of the pool makes for a satisfying overall experience. No one’s reinventing the wheel, but they are sending it leapfrogging through space-time.

For RISINGSHADOW, Seregil of Rhiminee praises Jacob Weisman’s impressive anthology.

INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE features 22 tales written by authors who have mostly written literary fiction, but have also occasionally tried their hands on science fiction. This anthology allows readers an opportunity to explore interesting, inventive and original stories that wonderfully demonstrate what can be achieved when literary authors write science fiction and concentrate on speculating about life, relationships and technology.

As this anthology demonstrates, literary fiction and speculative fiction go perfectly hand in hand. They have a lot to offer to each other, because they balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses in a perfect way.

<snip>

The writing in these stories is excellent and wonderfully nuanced. You won’t find bad prose in any of them. Instead, you’ll find a well-selected treasure trove of good and exquisite prose.

If you’re a fan of hard science fiction, this anthology may feel a bit strange to you, because many of the stories differ quite a lot from what you normally read. However, please persevere with it, because it’s worth reading due to its literary values and the fact that it offers something new to readers (I advise you to be open-minded when you read this anthology).

As a reader who loves the literary side of speculative fiction and expects good and well written prose from speculative fiction stories, I was impressed by this anthology. It was enjoyable to read these stories, because they were good. I think that this anthology will be of interest to many readers, because its diverse contents are entertaining and thought-provoking.

I recommend this anthology to everybody who loves literary speculative fiction and wants to read good and imaginative stories. Whether you’re an experienced science fiction reader or a newcomer to the genre, you’ll find something to enjoy in this anthology. It offers readers an opportunity to expand their awareness of speculative fiction in a subtly engaging way.

Highly recommended!

For more info about INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Goro Fujita

Design by Elizabeth Story

June 9, 2016

Patricia A. McKillip’s remarkable DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES is both lovely and thought-provoking

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized book swoon, Charles de Lint, collection, dreams of distant shores, fantasy, fantasy literature, patricia a mckillip, peter s beagle, review, rishingshadow, seregil of rhiminee, short stories, tadiana jones, Thomas Canty, wonders of the invisible world

A pair of reviews for Patricia A. McKillip’s wonderful DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES and one for her engaging previous collection WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

Seregil of Rhiminee at RISINGSHADOW delves into the highly recommended book.

As many fantasy readers are aware of, Patricia A. McKillip is one of the best and most talented authors of lyrical fantasy fiction ever to grace the field of speculative fiction. Her beautifully written stories have the power to transport readers temporarily to another place where magic is real.

DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES is a remarkable collection for fans of Patricia A. McKillip, because it’s everything that her fans have come to expect from her. It’s also a fantastic introduction to newcomers who have never read anything by her.

I’ve personally loved Patricia A. McKillip’s novels and stories ever since I first read The Riddle-Master of Hed. It convinced me of her writing skills, because she wrote fluent prose and the story was good. I consider her to be an excellent storyteller whose novels deserve to be read and praised, because they have depth, style and wit. I’m glad that I had an opportunity to read this wonderful collection, because it contains excellent stories.

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In my opinion, Patricia A. McKillip’s approach to modern high fantasy feels refreshing and invigorating, because she writes high fantasy in a modern way. It’s great that she doesn’t lose sight of the fact the roots of modern fantasy fiction lie in classic fantasy fiction. She seems to be aware of the fact that in order to write successful modern fantasy it’s important to combine modern and classic elements in a fresh way (she’s one of the few authors who fully succeed in this).

I love the way the author blurs the line between realism and fantasy, because she plunges her readers into the middle of fantastical happenings with ease and confidence. Her beautiful prose emphasises the captivatingly strange atmosphere of the stories and makes them a joy to read. In this collection, good prose meets sparkling imagination in a powerful way.

I found it charming that there was a bit Rhys Hughes-like atmosphere in some of the stories. Because I’ve always been fascinated by beautifully written and well-told quirky stories, the quirkiness of the stories appealed to me.

Patricia A. McKillip’s DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES is a stunningly beautiful and magnificent short story collection filled with excellent high fantasy. It’s a perfect example of what lyrical fantasy authors are capable of achieving in modern fantasy fiction, because each of the stories is captivating and offers something new to readers. If you’re a fan of lyrical fantasy fiction and love well written modern high fantasy, you’re in for a delicious treat when you delve into the magical contents of this collection.

Highly recommended!

Patricia A. McKillip at Westercon 64 in the Fairmont San Jose Hotel on Saturday 2 July 2011 (Stephen Gold/Wikimedia Commons)

For FANTASY LITERATURE, Tadiana Jones praises the collection.

DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES is a collection of seven shorter fantasy works ― five short stories and two novellas ― and a non-fictional essay by one of my favorite fantasy authors, Patricia McKillip. Several of these works are reprints of stories originally published elsewhere; “Mer,” “Edith and Henry Go Motoring” and “Alien” are the only ones original to this collection, but since I had never seen any of these stories elsewhere, they were all doorways to new and enchanting worlds for me. This collection, where faeries and other fantastical creatures and beings intersect with commonplace people, sometimes rudely intruding in our world and sometimes luring us into theirs, tends more toward urban fantasy than McKillip’s typical high fantasy work, but it’s not your typical werewolves and vampires type of urban fantasy.

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I originally thought DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES would be a 4 star book for me, but I’ve found that most of these stories beg to be revisited, and my appreciation has grown with rereading. McKillip’s prose is both lovely and thought-provoking. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy fantastical short works.

BOOK SWOON reviews McKillip’s enchanting collection WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD is an anthology of sixteen short stories by world fantasy award-winning author Patricia A. McKillip. This collection features a wonderful mix of her work with an introduction by Charles de Lint and a personal essay on what inspires McKillip. Readers will find her signature style as magic, the fey, and fairy tales meander across the pages.

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WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD touches on surprisingly deeper issues lying hidden among the jewel-like writing, filling readers with a thoughtful and engaging story, while enchanting us at the same time.

For more info on DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES, visit the Tachyon page.

For more info on WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Covers by Thomas Canty