This anthology was, to say the least, was quite a surprising find. First of all, it was a blind purchase on my part, not recognizing the editors nor the contributors (this is all due to my ignorance rather than a lack of credentials on their part). Fantasy was also rather thin at under 200 pages. Yet the book exceeded my expectations, providing an interesting set of quick reads from eleven authors. Here’s my take on some of my favorite stories: “Goosegirl” by Margaret Ronald is the first story in the collection and is easily my favorite in the collection. It starts out as pretty straightforward and then moves on to become confusing but there is a purpose for that and Ronald executes it beautifully. “Shallot” by Samantha Henderson and “Bone Mother” by Maura McHugh are unique perspectives on old stories and while I enjoyed them both, I think between the two I’d opt for more for the latter but science fiction fans might want to give “Shallot” a read. “The Yeti Behind You” by Jeremiah Tolbert lends itself to a more literary reading but it is a touching story in itself. Overall, despite the scarcity (and sometimes brevity) of the stories in this anthology, Fantasy more than makes up for it with the quality and perhaps the best treat for me is that I got to discover authors and editors I was previous unaware of. Anyone can easily pick up this book and they are, for the most part, quick, easy, and enjoyable reads.
Rating: 4/5.
Rating System:1 - There are better ways to spend your time.
2 - Ho hum books, usually typical of its genre. Probably only recommendable to die-hard fans.
3 - A cut above the rest, usually with one or more elements that sets it apart from the norm.
4 - Highly recommended and is easily a pioneer of the genre.
5 - A classic or it will be.
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