Product Description
An exploration of the benefits of a fantasy life for victims of childhood abuse combines the works of such author as Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, and Steven Gould with essays on the transforming powers of fairy tales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Amazing
These are retold fairy tales, but not the funny ones. Still, by exploring the tragedy, warmth, and soulfulness of these tales, deeply talented authors delve into the soul and try to find comfort int hese new flavors of fairy tales.

Fairy tales are not just for children
This anthology is one of the most emotionally wrenching and satisfying collections of stories that I've read-not just from fantasy authors, but from anyone.Dealing with the darker aspects of childhood, including abuse and alienation, the stories and poetry are full of depth and transformation; magic, despair, and ultimately hope.Some exceptional stories are "The Armless Maiden" by Midori Snyder, "The Juniper Tree" by Peter Straub, "The Lion and the Lark" by Patricia McKillip, "The Lily and the Weaver's Heart" by Nancy Etchemendy, "In the House of My Enemy" by Charles De Lint, and "In the Night Country" by Ellen Steiber.The poems are all beautiful.This book is definitely on my desert island list.

Dead-serious fairy tales
I love adult fairy tales, but it seems that all too often, writers pump up the sex and violence to render the tales "adult", rather than more deeply exploring the human emotional dramas in the stories. Maybe that's why I love _The Armless Maiden_. The tales and poems here do include sex and violence, yes, but at their heart is the triumph of the human spirit.

If we look carefully at fairy tales, many of them are actually about what we would now call child abuse. Cinderella was neglected. Handel and Gretel were abandoned. Donkeyskin suffered incest. And there are so many more. And in most of the stories, the protagonist rises above the situation somehow--in the old versions, usually by gaining fortune and position. In the stories in _The Armless Maiden_, the triumph is more often psychological. I read once--I think it was in a book by Marina Warner--that the essential theme of the fairy tale is transformation. In these stories, we see victims transformed into survivors.

These are serious fairy tales for our times, and I recommend the book both to abuse survivors and to those who did not suffer abuse (trust me, everyone knows someone who did). My personal favorite contributions are Emma Bull's poem about Cinderella's stepsister regretting the friendship they never had, and Ellen Kushner's "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep", the story of a young girl in the custody of a cold-hearted guardian, and haunted by the ghost of the woman's unhappy daughter.

Why is this book out of print?
This is a short review.

Actually, this is not a review atall, although I should say it, shortly and to the point: The ArmlessMaiden is a gorgeous anthology, one of the best I've ever read.

This is just a message to people who might stumble upon it in a bookstore or library.

The message is: read it.

You will not be disappointed.

Essential for everyone, but especially survivors of abuse.
This book has a myriad of short stories, poems, & essays about survivors of child abuse. They are all worked around fairy-tale themes but not Disneyified: no handsome prince comes to rescue a child; instead, thesechildren escape through their own courage & perseverance. An AMAZINGbook. A shame it is out of print--but I've seen copies used & inremainder bins at bookstores so do yourself a favor & keep looking!This book will make you shudder, weep, cringe, but ultimately leaves youw/a feeling of hope. All the pieces are good, but standouts include TerriWindling's, Charles De Lint's, Ellen Steiber's, & Munro Sickafoose's.Another wonderful aspect is that Windling ignores genre boundaries &hence you see authors such as Sharon Olds & Anne Sexton represented aswell. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

For every young generation, there's always a place to run to . . .
Some years ago, Windling thought up a highly original setting for "urban fantasy" stories -- a city after the return of Faerie to our world, a border region where magic sometimes works, technology is undependable, and runaway kids, both human and elf, are seeking their dreams. It's a little Haight-Ashbury, a little Oz, and a lot of fun for the reader. In this volume (one of several that have been published, plus a couple of novels), seven authors set their stories in Bordertown with varying degrees of success. "Nevernever," by Will Shetterly, an old Borderlands hand, is about Wolfboy, how he came to be what he is, and what he does when the opportunity arises to get even. A very good story. Kara Dalkey's "Night Wail," about banshees and dealing with death, is a bit of a downer but well written. "Alison Gross," by Midori Snyder, is about true love and dark magic. Charles de Lint's "Berlin," one of the two really good ones here, is about dragons and drugs and getting even. "Reynardine," by Michael Korolenko, about shape-changers and other horror tropes, just didn't do much for me. Craig Shaw Gardner's "Light and Shadow," a take-off (sort of) on THE MALTESE FALCON, is just dumb. Bellamy Bach's "Rain and Thunder," also a love story, is kind of the other side of "Berlin," and it's very, very well done. There's also a frame story by Ellen Kushner consisting of unmailed letters home written by a young human runaway, describing her arrival, her time in Oberon's House (not a nice place, and for not very obvious reasons), and how she survives. All in all, it's an above-average volume.

ItAin'tYourFather'sFantasyRags
I have just finished this book for the third time and I still find it to be as fascinating and engaging as I did when I first read it in Junior High School, and again in High School.I am now 26 and though it may be a bit simple to read at this age, it still makes me feel the same as before.Fantasy readers are romantics at heart and so is this book.Underneath its somewhat common subject matter like magical elves and hollywood runaways are universal themes of angst, lonliness, rebelion, and needless to say, love.Does this sound familiar to those of us who were once teenagers?"Alison Gross" still gets me everytime. Honestly, my tag for the longest time has been "Skydeki", which is a half-bite off of one of the Rainbow Godesses in the short story of Alison Gross.Whenever people ask what it means I start on a diatribe about my love for this book, and all of its other great shorts.Please read this book if you're a teenager who enjoys fantasy writings.Even if you're 50, so long as you can remember a time when shirking your responsibilities and running away seemed like a great idea.

A highly enjoyable fantasy trip.
Described as "where Elfland meets rock and roll", this is part of a collection of stories based on the idea of what if the world of magic, fantasy and elves returned to our world. The border is a place where the Elflands and the world meet; where neither magic nor technology reigns supreme.These 9 short stories introduce new characters and expand on some of the old favorites from the bordertown series. They are all very light reads, the kind of book you tote around for reading while you wait. You must have this book if you are a fan of Terri Windling's creation, the Borderlands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bordertown:A Chronicle of the Borderlands
I read this book when it was new.I was twelve, and I loved it so much I never forgot it.Unfortunately, it was lost while moving, and I couldn't find another copy.I'm over thirty now, and I wondered if it was only good because I read it so young, or if it really was as good as I remember.It is every bit as good now as then, and well worth the price I paid for it.Now I'm trying to find more books in this series.

The story is basic modern fantasy.Where the Realm of Faerie and the World meet lies Bordertown.Magic is unpredictable there, and so is technology.Rock'n'roll has a power all its own.The local werewolf is friendly, but the people are not.It's a delightfully escapist mish-mash which has not lost its appeal in 24 years.

GREAT READ!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first book in the bordertown series I read was a travliers guide. I was hooked after that. This book is a great urban fantasy. I makes me want to run away and just be young and care free.The introduction by Farrel Din is perfect, He is a character I alaways want to know more about. Little glimpes of his charater in other books is like torture. Danceland is like a slice of pie with the charaters Tick-Tick and Orient, for the whole pie read Finder. Demon is about an elf brat who turnes the lead charater,Laura, into a demon. He underestimates her will and strength through the entire story. Exil is kinda about Dez who is so nieve but is strong enough to take care for herself and follow where her heart leads her. Mockery is one of the best stories in the borderlands. Its about a young painter and even younger love. If you ever had a crush in school you will love this story. ... Read more

Product Description
One of our most enduring, universal myths is that of the Green Man-the spirit who stands for Nature in its most wild and untamed form, a man with leaves for hair who dwells deep within the mythic forest. Through the ages and around the world, the Green Man and other nature spirits have appeared in stories, songs, and artwork, as well as many beloved fantasy novels, including Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Now Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, the acclaimed editors of over twenty anthologies, have gathered some of today's finest writers of magical fiction to interpret the spirits of nature in short stories and poetry. Charles Vess (Stardust) brings his stellar eye and brush to the decorations, and Windling provides an introduction exploring Green Man symbolism and forest myth.

The Green Man will become required reading for teenagers and adults alike-not only for fans of fantasy fiction, but for anyone interested in mythology and the mysteries of the wilderness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Magically Captivating
I've read their other compilation of stories, "The Faery Reel", and this one is just as amazing. I couldn't wait for the book to get here; and once I got it, I couldn't put it down. Each story was just as magical and intriguing as the last, but each was just as different in mythology as they were amazing. From Fairy Queens of Central Park, to the Green Man himself, you will be enveloped in a world of wonderful folklore and won't want to leave. I highly reccomend it.

Stories that Bring Together a Common Goal!
Short stories certainly have a place in our society. These particular stories and poems in this anthology focused on The Green Man of lore.

"-the Green Man- the spirit who stands for Nature in its most wiled and untamed form, a man with leaves for hair, who dwells deep within the mythic forest."

That explains it better than I ever could and that gives you a brief taste of what is to come. The variety of authors, some that I knew of some that I didn't made the book come even more alive. My favorites were Going Wodwo (poem) by Neil Gaiman, Grand Central Park by Delia Sherman, Hunter's Moon by Patricia A. McKillip, A World Painted by Birds by Katherine Vaz, Grounded by Nina Kirki Hoffman, Overlooking by Carol Emshwiller, Joshua Tree by Emma Bull, The Pagodas of Ciboure by M. Shayne Bell, and The Green Word by Jeffrey Ford. There was only one in the book that just didn't seem to fit and that was Fee, Fie, Foe, et Cetera by Gregory Maguire only because it was a re-telling of Jack and the Bean Stalk and I didn't see how it truly fit into the nature category even with the bean stalk.

I loved this book and will definitely be one I am going to keep. The variety was great and it was nice to read a good clean young adult book for a change. The editors did a fantastic job and I might even seek out more of their work!

Almost a children's book
It is true, as other reviewers have stated, that this anthology of mythology is not meant for adults.However, it doesn't seem strong enough for young adults either.Except for some of the themes, many of the stories seem more appropriate for younger children.The fact is, they are predictable and not terribly imaginative.A few are better written, with beautiful use of the language.Perhaps this is one of the difficulties with themed anthologies.

Green and Refreshing
The short story is a dreadfully difficult art to master. Most collections have but one or two tales truly worth reading---and this collection is no different---there are perhaps two stand-outs. But, and this is the important thing: almost every story in this book captures the essence of the mythic Greenwood in a new vision. A few of the stories are remarkable for their sheer playful writing, and I wonder if this is merely the nature of the genre (fantasy/sf/speculative), or of genre writing (or writers)? Or perhaps a little bit of childhood wonder infects YA-level works? Whatever it is, it is worth reading. Go sit in the hammock, under the trees, and read.

15 short stories + 3 poems
"In this book, we've asked the writers to journey deep into the Mythic Forest, to bring back tales of those wild lands, and of the creatures who dwell within them. Thus in these pages you'll find witches, wolves, dryads, deer men, a faery or two, and numerous magical spirits of nature..."
- from the editors' preface

Windling's "Introduction" outlines the origins of the archetype of the Green Man and other forest beings.

--

Bell, M. Shayne: Sickly little Maurice Ravel meets "The Pagodas of Ciboure" - creatures out of French legend - on his grandmother's estate, and asks them to heal him. But what can he do for them?

Bull, Emma: The narrator, a girl with a taste for raves who doesn't fit in with either base kids or townies, is busy growing up in a Marine base town on the border of "Joshua Tree" National Park. (The rave reads like a faery celebration, nice touch.)

Cadman, Michael: "Daphne" narrates the tale of Apollo's attempted seduction.

de Lint, Charles: "Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box" Twenty years ago, two painters walked into the woods covering the hills outside Newford, but only Frank Spain has returned to a world he no longer belongs to. How can he return when he only tagged along with his mentor in the first place? His mentor, who once said "Many times the only painting box I take is in my head."

Dunn, Carolyn: Braided format, one thread following the ill-fated deer hunt of "Ali Anugne O Chash (The Boy Who Was)", the other narrated by the clubfooted girl who loved him but brought about his downfall.

Emshwiller, Carol: The narrator, matriarch of the hidden forest people who amuse themselves "Overlooking" mountain climbers, alternately talks about her experiences with humans and about one day's company of an old man the youngsters brought to her.

Ford, Jeffrey: "The Green Word" The forest people's revolt draws to a close as Moren Kairn accepts the last gift the witch of the forest has to offer: a mysterious seed that grants him easy dying even as he faces execution. The witch, in turn, creates a champion from the earth watered by Kairn's spilled blood: Vertuminous, a manlike tree with fruit where his heart should be, who regenerates every time he's killed. *That* attracts the king's attention...

Gaiman, Neil: "Going Wodwo" (poem) "I'll leave the way of words to walk the wood..."

Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: The narrator's mother Meg and her prospective stepfather Vernon both work at keeping people "Grounded", Meg in a hospice, Vernon as a psychologist from his home in the woods bordering Silicon Valley. Tale relates Meg and Fiona's first face-to-face meeting with Vernon and his kids, as Fiona keeps looking for the snags of living among these fair folk.

Koja, Kathe: The narrator's forest is made of "Remnants", but the 'Department of People Watching' doesn't like it.

Lee, Tanith: Two half-sisters, Bergette and Ghilane, are the unloved daughters of the village prostitute by two different woodcutters, conceived "Among the Leaves So Green" and often sent back on errands as their mother secretly hopes to be rid of them. Interesting twist, along the lines of Lee's RED AS BLOOD stories, that the hateful older sister needing redemption is the focus rather than the decent younger sister.

Lewis, Bill: "Green Men" (poem) "Foliate faces flower and the/memory of an antique hour/unwinds beneath/a carpenter's craft;/masons, too, saw their shape/sleeping in the stone."

Maguire, Gregory: "Fee, Fie, Foe, et Cetera" Retelling of the Beanstalk story, with the action split between two Jacks - the adventurer and his daft younger brother - and their mother, none of whom are very bright. The king's mismanagement of the treasury leads to trying the family for "agricultural treason", for instance.

McKillip, Patricia A.: "Hunter's Moon" Dawn and her little brother Ewan, lost in the woods during deer-hunting season, are returned to their family in a way the hunters will never forget.

Sherman, Delia: The narrator, a girl living near "Grand Central Park", must play Truth or Dare for her life against one of the fairies living there. "'We ain't in the Old Country no more. We're in New York' - Noo Yawk is what she said - 'New York, US of A. We ain't got no Queens, except across the bridge.'"

Snyder, Midori: "Charlie's Away" to the Greenwood the day after receiving his college acceptance letter, his grief for his lost baby sister and the weight of responsibility for filling two children's places in his parents' lives finally having been too much for him. Something like TAM LIN in reverse.

Vaz, Katherine: "A World Painted by Birds" told in a traditional fairy-tale style. The General ruling Rio Seco condemns those who defy him to a detention camp on the far side of the forest - though not the young lacemaker Lucia, since the General's Wife has a weakness for lace. When Lucia falls in love with a young violinist who has played songs protesting the General's tyranny, the lovers flee into the forest and join the Gardener, who as a man already half a plant found it easy to vanish, but still fights to free the prisoners.

Yolen, Jane: "Song of the Cailleach Bheur" (poem): "She is the winter, the wind, the snow,/Her breath both warm and chilling./A single word from her icy lips,/A single kiss is killing."
... Read more

Product Description
More than four dozen stories and poems, featuring writings by Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Yolen, Harlan Ellison, and many others, investigate the outermost perimeters of the human imagination. Amazon.com Review
The collaborative efforts of Ellen Datlow (horror) and TerriWindling (fantasy) are becoming something of a legend, as year after yearthey deliver the best horror and fantasy short fiction in a fat (500double-length pages) anthology that avoids pigeonholes with its mingled,unlabeled sample of the two genres. As in previous years, this volumeincludes more than 100 pages of summaries about the year 1997 in horrorand fantasy publishing, horror and fantasy in the media,and comics. The fiction includes 18 stories and 8 poems with just TerriWindling's initials, and 18 stories and 1 poem with Ellen Datlow'sinitials, with some (presumably dark fantasy) that are tagged by both.

Even more than usual, Ellen Datlow's horror selections introduce a remarkablevariety of types of stories. One of the best tales is Molly Brown's "The Psychomantium," about a mirror that allowsalternative time lines to intersect, creating double fates for thecharacters. "The Skull of Charlotte Corday" (photosincluded) by Leslie Dick takes an essayistic approach to afamous female assassin and some creepy details in the history of sexualsurgery. Douglas Clegg's "I Am Infinite, I ContainMultitudes" is a striking body-horror tale that was nominated for a BramStoker Award. Christopher Harman, P.D. Cacek, Joyce Carol Oates, and Vikram Chandra contributeold-fashioned ghost stories. Gary Braunbeck's"Safe" is reminiscent of the best of Stephen King in its portrayal ofrealistic horror in a small town. Michael Chabon's "In theBlack Mill" more than proves that Lovecraftian horror can transcend shallowpastiche. And other horror notables--such as Michael Cadnum,Christopher Fowler, Caitlín Kiernan, StephenLaws, Kim Newman, Norman Partridge, and Nicholas Royle--make appearances.

Terri Windling's selections include familiar fantasy names such as Peter Beagle, Charles de Lint, Karen JoyFowler, and Jane Yolen, and famous genre-crossers such asRay Bradbury, Howard Waldrop, and Jack Womack. She also provides welcome space for fantasy poetry--charmingpieces with images of the Trickster Coyote, Sheela Na Gig, and a mermaid,and titles like "Coffee Jerk at the Gates of Hell." The PulitzerPrize-winning Steven Millhauser contributes an enchanting tale that originally appeared in the New Yorker. Other tales are inspired byan intriguing range of sources: Gulliver's Travels,Marilyn Monroe, the Scottish legend of the Sineater, the artof glass blowing, Aztec myth, and ancient Jewish lore.

There's no better way to take in the best of these two genres, both for thegreat selections and the ample pointers to 1997's novels, magazines, art,movies, and comics that you may not have heard about. --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

15/2001: The bar is high and some stories are exceptional. Recommended 14/2000: Too many blatant stories. Not recommended
(Because Amazon lumps all of these volumes together, this review is split in halves: Fifteen/2001 and Fourteen/2000.)

For THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR: FIFTEENTH ANNUAL COLLECTION (2001)
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteen Annual Collection collects the best (as determined by the editors) short fiction of both genres in 2001, using wide definitions of the genres in order to build a diverse, quality collection. Introductions survey related novels, anthologies, and media; some of these recommendations are useless, but others are a rich resource. The stories and poems themselves vary in quality, but the standard is high and some stories are a distinct success. It's no surprise that such a large anthology has its ups and downs, but Datlow and Windling achieve many of their lofty goals. This is a varied and successful collection of short fiction and a promising resource for discovering new authors. I recommend it.

Short fiction anthologies and collections are almost always a mixed bag, and this one in particular reaches farther--and is longer--than most collections, so there are plenty of opportunities for failure. But it's a surprising success: there's some underwhelming poetry and some disappointing and odd short stories, but on average the bar is high and the best stories are exceptional. Doerr's "The Hunter's Wife," Arnott's "Prussian Snowdrops," Kiernan's "Onion," Maguire's "Scarecrow," and best of all Palwick's "Gestella," the story of a rapidly-aging werewolf, were among my favorites, and while another reader may have different preferences the best part about this broad collection is that it has something to delight every sort of horror/fantasy fan, and perhaps something new for each reader.

Other than a treasure-trove of stories, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror also serves to expose the reader to new work and new authors. The introductions are lengthy, but useful: Windling is the most succinct in picking her choices for best fantasy novels and anthologies, Datlow is more wordy and less helpful in her horror recommendations, and the surveys of related media, comics, and anime/manga are pretty much useless (and in the final case, laughably so). Still, skim the introductions and remember your favorite authors from the short story collection, and this anthology has the potential to inflate your to-be-read list in record time. All in all, this volume of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is not perfect, but Datlow and Windling aim high and manage to pull together a surprising amount of enjoyable fiction that includes some true gems and opens the door to finding many more. I recommend it.

For THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR: FOURTEENTH ANNUAL COLLECTION (2000)
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection collects the best (as determined by the editors) short fiction of both genres in 2000, using wide definitions of the genres in order to build a diverse, quality collection. Largely useless introductions summarize the year in fantasy, horror, and related media, but the bulk of the book is 43 short stories and 11 poems which span paranormal horror to imaginary world fantasy to mythic poems. The stories are a mixed bag, but on the whole a disappointment: some break the mold, but most of these selections are so exaggerated that they lack magic or tension. This series has a laudable goal, but in this installment the editors don't quite reach it. Not recommended.

I so much enjoyed the fifteenth volume of this series that it boggles my mind that I found this fourteenth installment such a slog. Short story collections are usually composed of selection of varying quality, and an anthology this wide-reaching and long has plenty of opportunities for failure--and, unfortunately, in this volume it often does fail. The selections are a mixed bag: Some are wonderful, and Koja's "At Eventide," Grant and Link's "Ship, Sea, Mountain, Sky," Duffy's Circe and Little Red Cap, Adriázola's "Buttons," Gaiman's Instructions, and best of all Greer Gilman's "Jack Daw's Pack," a mythic and dreamlike story of the trials and tribulations of divine avatars, were my favorites. But too often, regardless of genre, these stories are often so blatant--horror exaggerated to empty violence, retold myth which is too obvious, humorous fantasy pushed over the top--that they lose all the magic and tension that can come with subtlety. Perhaps that's a personal preference, but I doubt it. Obvious, exaggerated stories smack of lazy writing, and certainly don't warrant a "best of" collection.

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection still serves a purpose: some selections, like those listed above, break the mold and are in turns understated, haunting, intelligent, or otherwise subtlety and skillfully told. And the volume also functions as a means to encounter new stories and new authors. With such a wide range, pulling from paranormal to psychological horror, from magical realism to urban fantasy, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a broad cross-section of both genres and may expose a reader to all number of new writers or texts. Unfortunately, like the middling quality of the stories themselves, this volume isn't always a good resource: Windling summary of fantasy novels is concise and useful, but Daltow's summary is unnecessarily long and the summations of media and comics often lose sight of their fantasy/horror purview. All told, this fourteenth installment of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is well-intended but not wholly successful. Other installments prove that the premise can succeed, and such a wide goal as the year's best pulled from broad definitions of two genres is loftly and laudable. But perhaps the pickings were slim, perhaps they had a bad year--for whatever reason, Windling and Datlow don't reach their goals in this fourtheenth installment, and I don't recommend it.

Another Satisfying Entry In The Series
I collect this series hungrily. There are always at least 10 stories that excite and amaze me, and I do feel they can honestly be called "the best" of each year. I also buy stacks of other genre anthologies, none of which demonstrate such consistent quality. How there came to be a gap on my shelf where this volume ought to be I'm not sure, but I did find out while shopping for its replacement what others have discovered: it is frustratingly difficult to get an accurate report of the contents of each of these volumes. Of the several well-written and helpful reader reviews, one refers to the 11th edition, another, while begging Amazon to represent it faithfully, nevertheless is clearly misfiled, describing the contents of the 14th. To be sure, even as I snarl and curse my way through the tangle of confusion I salute each reviewer's insights; I only wish their efforts could be properly represented. To help other benighted seekers, I'm suggesting a visit to this site, an extremely valuable and meticulously maintained resource.
locusmag.com/index/2002

Snnorrrrre Snnnorrrreeeee
For some reason, the folks at Amazon keep posting my reviews for this series in the wrong place, so expecting that to happen again this time, let me clarify: The review is covering the FOURTEENTH edition.

Years ago, I made the mistake of taking "The Year's Best" title seriously, and rushed out and bought all the books in the series I could get my hands on. That turned out to be a BIG mistake, as Editors Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling seem to have very different ideas from me about what makes a good story. Luckily, this is the last volume I was unfortunate enough to purchase.

I'll skip the usual complaints this time out. I won't rant about the overlong year-in-review segments. I won't mention the fact that Windling's Fantasy selections monopolixe the book. I won't utter a word about Windling's bizarre penchant for poetry and rehashed versions of older-than-dirt fairy-tales. I'll concentrate on the stories that were actually readable.

Charles de Lint contributes another Newford story, "Granny Weather"; As usual, it's a good read.
Ramsey Campbell offers up two creepy little gems, "No Strings", and "No Story In It".
Jack Dann's "Marilyn" turns a young boy's sexual fantasy into a waking nightmare.
Glen Hirschberg's "Mr. Dark's Carnival" is a great haunted house tale.
Ian Rodwell & Steve Duffy's "The Penny Drops" is waaayyy too long, but the knockout ending makes the suffering worthwhile.
Bret Lott's "The Train, The Lake, The Bridge" could almost be a true story, and it's all the creepier for that.
Jonathan Carroll's "The Heidelberg Cylinder" is a hilariously bizarre tale that needs to be read to be appreciated.
Jack Ketchum contributes "Gone", a short but excellent halloween tale.
Paul J. McAuley's "Bone Orchards" is a follow up to his tale from the previous Year's collection, "Naming The Dead"; It's a real treat, and I'd love to see more with the main character.

Search out the aforementioned Authors, by all means; Just don't waste your money on this stankass series....unless you have MUCH more patience than me.

Tedious, Overblown, Pretentious, Overwritten......
I really can't be bothered doing my usual story-by-story review, since most of the stories stunk. I'm not a big Fantasy fan, so my distaste for the Fantasy side of the book shouldn't be a big surprise. I'll just reiterate my usual complaint about Fantasy Editor Terri Windling's half (More like 2/3rd's..) of the book: Waaaaayyy too much Fantasy, to the point where the Horror stories get short shrift. Ellen Datlow's Horror selections also leave a lot to be desired, as the truly distinctive voices of modern Horror fiction, like Bentley Little, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, et al, continue to not be represented, while told-by-rote Victorian-era wannabes dominate the book.

(My original review was much longer, and I did single out particular stories/Authors for praise, and recommended some of the individual anthologies, but the review-censorship gang at Amazon saw fit to chop off four whole paragraphs of my review! Thanks, @ssholes!)

Another Year, Another Snooze-Fest....
Made it through another one!!! Once again, Fantasy Editor Terri Windling runs roughshod over Horror Editor Ellen Datlow- Windling weighs in with 26 stories, Datlow with 19. (Datlow continues to beat the drum for awful-poetry lovers everywhere, with no less than EIGHT poems...Yuck.)

As usual, the book opens with Windling's interminably long overview on The Year in Fantasy, which is really no more than a list of every book that's come out that year, along with her rambling on and on about "Magical Realism" for what seems like 5000 pages. I read one page, skimmed the rest, didn't miss a thing.

On to Datlow's Year in Horror- Slightly more interesting, but still WAAY too long. Skimmed once again...

Edward Bryant's Horror and Fantasy in the Media overview is interesting reading, but it seems as if Bryant just throws every movie he's seen into the mix. Does "In the Company of Men" really qualify as Fantasy or Horror...? Seth Johnson's Year in Comic Books overview is very interesting, and considering how much Windling drones on, I don't think it would kill them to let Johnson have a few more pages than he does.

On to the stories themselves....There are a LOT of stories that are bad, if not downright AWFUL, in this book, and most of them go on MUCH too long. Among the Awful/Overlong are: The meandering, pointless "The Skull of Charlotte Corday", "It Had To Be You", which would have been cute if had been 20 pages shorter; Charles Grant's head-scratching yawn-a-thon "Riding the Black", ... "In the Fields" was so bad I actually had to skip to the next story; I also couldn't finish Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Song of Sirit Byar"- It seemed like the song had no end.....

It's not ALL bad, though. Standout stories include "Gulliver at Home", which tells of Lemuel Gulliver's time at home between voyages; "I Am Infinite; I Contain Multitudes" has one of the nastiest scenes I've ever read, and packs a hell of a punch; Nicholas Royle's "Mbo" delivers a nasty spin on the Dracula legend; Gary A. Braunbeck's "Safe" is a moving tale of the aftermath of a gruesome mass-murder; "El Castillo De La Perseverancia" is THE weirdest story I've ever read...Mexican Wrestlers vs. Aztec monsters! It's like a Santos movie in print! "Residuals" tells the hidden history of Alien-abduction in America, and Michael Chabon delivers a ripping good H. P. Lovecraft pastiche "In the Black Mill". Christopher Fowler's "Spanky's Back!" is good sick fun, and Stephen Laws' "The Crawl" presents a far-fetched tale of road-rage that still manages to evoke a chill.

While there ARE some worthwhile reads here, the book is more pain than pleasure to read. Proceed at your own risk! ... Read more

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