Reviews

Overall, the stories in this anthology range from 3-5 stars in quality. There was only one I didn't finish, and all the others I enjoyed to varying degrees. There are some fantastically talented writers featured here. Some are well known (George R. R. Martin), while others I was not previously familiar with. And some more in the middle of this spectrum, I have been familiar with, but intended to read more of their work--and am glad I have had the chance to do so.

From traditional fantasy to modern settings, and from classic wizards to more unique magic users--this anthology ranges from the dark to the comedic, presenting an entertaining and wide-ranging assortment of stories.

However, I wish to focus just briefly on the story that drew me to the collection. Scott Lynch pens the final tale in this collection--the story of a house mind, a dead wizard, and an assortment of servile beings that don't quite understand what is happening around them--and this story alone is absolutely worth the effort of tracking down this book. Funny and heartfelt, re-framing familiar elements in fresh ways, Lynch's story surprises and entertains as he builds a tight but epic narrative of loyalty, ambition, and lessons learned. It's brilliant and a fantastic read from start to finish.

rosekk's review against another edition

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4.0

The trouble with rating collections, particularly when the stories come from multiple authors, is that there will always be some stories you get along with better than others. There was nothing in the book I'd rate lower than 3 stars, and there were definitely some 5-star contributions. I hav loved everything of Scott Lynches that I've read so far, so it's no surprise to me that his story was amazing. It was original and felt epic in a short space. More surprising were the contributions of Elizabeth Bear, who is a new author to me, but someone whose work I'll pick up again, and Garth Nix, who did not impress me with the last novel of his I read, but whose entry in this collection was really enjoyable.

zoes_human's review

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3.5

... Magic predates Art. In fact, Art may have been invented as a tool to express Magic, to give Magic a practical means of execution—to make it work. So that if you go back far enough, artist and sorcerer are indistinguishable, one and the same—a claim that can still be made with a good deal of validity to this very day.
—Gardner Dozois

Having a great love for Gardner Dozois' science fiction anthologies and loving the cover, I decided to give this collection a whirl. Disappointingly, it rather missed the mark for me. Mind, it's not a horrible book. Most of the stories in it are good; however, only two genuinely stood out as excellent tales.

I have no idea if this simply wasn't his best work or if something else altogether was the problem. He was, after all, coming rapidly to the end of his life as he worked on this, not living long enough to even see it published. A person who feels unwell doesn't perform their best.

The two stories that did stand out to me were as follows:

“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch
5 stars
Clever and funny, yet with some depth. An altogether charming story.

“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes
5 stars
A vindictively satisfying story for those of us who revel in the petty.

midwestwizard's review against another edition

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adventurous

4.75

salot3's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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