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nancyotoole's review
4.0
Short story collections are tricky. All too often, even when the stories are all written by the same author, I find myself only liking half of the offerings. The Firebird anthologies, edited by Sharyn November, stand out from because the stories are more consistently good, and the authors are always great picks. I’ve had such good experiences with the first two anthologies (Firebirds, and Firebirds Rising) that I went out and grabbed the third volume and soon as I heard it was on the shelf at Borders, despite the fact that I was not familiar with a lot of the authors. Although I didn’t like it as much as Firebirds Rising, I would say that it’s even better than Firebirds. The first thing I noticed was that the covered advertised it as an anthology of “speculative fiction” instead of fantasy and science fiction (or science fiction and fantasy, as Firebirds Rising advertised). This opens up new areas of stories that may be magical, but don’t fall into the traditional categories of science fiction, or fantasy. Another difference from past anthologies is there are fantastic illustrations by Mike Dringenberg at the beginning of each tale. That, and one of the short stories isn’t a short at all, it’s a full size novella.
For a full listing of all of the stories, and a review of each, please continue:
Kingmaker by Nancy Springer- The first story is about a princess has the skills of a leader, but will not inherit due to her gender. At fifteen, she spends a lot of her time solving petty disputes among her subjects, but is frustrated at the thought of her selfish brother inheriting. Kingmaker is a well written short story that stars a likeable and relatable protagonist. By the end of the story, it feels like her tale is not quite done. I’d be interested to see if Nancy Springer takes the characters anywhere else.
A Ticket to Ride by Nancy Farmer- A short story about a young troubled boy named Jason who witnesses the death of a homeless man and finds himself transported to a magical train which takes him into the past of the recently deceased man. I found this story to have a great flow to it’s writing, and it was very interesting to watch Jason travel into the past. The ending was also quite satisfying.
A Thousand Tailsby Christopher Bazark- The third story in this collection takes us to Japan, where we meet a girl who believes she is actually a kitsune, a fox girl. This is a story that feels more “speculative fiction” than traditional fantasy, as anything “magical” takes a back seat to the story of Midori and her family. The Japanese setting is really well developed. When you read in the author’s note that Christopher Bazark was inspired by his experiences in Japan, it makes sense.
All Under Heavenby Chris Roberson. A Chinese inspired sci-fi story about a young boy going fishing with his grandmother. This story portrays the conflict that exists between generations very well, and the setting, which we only get a glimpse of, seems very interesting. I know that the author has written multiple stories about this universe and I would like to read more.
Singing on a Starby Ellen Klages. At five years old, the protagonist of Singing on a Star is the youngest out of any the narrators in the collection. In the story, she visits a friend, who takes her to a magical world that she can access through her closet while a certain song off of a record is playing. Only there’s something wrong about the world they encounter. Ellen Klages does a great job of writing convincingly from such a young age, and also in dealing with a very disturbing subject, child molestation, in the most delicate way possible. I was very impressed with this story.
Egg Magicby Louise Marley. Teenager Tory spends most of her time taking care of her chickens, and dreaming of the day that her mother, who abandoned her at a young age, will come back for her. Only there’s a bit of magic to be found here. One of the chickens lay special eggs. When hatched, there are beautiful pictures painted on the inside. And her mother… well you find out in the end. As someone who is so not a farm girl, I was impressed at how well Louise Marley made something as ordinary as chickens seem magical. I also liked the human aspect of this story, which comes out when the main character has to deal with her stepmother and step family.
Flatland by Kara Dalkey. Kara Dalkey’s story Hives was my favorite story out of Firebirds Rising, so I was really looking forward to her contribution to this collection, which ended up being another favorite of mind. It tells a story of a not so far off future where people are so invested in their career that it becomes their lives. The professional atmosphere of work makes it impossible to have a real relationship with another human being, and people who put family over possessions are looked down upon. This was a really well written story with great characters and setting. I feel as if I could learn a lot about writing sci-fi from reading Dalkey’s short stories.
Dolly the Dog-Soldier by Candas Jane Dorsey. Okay, it’s not that I felt that this sci-fi short story about a dog turned assassin was poorly written, it’s just that it didn’t suit me. I didn’t like the structure of it, and I had problems connecting with the characters. Sorry, just not for me.
Ferryman by Margo Lanagan. A great little story about a girl who’s father’s job is to ferry the dead into the afterlife. I liked the working class atmosphere depicted in this story, and really felt for the characters.
The Ghosts of Strangers by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. This is the novella of the book. The Ghost of Strangers tells about a girl named Elexa who discovers that she can capture the ghosts of humans and feed them to dragons. Yep, the concept is a little strange but it’s executed quite well. I was impressed at the originality of this little piece. The story and the setting were quite different than anything I’m used to seeing in fantasy. I felt the novella length felt a little awkward at times (probably would have been better as a full length novel) but the story was, on the whole, a satisfying read.
Three Twilight Tales by Jo Walton. Written in the style of traditional fairy tales, Three Twilight Tales can be read as three separate tales, or three parts of one story. The stories were a lot of fun to read and I really liked how they ended.
The Dignity He’s Due by Carol Ernshwiller. To be honest, I couldn’t find the fantasy in this story. It tells about a girl and a boy who live the lives of homeless vagabonds, pulled from town to town by their mother, who believes the boy to secretly be a king. The story tells what happens when they finally convince the mother to stop for a little while. Although the storyline seems unlikely, there’s nothing all that fantastical about it. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a really well written story that was a complete joy to read. I found myself feeling so bad for our protagonist and her bother, and I like how the author wove in sections of poetry about a king into the narrative.
Power and Magic by Marly Youmans. In this story, the fantasy elements are very subtle, as they mainly take place during a magic show, hosting by a young man that our sassy main character may or may not care about. A nice little story with some good humor and romance.
Court Ship by Sherwood Smith. Taking place in the same world as Crown Duel, Court Ship tells about Raec, and his quest to find true love before he has to deal with the pressures of marriage. Our protagonist is a sailor named Risa, who I found very easy to relate to. This is a great story for someone looking for a great mixture of action, humor, and romance. It made me want to go back and re-read Crown Duel.
Little Red by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. A short story that takes the myth or Little Red Riding Hood and uses is to explore the psyche of an abused young woman. It’s a little tricky to read at times, but emotionally, quite powerful.
The Myth of the Fenix by Laurel Winter. Apparently stories that come in lists just don’t work for me (Dolly the Dog-Soldier had a very similar style) as I had a hard time getting into this and did not find it to be very memorable. It was not a bad story, but just not to my tastes.
Fear and Loathing in Lalanna by Nick O’Donohoe. What would happen if you take the off the wall style of Fear and Loathing and Las Vegas and put it in a traditional fantasy setting? The result is laugh out loud funny, filled with magical drug use and two very unlikely heroes. This story has a very different tone then the rest of the book, making it really stand out.
Bonechewer’s Legacy by Chare Bell. This story tells about Ratha, a leader of a feline clan, who is disturbed when she finds that she keeps on seeing a ghost from her past. This story takes place in an already established series and, as can happen in this situation, I found that I had problems getting into it. I suspect that if I was familiar with the other books, I would connect better with the story. It picked up at the end, but the beginning seemed to drag a lot.
Something Worth Doing by Elizabeth Wein. The book ends with a story about a fighter pilot in World War II. Our heroine, Theo, disguises herself as her deceased older brother so she can get a chance to fly. This story didn’t seem to have much fantasy to it at all. It was more historical fiction. Still, I found that I enjoyed Theo’s tale a lot. The aerial fighting scenes were particularly exciting.
In conclusion, Firebirds Soaring is a great collection of great stories, with really only a handful I could not connect with. Although it’s marked “young adult” the stories here have the potential to connect with an adult audience as well. I do hope that Sharyn November does to decide to compile another collection like this. My one request is that she doesn’t make us wait three years before we get to see another collection again!
For a full listing of all of the stories, and a review of each, please continue:
Kingmaker by Nancy Springer- The first story is about a princess has the skills of a leader, but will not inherit due to her gender. At fifteen, she spends a lot of her time solving petty disputes among her subjects, but is frustrated at the thought of her selfish brother inheriting. Kingmaker is a well written short story that stars a likeable and relatable protagonist. By the end of the story, it feels like her tale is not quite done. I’d be interested to see if Nancy Springer takes the characters anywhere else.
A Ticket to Ride by Nancy Farmer- A short story about a young troubled boy named Jason who witnesses the death of a homeless man and finds himself transported to a magical train which takes him into the past of the recently deceased man. I found this story to have a great flow to it’s writing, and it was very interesting to watch Jason travel into the past. The ending was also quite satisfying.
A Thousand Tailsby Christopher Bazark- The third story in this collection takes us to Japan, where we meet a girl who believes she is actually a kitsune, a fox girl. This is a story that feels more “speculative fiction” than traditional fantasy, as anything “magical” takes a back seat to the story of Midori and her family. The Japanese setting is really well developed. When you read in the author’s note that Christopher Bazark was inspired by his experiences in Japan, it makes sense.
All Under Heavenby Chris Roberson. A Chinese inspired sci-fi story about a young boy going fishing with his grandmother. This story portrays the conflict that exists between generations very well, and the setting, which we only get a glimpse of, seems very interesting. I know that the author has written multiple stories about this universe and I would like to read more.
Singing on a Starby Ellen Klages. At five years old, the protagonist of Singing on a Star is the youngest out of any the narrators in the collection. In the story, she visits a friend, who takes her to a magical world that she can access through her closet while a certain song off of a record is playing. Only there’s something wrong about the world they encounter. Ellen Klages does a great job of writing convincingly from such a young age, and also in dealing with a very disturbing subject, child molestation, in the most delicate way possible. I was very impressed with this story.
Egg Magicby Louise Marley. Teenager Tory spends most of her time taking care of her chickens, and dreaming of the day that her mother, who abandoned her at a young age, will come back for her. Only there’s a bit of magic to be found here. One of the chickens lay special eggs. When hatched, there are beautiful pictures painted on the inside. And her mother… well you find out in the end. As someone who is so not a farm girl, I was impressed at how well Louise Marley made something as ordinary as chickens seem magical. I also liked the human aspect of this story, which comes out when the main character has to deal with her stepmother and step family.
Flatland by Kara Dalkey. Kara Dalkey’s story Hives was my favorite story out of Firebirds Rising, so I was really looking forward to her contribution to this collection, which ended up being another favorite of mind. It tells a story of a not so far off future where people are so invested in their career that it becomes their lives. The professional atmosphere of work makes it impossible to have a real relationship with another human being, and people who put family over possessions are looked down upon. This was a really well written story with great characters and setting. I feel as if I could learn a lot about writing sci-fi from reading Dalkey’s short stories.
Dolly the Dog-Soldier by Candas Jane Dorsey. Okay, it’s not that I felt that this sci-fi short story about a dog turned assassin was poorly written, it’s just that it didn’t suit me. I didn’t like the structure of it, and I had problems connecting with the characters. Sorry, just not for me.
Ferryman by Margo Lanagan. A great little story about a girl who’s father’s job is to ferry the dead into the afterlife. I liked the working class atmosphere depicted in this story, and really felt for the characters.
The Ghosts of Strangers by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. This is the novella of the book. The Ghost of Strangers tells about a girl named Elexa who discovers that she can capture the ghosts of humans and feed them to dragons. Yep, the concept is a little strange but it’s executed quite well. I was impressed at the originality of this little piece. The story and the setting were quite different than anything I’m used to seeing in fantasy. I felt the novella length felt a little awkward at times (probably would have been better as a full length novel) but the story was, on the whole, a satisfying read.
Three Twilight Tales by Jo Walton. Written in the style of traditional fairy tales, Three Twilight Tales can be read as three separate tales, or three parts of one story. The stories were a lot of fun to read and I really liked how they ended.
The Dignity He’s Due by Carol Ernshwiller. To be honest, I couldn’t find the fantasy in this story. It tells about a girl and a boy who live the lives of homeless vagabonds, pulled from town to town by their mother, who believes the boy to secretly be a king. The story tells what happens when they finally convince the mother to stop for a little while. Although the storyline seems unlikely, there’s nothing all that fantastical about it. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a really well written story that was a complete joy to read. I found myself feeling so bad for our protagonist and her bother, and I like how the author wove in sections of poetry about a king into the narrative.
Power and Magic by Marly Youmans. In this story, the fantasy elements are very subtle, as they mainly take place during a magic show, hosting by a young man that our sassy main character may or may not care about. A nice little story with some good humor and romance.
Court Ship by Sherwood Smith. Taking place in the same world as Crown Duel, Court Ship tells about Raec, and his quest to find true love before he has to deal with the pressures of marriage. Our protagonist is a sailor named Risa, who I found very easy to relate to. This is a great story for someone looking for a great mixture of action, humor, and romance. It made me want to go back and re-read Crown Duel.
Little Red by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. A short story that takes the myth or Little Red Riding Hood and uses is to explore the psyche of an abused young woman. It’s a little tricky to read at times, but emotionally, quite powerful.
The Myth of the Fenix by Laurel Winter. Apparently stories that come in lists just don’t work for me (Dolly the Dog-Soldier had a very similar style) as I had a hard time getting into this and did not find it to be very memorable. It was not a bad story, but just not to my tastes.
Fear and Loathing in Lalanna by Nick O’Donohoe. What would happen if you take the off the wall style of Fear and Loathing and Las Vegas and put it in a traditional fantasy setting? The result is laugh out loud funny, filled with magical drug use and two very unlikely heroes. This story has a very different tone then the rest of the book, making it really stand out.
Bonechewer’s Legacy by Chare Bell. This story tells about Ratha, a leader of a feline clan, who is disturbed when she finds that she keeps on seeing a ghost from her past. This story takes place in an already established series and, as can happen in this situation, I found that I had problems getting into it. I suspect that if I was familiar with the other books, I would connect better with the story. It picked up at the end, but the beginning seemed to drag a lot.
Something Worth Doing by Elizabeth Wein. The book ends with a story about a fighter pilot in World War II. Our heroine, Theo, disguises herself as her deceased older brother so she can get a chance to fly. This story didn’t seem to have much fantasy to it at all. It was more historical fiction. Still, I found that I enjoyed Theo’s tale a lot. The aerial fighting scenes were particularly exciting.
In conclusion, Firebirds Soaring is a great collection of great stories, with really only a handful I could not connect with. Although it’s marked “young adult” the stories here have the potential to connect with an adult audience as well. I do hope that Sharyn November does to decide to compile another collection like this. My one request is that she doesn’t make us wait three years before we get to see another collection again!
wealhtheow's review
3.0
***"Kingmaker" - by Nancy Springer. The king's only child is a girl, who helps her father decide disputes and is well-loved by the populace, but will never rule the kingdom. When she stumbles across a powerful magic bracelet, her disappointment at being passed over bubbles up. I liked this until the end, when the story abruptly shifts.
**"A ticket to ride" - by Nancy Farmer. A destitute boy tries to help a dying homeless man, and accidentally gets to relive all of the man's best memories. Fantastic until--the boy stays on, reliving memories forever, and it's supposedly a happy ending.
*"A thousand tails" - by Christopher Barzak. Story about a modern-day kitsune who turns into a ghost. A little fetish-y for my tastes, the relationship with the father felt completely unreal, and I have no idea what happened when Midori turns into a spirit.
***"All under heaven" - by Chris Roberson. A man and his grandmother go out fishing in a really interesting sf world.
***"Singing on a star" - by Ellen Klages. Creepy and well-written. One little girl shows her friend how to get into a hidden world.
****"Egg magic" - by Louise Marley. A farm girl loves her chickens and dislikes her step-mother and new siblings. She yearns to meet her mother, the mysterious Magda. This is a mature, nuanced story. I really believed in the characters, and the touches of magic were wonderful.
***"Flatland" - by Kara Dalkey. Corporate life in the future.
***"Dolly the dog-soldier" - by Candas Jane Dorsey. Not sure I understand what a dog-soldier is (were the children dogs when they were taken, and turned into humans?), but I really liked this story. A girl is brought up to be a weapon, but she is too smart for the lies she's told.
***"Ferryman" - by Margo Lanagan. A girl brings her father some lunch. It's a cozy little family moment until you realize that he's the ferryman of the dead.
***"The ghosts of strangers" - by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. In a world where dragons torment humans, a small village has found a way to keep themselves safe. Every adult bonds to a single female dragon, then feeds her and her children for seven years. In return, the dragons protect them from marauders.
***"Three twilight tales" - by Jo Walton. "It's a fairy story that questions the demands that stories make of their protagonists. Like most fairy tales it's liminal, it's all about edges and thresholds and twilight and possibilities."
**"The dignity he's due" - by Carol Emshwiller. Two young siblings deal with their mother, who is convinced the boy is the heir to France's throne. It's not speculative in the least, and the story, although interesting, has no end.
*"Power and magic" - by Marly Youmans. Too boring to finish.
**"Court ship" - by Sherwood Smith. Cute little story set in the [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Contains Crown Duel & Court Duel)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167301606s/21060.jpg|4398231] world.
**"Little Red" - by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. Crazy girl in an institution is repeatedly assaulted.
***"The myth of Fenix" - by Laurel Winter. A little boy reinvents himself so thoroughly that he fits better with aliens than with humans.
***"Fear and loathing in Lalanna" - by Nick O'Donohoe. Hilarious!
*"Bonechewer's legacy" - by Clare Bell. A story about intelligent cats. It's pretty useless if you don't know the world or the characters already.
***"Something worth doing" - by Elizabeth E. Wein. A young, aimless girl decides that her brother, who just died, will not have died without having honored his name. She takes his place at the RAF. Fantastic training sequences and I love the main character; really satisfying story all around.
**"A ticket to ride" - by Nancy Farmer. A destitute boy tries to help a dying homeless man, and accidentally gets to relive all of the man's best memories. Fantastic until--the boy stays on, reliving memories forever, and it's supposedly a happy ending.
*"A thousand tails" - by Christopher Barzak. Story about a modern-day kitsune who turns into a ghost. A little fetish-y for my tastes, the relationship with the father felt completely unreal, and I have no idea what happened when Midori turns into a spirit.
***"All under heaven" - by Chris Roberson. A man and his grandmother go out fishing in a really interesting sf world.
***"Singing on a star" - by Ellen Klages. Creepy and well-written. One little girl shows her friend how to get into a hidden world.
****"Egg magic" - by Louise Marley. A farm girl loves her chickens and dislikes her step-mother and new siblings. She yearns to meet her mother, the mysterious Magda. This is a mature, nuanced story. I really believed in the characters, and the touches of magic were wonderful.
***"Flatland" - by Kara Dalkey. Corporate life in the future.
***"Dolly the dog-soldier" - by Candas Jane Dorsey. Not sure I understand what a dog-soldier is (were the children dogs when they were taken, and turned into humans?), but I really liked this story. A girl is brought up to be a weapon, but she is too smart for the lies she's told.
***"Ferryman" - by Margo Lanagan. A girl brings her father some lunch. It's a cozy little family moment until you realize that he's the ferryman of the dead.
***"The ghosts of strangers" - by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. In a world where dragons torment humans, a small village has found a way to keep themselves safe. Every adult bonds to a single female dragon, then feeds her and her children for seven years. In return, the dragons protect them from marauders.
***"Three twilight tales" - by Jo Walton. "It's a fairy story that questions the demands that stories make of their protagonists. Like most fairy tales it's liminal, it's all about edges and thresholds and twilight and possibilities."
**"The dignity he's due" - by Carol Emshwiller. Two young siblings deal with their mother, who is convinced the boy is the heir to France's throne. It's not speculative in the least, and the story, although interesting, has no end.
*"Power and magic" - by Marly Youmans. Too boring to finish.
**"Court ship" - by Sherwood Smith. Cute little story set in the [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Contains Crown Duel & Court Duel)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167301606s/21060.jpg|4398231] world.
**"Little Red" - by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. Crazy girl in an institution is repeatedly assaulted.
***"The myth of Fenix" - by Laurel Winter. A little boy reinvents himself so thoroughly that he fits better with aliens than with humans.
***"Fear and loathing in Lalanna" - by Nick O'Donohoe. Hilarious!
*"Bonechewer's legacy" - by Clare Bell. A story about intelligent cats. It's pretty useless if you don't know the world or the characters already.
***"Something worth doing" - by Elizabeth E. Wein. A young, aimless girl decides that her brother, who just died, will not have died without having honored his name. She takes his place at the RAF. Fantastic training sequences and I love the main character; really satisfying story all around.
meeners's review
5.0
another remarkable collection from firebird. loved the order of the stories; the first one, for example, starts the anthology off with a bang, while the last one (by the wonderful e. wein!) lingers long and radiant. a wonderful reading experience.
thuja's review
4.0
A great mix of stories. All very different and all very good. I'm already looking forward to the next anthology!
singinglight's review
3.0
ed. by Sharyn November
Yes, I skipped the second one. It was semi-accidental. I ordered it through ILL and they accidentally sent me the first one. Which was fine. I re-read it. I enjoyed it. Then I ordered the third one because I had some sort of weird prejudice against the second one at that point. I know this is ridiculous, and I will read it. Eventually.
Anyway. My weird tics aside, I enjoy this anthology series. It feels much more solid to me than the Windling/Datlow anthologies tend to be, which I appreciate. And reading the list of authors who've contributed something is delicious.
Notes:
Book source: Inter-library loan
Yes, I skipped the second one. It was semi-accidental. I ordered it through ILL and they accidentally sent me the first one. Which was fine. I re-read it. I enjoyed it. Then I ordered the third one because I had some sort of weird prejudice against the second one at that point. I know this is ridiculous, and I will read it. Eventually.
Anyway. My weird tics aside, I enjoy this anthology series. It feels much more solid to me than the Windling/Datlow anthologies tend to be, which I appreciate. And reading the list of authors who've contributed something is delicious.
Notes:
* "Kingmaker" by Nancy Springer. Wow, great story. An interesting premise, wonderful characters, and a bittersweet tone, all in twenty pages. That's impressive.
* "Singing on a Star" by Ellen Klages was very haunting. It's hard to describe exactly, but it's definitely one of the stories that stuck with me.
* "Ferryman" by Margo Lanagan. Told from the point of view of Charon's daughter. If that doesn't get you, nothing will. Plus, Margo Lanagan!
* "Three Twilight Tales" by Jo Walton is (are?) just beautiful. They read like a prose poem to me, with that same sense of not being able to understand everything that poetry gives me.
* "Power and Magic" by Marly Youmans was unusual and lovely. The tone was just right for the story and India has such a great voice.
* "Court Ship" by Sherwood Smith continues the story of Mel's family, this time focusing on her son. I liked it basically for that reason. The heroine was nice too, but...yeah, basically for Raec. It did give a great insight into some of the backstory I didn't know about.
* "Fear and Loathing in Lalanna" by Nick O'Donohoe has my vote as the funniest story in the whole thing.
* And, rounding up the collection, Elizabeth Wein's "Something Worth Doing" managed to tell a story of a WWII woman pilot without making me say, "Like THAT would ever happen," which, given the territory she's working with, is impressive. But then, it's Elizabeth Wein! (*tries not to fangirl and fails*)
Book source: Inter-library loan
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