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gabywheezereads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A fun mix of whimsical fantasy. Most of the stories were parts of longer works.
bahnree's review
2.0
Very few of these selections were standalone short stories. Most were excerpts from books that DID NOT stand on their own very well. Taken out of context, only one of them made me at all interested in the longer story it belonged to.
Ps I've read and loved the Silver Chair but reading "the House of Harfang" chapter would not have inspired me to read it.
"What the Cat Told Me" by DWJ is one of her best but you can find it in other, better collections.
Ps I've read and loved the Silver Chair but reading "the House of Harfang" chapter would not have inspired me to read it.
"What the Cat Told Me" by DWJ is one of her best but you can find it in other, better collections.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
2.0
A collection of selections from Jones's favorite fantasy stories. Nearly all of these are excerpts from much longer works, and the unfamiliarity works against their charm. The other big problem is that these are almost exclusively old stories, with all the accompanying gender essentialism and thoughtless orientalism (for example, the selection from Langley's [b:The Land of Green Ginger|1749940|The Land of Green Ginger|Noel Langley|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347956970s/1749940.jpg|1747725] features names like Sulkpot Ben Nagnag, Rubdub Ben Thud, Tintac Ping Foo, Kublai Snoo, and my personal favorite, Chu-Chin-Chow Laundry Man) and a very large helping of twee capitalization. The only story I really enjoyed was Jane Yolen's short story "Boris Chernevsky's Hands," in which a bad juggler tries to get adroit hands from Baba Yaga.
torts's review against another edition
4.0
Because I'm annoying:
The Peasant and the Devil
Good ol' brothers Grimm...they never get old.
Boris Chernevsky's Hands
Jane Yolen is cool. Baba Yaga is cool. The story was decent.
The Hobgoblin's Hat
This was adorable. I liked the translator's notes and the fact that there was a top hat.
Ully the Piper
I quite liked this story, which for some strange reason reminded me of [a: Shannon Hale|49177|Shannon Hale|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299093233p2/49177.jpg]'s Princess Academy and also of some of the books by [a: Elizabeth Marie Pope|113844|Elizabeth Marie Pope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373482093p2/113844.jpg].
Milo Conducts the Dawn
The Phantom Tollbooth rocks. (Even if this particular part scares me a little, what with its...speed...*shudder*)
Who Goes Down this Dark Road?
Is Joan Aiken secretly J.D. Salinger? Because she tells a pretty Salinger-y story. It was good. Surprising. Fancy.
The House of Harfang
C.S. Lewis kind of gets my goat for writing like an old-fashioned poobean. I'm pretty glad I didn't ever finish The Chronicles of Narnia, especially since apparently one of the characters doesn't get to go on to heaven because she acts like too much of a grownup and C.S. Lewis is a sexistly agist little poobean. This story was okay, though, in a cute old-fashioned way. I rather enjoyed the fact that the characters decide to "be gay" and that C.S. Lewis probably had no idea at the time that he was going to get giggled at for accidentally referencing homosexuality (the old fart).
Martha in the Witch's Power
This story is boring, so I'm going to have to reread it. It's from Hobberdy Dick. So I really must reread it.
Prince Delightful and the Flameless Dragon
I was kind of reminded of [b: A Fate Worse than Dragons|429496|A Fate Worse Than Dragons|John Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348273734s/429496.jpg|418484] in the style of this story, which was off-putting. But it was still decent, if a little insulting.
The Box of Delights
I like Herne quite a bit from what I've read of him in Dogsbody and Firebringer, so it was cool to read about him from the perspective of this book.
The Amazing flight of the Gump
[b: The Land of Oz|179565|The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2)|L. Frank Baum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1172470286s/179565.jpg|21430714] rocks.
On the Great Wall
This story bored me, as well. Silly Rudyard Kipling.
The Waking of the Kraken
[a: Eva Ibbotson|57462|Eva Ibbotson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360037190p2/57462.jpg] is sillybeans. The story was pretty cute, at least as far as this extract was concerned. She can get a bit preachy, though (*cough* C.S. Lewis *cough*)
The Caves in the Hills
Need to read this one, too.
Bigger than the Baker's Boy
I've totally read Five Children and It. I think... [a: E. Nesbit|7935185|E. Nesbit|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395657856p2/7935185.jpg]
Jermain and the Sorceress
Note to self: READ THE SEVEN TOWERS. [a: Patricia C. Wrede|36122|Patricia C. Wrede|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215652809p2/36122.jpg] is awesome.
Una and the Red Cross Knight
I need to read this 'un, too.
What the Cat Told Me
Oh, [a: Diana Wynne Jones|4260|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516584p2/4260.jpg], you never cease to write in that all-exposition-and-then-sudden-revalations-that-make-me-want-to-reread-the-story way. This story was very cute. Congratulations on not including real-worldy stuff in here too much.
The Peasant and the Devil
Good ol' brothers Grimm...they never get old.
Boris Chernevsky's Hands
Jane Yolen is cool. Baba Yaga is cool. The story was decent.
The Hobgoblin's Hat
This was adorable. I liked the translator's notes and the fact that there was a top hat.
Ully the Piper
I quite liked this story, which for some strange reason reminded me of [a: Shannon Hale|49177|Shannon Hale|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299093233p2/49177.jpg]'s Princess Academy and also of some of the books by [a: Elizabeth Marie Pope|113844|Elizabeth Marie Pope|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373482093p2/113844.jpg].
Milo Conducts the Dawn
The Phantom Tollbooth rocks. (Even if this particular part scares me a little, what with its...speed...*shudder*)
Who Goes Down this Dark Road?
Is Joan Aiken secretly J.D. Salinger? Because she tells a pretty Salinger-y story. It was good. Surprising. Fancy.
The House of Harfang
C.S. Lewis kind of gets my goat for writing like an old-fashioned poobean. I'm pretty glad I didn't ever finish The Chronicles of Narnia, especially since apparently one of the characters doesn't get to go on to heaven because she acts like too much of a grownup and C.S. Lewis is a sexistly agist little poobean. This story was okay, though, in a cute old-fashioned way. I rather enjoyed the fact that the characters decide to "be gay" and that C.S. Lewis probably had no idea at the time that he was going to get giggled at for accidentally referencing homosexuality (the old fart).
Martha in the Witch's Power
This story is boring, so I'm going to have to reread it. It's from Hobberdy Dick. So I really must reread it.
Prince Delightful and the Flameless Dragon
I was kind of reminded of [b: A Fate Worse than Dragons|429496|A Fate Worse Than Dragons|John Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348273734s/429496.jpg|418484] in the style of this story, which was off-putting. But it was still decent, if a little insulting.
The Box of Delights
I like Herne quite a bit from what I've read of him in Dogsbody and Firebringer, so it was cool to read about him from the perspective of this book.
The Amazing flight of the Gump
[b: The Land of Oz|179565|The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2)|L. Frank Baum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1172470286s/179565.jpg|21430714] rocks.
On the Great Wall
This story bored me, as well. Silly Rudyard Kipling.
The Waking of the Kraken
[a: Eva Ibbotson|57462|Eva Ibbotson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360037190p2/57462.jpg] is sillybeans. The story was pretty cute, at least as far as this extract was concerned. She can get a bit preachy, though (*cough* C.S. Lewis *cough*)
The Caves in the Hills
Need to read this one, too.
Bigger than the Baker's Boy
I've totally read Five Children and It. I think... [a: E. Nesbit|7935185|E. Nesbit|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395657856p2/7935185.jpg]
Jermain and the Sorceress
Note to self: READ THE SEVEN TOWERS. [a: Patricia C. Wrede|36122|Patricia C. Wrede|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215652809p2/36122.jpg] is awesome.
Una and the Red Cross Knight
I need to read this 'un, too.
What the Cat Told Me
Oh, [a: Diana Wynne Jones|4260|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516584p2/4260.jpg], you never cease to write in that all-exposition-and-then-sudden-revalations-that-make-me-want-to-reread-the-story way. This story was very cute. Congratulations on not including real-worldy stuff in here too much.
capeltheartist's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not rating this one very high, I know... It was a bear to get through despite the fact that the stories were shortish. I just didn't enjoy most of it. I'll talk about the ones I actually liked rather than bore you with the ones that didn't hold my interest.
BorisChernevsky's Hands by Jane Yolen was awsome. It was the kind of thing that I would want to write if I were writing fantasy right now (I'm not really writing atm, and I suppose that's my own fault though I want to blame someone else). There were turns of phrase in this that just tickled me in all the right places.
Ully The Piper by Andre Norton was cute and fun and just the kind of thing that underdogs like to read. :)
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis surprised me. I actually enjoyed it. I always thought that I hated Lewis... maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should read tat bloody wardroby book again after all...
The Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley was a really fun read. I'm thinking I may get the book at some point to read the entire thing.
The Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum kinda caught me by surprise, as I only thought there was one story of Oz for what ever reason. Since there are more adventures maybe I'll get some of this as well.
Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson was a really fun read! I had heard of this book but for whatever reason it hadn't crossed my path yet. Love it.
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit was alright.
What the Cat Told Me by Diana herself, was the best thing in the book probably. LOVED it.
BorisChernevsky's Hands by Jane Yolen was awsome. It was the kind of thing that I would want to write if I were writing fantasy right now (I'm not really writing atm, and I suppose that's my own fault though I want to blame someone else). There were turns of phrase in this that just tickled me in all the right places.
Ully The Piper by Andre Norton was cute and fun and just the kind of thing that underdogs like to read. :)
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis surprised me. I actually enjoyed it. I always thought that I hated Lewis... maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should read tat bloody wardroby book again after all...
The Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley was a really fun read. I'm thinking I may get the book at some point to read the entire thing.
The Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum kinda caught me by surprise, as I only thought there was one story of Oz for what ever reason. Since there are more adventures maybe I'll get some of this as well.
Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson was a really fun read! I had heard of this book but for whatever reason it hadn't crossed my path yet. Love it.
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit was alright.
What the Cat Told Me by Diana herself, was the best thing in the book probably. LOVED it.
khardan's review against another edition
4.0
Imaginaos por un momento una de esas agencias tan interesantes de Estados Unidos en las que te organizan una aventura. Imaginaos ahora que os presentan "Fantasyland, el sitio donde descubrirás tu verdadero destino". Y pagáis la desorbitante suma que os piden por llevaros allí. Cuando vais de viaje en una canoa vikinga, para dar ambientación, vuestro guía (el primero de los COMPAÑEROS que morirá durante vuestro VIAJE) es un haragán que no tiene ganas reales de complicarse la vida (y además tiene un sentido del humor un tanto macabro). Y os dice "en esssta guía podrássss ver todo lo que guealmente cuenta en este mundo, disssfguta de tu destino" (yo no me fiaría de alguien que hablase como las serpientes, ni con acento extranjero, que conssste)
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