You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
[Review from Library Journal, September 1, 2011]
With this impressive collection, Beagle, best known for The Last Unicorn, and Lansdale, author of the cult classic novella Bubba Ho-Tep, demonstrate their knowledge of the urban fantasy genre. Included here are pieces from well-known contributors in three categories: mythic fiction, paranormal romance, and noir fiction. The authors run the gamut from YA magical realist Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie Bat) to Charles de Lint, the creator of the expansive Newford series, who also contributes the introduction to the mythic fiction section. Most of these stories have appeared in both multiauthor anthologies and personal collections (Neil Gaiman's "The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories," for instance, was first printed in David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination and then in Gaiman's own Smoke and Mirrors). Others are previously unpublished and well worth a read.
VERDICT While urban fantasy is often misconstrued as containing only paranormal romance, this anthology collects various examples of the genre that will delight and entertain a wide array of readers. Buy at least one copy. — Stacey Rottiers Comfort, Dexter District Lib., MI
With this impressive collection, Beagle, best known for The Last Unicorn, and Lansdale, author of the cult classic novella Bubba Ho-Tep, demonstrate their knowledge of the urban fantasy genre. Included here are pieces from well-known contributors in three categories: mythic fiction, paranormal romance, and noir fiction. The authors run the gamut from YA magical realist Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie Bat) to Charles de Lint, the creator of the expansive Newford series, who also contributes the introduction to the mythic fiction section. Most of these stories have appeared in both multiauthor anthologies and personal collections (Neil Gaiman's "The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories," for instance, was first printed in David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination and then in Gaiman's own Smoke and Mirrors). Others are previously unpublished and well worth a read.
VERDICT While urban fantasy is often misconstrued as containing only paranormal romance, this anthology collects various examples of the genre that will delight and entertain a wide array of readers. Buy at least one copy. — Stacey Rottiers Comfort, Dexter District Lib., MI
It's always incredibly difficult to rate an anthology fairly. The sheer volume of work defies an uniform rating. Do you rate the book on the worst short story, or the best one? The average of every story?
In this case, I chose to rate the book on how well it completed its premise. The book is divided into three sections, each one attempting to capture the essence of one aspect of urban fantasy. Each has a preface that reflects on the evolution of the genre, and what the editor for that section was looking for in the stories selected. I think it accomplished its goals; there was a sense of evolution as the stories progressed. From the start of "mythic fiction", modern and real stories that are grounded in fairytales and rules from other realities, through to paranormal romance, it was easy to trace the genre's progression.
There are some simply superb stories in this anthology. "Gisella" takes werewolves somewhere totally unexpected, and broke my heart. I cried reading it. Other stories were also great, or good, or alright. There were some I didn't adore, but I didn't read a story and think "this doesn't deserve to be here."
While not, perhaps, THE definitive book on Urban Fantasy, I think it's valuable to anyone interested in the bounds of genre, and how they affect the marketability of stories. The essays alone provide insight that can't be overemphasized.
In this case, I chose to rate the book on how well it completed its premise. The book is divided into three sections, each one attempting to capture the essence of one aspect of urban fantasy. Each has a preface that reflects on the evolution of the genre, and what the editor for that section was looking for in the stories selected. I think it accomplished its goals; there was a sense of evolution as the stories progressed. From the start of "mythic fiction", modern and real stories that are grounded in fairytales and rules from other realities, through to paranormal romance, it was easy to trace the genre's progression.
There are some simply superb stories in this anthology. "Gisella" takes werewolves somewhere totally unexpected, and broke my heart. I cried reading it. Other stories were also great, or good, or alright. There were some I didn't adore, but I didn't read a story and think "this doesn't deserve to be here."
While not, perhaps, THE definitive book on Urban Fantasy, I think it's valuable to anyone interested in the bounds of genre, and how they affect the marketability of stories. The essays alone provide insight that can't be overemphasized.
Ginstel haunted me for days. Neil Gaiman, good as always. Stories weren't bad at all and made me jealous at how well they were written.
I loved this book very much! The essays in the begining of each section were very informarive. I found I didn't love all the noir section as much as the others though
Yeah, i enjoyed this when all's said and done. The first section of the book(mythic fiction) very much let down the second and third sections which really would have lifted this book into the 5 star realms had they been the whole of the book. Still, very good on the whole. In any anthology there are nearly always stories that aren't as good as the rest or simply don't seem to belong and this was certainly the case here too, but all things considered it deserves a 4 star rating in my opinion and a few of the stories easily rank 5 stars.
I've always enjoyed short stories. I think they're a wonderful device to display a specific little part of life, like if you were to slice a neat little chunk out of life with a scalpel and place it under a spotlight. I like that.
Anyway, 4 stars, would have been 5 but for the woeful first section.
I've always enjoyed short stories. I think they're a wonderful device to display a specific little part of life, like if you were to slice a neat little chunk out of life with a scalpel and place it under a spotlight. I like that.
Anyway, 4 stars, would have been 5 but for the woeful first section.
A rather interesting anthology exploring the evolving and growing sub-genre of “urban fantasy,” this collection of short stories demonstrates the diverse, nearly undefinable points where the fantasy, horror, romance, and and even mystery genres overlap and boil into one another. The stories included in “The Urban Fantasy Anthology” contain flavors of all of these segments of genre fiction and more, making for a very unique blend of elements, which are themselves organized into three broad topics; the early brand of urban fantasy which draws on traditional fantasy tropes in a contemporary setting, “Mythic Fiction,” the newly hot relationship driven “Paranormal Romance,” and “Noir Fantasy,” a grittier take on the genre (of course, even these wide divisions can be difficult to make and several of the stories could have been comfortable in two or more of these broader segments, especially paranormal romance and noir). In particular, I enjoyed the introduction by Peter S. Beagle and the articles by Charles de Lint, Paula Guran, and Joe R. Lansdale ruminating on these categories and their various histories.
As for the stories themselves, they were as usual with an anthology, a bit of a mixed bag, but I generally enjoyed most of them. Though many were reprints from other sources, I had not encountered any of them before, and felt that they represented a wide and representative slice of the hard to pin down sub-genre. My favorites, of course, included Emma Bull's “A Bird That Whistles,” (a prequel to her “War for the Oaks” novel) and Tim Powers' odd tale of ghosts and magic, “The Bible Repairman.” “The White Man,” by Thomas M. Disch, a dark and thought provoking tale set in a crumbling (and perhaps vampire haunted) Minneapolis, was one of the works most unsettling. Susan Palwick's “Gestella” was also an extremely well written and deeply tragic werewolf story, one that really affects the reader. In any case, this anthology offers a good variety of urban fantasy short stories in a variety of diverse styles and settings and should offer a good introduction to the sub-genre and a little something for anyone who might be interested in it.
As for the stories themselves, they were as usual with an anthology, a bit of a mixed bag, but I generally enjoyed most of them. Though many were reprints from other sources, I had not encountered any of them before, and felt that they represented a wide and representative slice of the hard to pin down sub-genre. My favorites, of course, included Emma Bull's “A Bird That Whistles,” (a prequel to her “War for the Oaks” novel) and Tim Powers' odd tale of ghosts and magic, “The Bible Repairman.” “The White Man,” by Thomas M. Disch, a dark and thought provoking tale set in a crumbling (and perhaps vampire haunted) Minneapolis, was one of the works most unsettling. Susan Palwick's “Gestella” was also an extremely well written and deeply tragic werewolf story, one that really affects the reader. In any case, this anthology offers a good variety of urban fantasy short stories in a variety of diverse styles and settings and should offer a good introduction to the sub-genre and a little something for anyone who might be interested in it.
I know that there are people out there who do not like anthologys. I am not one of them. I see reading an anthology as a way to read authors that I other wise would not have read.
I liked this one a lot. The stories were well laid out, the authors well chosen. The book had just two stories that I had read before and that was a suprise. Many times there are more than five short stories in an anthology that I have read before.
What I liked about this book is that there are stories that fit almost every genre mystery, romance, fun, and noir are just some of the type found in this book.
I liked this one a lot. The stories were well laid out, the authors well chosen. The book had just two stories that I had read before and that was a suprise. Many times there are more than five short stories in an anthology that I have read before.
What I liked about this book is that there are stories that fit almost every genre mystery, romance, fun, and noir are just some of the type found in this book.