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36 reviews for:
Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy
Sharyn November
3.84 AVERAGE
36 reviews for:
Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy
Sharyn November
3.84 AVERAGE
I didn't read the whole book, just the story "House of the Seven Librarians," which was delightful.
A collection of YA short stories. Yet another clunker from Charles DeLint, another terrifically imaginative story from Diana Wynne Jones, and several stories that felt all too much like snippets from a novel. Francesca Lia Block's story was literally just one of her dreams, transcribed--not a good read. There was no point to Tanith Lee's lackluster "The House on the Planet." Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil" was evocative, if a little too surreal in places. Ellen Klages' "In the House of the Seven Librarians" doesn't delve deep but IS a really fun, comfortable read; it's the tale of seven librarians who shut themselves up in a library and raise a baby, with lots of sensory details and librarian in-jokes. The best story is Kara Dalkey's "Hives." As Oyceter said, it has a modern, truly teen-oriented tone that echoes Scott Westerfeld's Pretties series. In "Hives," a certain kind of cell phone hooks directly to your brain, leading to incredibly powerful, addictive cliques. The concept is chilling, the world-building intense, and I loved the main character.
I picked this up at the library because it had short stories by both [a:Kelly Link|24902|Kelly Link|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219070642p2/24902.jpg] and [a:Diana Wynne Jones|4260|Diana Wynne Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1193516584p2/4260.jpg]. Unfortunately the rest of the stories were pretty hit or miss, with more miss than hit. My favorite two, besides the Kelly Link (which I'd already read; WRITE MORE, PLS, KELLY), were Quill by Carol Emshwiller (really intriguing storytelling that flirts with first person plural) and Kara Dalkey's Hives, which is like Veronica Mars meets futuristic Mean Girls.
Definitely more science fiction stories in this one. I didn't like it quite as much overall, but all the stories were quite good, just a bit less upbeat overall. My favorite was "House of the Seven Librarians"
I have previously read the first and second books in this anthology series, which is largely notable for being a YA anthology (something we do not have enough of).
In general, I tend to have mixed reactions to anthologies, especially those with stories by a number of different authors. This was no exception. I think the other two were generally stronger, but there were several stories I enjoyed in here.
"I'll Give You My Word" by Diana Wynne Jones (sob) was a delight. It's mostly typical Jones, with a slightly mad family where the kids end up saving the day, but the parents really do care about them. The world of the story had a slightly different feel than most of hers though.
"Wintermoon Wish" by Sharon Shinn was a nice addition to her Safe-Keeper series. I enjoyed the look at some of the characters later on. I think it would probably work best for a reader who is familiar with the series and the backstory, both in terms of worldbuilding and characters.
"Quills" by Carol Emshwiller had a fascinating concept and great narrator. I did feel that it got a tad heavy-handed at the end, though.
"Cousins" by Pamela Dean. This was so lovely--quiet most of the time, but great characters and setting. I believe I've read one or two other Liavek stories, but this was by far my favorite.
"In the House of the Seven Librarians" by Ellen Klages had a fun concept and I enjoyed it, but I felt like the librarians never quite managed to get beyond the stereotyped view that we get at the beginning. I think Klages was trying to, but I didn't ultimately feel like we got there.
Book source: public library
Book information: Firebird, 2006; YA
In general, I tend to have mixed reactions to anthologies, especially those with stories by a number of different authors. This was no exception. I think the other two were generally stronger, but there were several stories I enjoyed in here.
"I'll Give You My Word" by Diana Wynne Jones (sob) was a delight. It's mostly typical Jones, with a slightly mad family where the kids end up saving the day, but the parents really do care about them. The world of the story had a slightly different feel than most of hers though.
"Wintermoon Wish" by Sharon Shinn was a nice addition to her Safe-Keeper series. I enjoyed the look at some of the characters later on. I think it would probably work best for a reader who is familiar with the series and the backstory, both in terms of worldbuilding and characters.
"Quills" by Carol Emshwiller had a fascinating concept and great narrator. I did feel that it got a tad heavy-handed at the end, though.
"Cousins" by Pamela Dean. This was so lovely--quiet most of the time, but great characters and setting. I believe I've read one or two other Liavek stories, but this was by far my favorite.
"In the House of the Seven Librarians" by Ellen Klages had a fun concept and I enjoyed it, but I felt like the librarians never quite managed to get beyond the stereotyped view that we get at the beginning. I think Klages was trying to, but I didn't ultimately feel like we got there.
Book source: public library
Book information: Firebird, 2006; YA