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jmoravec's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
This was really fun for me to read! I got this to finish off the Dark Tower series and had never heard of this anthology. While I have heard of most of these authors and have read a few of their novels (namely Martin, Jordan and Le Guin), I had never experienced many of the big 90's fantasy epics. So this was a great opportunity to try out and see if I might pick up any of these series in the future.
The stories themselves were all mostly... OK (Le Guin and Martin really stand out in this anthology IMO, the rest were fairly average for fantasy), the anthology to me is better than individual parts for giving me a chance to try all of these epic worlds without committing to multiple 1000 page books. I'll definitely try out a few of these series in the future.
The stories themselves were all mostly... OK (Le Guin and Martin really stand out in this anthology IMO, the rest were fairly average for fantasy), the anthology to me is better than individual parts for giving me a chance to try all of these epic worlds without committing to multiple 1000 page books. I'll definitely try out a few of these series in the future.
germancho's review against another edition
5.0
(Dunk & Egg #1 Review) A very human tale of Westeros during the Targaryen era, which ties a few loose ends of A Fest for Crows. Can't wait to read the rest of the Tales of Dunk and Egg!
hollyeula's review against another edition
4.0
I only read George RR Martin's "The Hedge Knight" and Anne McCaffrey's "Runner of Pern" from this collection, which are very enjoyable short stories. I have not seen either of the stories available in other places. As for the other stories in the collection, either I have not read the authors, or am not caught up in their series to read them. Overall, an excellent anthology.
danburn's review against another edition
3.0
Surprisingly, I have managed to read something this year that wasn't written entirely by George R. R. Martin. Admittedly, I only picked this one up when I finished A Game of Thrones and realized that I hadn't ordered the next three.
This is an anthology of fantasy works compiled by Robert Silverberg. It contains five stories written be masters of the genre set in their most famous fantasy worlds. It is intended, I think, to give the reader a taste of the world, so that they might find something new that they like. With each of the stories, if you find something you like, you know that there is a large pile of additional stories in the same style, set in the same world, that you can then start exploring.
The first in the book was a Discworld story by Terry Pratchett, which once again confirmed my thoughts about the author and his stories. I've never been much of a Pratchett fan, but have known many. I can see the attraction - he's quite funny, and many of his jokes are quite clever. They are just all the same. I felt like I'd heard 90% of the jokes in this short story several times before. I personally feel that mocking Fantasy as a genre is just lazy. Fantasy naturally borders the silly, and what separates it and makes it worthwhile is when you take it seriously. Taking the mickey is really just too easy, and turning that into a series of about 38 novels is like spending 20 years picking on the same overweight kid with a limp and coke-bottle glasses.
The second in the book is a story set on Pern, by Anne McCaffrey. I was a big fan of her work 20 or so years ago, and read most of what she had written at that time. Years later, I felt there was something a little off about Pern. It lacks a lot of the richness of good Fantasy, and feels somewhat spartan. It probably comes from the fact that it is more accurately described as "medieval sci-fi with dragons" than Fantasy proper. The world just seems dramatically underpopulated and empty. Good sci-fi and fantasy authors leave you with a feeling that there is a lot more going on around the characters than is mentioned in the books; but in Pern you just have the feeling that when the protagonist walks out of the room, the people just shut up and stop doing anything, and that there is no-one in each town beyond those the characters directly talk to. It's certainly not a bad read; it's just lonely.
The third story was by George R. R. Martin, set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, but 100 years earlier. It starts out a bit simple, but by the end it picks up, and turns into a solid tale. There are apparently two more stories in this prequel series, which I'll have to try to dig up. And yes, I must confess this story was the reason I chose this book to read while waiting for my ASoIaF novels to arrive; I was jonesing for some good Westeros.
The fourth was by Tad Williams, set in the world of his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. This is the first I've ever heard of this series, and it seems an interesting world, if perhaps a little depressing. I don't think I'll be deliberately seeking this series, but if I happened to stumbled across it, I might pick it up.
The last is by Robert Jordan, set in the world of his Wheel of Time series. It seems quite good - interesting characters in a richly imagined world - though this series is one of the reasons I have my "don't start reading the series until it's done" rule (which I seem to frequently break). I'll wait to see how the reviews pan out for the last few books in the series, which were completed by a different author after Jordan passed away. It had better be bloody good if I've going to have to read 12,000 pages to get through it. Jordan's Conan novels were very good, so I have a high opinion of his work in general.
This is an anthology of fantasy works compiled by Robert Silverberg. It contains five stories written be masters of the genre set in their most famous fantasy worlds. It is intended, I think, to give the reader a taste of the world, so that they might find something new that they like. With each of the stories, if you find something you like, you know that there is a large pile of additional stories in the same style, set in the same world, that you can then start exploring.
The first in the book was a Discworld story by Terry Pratchett, which once again confirmed my thoughts about the author and his stories. I've never been much of a Pratchett fan, but have known many. I can see the attraction - he's quite funny, and many of his jokes are quite clever. They are just all the same. I felt like I'd heard 90% of the jokes in this short story several times before. I personally feel that mocking Fantasy as a genre is just lazy. Fantasy naturally borders the silly, and what separates it and makes it worthwhile is when you take it seriously. Taking the mickey is really just too easy, and turning that into a series of about 38 novels is like spending 20 years picking on the same overweight kid with a limp and coke-bottle glasses.
The second in the book is a story set on Pern, by Anne McCaffrey. I was a big fan of her work 20 or so years ago, and read most of what she had written at that time. Years later, I felt there was something a little off about Pern. It lacks a lot of the richness of good Fantasy, and feels somewhat spartan. It probably comes from the fact that it is more accurately described as "medieval sci-fi with dragons" than Fantasy proper. The world just seems dramatically underpopulated and empty. Good sci-fi and fantasy authors leave you with a feeling that there is a lot more going on around the characters than is mentioned in the books; but in Pern you just have the feeling that when the protagonist walks out of the room, the people just shut up and stop doing anything, and that there is no-one in each town beyond those the characters directly talk to. It's certainly not a bad read; it's just lonely.
The third story was by George R. R. Martin, set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, but 100 years earlier. It starts out a bit simple, but by the end it picks up, and turns into a solid tale. There are apparently two more stories in this prequel series, which I'll have to try to dig up. And yes, I must confess this story was the reason I chose this book to read while waiting for my ASoIaF novels to arrive; I was jonesing for some good Westeros.
The fourth was by Tad Williams, set in the world of his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. This is the first I've ever heard of this series, and it seems an interesting world, if perhaps a little depressing. I don't think I'll be deliberately seeking this series, but if I happened to stumbled across it, I might pick it up.
The last is by Robert Jordan, set in the world of his Wheel of Time series. It seems quite good - interesting characters in a richly imagined world - though this series is one of the reasons I have my "don't start reading the series until it's done" rule (which I seem to frequently break). I'll wait to see how the reviews pan out for the last few books in the series, which were completed by a different author after Jordan passed away. It had better be bloody good if I've going to have to read 12,000 pages to get through it. Jordan's Conan novels were very good, so I have a high opinion of his work in general.
acstoppelreads's review against another edition
3.0
I read this without reading any of the original series they belong to in the hopes that I would be able to figure out which series I would want to pick up first. And I don't think that was the right approach. A lot of these stories seemed like they were trying to shove in parts if the larger series where it didnt fit in a short story. I wish they would have been more easily read on their own. I think I will revisit this when I have read some of the series and I think I will get more out of it. I did enjoy some of the stories, though and I did discover Orson Scott Card's fantasy writing which was very witty and fun.
booklovinmamas's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for my Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Class
wanderlustlover's review against another edition
2.0
I read this for The Dunk and Egg Tales by George R. R. Martin, which is what I'll be reviewing from it while I'm playing GRRM catch-up this week for the last four years of being lax, due to the new series and previous to the new book release.
This tale really didn't interest me at all. Which has to say something about it ending up at three. Because even though I could really take or leave Dunk all together, Mr. Martin still made me tear up with a single line about "being a knight remembering his vows." And really one can not forget Egg in all of this or his brothers.
I'm so intrigued about more things in his house. And presently reading it's sequel, to a more hopeful note at present.
This tale really didn't interest me at all. Which has to say something about it ending up at three. Because even though I could really take or leave Dunk all together, Mr. Martin still made me tear up with a single line about "being a knight remembering his vows." And really one can not forget Egg in all of this or his brothers.
I'm so intrigued about more things in his house. And presently reading it's sequel, to a more hopeful note at present.
elygreen's review against another edition
3.0
An anthology containing Terry Pratchett and George R R Martin? You think I could ever resist that?
And even when put alongside 3 other renown fantasy and science fiction masters, their short novels shine through and resonate with their unique power and eloquence, which probably can't be matched by any other writer of the genre. Obviously the 3 stars represent the entire collection, because otherwise, Pratchett's and Martin's stories would get full stars before you can say 'magic'.
I loved that both stories were set in a universe we are already familiar with [Discworld and Granny Weatherwax in Pratchett's section; Westeros and all the familiar titles and names of the Game of Thrones series] so it pretty much felt like diving back under a warm and beloved quilt after standing knee deep in mushy, blackened snow for hours. And while both pieces were new, with novel characters, situations and settings, with their unique way of writing, the story sweeps along and whisks you off your feet. Am I waxing lyrical about these authors? Absolutely. Am I planning on doing so for much longer? Definitely. Is it worth wasting your time doing? Doing otherwise is inconceivable. kthxbai.
And even when put alongside 3 other renown fantasy and science fiction masters, their short novels shine through and resonate with their unique power and eloquence, which probably can't be matched by any other writer of the genre. Obviously the 3 stars represent the entire collection, because otherwise, Pratchett's and Martin's stories would get full stars before you can say 'magic'.
I loved that both stories were set in a universe we are already familiar with [Discworld and Granny Weatherwax in Pratchett's section; Westeros and all the familiar titles and names of the Game of Thrones series] so it pretty much felt like diving back under a warm and beloved quilt after standing knee deep in mushy, blackened snow for hours. And while both pieces were new, with novel characters, situations and settings, with their unique way of writing, the story sweeps along and whisks you off your feet. Am I waxing lyrical about these authors? Absolutely. Am I planning on doing so for much longer? Definitely. Is it worth wasting your time doing? Doing otherwise is inconceivable. kthxbai.