A review by onceuponasarah
The Secret History of Fantasy by Octavia E. Butler, Kij Johnson, T.C. Boyle, Yann Martel, Peter S. Beagle, Jonathan Lethem, Ursula K. Le Guin, David G. Hartwell, Michael Swanwick, Gregory Maguire, Patricia A. McKillip, Francesca Lia Block, Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, Stephen King, Terry Bisson, Robert Holdstock, Aimee Bender, Jeffrey Ford, Steven Millhauser, Maureen F. McHugh

5.0

I really enjoyed this collection of fantastical short stories. One that really stood out to me was "The Empire of Ice Cream" by Jeffrey Ford. Without giving away too much of the plot (which would ruin it), this was such an imaginative and creative idea for a story. The writing was somewhat difficult to get used to - those always turn out to be my favorite - yet it drew you in as you kept reading. I did have to skip some of "The Barnum Museum", as I found it disjointed and didn't really understand it. The rest of the stories were pretty good, for the Susanna Clarke one it kind of helps if you've read her Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell book - it adds an extra layer to the story.
The collection as a whole is imaginative, and I found myself contemplating the stories days after I read it. I recommend it to fans of fantasy.