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A review by melgonvyn
The Big Book of Modern Fantasy by Jeff VanderMeer, Ann VanderMeer
4.0
As always, I find it very difficult to review a collection of stories, as they all differ in quality; and in this case they are also from a large variety of authors from the 20th century. However, I will say that as a whole, it is an amazing selection of authors and short-stories. The VanderMeers have obviously put a lot of thought in which authors to choose, by handpicking writers from diverse backgrounds and countries. I absolutely loved the small biographies at the start of each new chapter, introducing the author of the following tale. It was very educational and gave context to some of the stories, which might have been read a little differently without it.
For the short-stories themselves, some are great, some not so much (in my opinion and according to my personal taste). Admittedly, I skipped to the end of some narratives to make my way onto the next one. The editors did a great job at selecting stories that are very distinct and cover a large mix of themes, concepts and plot-lines, presenting all the facets of the fantasy genre.
My personal favourites from this collection are (in order of appearance):
The Anything Box by Zenna Henderson, The Drowned Giant by J.G. Ballard, The Origin of the Birds by Italo Calvino, Linnaeus Forgets by Fred Chappell, Troll Bridge by Terry Pratchett, Tan-Tan and Dry Bone by Nalo Hopkinson, The Wordeaters by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and, last but not least, The Jinn Darazgosh by Musharraf Ali Farooqi.
For the short-stories themselves, some are great, some not so much (in my opinion and according to my personal taste). Admittedly, I skipped to the end of some narratives to make my way onto the next one. The editors did a great job at selecting stories that are very distinct and cover a large mix of themes, concepts and plot-lines, presenting all the facets of the fantasy genre.
My personal favourites from this collection are (in order of appearance):
The Anything Box by Zenna Henderson, The Drowned Giant by J.G. Ballard, The Origin of the Birds by Italo Calvino, Linnaeus Forgets by Fred Chappell, Troll Bridge by Terry Pratchett, Tan-Tan and Dry Bone by Nalo Hopkinson, The Wordeaters by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and, last but not least, The Jinn Darazgosh by Musharraf Ali Farooqi.