Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction [ペーパーバック]

Firebird, a new imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, offers reprints of classic fantasy and science fiction books for both teenage and adult readers. One of their most recent original releases is a one-of-a kind anthology appropriately titled FIREBIRDS.

This magical collection covers a wide range of genres --- fantasy, romance, time travel, adventure, and suspense. Popular authors such as Garth Nix and Lloyd Alexander contribute tales, along with strong, newer voices Michael Cadnum and Megan Whalen Turner.

A description of a couple of the stories hardly does this vivid collection justice, but it does show that there is something for all readers here. In Nix's "Hope Chest," sixteen-year-old Alice, who is adopted, is surprised when the never-opened magic chest that she was discovered with as a baby springs open to reveal some powerful guns. Her hands know what to do with them but her heart does not, until evil comes to her town. In Turner's "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box," a child is slipped through the slot for night deposits, and is raised by the bank and its workers. The child, Penny, is happy enough until someone comes to claim her "deposit."

Editor Sharyn November is known for seeking input from teens, which is undoubtedly a large part of what makes this collection so strong. FIREBIRDS is a great gift for the many devoted fans of fantasy stories, or for anyone looking for a highly engaging read.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

"Firebirds" came into my hands with high praise from sources I respected, and I was not disappointed. I was not overly impressed either. The collection of stories is fairly broad, but the focus is clearly on fantasy (broadly defined, not just swords and sorcery, although there is that too). I have no idea why it includes science fiction in the title, I can't remember a single title I would classify as SF.

There are several stories that revisit old tales to give them a new spin: "Cotillion" (D Sherman) places Tam Lin in 1960's New York, "The Fall of Ys" (MA Pierce) questions the character motivations of the original, "Medusa" (Cadnum)retells the story from the title character's point of view, "Lady of the Ice Garden" (K Dalkey) sets an Andersen tale in Japan. With the ties to classic tales and the strong female leads all around, these stories are particularly well suited for classroom use.

Changelings also play a prominent role: "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box" (M Whalen Turner) in which a magical child is raised by a bank; the surprisingly effective "Hope Chest" (G Nix) which combines elements of horror, political dystopia and, of all things, the Western; "Remember Me" (N Farmer)in which a changeling's differences ostracize her family and "Flotsam" (N Kiriki Hoffman) an overly ambitious about a little boy lost among worlds that ultimately fails to move the reader.

Most of the stories feature female leads, but the two stories with male leads were standouts for me: "Max Mondrosch" (Lloyd Alexander)an understated and oddly comical story about the horror of modern life and "Byndley" (P McKillip) a more traditional tale of a wizard, a fairy queen, and the things that can be stolen in the forest.

Of the remaining stories, I would recommend "Beauty" (S Smith), an "odd princess out" o fthe sort that have become popular since "The Ordinary Princess". "Black Fox" (E Bull) also bears mention as the only graphic entry in the anthology, illustrated by Charles Vess.

"Mariposa" (N Springer), "Chasing the Wind" (E Wein), "Little Dot" (D Wynne Jones, for the magical cat lovers) and "The Flying Woman" (L Winter)were all fine stroies, but none of them proved memorable for me.

The title is definitely recommended if you are a fan of fantasy short stories or the Firebird authors. If this is not something you read every day, I would recommend a Datlow/Windling anthology, such as "The Faery Reel" or one of the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (Datlow/Windling and Datlow/Link).

This is an amazing collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories. There is a variety of popular authors, and great authors waiting to be discovered. This is sure to attract many fans and make fans of non-believers!

The calibre of the stories is excellent all around, there's not just a few good stories. Patricia McKillip's "Byndley", Nancy Springer's "Mariposa", Michael Cadnum's "Medusa" and Sherwood Smith's "Beauty" are among my favourites.

Some have sword and sorcery, some are fairy tale or myth retellings, and some have such a subtle ingredient of magic, you have to look closely for it. But they all ask us to believe, even if it's just for the time it takes to read this delicious volume.