by Neil Gaiman
First published 2013
Rich Horton assembles eighteen fantasy tales from acclaimed writers across the genre's spectrum. The collection opens with Theodora Goss exploring fairy encounters in "Pip and the Fairies" and Gene Wolfe's mysterious "Comber." Neil Gaiman contributes "Sunbird," while Peter S. Beagle offers "Two Hearts." The anthology spans urban folklore through Eric Schaller's cityscapes, Elizabeth Bear's supernatural "Wax," and Paul Di Filippo's imagined "Emperor of Gondwanaland." George Saunders brings his distinctive voice to "Commcomm," while Samantha Henderson reimagines literary history in "Five Ways Jane Austen Never Died." The stories range from Steve Rasnic Tem's ghostly "Invisible" to Matthew Hughes's "Gist Hunter," each exploring different corners of the fantastic. Horton, a reviewer for major genre publications, selected these pieces to represent the year's strongest fantasy fiction, creating a showcase of contemporary voices working within traditional and experimental forms.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, anthologies, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, literary-fiction
Period: Contemporary
518 pages · ebook · Wildside Press