rosekk's review against another edition
4.0
The trouble with rating collections, particularly when the stories come from multiple authors, is that there will always be some stories you get along with better than others. There was nothing in the book I'd rate lower than 3 stars, and there were definitely some 5-star contributions. I hav loved everything of Scott Lynches that I've read so far, so it's no surprise to me that his story was amazing. It was original and felt epic in a short space. More surprising were the contributions of Elizabeth Bear, who is a new author to me, but someone whose work I'll pick up again, and Garth Nix, who did not impress me with the last novel of his I read, but whose entry in this collection was really enjoyable.
zoes_human's review against another edition
3.5
... Magic predates Art. In fact, Art may have been invented as a tool to express Magic, to give Magic a practical means of execution—to make it work. So that if you go back far enough, artist and sorcerer are indistinguishable, one and the same—a claim that can still be made with a good deal of validity to this very day.
—Gardner Dozois
Having a great love for Gardner Dozois' science fiction anthologies and loving the cover, I decided to give this collection a whirl. Disappointingly, it rather missed the mark for me. Mind, it's not a horrible book. Most of the stories in it are good; however, only two genuinely stood out as excellent tales.
I have no idea if this simply wasn't his best work or if something else altogether was the problem. He was, after all, coming rapidly to the end of his life as he worked on this, not living long enough to even see it published. A person who feels unwell doesn't perform their best.
The two stories that did stand out to me were as follows:
“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch
5 stars
Clever and funny, yet with some depth. An altogether charming story.
“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes
5 stars
A vindictively satisfying story for those of us who revel in the petty.
—Gardner Dozois
Having a great love for Gardner Dozois' science fiction anthologies and loving the cover, I decided to give this collection a whirl. Disappointingly, it rather missed the mark for me. Mind, it's not a horrible book. Most of the stories in it are good; however, only two genuinely stood out as excellent tales.
I have no idea if this simply wasn't his best work or if something else altogether was the problem. He was, after all, coming rapidly to the end of his life as he worked on this, not living long enough to even see it published. A person who feels unwell doesn't perform their best.
The two stories that did stand out to me were as follows:
“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch
5 stars
Clever and funny, yet with some depth. An altogether charming story.
“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes
5 stars
A vindictively satisfying story for those of us who revel in the petty.
salot3's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
abigailhaze's review against another edition
5.0
The last story in this anthology is a gem: first edition, very fine!
joebuuz's review against another edition
The Return of the Pig by K.J. Parker
4* - I enjoyed this story. A fund series of misadventures that end up revealed to be of an unseen purpose by our narrator wizard.
Community Services by Megan Lindholm
5* - Sad and tragic. This one hit me right in the gut, probably because I'm a dad watching my daughter grow up and leaving some toys behind.
Flint and Mirror by John Crowley
3* - Promising start to the story but it did satisfy me with the resolution.
The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable, by Matthew Hughes
5* - This one was so much fun to read. The POV of Masquelayne is quite villainous.
The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror: Chapter II: Jumping Jack in Love, by Ysabeau S. Wilce
3* - This story was in the frame of a story being told to children and it was full of colorful words and poetic imagery. I didn't follow what was going on and it wasn't for me. Someone else may enjoy it though.
ababoglo's review against another edition
5.0
A mixed bag as any anthology... but with some serious gems inside! Notes on the favourite stories to follow
wynwicket's review against another edition
4.0
As with any anthology, there were some good, some great, and a few meh. The sheer variety was impressive, though, and I discovered a few new-to-me authors. yay! Highlights for me included THE BIOGRAPHY OF A BOUNCING BOY TERROR: CHAPTER TWO: JUMPING JACK IN LOVE, by Ysabeau S Wilce and THE STAFF IN THE STONE, by Garth Nix.
vaderbird's review against another edition
3.0
Personally I only cared about a few of the stories. None of them made me feel like i had to run out and buy the title.