Category: (Book)
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35 used, starting at $0.01
Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer, and many more join “this magical
brew [that] will enchant young adult readers and their elders as
well.” (Publishers Weekly)
In Wizards, today’s master fantasists turn their hands to
tales of these magical beings, living in both ancient and modern
times, as well as in fantasy realms that never were.
Featuring stories by New York Times bestselling authors Neil
Gaiman, Eoin Colfer and Garth Nix as well as tales from Kage Baker,
Peter S. Beagle, Terry Bisson, Orson Scott Card, Terry Dowling,
Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Hand, Nancy Kress, Tanith Lee,
Patricia A. McKillip, Mary Rosenblum, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, and
Jane Yolen.
Time and Money Well SpentReviewed by D. B., 2009-10-13
After finishing the first story, the well-told "The Witch's Headstone" by Neil Gaiman, I had a strong feeling I would like this collection. Then, the second story, "Holly and Iron" (Garth Nix), which skillfully mixes British history with fantasy, confirmed my feeling. According to the editors (Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois), they "asked some of the very best modern fantasists ... to write stories about that most potent of fantasy archetypes, The Wizard." Eighteen talented authors complied with eighteen unique and creative interpretations of the word. How awesome. That said, two (only two) stories didn't thrill me. One had great fantasy elements but a slim story, and I couldn't get past the first few pages of the other. However, that still left me with sixteen stories I savored. For me, one of the good points of this collection was it brought to mind authors I've known and loved (Jane Yolen and Patricia A. McKillip) while introducing me to authors I'll now seek out. My favorite tales were "Color Vision" (Mary Rosenblum), "Winter's Wife" (Elizabeth Hand), "Stone Man" (Nancy Kress), "Zinder" (Tanith Lee), "The Magikkers" (Terry Dowling), and "Stonefather" (Orson Scott Card). Other readers will come up with their own most and least favorites. Overall, I found this book well worth its price and the time spent reading it. If you like reading fantasy, I highly recommend these "Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy."
Some good, some badReviewed by Jackie M. Bachenberg, 2009-01-26
Since this is a collection of short stories, it's very hard to rate
the book as a whole. There are about 19 or so short stories
included in this book that deal loosely with Wizards. I say
loosely, since some of these really don't strike me as dealing with
what most people would think is a wizard. The first story - "The
Witch's Headstone" certainly doesn't fit into my idea of what a
wizard is.
And since it's a collection of stories, some are good and some are
not. My personal favorites are "Stonefather", "The Magic Animal",
"Color Vision", and "Stone Man". I didn't think much of "The
Witch's Headstone", "The Rudy Incomparable", "A Diorama of the
Infernal Regions, or the Devil's Ninth Question", or "The
Magikkers".
Since the stories covered the gamut from rather boring to really
pretty good I just have to give the book and overall 3 stars. I'm
sure that if you enjoy fantasy, some of these stories will appeal,
some will not.
My star ratings:
One star - couldn't finish the book.
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning.
Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out
other books by the author.
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent
collection. Would judge other books by the author
individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for
others by the same author.
Five stars - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in
hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same
author.
Magical Mini-Vacation!Reviewed by Wantz Upon A Time Reviews, 2008-07-14
Reviewed by Jeannine R. Burkholder
on 07/13/2008
Fantasy stories ignite the imagination in ways that realistic
fiction can not. Characters are larger than life. Conflicts mean
life and death - often for an entire race or culture.
In this collection, editors Dann and Dozois, have collected
unpublished short stories from a variety of well-known fantasy
authors. Each story is about a wizard, but rarely do they appear in
the pointed hat and starry cape (like the one on the cover of the
book):
* Orson Scott Card introduces us to the mages of the elements, who
draw their power and their forms from nature.
* Mary Rosenblum creates a magical world of colorful auras and a
mysterious villain, threatened with oblivion by the real mask they
wear.
* Terry Dowling takes us to a special school, where students make
choices that affect not only their own magical power and abilities,
but those around them as well.
* Journey through Hell and talk to the devil with stories from Andy
Duncan and from Terry Bisson.
There is no way to give proper accolades to every story and author
represented in this book. Pick up the book and choose one of the
excellently crafted stories to embark on a magical mini-vacation
today! There are 18 destinations to choose from; a little something
to suit every fantasy reader.
Courtesy of Teens Read TooReviewed by TeensReadToo.com, 2008-06-26
You may think you know wizards. You may think you know magic. But
the wizards in these stories just might have a few surprising
tricks up their sleeves.
"The Witch's Headstone" contains a dead sorceress who's more kind
than creepy, despite the warnings to the contrary. "Holly and Iron"
centers around an ancient magical battle where one unprepared woman
could unite or destroy two races. In "The Ruby Incomparable" the
only daughter of Good and Evil has mastered most of the secrets of
the universe, but she can't understand her own mother. In "Winter's
Wife" money is no match for the power of magic. The list goes on,
and each story will make you rethink what you thought you knew. Or
maybe confirm it.
Some of the authors you'll recognize. Some may be completely new.
All of them have found a fan in me.
I'll be the first to admit I usually dislike collections of short
stories. I feel like I'm being cheated if they're good, and fooled
if they're not. Another thing I had to rethink after reading this
book. I fell back in love with the authors that I knew, learned
more about ones that I'd only heard of, and discovered brand new
obsessions. This is a must for fantasy fans, and a great
introduction for newcomers.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Not Free SF ReaderReviewed by Blue Tyson, 2008-01-06
Looks like a case of trying to sell to more people for what is
basically a book for younger children in the main, and even when I
was 8 I would have thought a bunch of these stories were
lame.
A few do stand out, Gaiman's is amusing enough to interest adults.
Card's story has more depth. However, the clear best story is
easily Elizabeth Hand's tale of supernatural Icelandia in Maine.
The only one that veers close to the dark end of the specturm,
anyway, along with Beagle and Card to a lesser degree.
If you want something for young primary school kids, this is likely
ok, but not much of interest to anyone else. Too much kid, magic,
repeat cheesy child story again.
Dark Alchemy : The Witch's Headstone - NEIL GAIMAN
Dark Alchemy : Holly and Iron - GARTH NIX
Dark Alchemy : Color Vision - MARY ROSENBLUM
Dark Alchemy : The Ruby Incomparable - KAGE BAKER
Dark Alchemy : A Fowl Tale - EOIN COLFER
Dark Alchemy : Slipping Sideways Through Eternity - JANE
YOLEN
Dark Alchemy : The Stranger's Hands - TAD WILLIAMS
Dark Alchemy : Naming Day - PATRICIA A. MCKILLIP
Dark Alchemy : Winter's Wife - ELIZABETH HAND
Dark Alchemy : A Diorama of the Infernal Regions or The Devil's
Ninth Question - Andy Duncan
Dark Alchemy : Barrens Dance - PETER S. BEAGLE
Dark Alchemy : Stone Man - NANCY KRESS
Dark Alchemy : The Manticore Spell - JEFFREY FORD
Dark Alchemy : Zinder - TANITH LEE
Dark Alchemy : Billy and the Wizard - TERRY BISSON
Dark Alchemy : The Magikkers - TERRY DOWLING
Dark Alchemy : The Magic Animal - GENE WOLFE
Dark Alchemy : Stonefather - ORSON SCOTT CARD
Visibly grave talk.
4 out of 5
Shapeshifter surprise.
3 out of 5
Puking First Born.
3 out of 5
Married and boring.
2.5 out of 5
Tastes like chicken.
3 out of 5
Passing over magician.
3 out of 5
Dangerous wizard desire.
3 out of 5
Possibly useless studying.
2.5 out of 5
A rocky end for local entrepreneur's saga.
4 out of 5
Canvassing a wizard.
3 out of 5
Wizard swap.
3.5 out of 5
Everywhere you go the kid wants to rock.
3.5 out of 5
Beast removal.
3 out of 5
Astral surprise, ducky.
3 out of 5
Sissy magazine has 2-D devil.
3 out of 5
One shot Sam.
3.5 out of 5
Once and future advice.
2.5 out of 5
Live to rock.
3.5 out of 5
2.5 out of 5
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