The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008 - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008
The Book Depository / Amazon
Author:  Various
Edited by:  Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin, a division of Macmillan
Paperback, 571 pages
ISBN 10:    0312380488
ISBN 13:  9780312380489

Goodreads description:

As in every year since 1988, the editors tirelessly scoured story collections, magazines, and anthologies worldwide to compile a delightful, diverse feast of tales and poems.
 
On this anniversary, the editors have increased the size of the collection to 300,000 words of fiction and poetry, including works by Billy Collins, Ted Chiang, Karen Joy Fowler, Elizabeth Hand, Glen Hirshberg, Joyce Carol Oates, and new World Fantasy Award winner M. Rickert. With impeccably researched summations of the field by the editors, Honorable Mentions, and articles by Edward Bryant, Charles de Lint and Jeff VanderMeer on media, music and graphic novels, this is a heady brew topped off by an unparalleled list of sources of fabulous works both light and dark.

AWARDS:

World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Anthology (2009)
 

My Take: 

This is a huge omnibus of 36 stories and 7 poems as chosen by Ellen Datlow for works premiering in 2008.  With so much to choose from, there are some wonderful standouts and some that just made me go, "Huh?" (luckily, only 3 of them made me do that). I read this throughout February (a story or sometimes two each night before bed), and now I just want all of the collections I don't have yet.

Here are some of my notes:

The Forest by Laird Barron - feels like you have to be high to appreciate it

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang - an Egyptian fable about a Gate of Years which transports you 20 years into a fixed future - I really liked this one

Rats - by Veronica Schanoes - a familiar, darkly modernized fairy tale .. with rats - I liked this one too

The Swing by Don Tumasonis - where a swing appears to swallow up young girls - I liked this one, but it was one of those reads where you really need to pay attention to catch all of the nuances

My two favorites:

The Fiddler of Bayou Teche by Delia Sherman - about a girl named Cadence with white skin, hair, and pink eyes who was found in the swamp by loup-garous (werewolves) and raised by Tante Eulalie, a woman with many gifts, including healing, in her self-imposed swamp exile.  Cadence eventually finds herself in a battle with a fiddler who can "fiddle the Devil out of Hell."

Winter's Wife by Elizabeth Hand - In Shaker Harbor, ME, Roderick Gale Winter, much beloved by his neighbors, including 15-year-old Justin, takes a wife from Iceland (Vaia).  In Roderick's house, huldu folk reside as carvings in the beams of the house.  When the King's Pines, three majestic pines near the water, are threatened by a wealthy and selfish area developer, strange happenings abound.

I love collections like these, and as I said before, reading this one made me put the others on my to-buy list.  If you like fantastically dark tales, this is probably a collection you'll want too.



BOOK RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

This is my February title for the 2011 Just For Fun Reading Challenge

Disclosure: This is a review of my personal copy..

The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories
Book Depository/Amazon
Author:  Holly Black
Publisher:  McElderry, a division of Simon and Schuster
Publish Date:  March 22, 2011 (first published February 9, 2011)
Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN 10:   1931520631
ISBN 13:  9781931520638

Publisher's description:

Poisonous girls whose kisses will kill. A fateful eating contest with the devil. Faeries who return to Ironside, searching for love. A junior prom turned bacchanalia. In twelve short stories, eerie and brimming with suspense and unexpected humor, Holly Black twists the fantastical creatures you thought you knew in ways you'll never expect.

My Take: 

This is a great collection of short stories, most of which can be categorized as horror, fantasy, or paranormal.  Although billed as YA, these tales are for all fans of the strange and for those of us who like a taste of a good tale when time doesn't permit for prolonged reading.

Don't look for "The Spiderwick Chronicles" in these pages; these stories are for a more mature set, full of dark faeries, unicorns, strangeness and cold fear.  We have deals with the devil, bargains with vampires and vampire wanna-be's, and children who disappear on the beach. 

As with all collections, some stories stand out more than others, but there's not a loser in the bunch, and quite a few gems.

This is definitely a book to add to your story collection.

QUOTES

Let me tell you something about unicorns - they're faeries and faeries aren't to be trusted.  Read your storybooks.  But maybe you can't get past the rainbows and pastel crap. - Virgin

I used to run a bookshop, but I found that I wasn't suited for it.  I didn't like it when people bought things.  I like to have all my books with me.  - Paper Cuts Scissors

After all, the devil was the most famous guest she'd ever had.  She'd heard of him, and what was more, she was pretty sure he knew a lot of people she'd be impressed by. - A Reversal of Fortune

BOOK RATING: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Table of Contents

(with links to some of the stories)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
A Reversal of Fortune
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Night Market
The Dog King — listen to it on Podcastle
Virgin
In Vodka Veritas
The Coat of Stars
Paper Cuts Scissors — listen to it on Podcastle
Going Ironside
The Land of Heart’s Desire
The Poison Eaters

BUY IT:  At Book Depository, Amazon through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

This book is included in my list for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through their Galley Grab program to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.

Anyone Can Die by James LePore - BLOG TOUR/BOOK REVIEW

Title:  Anyone Can Die
Author:  James LePore
Publisher:  The Story Plant
Publish Date:  February 22, 2011
Paperback, 48 pages
ISBN 10:   1611880017
ISBN 13:  9781611880014

Goodreads description:

James LePore’s first novel, A World I Never Made earned raves from reviewers, readers, and fellow authors alike. Blogcritics called it, “An outstanding first novel, and a wonderful thriller.” Bella Online said, “I highly recommend this compelling suspense story filled with vivid characters and haunting storylines. A story that will stay with the reader long after the final pages.” And M.J. Rose, the acclaimed author of The Memorist said A World I Never Made was, “A compelling page-turner &mdash one of those wonderful books with characters as strong as the story and a story worth reading. Don’t miss it.”

Now LePore returns to the characters of A World I Never Made to present us with three suspenseful and unforgettable stories:

Till Death Do Us Part: A young Pat Nolan and his wife are on their honeymoon in New Mexico when they find a bond they did not know they had as they are forced to confront trouble in the form of a surly trio of locals.

God’s Warriors: Megan Nolan, a cynical American woman on her own in Europe makes a life-changing decision that both reveals and belies her true character.

Max: Max French, a quirky, deadly and, in his own eyes, oddly lovable FBI agent faces a personal drama that will set the course of his future.

My Take: 

This is a very short collection of what I would term as "vignettes" rather than short stories.  They should probably be read as an introduction to or as a companion to Mr. LePore's novel, A World I Never Made, as they give a deeper insight and background glimpses of the characters in that novel.

A perfect read to get your reading juices flowing when time is short, I must say that I enjoyed Max the most, because it had a definitive sort of ending, with a definite course of action, and a well-executed confrontation scene.

Till Death Do Us Part had a milkier sort of ending, but a very taut confrontation scene which gets your heart racing.

God’s Warriors was milkier still for me.  It was just not very well-defined, and the character and her motivations were too enigmatic; there were scenes that weren't fully explained, and a rather vague confrontation scene.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this read.  It definitely makes me curious about A World I Never Made as well.  I will definitely want to look that one up.

QUOTE:

Max could never be sure, but he though he saw his stepfather kill his mom.

BOOK RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Visit the author's website

BUY IT:  At Amazon, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the author through Pump Up Your Book to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.