The New Voices of Fantasy

This is one of the best fantasy collections I've read in a long time.

This is one of the best fantasy collections I've read in a long time. It is a lovely blend of fascinating and disturbing (mostly) urban fantasy stories pulling from and playing with folklore and mythology. Most are already award-winning stories. All are compelling and they are great examples of a diverse field of up and coming stars, including Sofia Samatar, Max Gladstone, Ursula Vernon, E. Lily Yu, Maria Dahvana Headley, Hannu Rajaniemi, Amal El-Mohtar, and Usman T. Malik, just to name a few of the 19 authors.

My favorites included “Jackalope Wives” by Vernon, which shows a wise grandmother having to clean up a mess made by her foolish grandson. I loved Headley's “The Tallest Doll in New York City” in which the Chrysler Building is done waiting for the Empire State Building to make its move. “The Haunting of Apollo ACLB” by Rajaniemi is a funny and sad ghost story. And “The Practical Witch's Guide to Acquiring Real Estate” by A. C. Wise is an informative and humorous brochure. Gladstone's “A Kiss with Teeth” looks at the dangers of trying to fit in versus being your authentic self. Brooke Bolander's love-struck tornado; Sarah Pinsker's pond that may or may not disappear people; Kelly Sandoval's story of a woman adjusting to life after being away a year and a day… really, these stories were all so good!