Fry, Nan

It’s been a long time since I read a collection of short stories, since I tend to aim for full novels instead, but reading this collection was a total pleasure. Like most collections, there were a handful of stories that I skipped over (sorry, Datlow and Windling, but there’s some authors on your pick list that I just can’t seem to get into no matter the medium!), but there were also lots of excellent stories by authors familiar and new to me. Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint will always be at the top of my list, but I really enjoyed the variety of stories that spanned many cultures (not just European and North American mythology). I was particularly impressed by Gregory Frost’s “Tengu Mountain,” which explored the mountain demons of Japanese mythology. We knew that the aunt was going to turn out to be a tengu and the monk was more powerful than he seemed, but Frost’s simple yet lyrical prose kept the story engaging. I keep meaning to find more stories inspired by Japanese mythology (an understudied area in my folklore background), so I’m hoping that Frost has more goods in store in his other work! I also really enjoyed Steve Berman’s “The Price of Glamour,” since we’re once again tripping the streets of a fantasy-tinged London (my fav!) led by an up to no good (but still sympathetic) protagonist. I’m definitely going to have to track down some of these new to me authors’ work, since there’s clearly some that are worth exploring more! ( )

A rare thing--an anthology with NO weak stories (at least I enjoyed every one)! ( )

A very nice collection of short stories by authors I'm already following and some I intend to! ( )

"The Boys of Goose Hill" by Charles de Lint: Fun sort of folk-song. 4/5.
"Catnyp" by Delia Sherman: About a changeling in “New York Between” and mostly set in the library. PERFECTION. 5/5.
"Elvenbrood" by Tanith Lee: Pretty standard changeling sort of story. I liked the family dynamics in this one. 4/5.
"The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link: The ending of this one made me go ARRRRGGGHHH and it felt like it took advantage of my extreme interest during the rest of the story. 3/5.
"The Price of Glamour" by Steve Berman: Faery thieves in Victorian London. Lots of thievery and an interesting partnership. 4/5
"The Night Market" by Holly Black: 4/5
"The Faery Reel" by Neil Gaiman: Creepy and the perfect faery reel, to be honest. 5/5.
"How to Find Faery" by Nan Fry: Another great closing poem. 4/5.
( )