★★★★★
They bring you childhood stories gone wrong, magical creatures in heat, a building that’s alive and full of waiters, love, ducks, and a new take on a bloodsucking fiend.
Nineteen emerging fantasy voices brought together by Peter S. Beagle shine in this new anthology. That sounded like a PR tagline, but I swear, this anthology is great.
It’s honestly a breath of fresh air. I’m anti-spoiler in these reviews, and since these stories are so short, it’s hard to talk about them at all without giving anything away.
Suffice it to say that these stories range from entertaining to creepy to thought-provoking, and the writing is top notch. These little stories stick in your mind like popcorn sticks in your gums. You’ll try to shake one story off before you read the next one, but by page two of the next story, you’re hooked on that one too.
The best part about a good anthology is that there’s no ‘book two.’ You don’t have to wait a year to know what happens — in fact, you’ll only have to wait 20 pages or so to find out what happens in these stories. Reading so many stories at once also made me feel pretty accomplished, especially after reading so many full-length novels week after week.
If you need a palate cleanser, or if you’re craving some unique fantasy stories, or if you need some shorter reads — no matter the reason, definitely pick up The New Voices of Fantasy.
Five stars from me. Perfect, bite-sized pieces of beautifully-crafted fantasy morsels.
