Firebirds

An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction

2003 • 422 pages

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Average rating3.5

A collection of sixteen short science fiction and fantasy stories by award-winning authors. Firebirds is more than simply an anthology -- it is a celebration of wonderful writing. It gathers together sixteen original stories by some of today's finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. Together, they have won virtually every major prize -- from the National Book Award to the World Fantasy Award to the Newbery Medal -- and have made best-seller lists worldwide. These authors, including Lloyd Alexander (The Chronicles of Prydain), Diana Wynne Jones (The Merlin Conspiracy), Garth Nix (The Abhorsen Trilogy), Patricia A. McKillip (Ombria in Shadow), Meredith Ann Pierce (The Darkangel Trilogy), and Nancy Farmer (The House of the Scorpion), each with his or her own inimitable style, tell stories that will entertain, provoke, startle, amuse, and resonate long after the last page has been turned. The writers featured in Firebirds all share a connection to Firebird Books, an imprint that is dedicated to publishing the best fantasy and science fiction for teenage and adult readers. This anthology marks a milestone for Firebird -- and is a must-read for all teenage and adult fans of speculative fiction. Firebird-the imprint-is dedicated to publishing the best fantasy and science fiction for teenage and adult readers. Firebirds is an equally special anthology. Its sixteen original stories showcase some of the genre's most admired authors, including multiple award-winners Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix, Lloyd Alexander, Nancy Farmer, Meredith Ann Pierce, and Patricia A. McKillip. Here you will find a sparkling range of writing, from dark humor to high sword and sorcery to traditional ballads-something for every sort of reader. Finally, to make this anthology even more of a standout, it appears first as a deluxe, jacketed hardcover. Welcome to Firebirds-a must-have for fans of contemporary speculative fiction.

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This is one of the better anthologies I've read. All anthologies are something of a mixed bag. The reader's taste very seldom meshes exactly with the editor's, or the editor has had to make some compromises along the way. Firebirds is substantially above average.The book is helped, of course, by having some very big names in SFF - [a:Lloyd Alexander 8924 Lloyd Alexander http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200328980p2/8924.jpg], [a:Patricia A. McKillip 25 Patricia A. McKillip http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1220752490p2/25.jpg], [a:Garth Nix 8347 Garth Nix http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1207583754p2/8347.jpg], to name a few. Aside from her first couple of books, I've never read anything by McKillip that wasn't terrific, and that's true here. The value of anthologies is in introducing readers to new authors. Here, I read a story (“Beauty”) by [a:Sherwood Smith 12350 Sherwood Smith http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1339177179p2/12350.jpg], an author I'd never heard of. I was struck by how well developed the world was for a short story. It turns out that's because it is a well developed world. But I nonetheless immediately went out and bought the related novel, [b:Crown Duel 21060 Crown Duel (Crown & Court #1-2) Sherwood Smith http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309213505s/21060.jpg 4398231]. I'll be looking up [a:Nancy Farmer 8360 Nancy Farmer http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1207168030p2/8360.jpg] as well. But this anthology also has some other surprises. “Max Mondrosch” was a startling departure from the Lloyd Alexander of the Chronicles of Prydain ([b:The Book of Three 24780 The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain, #1) Lloyd Alexander http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317791689s/24780.jpg 1149593]), but no less good because of it.The editor says she built the book around a graphic novel by [a:Emma Bull 22548 Emma Bull http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1220945364p2/22548.jpg] and [a:Charles Vess 10763 Charles Vess http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1273720560p2/10763.jpg], and I looked forward to it. I'm sorry to say that that story is by far the weakest in the book. Happily, almost all the other stories range from good to excellent. In short, well worth picking up.

July 16, 2012