The Essential Peter S. Beagle, Volume 2
Oakland Dragon Blues and Other Stories
The essential second volume of bestselling author Peter S. Beagle's (The Last Unicorn) short stories, including one previously unpublished and four uncollected stories, shows again that Beagle is one of America's most influential fantasists. With his celebrated versatility, humor, and grace, Beagle is at home in a dazzling variety of subgenres. Evoking comparison to such iconic authors as Twain, Tolkien, Carroll, L'Engle, and Vonnegut, this career retrospective celebrates Beagle's mastery of the short-story form. "Peter S. Beagle is one of my favorite authors." --Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind A dilapidated dragon, a frustrated cop, and an unapologetic author square off over a dangerously abandoned narrative. The seemingly perfect addition to a weekly card game hides a dark secret from everyone but her teammate. A deeply respected judge meets his match in Snow Ermine, a gorgeous pickpocket. From heartbreaking to humorous, these carefully curated stories by Peter S. Beagle show the depth and power of his incomparable prose and storytelling. Featuring a newly published story, "The Mantichora," an original introduction from Meg Elison (Find Layla), and gorgeous illustrations from Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (Shadowscapes), this elegant collection is a must-have for any fan of classic fantasy.
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3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews.
Summary
A collection of fantasy stories by Peter S. Beagle
Review
As the pages of this site attest, I'm a latecomer to Peter S. Beagle, running across even The Last Unicorn long after most. I've had mixed reactions to his other work, most recently feeling quite positive about the first volume of this series, just days ago. Unfortunately, with this volume, my reactions are back to mixed.
There's no question that Beagle is a talented writer, but in this ‘essential' volume, talented prose is not paired with engaging stories. There are quite a few – too many – stories of his childhood friends (all intertwined with fantastic elements), and I found fairly soon that the charm had worn off. Most of these stories, childhood or not, simply run too long. The one previously unpublished story, while better than I had grown to fear (it's the last story in the collection) is at least twice as long as it needed to be, and perhaps more.
None of these stories really stood out, to be frank. And I'm a fan of a slow-moving, contemplative story. Still, my favorites among them were:
- “The Rock in the Park” – Centaurs get off course on their regular migration, and can't find their way out of New York.
- “The Best Worst Monster”- A monster created by a mad scientist thinks maybe there's something beyond destruction.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
