Saturday, July 10, 2010

All-New and Improved Tales

Stories: All-New Tales
Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio
Stories is an intriguing collection of new short storis by an all-star cast of writers. The authors that were well-known to me included: Jeffery Deaver, Peter Straub, Chuck Palahniuk, Jodi Picoult, Joe Hill, Michael Moorcock, and of course, Neil Gaiman. Not surprisingly, my favorite of the stories was Gaiman's 'The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains', but I'm a huge fan already (check out my review of Neverwhere). Some of the best stories were authors I wasn't familiar with before. Samantha's Diary by Diana Wynne Jones was an amazing and disturbing take on one of our favorite Christmas songs. Two stories explored the bonds of sisterhood - Unwell by Carolyn Parkhurst revealed sisterhood's greedy underbelly and Parallel Lines by Tim Powers takes a look at the undying bond between twins. Vampire fans will find solace in Bloody by Roddy Doyle and Juvenal Nyx by Walter Mosley. Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon by Elizabeth Hand was one of my favorite stories. It centered on a group of coworkers - Emery, Robbie, and Leonard - at an aviation museum and their attempts to become friends. I was flying through the pages and hoping it wouldn't end. Overall, this collection is well worth the money and you're guaranteed to find at least one story that leaves you asking, "...and then what happened?"

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