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choirqueer's review against another edition
3.0
This one was all right! The talking cat story was memorable. The others were a mixed bag. I had sort of imagined that I was picking up a book that would be an interesting sampler of authors whose longer works I'd then want to go check out, and I didn't get a lot of that from this anthology. But for the most part I had a good time reading.
finchwing's review against another edition
3.0
This book was sweet, if a bit juvenile for me. Ideal for middle school readers, some of the stories were touching in their innocence, and others felt boring. I'm too old for some of these story formats, but others were still a wonderful read!
eupomene's review against another edition
3.0
This is a wonderfully varied collection of short fantasy stories. The authors collected here are at the top of the game -- Lloyd Alexander, Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix and Nancy Farmer, to name a few. My favorite stories were "Cotillion" (another Tam Lin tale), "The Lady of the Ice Garden" (a Japanese twist on Andersen's Snow Queen) and "Chasing the Wind" (whose author mainly wished to write about aeroplanes). A treat.
iamnotamerryman's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this collection of stories. My favorites were "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box," "Little Dot," and "Beauty."
drekklin's review against another edition
Haven’t touched this in a while and I want to complete it, but I want to finish LOTR and some other books sooner.
dandelionfluff's review against another edition
4.0
Firebird Fantasy almost always publishes golden material. These anthologies are wonderful!
lunaratu's review against another edition
3.0
Like most short fiction collections there are stories in Firebirds that are stronger than others and some that are weaker. Overall it's a rather good anthology. However, I am rather spoiled for fantastic short-fiction books (Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors & Fragile Things, the Fairy Reel and Coyote Road collections edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) so Firebirds in this circumstance does not measure up to the extremely strong compilations I've read before. It may be due simply to the lack of a unifying theme.
The stories in Firebirds range all over the spectrum of science-fiction and fantasy with some barely different from a realistic story and others being complete flights of fancy or magic. Overall it doesn't feel as honed as The Fairy Reel or The Coyote Road (both of which I recommend highly) but it is still a different and enjoyable enough read.
I especially recommend the stories Mariposa by Nancy Springer, The Black Fox by Emma Bull with illustrations by Charles Vess, Byndley by Patricia A. McKillip, Little Dot by Diana Wynne Jones, and Remember Me by Nancy Farmer since they are each a particularly unique and beautiful take on fantasy.
The stories in Firebirds range all over the spectrum of science-fiction and fantasy with some barely different from a realistic story and others being complete flights of fancy or magic. Overall it doesn't feel as honed as The Fairy Reel or The Coyote Road (both of which I recommend highly) but it is still a different and enjoyable enough read.
I especially recommend the stories Mariposa by Nancy Springer, The Black Fox by Emma Bull with illustrations by Charles Vess, Byndley by Patricia A. McKillip, Little Dot by Diana Wynne Jones, and Remember Me by Nancy Farmer since they are each a particularly unique and beautiful take on fantasy.
irodori's review against another edition
Firebirds is, as the full title indicates, an anthology. Meaning, it is not a novel, but a book with many short stories.
There are 16 short stories, well, actually it is more like 15 short stories and a short comic. Each one is by a different author.
Despite the title, none of the stories have anything to do with firebirds. The title comes from the Firebird imprint. This book was made to celebrate the creation of the Firebird imprint.
There are also the books "Firebirds Rising" and "Firebirds Soaring" that are out as well. The three books are all part of the same anthology series, but otherwise have no connection.
I think the short stories are more aimed at teens, especially since the editor talks about providing enjoyable fantasy and science fiction stories for teens in her introduction.
It would be difficult to really go into complete detail of the contents since each story is different. Also, since they are short stories, it can be a bit difficult to say too much without giving too much away.
I think my favorite would have to be "Mariposa".
The story starts off with Aimee getting a diagnosis from a Warlock Doctor AKA Warlocter. She is told that she has lost her soul, which is apparently a common thing.
This was the second time I read stories in this book and I read some stories that I had skipped last time. But I still find Mariposa to be my favorite. A couple of other favorites of mine are "Beauty" and "Fall of Ys". Though "Baby in the Night Deposit Box" and "Little Dot" were entertaining as well.
There are 16 short stories, well, actually it is more like 15 short stories and a short comic. Each one is by a different author.
Despite the title, none of the stories have anything to do with firebirds. The title comes from the Firebird imprint. This book was made to celebrate the creation of the Firebird imprint.
There are also the books "Firebirds Rising" and "Firebirds Soaring" that are out as well. The three books are all part of the same anthology series, but otherwise have no connection.
I think the short stories are more aimed at teens, especially since the editor talks about providing enjoyable fantasy and science fiction stories for teens in her introduction.
It would be difficult to really go into complete detail of the contents since each story is different. Also, since they are short stories, it can be a bit difficult to say too much without giving too much away.
I think my favorite would have to be "Mariposa".
The story starts off with Aimee getting a diagnosis from a Warlock Doctor AKA Warlocter. She is told that she has lost her soul, which is apparently a common thing.
This was the second time I read stories in this book and I read some stories that I had skipped last time. But I still find Mariposa to be my favorite. A couple of other favorites of mine are "Beauty" and "Fall of Ys". Though "Baby in the Night Deposit Box" and "Little Dot" were entertaining as well.
stonebm's review against another edition
2.0
The good stories just weren’t enough to bring up the bad stories. They are clearly a product of their time, and not in a good way.