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49 reviews for:
Dark Alchemy: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy
Gardner Dozois, Gardner Dozois
3.62 AVERAGE
49 reviews for:
Dark Alchemy: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy
Gardner Dozois, Gardner Dozois
3.62 AVERAGE
I never really loved short story format, but I've been warming up to it since I've been trying to plow through books that have been sitting on my shelf for FOREVER. This compilation had some GREAT entries, all centering around the idea of wizards. Ones I loved the most were by Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Garth Nix and Kage Baker (who I have only read a few things by, must remedy!) A few were a little simplistic and young-adultish in tone, but still enjoyable. It's a fine line with fantasy/folktale, and these tales proved to be engrossing sometimes as a full length series. Very enjoyable!
The short stories didn't feel short at all... makes me want to read all of the other authors' books!
Fun, fun, and more fun. This was an anthology of stories about wizards--gasp! Lots of really good stories; really hard to pick a favorite. Not sure why this sat on my shelf for so long, but it was finally time to enjoy it.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
As with any short story collection, it's a mixed bag. One or two gems, most par for the course, a few that read like the author had to get something out even if they didn't have the spark of inspiration or anything to say.
Like any compilation of shot stories, this one is hit or miss. There are some great stories here, though, great enough that I'll be looking for more from those authors.
Highlights: Holly and Iron by Garth Nix; Winter's Wife by Elizabeth Hand; The Manticore Spell by Jeffrey Ford; The Magi Animal by Gene Wolfe; Barrens Dance by Peter S Beagle; Stonefather by Orson Scott Card (I KNOW, I'm sorry.)
There's also a Gaiman story that I think may be lifted from The Graveyard Book - or at least related - but it's not one of my favorites.
Highlights: Holly and Iron by Garth Nix; Winter's Wife by Elizabeth Hand; The Manticore Spell by Jeffrey Ford; The Magi Animal by Gene Wolfe; Barrens Dance by Peter S Beagle; Stonefather by Orson Scott Card (I KNOW, I'm sorry.)
There's also a Gaiman story that I think may be lifted from The Graveyard Book - or at least related - but it's not one of my favorites.
Several very good pieces centering on various kinds of wizards, I picked this up for the Gaiman contribution only to discover it was merely a chapter from The Graveyard Book (bummer!). However, the rest of the tales are worthy of reading, and I especially enjoyed the appearance of the Winchester Mystery House, in SJ CA! The only distraction, IMHO, was the blurbs about the authors - it could have been condensed at the front or back. Suitable for young adult readers and on up!
A wonderful collection of short stories about magic and those that use it by some amazing authors who all provided unique visions of the title, Wizard
Mixed bag. Some very strong like Card's "Stone father" (curse his politics!) and Gaiman's story, but didn't have any hook me enough to start googling author's like some fantasy collections like Warriors or Dangerous Women.
I love this. Love it, Love it, Love it.
The stories were amazing even if some were a bit confusing (The language of some authors and the words they used made me skim the story) but all in all, this was awesome.
I can see why this wouldn't be for everyone however, i love stories like the ones that were written in this but some of them wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Which is great because it means that it'll get well loved by a bunch of people because of the mix match stories about Wizards and Magic in it.
I'm going to buy this when i go shopping next weekend. Definitely Definitely
The stories were amazing even if some were a bit confusing (The language of some authors and the words they used made me skim the story) but all in all, this was awesome.
I can see why this wouldn't be for everyone however, i love stories like the ones that were written in this but some of them wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Which is great because it means that it'll get well loved by a bunch of people because of the mix match stories about Wizards and Magic in it.
I'm going to buy this when i go shopping next weekend. Definitely Definitely
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes