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A review by ambientmagic
The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers' Tales : The Ultimate Collection of Magical Fantasy from Tom Holt, Ursula K. LeGuin, Michael Moorcock, Peter Crowther, Louise Cooper, and many more by Mike Ashley
3.0
Anthologies like this remind me why I don't read much high fantasy anymore--much of it is an old boy's club full of pretentious writing. I skipped over most of the stories in this book, to be honest, but I'd like to give a shoutout here to the ones I did like:
The Sage of Theare by Diana Wynne Jones: I love Jones's work, and and while this story is part of a larger collective I haven't ventured into yet, it still stood alone to show the power that comes with a simple question: why?
Timekeeper by John Moressey: This story was writ on a smaller scale than many of the others, and that was a good decision. Novels and sagas can be about the fate of a whole country or world, but a short story should focus on something smaller to really flesh it out. This short is beautifully wrought.
The Bones of the Earth by Ursula K. le Guin: This story is the reason I picked this book up this week (January of 2018). Le Guin has just passed away and I wanted to see her off. This story is a fitting one, as it's about home, and mentors, and legacies, and when and where to say goodbye.
The Sage of Theare by Diana Wynne Jones: I love Jones's work, and and while this story is part of a larger collective I haven't ventured into yet, it still stood alone to show the power that comes with a simple question: why?
Timekeeper by John Moressey: This story was writ on a smaller scale than many of the others, and that was a good decision. Novels and sagas can be about the fate of a whole country or world, but a short story should focus on something smaller to really flesh it out. This short is beautifully wrought.
The Bones of the Earth by Ursula K. le Guin: This story is the reason I picked this book up this week (January of 2018). Le Guin has just passed away and I wanted to see her off. This story is a fitting one, as it's about home, and mentors, and legacies, and when and where to say goodbye.