Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

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By Mike Allen

Publisher Description

The first volume in the ground-breaking, genre-bending, boundary-pushing Clockwork Phoenix anthology series, at last available in digital format from Mythic Delirium Books.

"Lush descriptions and exotic imagery startle, engross, chill and electrify the reader, and all 19 stories have a strong and delicious taste of weird." — Publishers Weekly

Includes critically-acclaimed and award-nominated stories by Catherynne M. Valente, David Sandner, John Grant, Cat Rambo, Leah Bobet, Michael J. DeLuca, Laird Barron, Ekaterina Sedia, Cat Sparks, Tanith Lee, Marie Brennan, Jennifer Crow, Vandana Singh, John C. Wright, C.S. MacCath, Joanna Galbraith, Deborah Biancotti and Erin Hoffman.

CONTENTS

The City of Blind Delight ⋅ Catherynne M. Valente
Old Foss Is the Name of His Cat ⋅ David Sandner
All the Little Gods We Are ⋅ John Grant
The Dew Drop Coffee Lounge ⋅ Cat Rambo
Bell, Book and Candle ⋅ Leah Bobet
The Tarrying Messenger ⋅ Michael J. DeLuca
The Occultation ⋅ Laird Barron
There Is a Monster Under Helen's Bed ⋅ Ekaterina Sedia
Palisade ⋅ Cat Sparks
The Woman ⋅ Tanith Lee
A Mask of Flesh ⋅ Marie Brennan
Seven Scenes from Harrai's 'Sacred Mountain' ⋅ Jennifer Crow
Oblivion: A Journey ⋅ Vandana Singh
Choosers of the Slain ⋅ John C. Wright
Akhila, Divided ⋅ C. S. MacCath
The Moon-Keeper's Friend ⋅ Joanna Galbraith
The Tailor of Time ⋅ Deborah Biancotti
Root and Vein ⋅ Erin Hoffman

With a whimsical introduction and new afterword by Nebula Award-nominated editor Mike Allen.

Selected for the Locus Magazine 2008 Recommended Reading List.

Author and editor Allen (Mythic) has compiled a neatly packaged set of short stories that flow cleverly and seamlessly from one inspiration to another. In "The City of Blind Delight" by Catherynne M. Valente, a man inadvertently ends up on a train that takes him to an inescapable city of extraordinary wonders. In "All the Little Gods We Are," Hugo winner John Grant takes a mind trip to possible parallel universes. Modern topics make an appearance among the whimsy and strangeness: Ekaterina Sedia delves into the misunderstandings that occur between cultures and languages in "There Is a Monster Under Helen's Bed," while Tanith Lee gleefully skewers gender politics with "The Woman," giving the reader a glimpse of what might happen if there was only one fertile woman left in a world of men. Lush descriptions and exotic imagery startle, engross, chill and electrify the reader, and all 19 stories have a strong and delicious taste of weird.
— Publishers Weekly

A very strong first volume … Established writers and new names all are in good form here … A series of great promise. Prospects on the anthology front look ever better.
— Locus

I would have bought this book for its mysteriously gorgeous cover art alone, but the stellar lineup of contributing writers sold me completely … CLOCKWORK PHOENIX editor Mike Allen describes the anthology as "a home for stories that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the ways they cross genre boundaries, that aren't afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques." His choices here don't disappoint.
— PhillyBurbs.com

Even if you're not into the genre, this is a welcome read that'll hopefully strike an emotional chord in you.
— Bibliophile Stalker

Another "new weird" collection, perhaps? A slipstream opus? Whatever — set somewhere between fantasy, SF, and something else, the stories selected by editor Mike Allen have an unique property: they are never tedious … I highly recommend the book to anyone looking for top-notch fiction irrespective of genre labels.
— The Harrow

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Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness Reviews

2.0

Metaphorosis Reviews

Created over 9 years ago

“2.5 stars - http://magazine.metaphorosis.com/review/2016/Clockwork-Phoenix-Mike-Allen An anthology of speculative fiction edited by Mike Allen. I've been seeing these anthologies for a while now, and been intrigued. [Full disclosure: I submitted several stories to later editions, and was soundly rejected.] So, when I saw them all for sale, I took a chance and bought them all. Win some, lose some. I expected to like these stories. There are lots of big names here - some I've read, some I haven't. I wanted to like them. The feeling I got from what I'd heard was promising. Only ... I didn't like them. There's a striking sameness to them - the stories feel stilted and formal, they don't finish clearly, and they all lean toward the grotesque. There are a surprising number of characters cutting themselves open here. There are several stories in the "if there's fucking, it must be literary" group and the related "gritty equals meaningful" group. In his editorial note, Mike Allen says he's tired both of the 'good story well told' and of stories that don't feel complete, and sought a middle ground. I'm sorry to say he missed, and leaned much further toward the latter than the former. As I read further and further, I grew more and more disheartened, and more eager to find at least one story I really liked, and not just in relative terms. I'm sorry to say I failed, and it's with some dread that I think about the remaining four anthologies - paid for, and thus to be read at some point. In the meantime, here are the stories I found most interesting: Bell, Book, and Candle by Leah Bobet - seemingly archetypal characters resist playing their traditional roles Root and Vein by Erin Hoffman - a moody story about a dryad who gives away her heart. The City of Blind Delight by Catherynne M. Valente - a train brings a man to an unusual city The Tailor of Time by Deborah Biancotti - the Tailor of Time tries to extend a day. The anthology has a distinctive, consistent voice, but it's not one I cared much for. It's not just that the stories are grotesque; that can be interesting. It's that very few of them felt as if they told a clear story. Some I really had to struggle to get through. I sometimes like an ornate style, but many of these were overwritten. If you know that you like several of these authors, by all means give it a try. But if you're new to them, and just looking for a satisfying read, I can't recommend this collection.”