3.5
The Book of Magic
ByPublisher Description
A new anthology celebrating the witches and sorcerers of epic fantasy—featuring stories by George R. R. Martin, Scott Lynch, Megan Lindholm, and many others!
Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois’s acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf . . . and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda . . . and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore . . . and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped—or misshaped—by the potent magic they seek to wield. Yet though their abilities may be godlike, these men and women remain human—some might say all too human. Such is their curse. And their glory.
In these pages, seventeen of today’s top fantasy writers—including award-winners Elizabeth Bear, John Crowley, Kate Elliott, K. J. Parker, Tim Powers, and Liz Williams—cast wondrous spells that thrillingly evoke the mysterious, awesome, and at times downright terrifying worlds where magic reigns supreme: worlds as far away as forever, and as near as next door.
FEATURING SIXTEEN ALL-NEW STORIES:
“The Return of the Pig” by K. J. Parker
“Community Service” by Megan Lindholm
“Flint and Mirror” by John Crowley
“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes
“The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror: Chapter Two: Jumping Jack in Love” by Ysabeau S. Wilce
“Song of Fire” by Rachel Pollack
“Loft the Sorcerer” by Eleanor Arnason
“The Governor” by Tim Powers
“Sungrazer” by Liz Williams
“The Staff in the Stone” by Garth Nix
“No Work of Mine” by Elizabeth Bear
“Widow Maker” by Lavie Tidhar
“The Wolf and the Manticore” by Greg Van Eekhout
“The Devil’s Whatever” by Andy Duncan
“Bloom” by Kate Elliott
“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch
Plus George R. R. Martin’s classic story “A Night at the Tarn House” and an introduction by Gardner Dozois
Praise for The Book of Magic
“In The Book of Magic, you get everything you expect and more! Assembling seventeen great authors in one place is a difficult job but this book, with a lot of help from editor Gardner Dozois, does just that. . . . This compilation is a treat for any who love a good fantasy tale.”—Geeks of Doom
Hot on the heels of Gardner Dozois’s acclaimed anthology The Book of Swords comes this companion volume devoted to magic. How could it be otherwise? For every Frodo, there is a Gandalf . . . and a Saruman. For every Dorothy, a Glinda . . . and a Wicked Witch of the West. What would Harry Potter be without Albus Dumbledore . . . and Severus Snape? Figures of wisdom and power, possessing arcane, often forbidden knowledge, wizards and sorcerers are shaped—or misshaped—by the potent magic they seek to wield. Yet though their abilities may be godlike, these men and women remain human—some might say all too human. Such is their curse. And their glory.
In these pages, seventeen of today’s top fantasy writers—including award-winners Elizabeth Bear, John Crowley, Kate Elliott, K. J. Parker, Tim Powers, and Liz Williams—cast wondrous spells that thrillingly evoke the mysterious, awesome, and at times downright terrifying worlds where magic reigns supreme: worlds as far away as forever, and as near as next door.
FEATURING SIXTEEN ALL-NEW STORIES:
“The Return of the Pig” by K. J. Parker
“Community Service” by Megan Lindholm
“Flint and Mirror” by John Crowley
“The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable” by Matthew Hughes
“The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror: Chapter Two: Jumping Jack in Love” by Ysabeau S. Wilce
“Song of Fire” by Rachel Pollack
“Loft the Sorcerer” by Eleanor Arnason
“The Governor” by Tim Powers
“Sungrazer” by Liz Williams
“The Staff in the Stone” by Garth Nix
“No Work of Mine” by Elizabeth Bear
“Widow Maker” by Lavie Tidhar
“The Wolf and the Manticore” by Greg Van Eekhout
“The Devil’s Whatever” by Andy Duncan
“Bloom” by Kate Elliott
“The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch
Plus George R. R. Martin’s classic story “A Night at the Tarn House” and an introduction by Gardner Dozois
Praise for The Book of Magic
“In The Book of Magic, you get everything you expect and more! Assembling seventeen great authors in one place is a difficult job but this book, with a lot of help from editor Gardner Dozois, does just that. . . . This compilation is a treat for any who love a good fantasy tale.”—Geeks of Doom
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Book of Magic Reviews
3.5
“This collection was such a delight - a wonderful blend of magic and science fiction. With short story anthologies, I often find myself skipping more stories than I finish, but that wasn’t the case here at all. I genuinely enjoyed the majority of them, and only a few didn’t quite click for me.
My absolute favourites were “Community Service” by Megan Lindholm and “The Fall and Rise of the House of the Wizard Malkuril” by Scott Lynch - both stood out with their creativity, sharp writing, and memorable worlds.
If you’re a fan of fantasy with a touch of the unexpected, this anthology is well worth picking up.”
“This was okay. Short Stories about magic. There were a couple that were kind of boring that I didn't feel like finishing and a few stories that I thought were pretty good. Short stories aren't something I'm usually drawn towards, but I was curious to see what kinds of magic different authors craft with their imaginations.
My favorite story was by Garth Nix, called 'The Staff in the Stone.' It was about a humble wizard who rejected the fame and wealth of a bounded mage to live a simple and modest life. One day a staff appears embedded in a stone of power. He decides to keep watch, in the interests of protecting nearby townsfolk, for its power was bound to attract undesirable attention. A fun story, if you find yourself killing time in a library, might be worth diving into.
Other authors I enjoyed: Megan Lindholm, Matthew Hughes, Tim Powers, Greg Van Eelhout, George R.R. Martin, Kate Elliott, and Scott Lynch.
Note: something new I learned, Robin Hobb is actually a pen name for Megan Lindholm.”
About Gardner Dozois
Gardner Dozois was the author or editor of more than a hundred books. He won fifteen Hugo Awards, a World Fantasy Award, and thirty-four Locus Awards for his editing work, as well as two Nebula Awards and a Sidewise Award for his own writing. He was the editor of the leading science fiction magazine, Asimov’s Science Fiction, for twenty years, and the editor of the anthology series The Year’s Best Science Fiction for thirty-five years. A member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Gardner Dozois died in 2018.
Other books by Gardner Dozois
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