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Monday, March 24, 2008

Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction
Time: 6:11 AM

This book is a compilation of short stories written by some of the world's most accomplished writers. The anthologies are wonderfully written and showcase each writer's distinct style. One of the anthologies that is rather commendable is Hope Box. This story is about a child who is abandoned with a luggage that cannot be opened in a small town. Finally on the girl's sixteen birthday, the luggage springs open to reveal guns and a dress. The story ends with the girl fulfiling her 'destiny' and ridding the world or one evil. It ends on a sad note and leaves the reader in deep thought. splendid gathering of award-winning fantasists. Feminist allegories and fairytale retellings are heavily represented, with some gems among the standard fare. Delia Sherman's "Cotillion" stands out for its fully realized heroine's twist ending, and Sherwood Smith's "Beauty" enlivens a would-be dull moral with likable characters. Tragedy and comedy are also here in force; Garth Nix's and Megan Whalen Turner's offerings both abandon not-quite-human infants in human towns, with drastically different results. Emma Bull and illustrator Charles Vess collaborate with a ballad, reworked as graphic short. Diana Wynne Jones brings fresh perspective to a deceptively simple tale of a country wizard and his cats. Her story is light hearted and amusing. Elizabeth Wein's realistic "Chasing the Wind" and Nancy Farmer's changeling tale "Remember Me" provide compelling glimpses into adolescent self-realization. This tale explores the insecurities teenagers face in their world where fitting in a main priority. The book disappoints in that only some of the anthologies are commendable while the rest are simplistic with the common storyline.

Verdict: Good Read.


Planted by : The Gardener
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