Product Description
Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer, and many more join “this magical brew [that] will enchant young adult readers and their elders as well.” (Publishers Weekly)
In Wizards, today’s master fantasists turn their hands to tales of these magical beings, living in both ancient and modern times, as well as in fantasy realms that never were.
Featuring stories by New York Times bestselling authors Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer and Garth Nix as well as tales from Kage Baker, Peter S. Beagle, Terry Bisson, Orson Scott Card, Terry Dowling, Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Hand, Nancy Kress, Tanith Lee, Patricia A. McKillip, Mary Rosenblum, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, and Jane Yolen…. More >>
Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy
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Looks like a case of trying to sell to more people for what is basically a book for younger children in the main, and even when I was 8 I would have thought a bunch of these stories were lame.
A few do stand out, Gaiman’s is amusing enough to interest adults. Card’s story has more depth. However, the clear best story is easily Elizabeth Hand’s tale of supernatural Icelandia in Maine. The only one that veers close to the dark end of the specturm, anyway, along with Beagle and Card to a lesser degree.
If you want something for young primary school kids, this is likely ok, but not much of interest to anyone else. Too much kid, magic, repeat cheesy child story again.
Dark Alchemy : The Witch’s Headstone – NEIL GAIMAN
Dark Alchemy : Holly and Iron – GARTH NIX
Dark Alchemy : Color Vision – MARY ROSENBLUM
Dark Alchemy : The Ruby Incomparable – KAGE BAKER
Dark Alchemy : A Fowl Tale – EOIN COLFER
Dark Alchemy : Slipping Sideways Through Eternity – JANE YOLEN
Dark Alchemy : The Stranger’s Hands – TAD WILLIAMS
Dark Alchemy : Naming Day – PATRICIA A. MCKILLIP
Dark Alchemy : Winter’s Wife – ELIZABETH HAND
Dark Alchemy : A Diorama of the Infernal Regions or The Devil’s Ninth Question – Andy Duncan
Dark Alchemy : Barrens Dance – PETER S. BEAGLE
Dark Alchemy : Stone Man – NANCY KRESS
Dark Alchemy : The Manticore Spell – JEFFREY FORD
Dark Alchemy : Zinder – TANITH LEE
Dark Alchemy : Billy and the Wizard – TERRY BISSON
Dark Alchemy : The Magikkers – TERRY DOWLING
Dark Alchemy : The Magic Animal – GENE WOLFE
Dark Alchemy : Stonefather – ORSON SCOTT CARD
Visibly grave talk.
4 out of 5
Shapeshifter surprise.
3 out of 5
Puking First Born.
3 out of 5
Married and boring.
2.5 out of 5
Tastes like chicken.
3 out of 5
Passing over magician.
3 out of 5
Dangerous wizard desire.
3 out of 5
Possibly useless studying.
2.5 out of 5
A rocky end for local entrepreneur’s saga.
4 out of 5
Canvassing a wizard.
3 out of 5
Wizard swap.
3.5 out of 5
Everywhere you go the kid wants to rock.
3.5 out of 5
Beast removal.
3 out of 5
Astral surprise, ducky.
3 out of 5
Sissy magazine has 2-D devil.
3 out of 5
One shot Sam.
3.5 out of 5
Once and future advice.
2.5 out of 5
Live to rock.
3.5 out of 5
2.5 out of 5
Rating: 3 / 5
Gandalf the Grey fans will want to read this nineteenth story fantasy collection that star wizards in fresh tales not printed before. The authors are a who’s who of the genre with no pretenders and none providing a clinker though the better tales seem to involve coming of age. Especially enthralling is Neil Gaiman’s “The Witch’s Headstone” starring Bod, a lad being raised by a dead witch amongst other deceased adult supervision. Even the biblical prophet Elijah shows up as a wizard in Jane Yolen’s contribution. Notables like Garth Nix, Mary Rosenblum, Kage Baker, Eoin Coffer, Tad Williams, Patricia McKillip, Elizabeth Hand, Andy Duncan, Peter Beagle, Nancy Kress, Jeffrey Ford, Tanith Lee, Terry Bisson, Terry Dowling, Gene Wolf and Orson Scott Card contribute tales that will prove to the targeted young adult audience that a wizard by any other name is still a wizard.
Harriet Klausner
Rating: 5 / 5
I am only halfway through the book but I already love every stories so far. I loan it from the library but will have to buy one now for my “reference” Sci-Fi/Fantasy shelf. Absolutely the best I’ve read, are there more like these colletions out there? If you know please let me know!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
Many stories in this book were insultingly sexist. There are a couple of great stories, notably Kage Baker’s, but there are many mediocre ones and many that simply cannot imagine women as anything but staging for men’s lives. Gene Wolfe’s story is notable for its ineptitude in this vein. The anthology would have benefited from better editing and a wider understanding of “wizard” than “white male main character.”
Rating: 3 / 5
“Wizards” is an outstanding collection of fantasy stories featuring some of the best known authors working in the genre. Some of the authors (Card, Kress, Gaiman), I was pretty familiar with. Some I knew only by reputation and a few were completely new to me. I found these stories were a great way to get at least a small feel for an author’s style, although obviously it would be folly to judge an author on the basis of one story.
This collection is a nice mix of contemporary stories and more traditional fantasy. They range from the fairytale-like “Zinder” by Tanith Lee to the ultra-modern “Stone Man” by Nancy Kress. I personally enjoyed almost every story in “Wizards.” I believe any reader of fantasy fiction would find several stories to appreciate.
Rating: 4 / 5