If you enjoy fantasy, in any or all of its many various
forms, and you aren’t a member of the British Fantasy Society, you’ll miss out
on this pearl. The collection is given to members as a part of their membership
and isn’t otherwise generally available.
The anthology includes different styles of fantasy amongst
its eight stories, none of them what I suspect many people think of as
‘fantasy’ when they consider the genre. As Juliet says in her introduction,
‘Fiction began with fantasy fiction. Go back to Gilgamesh and you’ll find tales
of heroes, magic and monsters.’ She goes on to list the works of other noted
authors of the genre, including Homer, the Norse sagas, and the Arthurian
Cycle. She isn’t as cynical as me, leaving out the best selling work of fantasy
fiction ever: the Bible.
The stories included vary greatly and each is a small
masterpiece of its particular style. We have modified folk tales, a version of
a popular theme in fantasy – the thief in the city – but with important
idiosyncrasies, stories that meld the horror genre with fantasy and others that
defy classification; a quality I much admire in fiction.
All are well written and intriguing in their different ways.
This is a book for those who love the worlds created by gifted writers. I
enjoyed it and recommend it to all who can get hold of a copy.
