Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
7th out of 299 books
—
224 voters
Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction (Firebirds #1)
by
Sharyn November ,
Michael Cadnum , Kara Dalkey , Nancy Springer (Goodreads Author) , Delia Sherman , Emma Bull (Goodreads Author) , Megan Whalen Turner , Laurel Winter
,
more…
Firebirds is more than simply an anthology -- it is a celebration of wonderful writing. It gathers together sixteen original stories by some of today's finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. Together, they have won virtually every major prize -- from the National Book Award to the World Fantasy Award to the Newbery Medal -- and have made best-seller lists worldwide...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
May 5th 2005
by Firebird
(first published September 29th 2003)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
I'm still looking for my Sgt. Pepper's of Young Adult short story collections. I need one that's hit after hit after hit. ... Does that book exist?
This was the closest I've come to what I'm looking for, but it's still not the book. Some stories had themes I wouldn't feel comfortable with having my 7th graders read, and a couple other stories just dragged. I about ditched the book half way through "Little Dot" - a story about a cat who could talk to a wizard and had no point whatsoever. (Maybe I'...more
This was the closest I've come to what I'm looking for, but it's still not the book. Some stories had themes I wouldn't feel comfortable with having my 7th graders read, and a couple other stories just dragged. I about ditched the book half way through "Little Dot" - a story about a cat who could talk to a wizard and had no point whatsoever. (Maybe I'...more
A collection of powerful, moving short stories by lots of great authors. Here's a list of the stories:
Cotillion - Celia meets the most wonderful guy at her debutante party. Trouble is, he has a dark secret only Celia can save him from. Very vivid imagery.
The Baby in the Night Deposit Box - Penny was left at the bank as a baby. She lives at the bank and doesn't go anywhere else. Can she save her town and real parents from an evil sorceress? I liked this one, especially the ending; it was short an...more
Cotillion - Celia meets the most wonderful guy at her debutante party. Trouble is, he has a dark secret only Celia can save him from. Very vivid imagery.
The Baby in the Night Deposit Box - Penny was left at the bank as a baby. She lives at the bank and doesn't go anywhere else. Can she save her town and real parents from an evil sorceress? I liked this one, especially the ending; it was short an...more
If for whatever reason you want to do the exact reverse of the thing that patriarchy does all the time and introduce yourself to a particular genre (fantasy literature, in this case, but it works with, oh, art and history and politics and sex and love as well) while pretending that it is exclusively the domain of women, this book will provide you with everything you need for getting as rich and full an experience as you would get doing it any other way.
(DISCLAIMER): I know that in the past I have fervently asserted my hatred of short stories . . . I’m sorry! I usually do REALLY dislike short stories, but this time is different – they are “Fantasy” short stories – delicious!
(5 stars) "Cotillion" by Delia Sherman: I really liked this one. It was a retelling of the story of Tam Lin. Celia is attending her debutante ball, in 1969, when she meets an intriguing young man by the name of Valentine. But he is much more than he appears. And Celia might...more
(5 stars) "Cotillion" by Delia Sherman: I really liked this one. It was a retelling of the story of Tam Lin. Celia is attending her debutante ball, in 1969, when she meets an intriguing young man by the name of Valentine. But he is much more than he appears. And Celia might...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 8 comments
An excellent collection of YA fantasy and science fiction short stories by a lot of great authors, including Lloyd Alexander, Kara Dalkey, Sherwood Smith, and Emma Bull. I particularly liked Garth Nix's "Hope Chest", a disturbing story about a girl who was left at a small town's train station as a baby, with only a hope chest; eventually she must use the contents of the chest to save her adopted family and the town from a would-be evil dictator. Diana Wynne Jones's contribution, "Little Dot", wa...more
Apr 25, 2012
Robyn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library,
sci-fi-or-fantasy
I checked this out of the library for the Diana Wynne Jones story in it, but read the whole anthology. I'm not giving a star rating to each story, but I did keep a note of whether I felt positively or negatively toward each story when finished.
1. Cotillion by Delia Sherman + (was nice to start the anthology with a Tam Lin story, as Tam Lin is one of my favourite tales of all time.)
2. The Baby in the Night Deposit Box by Megan Whalen Turner +
3. Beauty by Sherwood Smith +
4. Mariposa by Nancy Spr...more
1. Cotillion by Delia Sherman + (was nice to start the anthology with a Tam Lin story, as Tam Lin is one of my favourite tales of all time.)
2. The Baby in the Night Deposit Box by Megan Whalen Turner +
3. Beauty by Sherwood Smith +
4. Mariposa by Nancy Spr...more
I'm going to be honest, most of these stories are simply 'okay'. There are not very many that stood out to me, and there weren't many that we painfully awful either. In fact, I don't think any of these were so bad that I stopped reading it. Well, maybe one or two of them.
My favorites were Little Dot, Beauty, Flotsam, Baby in the Deposit Box, and Mariposa.
My least favorites were Black Fox and Hope Chest.
The other ones were decent at best, some were more mediocre than others and some I just don't...more
My favorites were Little Dot, Beauty, Flotsam, Baby in the Deposit Box, and Mariposa.
My least favorites were Black Fox and Hope Chest.
The other ones were decent at best, some were more mediocre than others and some I just don't...more
Andrea Talarico
Short Stories
First, I didn’t realize that Firebirds was not just the name of the anthology, but a whole publishing imprint dedicated to Young Adult Science Fiction, which is really cool. Anyway, since it’s impossible to review all the varied stories in Firebirds, An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction, I will highlight some of my favorite moments: “The Black Fox,” by Emma Bull and Charles Vess, starts with a traditional ballad, written out in stanza form, and then mo...more
Short Stories
First, I didn’t realize that Firebirds was not just the name of the anthology, but a whole publishing imprint dedicated to Young Adult Science Fiction, which is really cool. Anyway, since it’s impossible to review all the varied stories in Firebirds, An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction, I will highlight some of my favorite moments: “The Black Fox,” by Emma Bull and Charles Vess, starts with a traditional ballad, written out in stanza form, and then mo...more
A fantasy anthology (Firebirds Rising was the sequel). The book is named after the publisher’s imprint that it is published under. There are stories that are re-telling of fairy tales (Cotillion by Debra Sherman is a retelling of Tam Lin, The Lady of the Ice Garden by Kara Dalkey is The Snow Queen), and stories that are set in the worlds of the authors’ other books (Beauty by Sherwood Smith continues the story from Crown Duel). I think I’ve read Garth Nix’s Hope Chest somewhere else. The authors...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I don't usually read anthologies because I don't usually like them. Firebirds was an exception to both of those statements. Out of the entire book, there were only two stories I didn't like. Although the title says "Fantasy and Science Fiction" there is no sci-fi, only fantasy, and many of the stories have a Faery/Otherworld theme. If you don't like little girls in flower petal-dresses with butterfly wings, don't worry--you won't find any of them here. A few of my favorite stories (in no particu...more
This is one of the better anthologies I've read. All anthologies are something of a mixed bag. The reader's taste very seldom meshes exactly with the editor's, or the editor has had to make some compromises along the way. Firebirds is substantially above average.
The book is helped, of course, by having some very big names in SFF - Lloyd Alexander, Patricia A. McKillip, Garth Nix, to name a few. Aside from her first couple of books, I've never read anything by McKillip that wasn't terrific, and t...more
The book is helped, of course, by having some very big names in SFF - Lloyd Alexander, Patricia A. McKillip, Garth Nix, to name a few. Aside from her first couple of books, I've never read anything by McKillip that wasn't terrific, and t...more
"Cotillion" by Delia Sherman
"The Baby in the Night Deposit Box" by Megan Whalen Turner
"Beauty" by Sherwood Smith
"Mariposa" by Nancy Springer
"Max Mondrosch" by Lloyd Alexander
"The Fall of Ys" by Meredith Ann Pierce
"Medusa" by Michael Cadnum
"The Black Fox" by Emma Bull (adaptation) and Charles Vess (illustration)
"Byndley" by Patricia A. McKillip
"The Lady of the Ice Garden" by Kara Dalkey
"Hope Chest" by Garth Nix
"Chasing the Wind" by Elizabeth E. Wein
"Little Dot" by Diana Wynne Jones
"Remember Me" b...more
"The Baby in the Night Deposit Box" by Megan Whalen Turner
"Beauty" by Sherwood Smith
"Mariposa" by Nancy Springer
"Max Mondrosch" by Lloyd Alexander
"The Fall of Ys" by Meredith Ann Pierce
"Medusa" by Michael Cadnum
"The Black Fox" by Emma Bull (adaptation) and Charles Vess (illustration)
"Byndley" by Patricia A. McKillip
"The Lady of the Ice Garden" by Kara Dalkey
"Hope Chest" by Garth Nix
"Chasing the Wind" by Elizabeth E. Wein
"Little Dot" by Diana Wynne Jones
"Remember Me" b...more
Cotillion - While I'm not completely familiar with the story of Tam Lin, it was refreshing to see a modern day version of it that kept to the basic outline of the original. I love tales of faerie and romance, but what I really liked about this tale was that the heroine didn't immediately fall in love with the man she saved. Even if it is 1969, she was very grounded in reality. Sometimes stories of love at first sight with no mind about consequences irk me.
The Baby in the Night Deposit Box - Ther...more
The Baby in the Night Deposit Box - Ther...more
Apr 03, 2011
Madeline
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
library-books,
short-stories,
sff,
ya,
funny,
coming-of-age,
fairy-tales,
mythology,
witches,
high-fantasy,
historical-fiction
In this kind of anthology, I tend to gravitate to the stories with the lightest touch. For better or for worse, this often means I like the funniest ones. So, I liked Diana Wynne Jones's "Little Dot," although it is about a cat and I understand might read to some people as kind of twee - for me, it was clever and an interesting update/twist on Puss 'n' Boots.
I also enjoyed two stories about mysteriously orphaned girls who grow up: the sweet, funny, and clever "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box"...more
I also enjoyed two stories about mysteriously orphaned girls who grow up: the sweet, funny, and clever "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box"...more
Like most short fiction collections there are stories in Firebirds that are stronger than others and some that are weaker. Overall it's a rather good anthology. However, I am rather spoiled for fantastic short-fiction books (Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors & Fragile Things, the Fairy Reel and Coyote Road collections edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) so Firebirds in this circumstance does not measure up to the extremely strong compilations I've read before. It may be due simply to...more
The Baby in the Night Deposite Box by Nancy Whalen Turner
This is a story about baby Penny, who one night is dropped into a bank's night deposite box. When the bank manager/owner comes into work the next morning he finds the baby in with the rest of the deposites and decided that it is the banks responsibility to raise her. In this short story we watch as Penny grows from a young baby to a young adult. It didn't have much fantasy in it until the very end. For me it ended right when it was getting...more
This is a story about baby Penny, who one night is dropped into a bank's night deposite box. When the bank manager/owner comes into work the next morning he finds the baby in with the rest of the deposites and decided that it is the banks responsibility to raise her. In this short story we watch as Penny grows from a young baby to a young adult. It didn't have much fantasy in it until the very end. For me it ended right when it was getting...more
My favorite stories in this anthology were "Little Dot" by Diana Wynn Jones-- a tale told from the perspective of a cat-- and "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box" by Megan Walen Turner. I also liked the Garth Nix story a lot. There are several re-tellings of fairy tales. Nancy Farmer's tale about a changeling/girl with a disability made me very uncomfortable. There is one story in this collection that does not seem to be genre at all: "Chasing the Wind" by Elizabeth E. Wein, a story about flying...more
This is a collection of short stories by many different authors. I loved this book. The stories are full enough to be fulfilling, but short enough that it's not drawn out. By reading this book, I discovered new authors that I'd never heard of before and found their books and I love them! It's a thick book, but the stories break it up. Wonderful read!!
Excellent anthology. I think I might have liked the second one a tiny bit better, but both are full of great stories. For some reason, some of the best stories in both are about foundlings and changelings. I loved the story about the library in the second book, and three of my favorites in this one were The Baby in the Night Deposit Box (Megan Whalen Turner), Hope Chest (Garth Nix), and Remember Me (Nancy Farmer). Nina Kiriki Hoffman as usual did not disappoint, and I also enjoyed Cotillion (Del...more
I mean...SCIENCEFICTION/FANTASY...it's a collection of short stories, and really--all of them were good. None of them were complete misses but almost all of them brought out the true spirit of both these genres. They were fun to read once you got into them, and the book as a whole was a successfull collection of these amazing stories.
Normally sequels aren't as good as the originals, but I don't know if I'd have sought out Firebirds Rising if I'd read Firebirds first. There are some great stories--my favorite being the Diana Wynne Jones one. Talking cats and evil beasts, what's not to love? Also the Garth Nix one, though Gory, was interesting. I think there was one more author who I felt like seeking out their stories, all in all a good read.
I liked the book overall, but some of the stories were not what I was expecting to find in this anthology. There were a lot of "retellings" of classic myths/fairy tales that were interesting but, again, not what I would expect to find in a collection of "original fantasy and science fiction." Also, I don't see why "Chasing the Wind" is considered to be in either genre, as there was nothing fantastical about it and the most complicated technology was an airplane. My favorites were the ones by the...more
Original stories written to celebrate the imprint at Penguin Putnam re-releasing works by well-known fantasy authors, including Lloyd Alexander, Nancy Springer and Garth Nix. Several different kinds of storytelling will only whet readers appetites for more. From Delia Sherman's version of an urban fairy midnight ball, to Garth Nix's fantastic Old West fantasy shoot-out, to Sherwood Smith’s “Beauty", which has a princess wondering what happens when someone doesn’t get their full allotment of Beau...more
Probably the best anthology I've ever read. I like many of the stories, and really like many of the others. It contains stories by Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia McKillip, and Garth Nix, to name a few.
An anthology of scifi and fantasy. A bunch of short stories. Some were good, some were simply mediocre and some I thought were stupid. Not a bad collection to introduce to a YA though.
I liked all of the stories, they really made me want to sit down with more possible works and read them and watch as the characters evolved into something more.
I try to pull from my TBR shelves when I go on trips, and this particular anthology has been languishing for a number of years thereupon. I found the quality of the stories to be consistently high throughout, not as uneven as anthologies often are. There are, of course, a couple of standouts, which include the Tam Lin variant "Cotillion" by Delia Sherman that my Tam Lin fan friends should certainly seek out, and Nancy Farmer's 'Remember Me'. I left this one on the train, and was gratified to see...more
Read this book before back when it first come out. I love Firebirds because it has stories from different fantasy books.
Oh, boy, Garth Nix's story -- about a Wild West shooter -- was frankly one of the scariest stories I've read.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: SOLVED YA Short Story - Western, teen gunslinger girl | 6 | 20 | May 11, 2013 11:51am |
Sharyn November (www.sharyn.org) is senior editor for Viking Children's Books and editorial director of Firebird Books. She is a two-time World Fantasy Award Finalist (Professional category), and Firebirds Rising was a World Fantasy Award Finalist for Best Anthology.
More about Sharyn November...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“What was the good of dreaming of adventure if you turned your back on the first one that came your way?”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
