I thought I was going to be cherry picking my way through this anthology. I picked it up because I was in a mood to read about foxes, and since they're traditionally tricksters I figured I'd find a few of them in this book. I only found a few foxes (one kitsune to be specific), but it doesn't matter because just about every story and poem in this book is wonderful. I read it straight through.

My personal favorite was "Honored Guest" by Ellen Kushner who brought in my favorite character from one of her other book series. She played the absolute best trick on me by not letting me know she was there until the the very end.

The last story in the book is not only a piece of great writing, but it shows off the great editing in this anthology since it goes out with a bang (and a whimper I suppose). "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" by Will Shetterly is a look at how humans would actually react if one day most of the animals of the world (specifically cats and dogs) suddenly gained the ability to speak and think. As with most realities it's not very pretty.

The rest of the stories are a joy to read, and I highly recommend this. I've had a few of their other anthologies sitting on my shelves for a while, and I this book has made me very interested in picking them up.