Isobelle Carmody has been one of Australia's most prolific writers of fantasy and speculative fiction. Many have loved her young adult fiction, but this collection of short stories (one almost a novella) is both for those who have grown up with her books and those approaching her work for the first time as an adult. Lyrical, lush and magical, these stories straddle reality we see and that which is just out of reach and knit them together into spell binding stories.

The title story, Metro Winds, is about a young girl who is taken from her home in a cold, isolated landscape to live with a rich relative in the city. This story sets the tone of magic realism, of unseen worlds just out of reach, that runs throughought this collection. The second story, the Dove Game, was my favourite. I particuarly love the way that Carmody writes about places that are recognisable but not quite the real thing, and this story, about a circus that may or may not be real, set in Paris, is gorgeously otherworldly. Carmody seems to lean towards dark, wintry landscapes, and The Girl who could See the Wind is a gorgeous example of her ability to create a visual landscape as a 'character' in the story.

The Stranger was probably my least favourite of the collection, although it drew me in by the end and has a satisfying roundness to the narrative. The Wolf Prince, at just under 150, is almost a novella, and is the most 'traditional' of the stories, with its twist on the classic tropes of fairy tales.

The final story, The Man who Lost his Shadow, was my standout favourite. In my view, this story is Carmody at her absolute best. I can't really describe it. Just read it. It is pitch perfect writing.

Carmody has always been one of my personal writing heroes and with this collection my admiration for her has deepened. It's a fantastic, original collection from a masterful storyteller.