The Mammoth Book of Fantasy All-time Greats

by Silverburg R (Editor, Contributor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor, Contributor), Edgar Allan Poe (Contributor)

The Masque of the Red Death EDGAR ALLAN POE
An Inhabitant of Carcosa AMBROSE BIERCE
The Sword of Welleran LORD DUNSANY
The Women of the Wood MERRITT
The Weird Of Avoos/ Wuthoqquan CLARK ASHTON SMITH
The Valley of the Worm ROBERT E- HOWARD
Black God's Kiss c. L. MOORE
The Silver Key H. P. LOVECRAFT
Nothing in the Rules L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP
A Gnome There Was HENRY KUTTNER
Snulbug ANTHONY BOUCHER
The Words of Guru c. M. KORNBLUTH
Homecoming RAY BRADBURY
Mazirian the Magician JACK VANCE
O Ugly Bird! MANLY WADE WELLMAN
The Silken Swift THEODORE STURGEON
The Golem AVRAM DAVIDSON
That Hell-Bound Train ROBERT BLOCH
Kings in Darkness MICHAEL MOORCOCK
Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes HARLAN ELLISON
Gonna Roll the Bones FRITZ LEIBER
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas URSULA K. LE GUIN

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy, Horror

432 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a few stories in this anthology, but really dug "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," by Ursula K. LeGuin (I heard about it from my Dystopian Goodreads Group). It was serendipitous to read this after reading THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR--a nice fictional example of conscienceLESSness.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fine collection of older fantasy stories from the likes of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, Ray Bradbury, C. L. Moore, and many more.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty-two stories and 431 pages. Some that I recognized from previous anthologies: Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death", "O Ugly Bird" by Manly Wade Wellman, "The Silver Key" by Lovecraft, "The Women of the Wood" by A. Merritt, "Gonna Roll the Bones" by Leiber, and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Le Guin. Some works by well-known authors were themselves not familiar and sometimes not up to level of other works I've read by those authors, among them stories by Jack Vance, Ray Bradbury, Ambrose Bierce, and some others. Most of the stories in this 1983 anthology were published between 1930 and 1960. Only two women are represented Ursula Le Guin and C.L. Moore. The stories were apparently chosen by "a panel of hundreds of experts". Overall I would say the choices of that panel reflect a mid-20th Century sensibility and as a result this collection might not be as appealing to readers in the 21st Century.

[Miriam James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite sure why my version has some different stories to the one in this description(?) but anyway, like most anthologies, there was a real mixture. I liked some, I wasn’t really into some of them, but it was a pretty good read. I’d like to see an updated version of this! Anyway, ending with Le Guin was fantastic (I’d give her 5*) and there were definitely some other gems in here.

[Jason Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this anthology from The Internet Archive. So glad I did.

The tales run the gamut of fantasy, from sci-fi romps to archaic wizardry, from the chronicles of Cthulhu to ghosts and the gothic horror of Poe.

There's not one weak tale. In fact, I'd go as far to say that many of the short stories compiled herein are amongst the finest examples of their type.

Each takes you on a journey of your mind and spirit. Some are utterly fantastical. Others are reflective and make you turn your critical eye on yourself and the (not so dystopian) world we've created today.

Although many authors contribute to The Fantasy Hall of Fame, the style—striking in its naivety, but brilliant in its descriptive quality—remains true throughout.

Definitely a tome I'm going to find now and add to my library. 5/5 all day long.

[Patrick]

10/16/09 - "That Hell-Bound Train" (1958) by Robert Bloch
10/20/09 - "The Sword of Welleran" (1908) by Lord Dunsany
11/02/09 - "Black God's Kiss" (1934) by C.L. Moore
1/08/10 - "The Silver Key" (1937) by H.P. Lovecraft
1/10/10 - "The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan" (1932) by Clarke Ashton Smith

[bluetyson]

The Fantasy Hall of Fame (1983)