The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 7

The Year's Best Fantasy Stories #7

by Arthur W. Saha (editor)

Book by

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 6, 1981

Reviews

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1982:]. A mixed bunch. Some are of the "recognizable reality with one twist" variety. Some are based on fairy-tales - either a retelling with cynical modern overtones, or a new adaptation of an old structure. One was Gothic - rather an uninspired rehash of the familiar themes, I thought, but perhaps not so much to people who haven't been reading as much Gothic as I have. The last in the book - a reworking of the Beauty and the Beast fable, with the addition of a petulant and irresponsible husband as a foil to the Beast - was rather well done, and I was particularly captivated by a story about a young woman who discovers she has a hereditary tendency to become a werewolf. This last was written with a nice eye for detail, and an able evocation of atmosphere that set it apart form others in the same vein.

[Nihal Vrana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very interesting, most probably not available anywhere else short stories. The best one is Spidersong by Petrey, it is such a heart-warming, beautifully elaborate tale... It played right into my general admiration for spiders. It is a shame that she died at a young age.

Wolfland was a pretty cool spin of Red Riding Hood also; Kevin Malone was a great story with its eeriness. The rest are not as impactful, but nearly all of them were enjoyable; these DAW collections are great for discoveries.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of really great stories. I really enjoyed it.

[ayanami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories from 1981, which covers fantasy themes ranging from the traditional princesses and dragons fare, magical realism/urban fantasy, fairytale retellings and even a Gothic-flavoured tale. As with these sort of collections, the quality of the stories vary, even if it is meant to be "the year's best fantasy stories". Highlights include "Proteus" by Paul H. Cook, a story about a modern shape-changer, who exists as multiple men, each with his own life and family; "Spidersong" by Susan C. Petrey, about a spider that plays music with her web; "Wolfland" by Tanith Lee, a dreamy werewolf retelling of Red Riding Hood; and "Melpomene, Calliope... and Fred" by Nicholas Yermakov, a hilarious tale of a blocked writer who is visited by an uncanny muse.

[Stormcrow Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

After finishing my last novel, I wasn't sure what to read so I picked up this collection. I was familiar with the first story by Roger Zelazny, which is quite good. The rest of the stories, however, mostly fall flat. While many of the stories are quite well written and will pull you through, I found the endings and the overall story arcs mostly disappointing or not very interesting. I'd give it a pass as there are much better collections.

[Faith-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Orson Scott Card's "The Princess and the Bear".