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Fate Fantastic
16 Original stories about fate
Do we all have destinies we can't avoid? Or is each of us able to determine our own future by our actions? Are there key moments in time that offer unique opportunities to change fate?
These are just a few of the questions explored in sixteen original tales that follow the paths of fates to distant worlds, dimensions, and times. From a being trained to be something he was not...to a street vendor selling Fate dogs...to the "true" story of King Arthur...to a gambler who turns to the Kabbalah to find a sure bet...to a man whose girlfriend is one of the three Fates...to the tale of one woman's appointment with Death...here are tales of darkness and danger, and stories with a humorous twist-gripping visions of the role fate can play in anyone's life.
Do we all have destinies we can't avoid? Or is each of us able to determine our own future by our actions? Are there key moments in time that offer unique opportunities to change fate?
These are just a few of the questions explored in sixteen original tales that follow the paths of fates to distant worlds, dimensions, and times. From a being trained to be something he was not...to a street vendor selling Fate dogs...to the "true" story of King Arthur...to a gambler who turns to the Kabbalah to find a sure bet...to a man whose girlfriend is one of the three Fates...to the tale of one woman's appointment with Death...here are tales of darkness and danger, and stories with a humorous twist-gripping visions of the role fate can play in anyone's life.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 2, 2007
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41 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books166 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2018
This is a bit of a strange book.
1. Ascent by Julie E. Czerneda: this falls into the weird category. Basically,
2. Approaching Sixty by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg: a funny story about gambling where . This is good.
3. But World Enough by Sarah A. Hoyt: a story about Hannibal and the goddess who he served. It's a good story - Probably the best story in this book.
4. Consigned by Alan Dean Foster: a story featuring some marine-based creatures (Tyry) with multiple tentacles, where one tries to venture above the water. I liked the description of scientific endeavour. It also retains its lighthearted feel.
5. My Girlfriend Fate by Darwin A. Garrison: a guy going demon/ghoul hunting, with his supernatural girlfriend, Moira. Her sisters (Addie and Cleo) show up unexpectedly. I love how sassy she is, although the end .
6. A Rat's Tale by Barbara Nickless: Told from the point of view of Gratz, a guard who hunts time-travellers who want to run away. These time-travellers are killed. A fellow guard, Johannes, is involved in a revolution against the organisation that runs things. This is not a bad story, but needs more detail - the nature of the revolution and the WTA are skimmed over, when detail could have really helped in immersion. As it is, I'm left with a feeling of "ok, that happened."
7. The Bones of Mammoth Malone by Esther M. Friesner: This reads like a detective Western, involving tribes which sound like they come from the ice age. Basically: girl goes to the detective for help , and detective solves it . It's an interesting setting and well-pulled off.
8. Death and Taxes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: this is a really interesting story that works - Patrick was part of a study, and he runs into Keri, another study participant whose . Told primarily through a flashback, the story unfurls slowly. I left wondering if .
9. Fate Dogs by Robert A. Hoyt: a hot dog seller sells buns that change your fate if you eat them. I liked that the . A fun, light story.
10. The Man with One Bright Eye by Jay Lake: this reads like an origin story about a super-special guy. I'm not really into it.
11. A Tapestry of Souls by Paul Crilley: interesting story about a guy who falls in love with the servant of a goddess. Could also be a story on an epic scale, but this works as well. Reminded me a little of But World Enough.
12. The Final Choice by Irene Radfford: this is a fairly good story about Death at the end of the year.
13. The Prophecy of Symon the Inept by Rebecca Lickiss: a fun story about a guy who tries to cheat fate.
14. Choice of the Oracles by Kate Paulk: set in a futuristic world, where the Scylla-silk producing machines have stopped working. The Oracles which control the people's lives It felt a bit preachy, and I think the author fell a little short of the effect she was reaching for.
15. Camelot's Greatest Hits by Laura Resnick: great retelling of the tale of King Arthur from Merlin's perspective where Arthur was a rock star. Fun read and great story.
16. Jack by Dave Freer: this was a solid ending to the book. Written from two perspectives: the Jack which
On the whole, these stories didn't feel like they were organised around a theme (much less that of "fate"), and a lot of them felt a bit on the meh side. The quality really was mixed.
2.5/5
1. Ascent by Julie E. Czerneda: this falls into the weird category. Basically,
2. Approaching Sixty by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg: a funny story about gambling where . This is good.
3. But World Enough by Sarah A. Hoyt: a story about Hannibal and the goddess who he served. It's a good story - Probably the best story in this book.
4. Consigned by Alan Dean Foster: a story featuring some marine-based creatures (Tyry) with multiple tentacles, where one tries to venture above the water. I liked the description of scientific endeavour. It also retains its lighthearted feel.
5. My Girlfriend Fate by Darwin A. Garrison: a guy going demon/ghoul hunting, with his supernatural girlfriend, Moira. Her sisters (Addie and Cleo) show up unexpectedly. I love how sassy she is, although the end .
6. A Rat's Tale by Barbara Nickless: Told from the point of view of Gratz, a guard who hunts time-travellers who want to run away. These time-travellers are killed. A fellow guard, Johannes, is involved in a revolution against the organisation that runs things. This is not a bad story, but needs more detail - the nature of the revolution and the WTA are skimmed over, when detail could have really helped in immersion. As it is, I'm left with a feeling of "ok, that happened."
7. The Bones of Mammoth Malone by Esther M. Friesner: This reads like a detective Western, involving tribes which sound like they come from the ice age. Basically: girl goes to the detective for help , and detective solves it . It's an interesting setting and well-pulled off.
8. Death and Taxes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: this is a really interesting story that works - Patrick was part of a study, and he runs into Keri, another study participant whose . Told primarily through a flashback, the story unfurls slowly. I left wondering if .
9. Fate Dogs by Robert A. Hoyt: a hot dog seller sells buns that change your fate if you eat them. I liked that the . A fun, light story.
10. The Man with One Bright Eye by Jay Lake: this reads like an origin story about a super-special guy. I'm not really into it.
11. A Tapestry of Souls by Paul Crilley: interesting story about a guy who falls in love with the servant of a goddess. Could also be a story on an epic scale, but this works as well. Reminded me a little of But World Enough.
12. The Final Choice by Irene Radfford: this is a fairly good story about Death at the end of the year.
13. The Prophecy of Symon the Inept by Rebecca Lickiss: a fun story about a guy who tries to cheat fate.
14. Choice of the Oracles by Kate Paulk: set in a futuristic world, where the Scylla-silk producing machines have stopped working. The Oracles which control the people's lives It felt a bit preachy, and I think the author fell a little short of the effect she was reaching for.
15. Camelot's Greatest Hits by Laura Resnick: great retelling of the tale of King Arthur from Merlin's perspective where Arthur was a rock star. Fun read and great story.
16. Jack by Dave Freer: this was a solid ending to the book. Written from two perspectives: the Jack which
On the whole, these stories didn't feel like they were organised around a theme (much less that of "fate"), and a lot of them felt a bit on the meh side. The quality really was mixed.
2.5/5
January 31, 2014
Some of the stories I wish I had skipped. Others were worth the read...the story about the Oracle was my favorite. The book is worth looking through, but I would pick and choose which stories to read.
October 4, 2013
Haven't finished this but it is without a doubt the worst Greenberg anthology I have ever come across. I have read literally dozens of them, so that's pretty bad. NOT a reoommend!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews