MY FAVORITE FANTASY STORY

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Barbara Kingsolver, Rick Hautala

Who do today's top fantasy writers read--and why? This was the question posed to some of the most influential authors in the field today. This book is their answer. Here are seventeen of the most memorable stories in the genre, each one personally selected by a well-known writer, and each prefaced by that writer's explanation of his or her choice. Here's your chance to enjoy familiar favorites, and perhaps to discover some wonderful new treasures. In each case, you'll have the opportunity to see the story from the perspective of a master of the field.

"Ghosts of Wind and Shadow" • Charles de Lint chosen by Tanya Huff
"Mazirian the Magician" • Jack Vance chosen by Robert Silverberg
"Troll Bridge" • Terry Pratchett chosen by Michelle West
"The Tale of Hauk" • Poul Anderson chosen by Mickey Zucker Reichert
"In Our Block" • R.A. Lafferty chosen by Neil Gaiman
"The Gnarly Man" • L. Sprague de Camp chosen by Terry Prachett
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" • M.R. James chosen by Morgan Llywelyn
"Homeland" • Barbara Kingsolver chosen by Charles de Lint
"Stealing God" • Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald chosen by Katherine Kurtz
"Shadowlands" • Elisabeth Waters chosen by Marion Zimmer Bradley
"Mopsa the Fairy" • Jean Ingelow chosen by Gene Wolfe
"Liane the Wayfarer" • [Dying Earth] • Jack Vance (aka The Loom of Darkness) chosen by George R.R. Martin
"The Spring" • [John the Balladeer] • Manly Wade Wellman chosen by Andre Norton
"That Hell-Bound Train" • Robert Bloch chosen by Rick Hautala
"The Dancer from the Dance" • M. John Harrison chosen by Stephen R. Donaldson
"More Spinned Against" • John Wyndham chosen by Matt Costello
"The Bagman's Story" • Charles Dickens chosen by Margaret Weis
"Unicorn Variations" • Roger Zelazny (aka Unicorn Variation) chosen by Fred Saberhagen

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

432 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Martin 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.

Reviews

[Martin Doychinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Доста добра идея - да попиташ куп световноизвестни автори на фентъзи да изберат един разказ в жанра, който им е любим. Качеството би трябвало да е в космоса, да видим :).
1. "Духове на вятъра и сянката" от Чарлс Де Линт; избран от Таня Хъф: Приказна история за феи и склоняване на непълнолетни към проституция, развиваща се в съвременен град. Много оригинално и вълшебно! 5
2. "Магьосникът Мазириан" от Джак Ванс; избран от Робърт Силвърбърг: Разказ, издаван поне няколко пъти у нас, и то - съвсем несулчайно. Целият сборник "Залезът на Земята" е страхотен, а това, че е издаден през 50-а няма абсолютно никакво значение! 4,5
3. "Мостът на трола" от Тери Пратчет; избран от Мишел Уест: Тери Пратчет е гениален и който не вярва може да прочете този картък разказ, в който има много от почти всичко. 5!
4. "Предание за Хок" от Пол Андерсън; избран от Майки Зукър Райхарт: Не само викингската обстановка кара този разказ-приказка да е една нова сага с добър хорър-елемент. Приказната част по принцип не ми харесва, та 4.
5. "В нашия квартал" от Р. А. Лафърти; избран от Нийл Гейман: Оригинална олд-скул фантастика, съвсем нелишена от хумор. Трябва да се запозная с творчеството на Р. А. Лафърти по-обстойно. 5
6. "Уродливецът" от Л. Спраг де Камп; избран от Тери Прачет: Отново оригинален сюжет и първокласен разказ за безсмъртен неандерталец! 5
7. "О, свирни и при теб ще дойда аз!" от М. Р. Джеймс; избран от Морган Лайуилин: По принцип, много стари разкази на ужасите не ми харесват. Този е изключение - 4,5!
8. "Родна земя" от Барбара Кингсолвър; избран от Чарлс де Линт: Непознат за мен автор, който е написал разказ, който сякаш най-вече е искал да покаже трудностите преди ВСВ за средностатистическото американско семейство и изчезването на последните останки от неасимилирани индианци в САЩ. Всичко това е взело превес над завръзка и сюжет. 3,5
9. "Земята на сенките" от Елизабет Уотърс; избран от Марион Зимър Брадли: Страхотна вариация на мита за Орфей! 5
10. "Лайен пътника" от Джак Ванс; избран от Джордж Р. Р. Мартин: Още от поредицата "Умиращата земя", която трябва да прочета! Качеството е поне в стратосферата! 5!
11. "Изворът" от Менли Уейд Уелман; избран от Андре Нортън: По-олдскул разказ, който макар и да не блести с оригиналност е интересен и първокласно написан. 4
С обща лична 7оценка 4,59 е ясно, че сборникът е силно-препоръчителен за почитателите на фентъзи, както и е рекламиран. Допълнителни благини:
+ Преди всеки разказ има по половин страничка от избралия го, която опизва защо този разказ е много специален за него, а това не са случайни хора!
+ Накрая на книгата има по абзац за всеки от авторите - макар и да би било да е преди, или още по-добре - след самия разказ, пак е много добре, особено за по-неизвестните за мен.
+ Качествен превод.
Някои неблагини:
- Оригиналното издание "My Favorite Fantasy Story" е разделено на два тома - този и "Откраднатият граал" - пошла практика за доене на читателя.
- В кратките думи за сър Тери, той е споменат като най-известен със своя, цитирам "ТЕПСИЕН свят" - бая смях!
П.П. Ще прочета и другият том, но според мен "My Favorite Fantasy Story" заслужава по-луксозно издание на майчин език!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an astoundingly terrible title for an otherwise very good anthology!

The anthology hosts a wide variety of stories from Charles Dickens to Terry Pratchett; what a mistake to give it such a offputting name! This is not a third-grader's book report, this is a very good collection that includes some great stories! Couldn't a title slightly more suggestive of the anthology's merit have been chosen?

(Then add to the terrible title the fact that Goodreads -- at least currently -- lists this book's description as that of a different anthology...of horror stories. Ugh.)

Once you're past the grievously unfortunate title, you'll find an excellent range of fiction tied by varying degrees to the genre of fantasy.

For example, there's more "traditional" fantasy ranging from the humorous story of Cohen the Barbarian by Terry Pratchett to the grimly brutal Liane the Wayfarer by Jack Vance. Knowing that the latter story was George R.R. Martin's contribution as editor is not in the least surprising once you read Vance's story.

On the edge of what might be considered "fantasy", there's the Dickens' lighthearted story from The Pickwick Papers of a man who, after having perhaps a bit too much to drink, had a strange old chair turn into an old man that helped him pursue his love interest. There's also Barbara Kingsolver's story of a girl's grandmother's death - that hardly contains mention of a fantastic element, let alone any explicit fantastic forces.

The variety is such that, if a reader has any interest in the genre of fantasy, there has to be a story that appeals - and undoubtedly, numerous that do not.

If your taste is anything like mine, do put in the effort to get past the first story by Charles de Lint: I still simply can't comprehend what his fans see in his writing. Or M. John Harrison's story The Dancer from the Dance: that was an incomprehensible collection of words that hardly seemed like a story at all. What did I miss there?

Overall, the good definitely outweighed the bad: , Unicorn Variations made me laugh out loud (as each of the various mythical creatures first introduced themselves to Martin -- and then, without much delay, asked him if he had any beer), Troll Bridge (Prachett's story) was humorously entertaining yet with a sad/serious undercurrent as well, The Hell-bound Train was clever - and in a good way, Mazirian the Magician was intriguing 'pure' fantasy that didn't feel like a Tolkien spin-off, and my favorite Mopsa the Fairy was a tale about a young boy and his voyage to Fairyland that, despite its childish tone, somehow conveyed a sense of the hauntingly profound by the story's end.


It's definitely worth picking up this anthology if you have any interest in the genre for the variety of really great stories amid the rest. Also, I recommend the Kindle edition since - despite the various typos in the Kindle text - no one will have to see the title of the book you're reading.

...

And since the Goodreads description is not accurate, here's the full table of contents from the book:

Ghosts of Wind and Shadow - Charles de Lint
Mazirian the Magician - Jack Vance
Troll Bridge - Terry Pratchett
The Tale of Hauk - Poul Anderson
In Our Block - R. A. Lafferty
The Gnarly Man - L. Sprague de Camp
Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad - M. R. James
Homeland - Barbara Kingsolver
Stealing God - Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald
Shadowlands - Elisabeth Waters
Mopsa the Fairy - Jean Ingelow
Liane the Wayfarer - Jack Vance
The Spring - Manly Wade Wellman
That Hell-bound Train -Robert Bloch
The Dancer from the Dance - M. John Harrison
More Spinned Against - John Wyndham
The Bagman's Story - Charles Dickens
Unicorn Variations - Roger Zelazny

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern fantasy authors choose their favorite stories from authors who influenced them. Real mixed bag of old and new/good and bad. Stories that stand out at "Stealing God," chosen by Katherine Kurtz, about modern day Templars and CIA-like nuns. "Ghosts of Wind and Shadow" was an interesting Irish/Otherworld-themed tale. "More Spinned Against" was a fun spider story. In "Unicorn Variations," a unicorn and a chess master play for the fate of humanity--with the help of Bigfoot and some griffins. "That Hell-Bound Train" took a nice spin on the deal with the devil. "Shadowlands," chosen by Marion Zimmer Bradley, also had a nice flavor. The rest were rather dry--some too much so.

[Rita Varian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this and wondered what George RR Martin's favorite story would be like; would everybody get killed? Would a female character think about how her boobs feel? Sadly, he and Robert Silverberg both chose Jack Vance stories with nearly identical plots. Why did the editor let that happen? Other than that, it is a strong collection. Mopsa the Fairy had the biggest effect on me; it was like Alice in Wonderland but more disturbing.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The few good ones are really good, a lot are forgettable. Maybe it is because of the very nature of the collection but this book is very hit or miss and none of it flows well together as an anthology. Mopsa the fairy way too long to be included in a short story collection. "Homeland" by Barbara Kingsolver is an excellent story but is it fantasy? No.

[Mike S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved a few of these stories, unfortunately the majority of the stories were to me terrible. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book. If your library has it you could check it out without wasting money on it.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology from 2009 requested the favorite fantasy story of well-known SF and F authors, and it's a mixed bag. Some are quite good as well as famous (James' “Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad”), some are funny (Pratchett's “Troll Bridge”), and some are embarrassing (the 1869 fantasy “Mopsa the Fairy” that is a novella in length and is a poor imitation of Alice in Wonderland, published four years earlier). I have nothing against Jack Vance, but two authors chose two different selections from Vance's “The Dying Earth”. More variety would have been nice.

[Red Risa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique premise..

...with unique results!
I found short stories, suggested by familiar writers to unknown or forgotten (to me) authors.
With very few "duds" in the bunch!
Great way to pass the time between reading my other novels.
Well worth the price. 😉

[Caleb Roderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry for the three, but it was hard to decide where to rate. There were some really good stories in here that are going to stay with me, and some that were not so good, like the hundred page children's novel I didn't finish. Hit or miss, but worth flipping through.

[Vickie Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

MIXED BAG. WONDERFULLY WORTHWHILE

Was pleased to see both familiar authors and some that were new to me. (I took names!)
Especially enjoyed Zelazny, but I always do.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

As editor did for horror, he does for fantasy, presenting top fantasy writers, choosing their favorites, Love writers' story introductions, providing insight and rationale for inclusion. Book should have had hardcover publication.

[Suzi Luger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories written by a variety of Fantasy authors.