Familiars

by Denise Little (Editor), P.N. Elrod (Contributor), Jean Rabe (Contributor)

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jody Lynn Nye, P. N. Elrod, Andre Norton, Gary A. Braunbeck, Josepha Sherman, Michelle West and other tale-spinners stir up a witch's brew of original new stories that prove that cats aren't the only suitable familiars. There are dogs, and humans, and even insects that can handle the job!

11 • Searching for the Familiar • [Winston & Ruby] • novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
38 • And So, ad Infinitum • short story by Jody Lynn Nye
54 • First Familiars • short story by Laura Resnick
68 • Dog Spelled Backward • short story by P. N. Elrod
83 • This Dog Watched • novelette by Von Jocks
106 • On the Scent of the Witch • short story by Jean Rabe
118 • The Familiar • short story by Andre Norton
128 • Alliance • short story by Bill McCay
143 • Catseye • short story by Laura Anne Gilman
147 • Business as Usual • novelette by Diane A. S. Stuckart
170 • Modoc Rising • novelette by Gary A. Braunbeck
192 • Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It • short story by Susan Sizemore
200 • Swordplay • short story by Josepha Sherman
211 • Thieves in the Night • novelette by John Helfers
230 • Legacy • novella by Michelle West

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Animals, Cats

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Denise Little is an editor for Tekno Books.

Reviews

[Lindsey Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology offers stories about the mage's faithful companion, the familiar, and promises to depart from the usual cliches with new and different interpretations. Unfortunately, it fails on this account. Most of the stories do involve cats or dogs - which seems to be to be the obvious anti-cliche of the familiar world - and the familiars generally play an expected role in the story. (There is one tale where the familiar is particularly clever, which I won't identify because it spoils the ending ... but it's the only story where I felt the familiar was an intriguing, different sort of beast.)

I initially was going to give this anthology three stars, because most of the stories are passable and entertaining enough, and a couple shine: the riotous (if somewhat loosely plotted) "First Familiars," by Laura Resnick, which manages to take on the Clinton's pets and still marvelously avoids partisan commentary; and "This Dog Watched," by Von Jocks, where magic, love and the power of words blend together into a poetry of their own. However, many of the stories seemed uneven, bland or incomplete, and the final story is a bewildering eighty-nine page epic where I still couldn't tell you exactly what happened and why.

I also found the description of this anthology somewhat misleading, because a large majority of the stories are contemporary, with only a few set in secondary worlds. With so many options for familiars in different societies, I was a bit disappointed by this. Not that I mind modern stories, but I feel the description of an anthology should be more upfront about the contents.

In the end, most of the stories were a decent read, but predictable or forgettable.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this one. What promised to be a "new" take on the idea of familiars (something other than the standard black cat), really didn't venture that far afield. There were some dogs, a rat, and a few other interesting characters as familiars, but it really didn't stretch the theme all that much. The story featuring Bill Clinton's cat Socks was entertaining and humorous. But mostly, the stories were just....meh. I finished the book only a couple days ago, and none of the other stories really stuck with me. And the final story (more novella-length, actually) just made my head spin! I thought it was just me, but I've read some other reviews that expressed the same thing--I felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of a novel, and I had no idea what was going on. There were so many things mentioned but never explained, so much technical computer jargon being used that I really couldn't follow, and I found I really didn't sympathize with anyone in the story enough to care what happened to them. It was an extended, mad muddle of a story, that had me saying "Wha.....?" most of the time! Kind of a bummer way to start the year, overall.

[Lori Schiele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories covering the subject of "familiars": companions that often have a spiritual connection to wizards and witches and may assist them with magick -- some of the stories use the term quite literally while others use it quite loosely, and/or humorously.
As always, some of the stories were better than others, but for the most part, an enjoyable read, whether you are a magick-user yourself, or just enjoy the concept.

[Amélie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michelle Sagar's short story is a SF story about a young girl and her friend who are on a quest in a VR game.

[SpentCello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very hit and miss. But mainly misses. It is a fun idea for an anthology and some of the short stories were light-hearted and enjoyable, but the majority were badly written and cringey.

[Melanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a single story in this anthology really captured my attention. They were all rather lackluster.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes a Winston and Ruby story. Several really great stories and a few that are just okay. Really great story for someone who has just lost a dog like Delilah. It could practically be about her.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most short story collections, there were good ones and a few not so good ones.