Elf Magic

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Various

In this new collection of stories that magicks readers into the lands of elves both high and low, fantasy lovers will be treated to tales both humorous and tragic, spellbinding and terrifying. From unwary humans enchanted, to elves threatened by the encroachment of the mortal realms, to the mortal and immortal clashes between magic and science, here are unforgettable tales by some of fantasy's most creative storytellers.

Introduction • Martin H. Greenberg
Under the Skin • Michelle West
Netted • Josepha Sherman
The Phaerie Bride • Rosemary Edghill
Belle Bloody Merciless Dame • Jane Yolen
The Last Warrior • Tim Waggoner
Woman of the Elfmounds • Paul Edwin Zimmer
A Soul to Be Gained • Blake Cahoon
Sleight of Bride • Brooks Peck
The Shoemaker and the Elvis • Lawrence Schimel
The Marble King • Gary A. Braunbeck
The Céilidh • Connie Hirsch
Kind Hunter • Pati Nagle
The Gypsies’ Curse • Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Elf Help • John DeChancie
With His Own Wings • Bruce Holland Rogers
The Unbetrayable Reply • Peter Crowther
Mortal Things • Esther Friesner
My Lord Teaser • Richard Parks

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

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

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

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Despite the cover, which shows an elf that would look quite at home in Middle-Earth, these stories deal with the traditional fey. These stories are okay, but nothing stunning. Some seem to have very little connection with the apparent subject, and none really stood out. If you really love the fey and must have every book featuring them, you may enjoy this; if you don't, you won't miss anything if you don't get this book.

[The Elves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elf Magic edited by Martin H. Greenberg is a collection of short stories by various authors. Like most volumes of this sort, some stories appeal to us more than others, yet overall, we found this to be a pretty solid collection. The nice thing about these types of books, besides the stories themselves, is that one is able to acquaint ones’elf with various authors one may not have encountered previously and get some sense of their particular style. For our own part, we just love stories about elves and faerie folk. Most of these are retellings of traditional faerie lore and while we don’t always agree with their portrayal of the elven folk, we still love reading about Elf Magic.

The Silver Elves authors of Elven Silver

[The Omnivorous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a strange collection. Feel like we don’t find short story collections like this anymore. I think the theme the authors were asked to think about was fey magic in the modern world, so there is a lot of the real world in the stories, but its from the late 90s, so the world wide web is still very exciting for the authors.

[bluetyson]

Elf Magic (1997)