Enchantress of Books and other stories

by Alison McBain

A collection of fantasy short stories by award-winning author Alison McBain.

What happens when Cinderella makes a deal with her devil of a godmother? Or when a princess has to face being rescued by a completely unsuitable hero? Or when a living body of water becomes a woman and falls in love?

Find out in this new collection of fantasy short stories by Alison McBain. This book contains fourteen of Ms. McBain’s most popular flash fiction and short stories, including her award-winning short “Grandmother Winter.” Also included are five brand-new stories, including “Enchantress of Books,” inspired by the collection's beautiful cover art created by the talented Richard Ong.

So wave a wand, make a wish on the moon, and prepare to delve into these nineteen fantastical adventures!

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2019

About the author

Diversity is one of Alison McBain's passions. With dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, a Japanese-American mother and a B.A. in African history and classical literature, she has an eclectic background and a wide range of experience. She grew up in California and moved to the East Coast in her mid-twenties. Recently, she moved back to Alberta, where she is raising her three daughters.

She started her writing career at age four with a "self-published" horror story about the monster in the closet. The story was highly lauded by her closest family members. Since then, she's received a number of writing awards and accolades from people not even vaguely related to her, but she still has a soft spot for that first short story.

Her interest in diversity also extends to fiction. With over seventy publications to her name, her stories and poems range in tone from serious to silly. They cover nearly every genre, including literary, romance, horror, science fiction, fantasy, history and adventure.

When not writing fiction, she follows her own personal mantra of, "Do something creative every day." She serves as the Associate Editor for the literary magazine ScribesMICRO. She also blogs about local events, showcases her art and conducts author interviews on her website, http://www.alisonmcbain.com/. When life gets a little too hectic, she does origami meditation or draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids.

Reviews

[Jessie Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were more fleshed out than others. It would’ve been better to call it a book of short stories and sketches.

[Gabi Coatsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are a great way to get into other worlds- all different. Some of the stories are fairytales-like in concept, some are what I might describe as time slips/alternate histories. One of these is the title story, in which a young journalist... I don’t want to spoil it! One is a retelling of the story of the Minotaur. There’s a story for every mood, and they vary in length to suit the time you have for reading. Fun, and a good gift too.

[Neeraja Sankaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry for the low rating, but I found myself unenamored with the relentless darkness and the deliberate cryptic not in these stories. Some of them seemed to go nowhere to be honest, and others ended too abruptly. So, while I liked her long book and am even looking forward to the sequel, I'm not inclined to vote this one up.

[Jacqueline Masumian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not a follower of fantasy fiction myself, I'm aware that many people are true devotees, and they will not be disappointed by this lovely set of stories by award-winning author Alison McBain.

With elegant prose full of vivid images, the author leads the reader into worlds of magic, fantasy, and fairy tales. Worlds where young girls are often warriors endowed with the courage to defy, or save, if they choose to, anyone who would attempt to demean them or lessen their power.

For lovers of fantasy literature, this story collection is a treasure.