Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005

by Jonathan Strahan (Editor), Charles Stross (Contributor), Bruce Sterling (Contributor)

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Audiobook, Anthologies

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2006

Reviews

[Sotiria · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful story! I loved the Magician and I wish there had been a novel entirely about him! I bet his backstory is quite amazing! Nonetheless I enjoyed every minute of his interactions with Jyn and the slow unravelling of the true nature of both their characters

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lavar Burton brings this tale of Jayn and Timmon to life!

The story takes place in a standard fantasy setting, but the motivations and characters stand out as unique and having some depth. I am reminded of Ladyhawke and Matthew Broderick's young character, though I may be getting Jayn's age wrong there. The twist at the end is overshadowed by the characters themselves, for me - and I believe this is because I like them.

At any rate, this is a fun and interesting tale made all the better by Lavar Burton's read.

[Јордан Kocevski) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story, although short, has everything a good fantasy needs: an unlikely alliance, a wizard, a rouge, a quest...
It is a character driven story with excellent ending and great moral.

[Gillian Brownlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to on the LeVar Burton Reads podcast

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

****o "Two Hearts" Peter S. Beagle (follow up to The Last Unicorn)
ooooo "Snowball's Chance" Charles Stross
****o "Sunbird" Neil Gaiman
***oo "A Knot of Toads" Jane Yolen
xxxxx "Boatman's Holiday" Jeffrey FOrd
*oooo "The Language of Moths" Christopher Barzak
xxxxx "Anyway" M Rickert
***oo "The Emperor of Gondwanaland" Paul Di Filippo
****o "The Pirate's True Love" Seana Graham
***** "Intelligent Design" Ellen Klages
(probably my all-time favorite short story!!)
***oo "Pip and the Fairies" Theodora Goss
xxxxx "Leviathan" Simon Brown
*oooo "The Denial" Bruce Sterling
****o "The Farmer's Cat" Jeff VanderMeer
xxxxx "THere's a Hole in the Sky" RIchard Bowes
xxxxx "Monsster" Kelly Link

xxxxx = didn't read

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella was initially collected in "Fantasy: The Best Of The Year (2005 edition)" and later released on the web in PDF format, and as an audiobook. It is the story of a very powerful mage with a very bad reputation, hiring a very adroit thief. The thief is very wary, he does not want to do anything with the mage. But the wizard managed to entice him leveraging on his desire for new challenges... and some threats. It will turn out that the motivations of both characters are not the ones we are led to believe at first. An entertaining short story, a nice read for a raining day.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great short story, great world building and the characters are interesting and deep. Hearing it read by LeVar Burton added to the awesomeness.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories. Need to borrow it from the library again to finish them all.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun fantasy short story. The ending seemed a bit too convenient, but good story

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this read by LeVar Burton on his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads!

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short fantasy story involving a rogue and a wizard.

[Daniel Creviston]

From Lavar Burton Reads.

A fun story about a thief and a wizard.