Eclipse 3

I've been collecting SFF anthologies for the last ten years now. That combined with my own writing for the short story market and keeping up with all the SFF magazines has resulted in a preference for stories that cut deeper than just an initial reaction to the lines on the page. Stories that have multiple meanings, and keen insight that stays with the reader for hours after the read, even days. Eclipse 3 was just that for me - it left me spellbound. I didn't care for 2-3 of the stories, and even skimmed them, but the rest astounded me, and in my opinion, rank extraordinarily high on my list of best-ever SFF short stories. Karen Joy Fowler's "The Pelican Bar" has been nominated for multiple awards after this antho was released, and has deserved each one of them, in my opinion. Elizabeth Bear's "Swell" was gorgeous. Jeffrey Ford, a master of short stories, stunned me with "The Coral Heart." Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Galapagos" thrills with suspense and horror and longing. I didn't care for the Kushner at first, but once I'd invested in it, I realized there were layers there that I'd missed the first read-through, and its beauty was nearly overwhelming. These stories aren't glossed-up with tech and drama and big SFF antics - if you want that, look for anthologies themed with latest baddie (zombie, vampires, etc.). In Eclipse 3, Strahan has instead collected stories that cross a marvel of complex emotion, and describe real life woven into the scary possibility of fantasy and science fiction. It's the best of the three Eclipse anthologies so far, and one of the best you can buy.