Fantasy: The Best of the Year

The shorter, more whimsical pieces it seemed I didn't like as much here. However, this anthology still averages 3.53. Now given by my numbers I rate fantasy stories 0.20 to 0.25 lower or thereabouts in general, that would seem to be the equivalent of the various Year's Best SF series, for me, at least, somewhere around the 3.50 mark. The standout is clearly Benjamin Rosenbaum's story, and the last in the book, with van Eekhout, Beagle, Ford, Lanagan and Parks the author higher quality work. The introduction here is perhaps a little more in-depth than some of the others, maybe for space reasons, and some space is given to 'collected story intros' if you like, at the start. Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Journey into the Kingdom - M. Rickert Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : The Water Poet and the Four Seasons - David J. Schwartz Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter - Geoff Ryman Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : The Osteomancer's Son - Greg van Eekhout Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Salt Wine - Peter Beagle Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : The Original Word for Rain - Peter Higgins Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : The Lineaments of Gratified Desire - Ysabeau Wilce Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Journey to Gantica - Matthew Corradi Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Irregular Verbs - Matthew Johnson Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : A Fish Story - Sarah Totton Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : The Night Whiskey - Jeffrey Ford Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : A Fine Magic - Margo Lanagan Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Naturally - Daniel Handler Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Moon Viewing at Shijo Bridge - Richard Parks Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : Citrine: A Fable - Elise Moser Fantasy Best of the Year 2007 : A Siege of Cranes - Benjamin Rosenbaum Rules for snogging. 1. Check for life. 2. Check if human. 3 out of 5 Multi-part contract has to be seen through. 3 out of 5 Surfeit of spirits. 3 out of 5 Hierarch restructuring. 4 out of 5 The transformational power of mer drink is surprising. 4 out of 5 Getting a bit too apocalyptic with that magic language when the librarian you fancy gets a boyfriend. 3.5 out of 5 Hardhanded with Piggy. 3 out of 5 Oh No! I'm A Giant! At least here, anyway. 3.5 out of 5 Banana leaf dictionary body transfer. 3 out of 5 Could use a bigger rod. 3 out of 5 Death booze corpse recall putdown getaway. 4 out of 5 I'm...Spinning Around. So am I! 4 out of 5 Ghost boyfriend not up to snuff. 3.5 out of 5 Love letter succession subterfuge. 4 out of 5 Wasting away into artistic transport. 3.5 out of 5 Witch girl's zombie baby scorched earth revenge. 4.5 out of 5

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I pretty much know I am not going to like experimental plotless pieces, and in fantasy anthologies like this there is a fair chance there will be some, as some people like 'em, so broad selecting Super Editors should pick them for those people. Such is the case here, but there are more 4 star stories than I thought I would find, too, so good stuff. In fact, it averages 3.55, above the good line, as such. To shamelessly steal his own phraseology, there was good work here from Wolfe, Bear, Di Filippo, Gaiman, Taafe, Cadigan, Parks and Hughes, with the standout piece being Beagle's. The editor also says not much 'Heroic' fantasy to be found in general, so not much here, and by this I presume he is using it as an umbrella term for High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery and other such secondary world type offerings, in general. Which is interesting, as I had been wondering if there are enough good fantasy stories in a year to fill such a volume of more mainstream fantasy adventure type stories that are more in the vein of what Lin Carter might have chosen, or Silveberg's Legends anthology, compared to what Kelly Link or her predecessors prefer. The only annoying thing now is no electronic versio of the 2007 book, whereas there is for the 2006. Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Pip and the Fairies - Theodora Goss Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Comber - Gene Wolfe Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Three Urban Folk Tales - Eric Schaller Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Wax - Elizabeth Bear Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : The Emperor of Gondwanaland - Paul Di Filippo Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : CommComm - George Saunders Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Five Ways Jane Austen Never Died - Samantha Henderson Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Fancy Bread - Gregory Feeley Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Sunbird - Neil Gaiman Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : The Secret of Broken Tickers - Joe Murphy Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : On the Blindside - Sonya Taaffe Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Jane - Marc Laidlaw Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Is There Life After Rehab? - Pat Cadigan Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Two Hearts - Peter S. Beagle Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Super-Villains - Michael Canfield Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Empty Places - Richard Parks Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : Invisible - Steve Rasnic Tem Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : By the Light of Tomorrow's Sun - Holly Phillips Fantasy Best of the Year 2006 : The Gist Hunter - Matthew Hughes Obit teaparty flashback. 2.5 out of 5 Swiftly tilting city. 4 out of 5 Love to go postal, you rat. 2.5 out of 5 Forensic sorcery monster murder triangle. 4 out of 5 Online getaway hookup. 4 out of 5 Dead can be quite smelly. 3 out of 5 Possibly better story topics. 3 out of 5 Pommie snacks. 3.5 out of 5 "I have a presentiment of doom upon me," ..."And I fear it shall come to us with barbecue sauce." 4 ou