Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy

Found the Firebirds trilogy about 15-20 years ago and fell in love. One of my favorite stories from this volume is the Seven Librarians… perfect for a bibliophile like myself. Got a copy of the third book on the way.

Firebird books are my favorites; whenever I run out of books, I look at the authors in the latest Firebirds anthology (or their website) and get some of their books. Firebird anthologies are the best sources of fantasy. Good stuff.

I read the first collection, The Firebird, and feel in love all over again with Megan W. Turner and for this book, in addition to my already favorite authors, it introduced me to more of authors whose styles I like very much. First of all is Ellen Klages, with 'In The House of the Seven Librarians'. I love her prose and all the words make a nice song in my head. It was almost like a poetry. Second is Tanith Lee. I haven't had the chance to read her books but I like her story 'The House on The Planet'. The title reminds me of Laura Ingalls' :) It has the taste of pioneering adventure in it but of course, with a surprise at the ending.

This anthology follows in the footsteps of the original 'Firebirds' collection: A few brilliant stories among the padding of watered down sub-fare from famous names. In all honesty many of these stories would never have seen print without the famous name of the author being used on the cover to promote the book. A shame, since the premise of the anthology delights me. I *am* very glad I read this book, though, especially for the sake of two stories I very much enjoyed: 'In the House of the Seven Librarians' by Ellen Klages is my favorite story, and worth the price of the book alone! This story is about a young girl named Dinsy who is raised by seven 'feral librarians' in an old library building. This book is a paean to old libraries and classics of literature. Any lover of books and reading will thrill to this book. For those of us who remember the old-style libraries with card catalogs, it is a veritable love song. For all book lovers, it's a treasure to love and cherish. 'Hives' by Kara Dalkey is a science fiction story about a future where technology can telepathically link minds, and teen girls use this to keep themselves in constant contact with their groups of friends, or 'hives'. But what happens when the girls get 'cut' from the network of their hive? Why does the sudden silence in their minds cause them to kill themselves? This story takes a science fiction approach to the importance of female friendships, and how necessary and addictive they can become. As Peter S. Beagle said in his novel 'Tamsin', "When you're 14 years old you're not yourself, you are your friends. You forget that when you grow up." There were two other stories that I did enjoy reading. 'The Real Thing' by Alison Goodman was another sci-fi story exploring a future where genetic enhancement is prevalent, and the prejudice between those who are 'comp' made and those whose parents let nature take its course. The story is taken from a novel by the author, so it does feel a bit like a chapter out of a larger novel. That said, I really enjoyed this story and plan to track down the source novel it came from. An interesting story that made me think, as all good sci-fi does (I loathe the modern sci-fi movie cliche that sci-fi is only good for loud explosions). 'The House on the Planet' by Tanith Lee explores three young women living in the same house over 100 years' time on a colonized alien planet in the future. The subtle beauty of this story, of the alien landscape and how its birds and creatures speak to and inspire these women over many generations was inspiring. The end is a surprise, but indeed says a lot about the nature of 'humanity'. A beautiful story I'm glad I read. Of the other stories, many were sub-par efforts on behalf of famous writers. Many were out-takes from other books or story universes, which really didn't work for anyone unfamiliar with the source material. Regardless, many of the stories felt like watered-down pap, very 'exp

Firebirds Rising is an engaging mix of SF and Fantasy stories aimed at a young adult audience, though quite enjoyable for adults as well. Two of my favorites are Science Fiction: Carol Emshwiller's "Quill", an oddly old-fashioned, charming yet sad, story of an isolated family and their curious secret; and Kara Dalkey's "Hives", an uncompromising story of teen-aged girls and cliques, exacerbated by near-telepathic phone connections. Naturally one of the stories I most looked forward to was Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil", and this is indeed a very enjoyable piece, though not as good as her best work. A boy named Onion and his disagreeable cousin Halsa, as well as Halsa's mother and brothers, are fleeing a war that has already their other parents' lives. Money is short, so when a reprensative of the reclusive Wizards of Perfil offers to buy a child, one of them must go. Onion, who may be telepathic, seems a natural candidate to sell to the representative of the reclusive wizards, but somehow Halsa is sold instead. As we expect with Link, the story goes in unexpected directions, telling of both Onion and Halsa and the very reclusive wizards - though I must say the resolution was exactly what I expected. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing.) I was also delighted to see a story by Emma Bull, with the intriguing title "What Used to Be Good Still Is" (a title actually credited to Elise Matthesen). This is a moving story of a young man in a mining town in Arizona in the 1930s, and his love for a Mexican-American girl, who loves him but loves something else even more. Patricia A. McKillip contributes another of her stories about a group of painters resembling the Pre-Raphaelites. "Jack O'Lantern" is about a girl struggling with her parents' conventional views of the role of women, particularly upper class women, as her older sister prepares to be married. During the painting of a wedding party portrait she meets a curious local lad, and hears a story about the Jack O'Lantern. Diana Wynne Jones's "I'll Give You My Word" is as clever as we expect from her, about a boy whose younger brother speaks in phrases like "sententious purple coriander". The story concerns the younger boy's trouble at school, and the problems the whole family encounters when the mother takes a book promotion trip. Ellen Klages's "In the House of the Seven Librarians" is purely charming, about a child growing up in a shuttered old-fashioned library. And there are plenty further fine stories here, from names I expected to see like Charles de Lint and Tamora Pierce, and from perhaps surprising names like Alan Dean Foster. I enjoyed the anthology throughout. If I had a complaint, it would be that perhaps a few too many stories seem to play things just a bit safe. (With exceptions, such as Dalkey's "Hives" and Francesca Lia Block's "Blood Roses".) I would attribute that to the YA nature of the book - I suspect I should, indeed - but we certainly have plenty of examples of YA f

This collection as a whole is definitely worth reading, and many of the stories deserves rereading as well. At the same time, there were a few stories that just weren't that impressive. This collection contained a lot of coming of age stories. Here are my thoughts on the individual stories (sorry if they're a bit vague- I'm trying to be helpful without giving too much away!): Tamora Pierce's "Huntress"- One of those stories that just didn't impress me, although I really did like the concept (wicked youth and a vengeful goddess). Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Unwrapping"- For me, it wasn't exactly memorable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It had an interesting premise and I liked the imagery. Alison Goodman's "The Real Thing"- I didn't really like this story that much. It's based on some of the author's other books, and reads like a chapter out of one of them. It's a decent work of science fiction, but it seems like it belongs with a greater story. Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost"- I love the title. However, I'm not really a big fan of stories about little people, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Diana Wynne Jones's "I'll Give You My Word"- I loved this story. The character of Jeremy is just so unique and lovable, and the story is interesting, quirky, and somewhat humorous. Ellen Klages "In the House of the Seven Librarians"- This is one of my favorite stories in the book. Basically, a baby is returned to the library to pay for an overdue book, and the story follows her progress as she grows up. Very cute. It's one of the many coming of age stories in the book, definitely one of the better ones. Sharon Shinn's "Wintermoon Wish"- This would make a great Christmastime story. Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same effect when you read it in the summer. It's got a nice moral though. Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil"- A nice bit of fantasy. Onion is immediately likeable, and Halsa grows on you once you see her good side. The wizards are interesting as well, especially the stories relating to them. Patricia A. McKillip's "Jack O'Lantern"- I liked the mix of mythologies in this story. Although I wasn't crazy about the setting, I do see the point the narrator was trying to get across. I just wish that the protagonist had been somewhat stronger and more resistant to the world around her. Carol Emshwiller's "Quill"- A nice work of science fiction. A bit darker than a lot of the other works in this anthology. It's simultaneuosly a coming of age story and a commentary on humanity, at least from my point of view. Francesca Lia Block's "Blood Roses"- This one is a bit complicated. Like "Quill", it also has a somewhat dark side. It's a bit complicated, and I really feel I need to read it at least one more time to get it completely, but the language is simply beautiful. Kara Dalkey's "Hives"- This one sucked me in for no reason whatsoever. I suppose I just found the concept fascinating, and I was attracted to the strong heroine.