Flights: 6extreme Visions of Fantasy

I initially bought this book out of my love for Neil Gaiman and his fiction. I wanted to read a rather elusive short story of his, which I wasn't disappointed by. To further add to my pleasure was how engaging the other tales were. All were imaginative, unique, and - at times - impossible to put down. The only reason I didn't give this a perfect 5 out of 5 was because, as with any anthology, the stories can be hit or miss. While most of the authors and their respective styles compliment the collection, there are a few that just didn't grip me like the others. Keep in mind, this is more of a personal tastes issue than a comment against the authors, so I won't name names. I'll just finish by saying if you like fantasy anthologies, this is a wonderful addition.

I didn't quite know what to expect from such a tile, what they meant by extreme. It's mostly unusual ways to approach fantasy, intended for an audience that matured from dragons and elves and expects a little bit more. I found many of the stories refreshingly original, twisted, and mind-bending. Among my favorites was a new take on Rapunzel told by an unlikely character, a sweet and sad story of a fallen angel, an interesting visit to Hell, and last but not least, a lion a bit too friendly to a certain witch. I also found some useful information, like how to tell when there's a demon around, by an unusual separation of cold and hot air. Good to know. An entertaining collection on the whole and that will most likely make me search for more books from some of the authors.

Just received this this week,(good way to start the new year) and I'm impressed with this book but I'm not surprised with anything that Al Sarrantonio put his hands to. What a cast of characters that deliver these stories. I'm just finishing up the great American East Texas storyteller Joe R. Lansdale and his new story, "Bill, the little steam shovel" and its nothing like I've read by Joe before but its so good, so like Joe Lansdale in its detail, humor and vision. This anthology has so many great stories and what a list of who's who... Orson Scott Card, Joyce Carol Oats, Neal Barrett jr., Charles De Lint, P.D. Cacek, Robert Silverberg, Nina Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, David Morrell, Ray Feist as well as the above master story teller Joe Lansdale this is a great way to spend extra time around the holidays! Pick your favorites!

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Robert Silverberg - The twist is that the sorcerer is actually a woman, and the apprentice is a young man who is instantly smitten by her. However, she treats him coldly...most of the time. "Perpetua" by Kit Reed - Strange story in which a father's love is carried too far. "The Edges of Never-Haven" by Catherine Asaro - In the town of Never-Haven, people live in curved houses and cannot create any straight line, not even a line in the dirt, without summoning demons. "Pat Moore" by Tim Powers - Brilliant, suspenseful ghost story. "Six Hypotheses" by Joyce Carol Oates - Strange story showing six hypotheses for the basis of a violent incident in a seemingly normal family. "The Silver Dragon" by Elizabeth A. Lynn - In this land the King can shapechange into a dragon. "Fallen Angel" by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Devout religious people may not care for this story much. "The Following" by P.D. Cacek - Chilling ghost story with a twist. "A Tower With No Doors" by Dennis L. McKiernan - Nice take on Rapunzel "Boomerang" by Larry Niven - Too short to describe "Wonderwall" by Elizabeth Hand - Sorry, don't remember much about this one (I don't have the book anymore) "Blood, Oak, Iron" by Janny Wurts - Every time a King dies, the successor is possessed by an evil spirit. Can the cycle ever be broken? "Riding Shotgun" by Charles de Lint - A man clearing out his deceased father's estate stumbles upon an old car and is transported back in time to a critical event in his past. "Demons Hide Their Faces" by A.A. Attasnasio - A skeptical young man discovers the truth about missing books. "Relations" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Can't remember "Tourists" by Neal Barrett, Jr. - Can't remember "The White Man" by Thomas M. Disch - A chilling tale of race relations and vampires. "Out of the Woods" by Patricia A. McKillip - can't remember "Perchance to Dream" by David Morrell - A doctor tries to treat a patient for sleep disorder. "Coming Across" by Harry Turtledove - Elves who can live forever (if they don't die of boredom-literally) created a gate to visit another world (ours) in search of interesting experiences. Little do they know what they will find and accidentally bring back with them. "The Problem of Susan" by Neil Gaiman - Related to C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle "Keeper of Lost Dreams" by Orson Scott Card - A young person discovers he is the keeper of the title "Watchfire" by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts - can't remember "Tots" by Peter Schneider - Four-year old children who fight each other to death for the amusement of adults "Jupiter's Skull" by Jeffrey Ford - A strange psychic woman leaves a legacy in tea leaves for a man and woman who had visited her often when she was alive. "Death's Door" by Terry Bisson - What happens when the dying can't die? "Bill, the Little Steam Shovel" by Joe R. Lansdale - A totally irreverent, hilarious tale of a steam shovel who dreams of being more than he is. "Sleepover"

Taking the who's who of modern day fantasy, twenty-nine worthy contributors provide powerful tales that run the genre's gamut and beyond. Each tale is well written with some so good they may prove to be the opening act of a new series. Fans of anthologies will have a feast for these are the grandmasters in one collection and all provide a fine contribution that makes the realm and cast seem real, not an easy venture for a novel let alone a short. Editor Al Sarrantonio needs investigating for blackmail because he must have something on notable authors like Turtledove, Feist, De Lint, Wolfe, Silverberg, Niven, Oates, Asaro, etc to get all of them to contribute to this quality offering. Harriet Klausner