Strange Travelers: New Selected Stories

OK, after "accessible" I should add "compared to some of Wolfe's other collections." This one doesn't have any stories linked to his "Solar Cycle," and it has several stories which appeared in themed anthologies -- "Death of Koshchei the Deathless" appeared in one of the Datlow and Windling Fairy Tale anthologies, "Ain't You Most Done" appeared in an anthology of work inspired by Neil Gaiman's _Sandman_ series, "Queen of the Night" appeared in a collection of vampire stories, "Flash Company" in an anthology of fantasy about music ... Thus, for fans of SF, this is a good introduction to Wolfe. As long, I should say, as you don't mind some darkness in your SF. You may never recover after reading the Christmas (!) story "And When They Appear"; "One-Two-Three for Me" and "Queen of the Night" are utterly chilling; and most of the stories have, at the very least, some deep dark shadows (which will come as no surprise to Wolfe veterans). But if you're worrying about graphic, visceral horror, don't. Wolfe will terrify, even horrify, but he won't disgust. The collection contains: Bluesberry Jam One-Two-Three for Me Counting Cats in Zanzibar The Death of Koshchei the Deathless No Planets Strike Bed and Breakfast To the Seventh Queen of the Night And When They Appear Flash Company The Haunted Boardinghouse Useful Phrases The Man in the Pepper Mill The Ziggurat Ain't You Most Done Some notes: The collection is framed by the linked tales "Bluesberry Jam" and "Ain't You Most Done?". "Useful Phrases" is Wolfe doing a Borges story. "No Planets Strike" and "And When They Appear" join the growing collection of Wolfe Christmas stories (which also includes "La Befana" "War Beneath the Tree" and "How the Bishop Sailed to Inniskeen"). I rarely have a definite favorite in Wolfe collections, but here I have to give special mention to "The Haunted Boardinghouse."

The stories in Strange Travelers are a wonderful display of Wolfe's broad and varied style. Each story is told in an entirely different voice, making it impossible to get tired of reading them. There was more variety in this collection than there often is in multi-author collections.

You really ought to heed Patrick O'Leary's review below because he is a fine author in his own right. This collection demonstrates the incredibly broad range Wolfe is capable of; the New York Times reviewer commented that the underlying theme throughout is a sense of entropy in the universe. I would not oversimplify to that extent, but will state that each story will delight in its evocation of mood, atmosphere, and its portrayal of fascinating characters engaged in brilliantly bizarre activities. Read this book and then read The Book of the New Sun and all of Wolfe's other magical wonderful books.

traveling companions. Ziggurat makes it worth the purchase, When Planets Collide, Counting Cats in Zanzibar etc. are icing on the cake.

Readers familiar with Wolfe's short fiction will be most impressed by this major new collection. Readers who only know his superb "New/Long/Short Sun" novels will be amazed by the breadth and variety of these dark tales.Everyone else will be dazzled. "STRANGE TRAVELERS reads like an artifact of magic--something hidden, stumbled upon, irresistible and dangerous. A book of nightmares too beautiful to be true, too real to be denied, too vivid to be forgotten. Why doesn't everyone know Gene Wolfe is the best writer alive?