The Dog Said Bow-Wow

I was given this book by a friend. As soon as I finished it, I gave it to another friend, because it was just that great. I've now bought 3 copies of this book to give to other people, and another for myself, because I couldn't wait to reread it. Swanwick is a master of short fiction.

Michael Swanwick, along with Connie Willis and Kelly Link, is one of the best science fiction short story writers out there. His re-imagining of fable and fantasy and setting it in a modern society where fairies and elves talk like your neighbor next door while wielding magic that lives in a our faintest memories is sometimes so good it can change how you look at the world we currently live in. Maybe there is still some magic out there. Anyone that appreciates serious and challenging science fiction and fantasy short stories should gift themselves with this collection.

This collection has a little bit of everything in it from dinosaurs to a bordello in Fairie. This is a good intro to Swanwick's work because his main areas of interest are all covered and if you like a certain story in the book you can find more like it. If you like this then check out his best collection in my opinion, Tales of the Old Earth.

I stumbled upon this anthology after scanning a list of past Hugo winners, looking for some authors with whom I was not yet acquainted. I wish I had discovered Michael Swanwick years ago. I couldn't put this book down. My wife got sick of me saying, "You know, this guy is really good." All of the stories were engaging, but I particularly enjoyed "Slow Life." It had a satisfying interplay of ideas that I won't spoil for you. And if you're a fan of Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser, you'll certainly enjoy the three Darger and Surplus stories. Don't let the simplicity of the title put you off; these are complex and well crafted stories woven by a master. I'm definitely going to add more Swanwick to my collection.

This book is simply a pleasure to read. I have recently read books of short stories by Gene Wolfe and Larry Niven and (surprisingly in Wolfe's case) the collections were not very good. Bow-Wow as the opposite. While some stories are stronger than others, I enjoyed them all.