Witch Way to the Mall

Esther Friesner continues her life's work of bringing laughter to the world with this collection of sub-urban fantasy, for why should city-dwellers get all the good stories, as well as all the good restaurants? Here are 22 stories of magic, witch wannabes, sentient minivans, stolen power, grimoires, dank energy vortices that need dispelling, perilous soccer games, dating without parental approval, and trying to fly below the radar. From Harry Turtledove's story of rival bird-watchers who start conjuring extinct species to win the Yule count, to "There's No `I' in Coven" by Jody Lynn Nye, there is a lot of talented story-telling contained in these pages. Several of these offerings are retro, either in setting or in the slang. "The Darren" by Hildy Silverman is about the dating misadventures of two teen witches at a mundane school, with lots of references to Bewitched. Julia S. Mandala's "Valley Witch" has a semi-villainous mom reliving her glory days at a California high school, to the untellable embarrassment of her son, who only wants to go back to Evil Academy. "Midnight at the Center Court" by David Levine is set in the seventies when open air strip malls were being converted to enclosed showcases. This story also hints at the difficulties faced by kids who don't fit the prevailing gender stereotypes. The 1980s are the setting for "Making Love," by Brenda Clough, about an elderly woman who knits healing spells into the gifts she makes. For readers who remember these decades, the setting cues are very evocative. Protagonists come in all ages, races, and sizes, so if you come across one that just doesn't appeal to you, skip a few pages - you'll find one to your liking. One of my favorite stories was "Witch Warrior" by Steven Piziks, because Baba Yaga shows up. I liked the showdown between the mother of all witches and a father fighting for the lives of his two terrified adopted Ukrainian children. "The House of Lost Dreams" by Storm Christopher is very like "Wong's Lost and Found Emporium," but that motif - a mysterious shop that appears and gives you a chance to find what's missing in your life - needs retelling in and by and for every generation. This story has some moving - and chilling - scenes of dreams uncovered. What about the rest? Find out for yourself! This ranks as one of the best buys for your money.

The is the first in apparently a series. "Strip Mauled" is the follow on and is excellent as well. The stories in this anthology are humorous and whimsical by and large. But a number of them leave me going OK so what happens next and all are outstanding to truly excellent. I am not usually a big fan of shorts as they are very hard to write well and often vary widely; from pretty good to real bad.. These 2 books are outstanding exceptions as there are no bad stories. Excellent read.

Great read, good for when you want to read something but don't want to spend hours reading. Really liked "Neighborhood Witch" and actually wished there was more time to develop the people and situation but considering it's a short story I feel the author did a great job with the time they had.

A quick and enjoyable read of excellent short stories set in the suburbs. Creative idea. My favorite, so far, is Vierling's "Neighborhood Witch" - love the characters, story line, and the surprise ending. Well worth it.

Witch Way to the Mall The stories contained within this book range from purely funny to disturbing. Disturbing in a good way. Each story is unique and some such as Neighborhood Witch by David Vierling have suprising twists. Well worth buying and a perfect pick me up for a bad day.