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Year's Best Fantasy 4
There is magic in our world . . . and in others. The fertile imagination can cultivate wondrous things, aided by ancient myths and memory, enduring childhood dreams and desires, and the power of cultural archetypes. Once again, award-winning editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer reap a magnificent crop of superior fantasy short fiction -- the finest to blossom over the past twelve months. A cornucopia of remarkable tales from some of the field’s most acclaimed artists -- Neil Gaiman, Octavia Butler, Tanith Lee, and Michael Swanwick, to name but a few -- as well as stunning new works from emerging young talents, Year's Best Fantasy 4 is a collection as magical as its illustrious predecessors, a feast for every true connoisseur of fantastic literature.
484 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
David G. Hartwell
117 books97 followersDavid Geddes Hartwell was an American editor of science fiction and fantasy. He worked for Signet (1971-1973), Berkley Putnam (1973-1978), Pocket (where he founded the Timescape imprint, 1978-1983, and created the Pocket Books Star Trek publishing line), and Tor (where he spearheaded Tor's Canadian publishing initiative, and was also influential in bringing many Australian writers to the US market, 1984-date), and has published numerous anthologies. He chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with Gordon Van Gelder, was the administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. He held a Ph.D. in comparative medieval literature.
He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.
He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Currently Reading
May 21, 2020Picked this up on a rainy day during a vacation at a used bookstore so I had some short fiction I could read in a format that didn't matter overmuch if it got wet. Reviews of individual stories will likely pop up on my blog as part of my Short Stories 366 project under this tag here and there.
May 19, 2015
Like most of my books, I've had this for some while now and only read a few stories here and there. Now is the time to try and read all of them, and post short reviews of each story. And looking at the great authors who contributed to this anthology, I cant wait to delve into its secrets.
King Dragon by Michael Swanwick (44 pages)
This novella (or novellette) is about a small village that one day gets a very special visitor; a Dragon. To say that it visits them is a bit of a stretch, the War finally arrives at the village and this dragon crashes nearby. Now, the dragon has a set of specific demands, as it has lost its wings, a lot of its gas (yes, you heard me right) and its pilot. This is not your ordinary fantasy story, but more of a steamfantasy story which blends science and magic. Don't worry, you don't need a lot of knowledge of the genre, as Michael Swanwick does an excellent job at creating not only the story, but the entire setting. I normally love the writing of Mr. Swanwick, and this story is no different. The setting is not only unique, but it actually feels like you get an entire novel within just 44 pages. What a bargain! (4 stars)
The Big Green Grin by Gahan Wilson (6 pages)
A small bird is watching something on the ground, a big green grin. Then it sees a boy in the window of the nearby house. Soon after the boy exits the house with his little sister and finds the green grin themselves. Such an odd little story, told from the point of view of the bird, a grackle. What is the grin? Merely a hole in the earth or maybe... a real monster that only birds and children can see? Whatever it might be, this one reminded me of my own childhood, of finding a pipe leading into a hill, of darkness and fears. Simply... enchanting. (4 stars)
The Book of Martha by Octavia E. Butler (21 pages)
A female writer, Martha, has an encounter with God one day. It is one of those days where she has been writing for a very long time. This is no random encounter, though, God wants her to help him (or her) make changes to the world. It took a while before I was fully emersed in this little story, but then... I was all in. It's a very interesting thought experiment, and as I read it, I couldn't help but wonder what changes I would make to the world, but honestly... I couldn't come up with anything better than Martha. Another gem. (4 stars)
Wild Thing by Charles Coleman Finlay (22 pages)
This is a story from the era of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. It involves a couple of creatures from the land, Howl and Pooka, but honestly... the story was a little confusing, and lost me early on. What I did like about this story, and what might be a reason for me to return and give it another try, is the language. It is very poetic. (2 stars)
King Dragon by Michael Swanwick (44 pages)
This novella (or novellette) is about a small village that one day gets a very special visitor; a Dragon. To say that it visits them is a bit of a stretch, the War finally arrives at the village and this dragon crashes nearby. Now, the dragon has a set of specific demands, as it has lost its wings, a lot of its gas (yes, you heard me right) and its pilot. This is not your ordinary fantasy story, but more of a steamfantasy story which blends science and magic. Don't worry, you don't need a lot of knowledge of the genre, as Michael Swanwick does an excellent job at creating not only the story, but the entire setting. I normally love the writing of Mr. Swanwick, and this story is no different. The setting is not only unique, but it actually feels like you get an entire novel within just 44 pages. What a bargain! (4 stars)
The Big Green Grin by Gahan Wilson (6 pages)
A small bird is watching something on the ground, a big green grin. Then it sees a boy in the window of the nearby house. Soon after the boy exits the house with his little sister and finds the green grin themselves. Such an odd little story, told from the point of view of the bird, a grackle. What is the grin? Merely a hole in the earth or maybe... a real monster that only birds and children can see? Whatever it might be, this one reminded me of my own childhood, of finding a pipe leading into a hill, of darkness and fears. Simply... enchanting. (4 stars)
The Book of Martha by Octavia E. Butler (21 pages)
A female writer, Martha, has an encounter with God one day. It is one of those days where she has been writing for a very long time. This is no random encounter, though, God wants her to help him (or her) make changes to the world. It took a while before I was fully emersed in this little story, but then... I was all in. It's a very interesting thought experiment, and as I read it, I couldn't help but wonder what changes I would make to the world, but honestly... I couldn't come up with anything better than Martha. Another gem. (4 stars)
Wild Thing by Charles Coleman Finlay (22 pages)
This is a story from the era of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. It involves a couple of creatures from the land, Howl and Pooka, but honestly... the story was a little confusing, and lost me early on. What I did like about this story, and what might be a reason for me to return and give it another try, is the language. It is very poetic. (2 stars)
February 23, 2015
This collection made a good impression. There were enough unusual and twisted and mature pieces here to keep me reading. There are also pieces that can work for teenage readers as well as adults - I read two of them to a group of 6th graders. "Dragon's Gate" by Pat Murphy was just perfect for my students - it is a story that features a young teen girl who tracks down a dragon and makes friends with the creature. It is well written and plays with a few cliches in an interesting manner. "Catskin" by Kelly Link displayed an outrageous sensibility - very imaginative and, so far as I can tell, unique.
Famous Neil Gaiman contributes a well-written little story about a group of men in a London club that builds well to a mediocre ending. Terry Dowling writes about a "sciamantium", a mirrored room from that supposedly leads to supernatural revelations. Another really good one is "Moonblind" by Tanith Lee, in which the hunters of a village conducts periodic hunts of werewolves. One of the hunters finds a baby werewolf, and contrary to all tradition, decides to hide it and nurture it. Brendan Duffy's story is another strange one - about a spritelike creature created by a scientist in a previous century. It contains discussions of "ovism vs. preformation" and the church's views on science. "Fable from a Cage" by Tim Pratt was another solid, strange chiller. Lucius Shepard was part of the cyberpunk movement, and he writes in an overblown style that has its charms. He contributes a weird, violent piece set in South America. In Ellen Klage's story, a girl gets picked on and pushed around by her bitchy, trophy wife stepmother. A black maid befriends her and shows her some old school magic spells and tricks, which turn out to work all too well. In Robert Sheckley's "The Tales of Zanthius", the author creates an interesting rural community populated by people, zombies, werewolves, and witches. In a story by Gene Wolfe, an insane psychiatrist travels thru a violent dream world - pretty good.
All in all, this was an interesting collection, and more bizarre than I had expected. It looks like I should add some occasional fantasy to my reading diet.
Famous Neil Gaiman contributes a well-written little story about a group of men in a London club that builds well to a mediocre ending. Terry Dowling writes about a "sciamantium", a mirrored room from that supposedly leads to supernatural revelations. Another really good one is "Moonblind" by Tanith Lee, in which the hunters of a village conducts periodic hunts of werewolves. One of the hunters finds a baby werewolf, and contrary to all tradition, decides to hide it and nurture it. Brendan Duffy's story is another strange one - about a spritelike creature created by a scientist in a previous century. It contains discussions of "ovism vs. preformation" and the church's views on science. "Fable from a Cage" by Tim Pratt was another solid, strange chiller. Lucius Shepard was part of the cyberpunk movement, and he writes in an overblown style that has its charms. He contributes a weird, violent piece set in South America. In Ellen Klage's story, a girl gets picked on and pushed around by her bitchy, trophy wife stepmother. A black maid befriends her and shows her some old school magic spells and tricks, which turn out to work all too well. In Robert Sheckley's "The Tales of Zanthius", the author creates an interesting rural community populated by people, zombies, werewolves, and witches. In a story by Gene Wolfe, an insane psychiatrist travels thru a violent dream world - pretty good.
All in all, this was an interesting collection, and more bizarre than I had expected. It looks like I should add some occasional fantasy to my reading diet.
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August 22, 2008Year's Best Fantasy 4 by David Hartwell (2004)
August 11, 2013
A mixed bad - 2 or 3 stories were really over the top. Rest were average. Gives a good flavor of different author's fantasy works.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews