Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2006 Edition

by Rich Horton (Editor), Theodora Goss (Contributor), Gene Wolfe (Contributor)

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the fantasy prose written in 2005, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines. In this volume you'll find stories Peter Beagle, Paul Di Filippo, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Gene Wolfe and more.

Contents:
Pip and the fairies / by Theodora Goss --
Comber / by Gene Wolfe --
Three urban folktales / by Eric Schaller --
Wax / by Elizabeth Bear --
The Emperor of Gondwanaland / by Paul DiFilippo --
CommComm / by George Saunders --
Five ways Jane Austen never died / by Samantha Henderson --
Fancy bread / Gregory Feeley --
Sunbird / by Neil Gaiman --
The secret of broken tickers / by Joe Murphy --
On the blindside / Sonya Taaffe --
Jane / by Marc Laidlaw --
Is there life after rehab? / by Pat Cadigan --
Two hearts / by Peter S. Beagle --
Super-villains / by Michael Canfield --
Empty places / by Richard Parks --
Invisible / by Steve Rasnic Tem --
By the light of tomorrow's sun / by Holly Phillips --
The gist hunter / by Matthew Hughes.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Anne Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming story from Levar Burton Reads. Kinda like someone wrote down a story from a D&D campaign.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Levar, but not sure about his short story choices. This one wasn't bad, but I really didn't like Timon completely forcing Jane to do what he wanted on pain of fiery death. And JANE kept harping on it, to the point where I kinda wanted Timon to get a bit trigger happy. Seriously? EVERY time you open your mouth, you tell your captor that you don't trust that he's not going to waste you once you complete the mission? Why give him ideas/annoying him?

The ending was sweet and the way they got into the castle was unique and I liked the political intrigue, but the characters kind of grated on me.

3, not bad, but not fantastic, stars.

[Chrysten Lofton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0⭐ "You're in a sorry pass, Majesty, when a theif like me serves you better than your own."

In a special 2-part installment of Sticher podcast's LeVar Burton Reads , we're gifted with a good short story by Richard Parks. I don't have much to say outside of Burton's review - I think he hit the nail on the head when it came to his personal perspective on the story, and I strongly urge anyone reading my review to listen to the podcast for an enjoyable reading and intimate analysis. The only thing I'd like add on, is that I'm impressed with how much this story was able to accomplish within its brevity.

I think the story worked because it assigned the reader a couple of trope characters. The word 'trope' is sometimes profane to readers and writers, but I'm not so disturbed by it. If I tell you that we're looking at a moral/honorable thief, that might call to mind the likes of Malcolm Reynolds, Han Solo, Aladdin, or The Dread Pirate Roberts. So many stories borrow this trope. In Empty Spaces, we're introduced to The Honorable Thief, and, The Wise Wizard - who, as the trope demands, knows the cards in everyone's hand and much more than he's letting on.

I think in leaning on these tropes, the author was able get more done in a short time. The characters settle into the frame and so all that's left in a dash of personality. These characters had good personalities and it gave the story its own warmth. I had a nice time, especially through LeVar Burton's personal reading. If you'd enjoy a simple fantasy fable, add this to your to-read list.

*Read on logged dates in 2017, backdated to exclude from the Goodreads Reading Challenge.*

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empty Places, a high fantasy short story about a wizard and a rogue, started slow but ended quite satisfactorily. The wizard employs a thief to put an unknown package in the nursery of the newborn prince. The thief, having some morals, asks if the package will hurt the child and the two have a battle of wits as they journey towards the castle. While you might assume the wizard is up to no good, there was a surprising and poignant ending. This story by Richard Parks was episode 3 & 4 of the podcast LeVar Burton Reads.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much, I am definitely looking for more stories by Richard Parks. I loved the banter between Timon and Jayn, I could see a whole series built around these two, kinda hoping there is one to be honest.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and entertaining story about having the choice to make decisions, even if the choice already seems picked out for us.

Thief Jayn against the Wizard Timmon. They make an unlikely duo as they set off to save the Kingdom of Wallandia. It's with the Wizard's brains that they make it to the castle, but it's with Jayn's slight of hand and silent vigilance that the deed is done.

The third piece of short fiction read by LeVar Burton, in the LeVar Burton Reads podcast series.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent two part story on the LeVar Burton Reads Podcast.

[Amanda Winkworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the Peter S Beagle short story in particular

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some worthy stories in this bird, including Neil Gaiman's Sunbird, but the best story has to be Peter Beagle's Two Hearts, a sequel to The Last Unicorn.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twists & turns.

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened via LeVar Burton Reads podcast. (#3 and 4)

I recalled the first two short stories from the podcast just fine, but I honestly had completely forgot about this one. I read the description, some two sentences about a wizard and a Jayne, which tickled a memory but I still had to scour the other reviews for help.

I think the story was -face scrunches in effort to drag out memory- (This is why I have a goodreads account) A wizard blackmails a thief into going on a quest, but then the wizard does almost everything and I have no idea why the thief is there - and I think the thief wondered too. There is some arguing, some tricks I think? (Something about trying to run away but the wizard knew and maybe some shenanigans with illusions and some discussion on philosophy?) and then the castle . . . oh! The wizard gets them all the way in through the royal pooper and all the thief has to do is something . . . I think it turns out the wizard expected the thief to make a certain choice, one that the wizard wanted someone else to make, and something about a letter. I think the letter was a confession of adultery or response against it? Something about the queen making a deal with the maid about 'if it is still here take it to x' and in the end the choice ends up saving the kingdom from war? I dunno, probably still missing a lot.

I clearly didn't hate it, given that I cannot recall anything I disliked, but despite it seeming like one I would enjoy I cannot recall any of the feeling from when I listened to it so it must not have resonated much.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare short story which feels truly complete to me. There is a message to this story that is perfectly conveyed in the length of the story. In addition, this story first appears to be about a magician and thief, yet there is something else to this story. That underlying aspect to the story is absolutely beautiful and makes this a must read, or listen.

I listened to this on the LeVar Burton Reads podcast and his performance is excellent. Not only is his voice amazing, but there are added sound effects which truly add to the telling of the story. I love these performances and highly recommend the podcast. There are two aspects that are not ideal: one, that there is an ad in the middle of each story which comes with enough of a pause that it first appears that the story is over and 2: when a character speaks out loud, Burton reads those lines with an effect, like he is in a distant chamber or something, that can be distracting and sometimes makes it a bit challenging to fully grasp what the character is saying. I understand why there is an attempt to make it clear when a character is speaking versus when there is narration, but as someone who listens to audiobooks fairly often, I have not once been confused in other readings. Outside these critiques, which are consistent across the episodes I've listened to, these are by far the best audio performances I have listened to.

[Carol Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Empty Places" is the story that Levar Burton reads in the third and fourth episode of "Levar Burton Reads." It is a fantasy story about a wizard and a thief. Although not my favorite of the three I have listed to so far, I still found it enjoyable. In the postscript, he tells of his 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Twigs and his role in class as the story reader. Being an educator, the thought of little Levar sitting on a stool in the front of class warmed my heart. I am addicted to "Levar Burton Reads."

[Andrea Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book/short story was told during episodes 3 & 4 of 'LaVar Burton Reads.' I really enjoyed this particular story for several reasons. I liked that it took place in a fantasy world with wizards and such, but magic wasn't the driving force of the plot, and also because the story didn't have the ending I expected.

[Christopher Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the dialogue in this story, as it revealed the gaps that humans and characters often have between who they think they are and the perception that those around them hold. I loved following two "evil" characters and using my own moral compass to, in a sense, test theirs. I found it really captivating overall.

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly solid compendium of short fantasy stories. I didn’t find myself taking down authors names and scurrying to see what else they had written, which is how I knew this wasn’t a 5 star but there’s still lots to enjoy. Any compilation that features Peter S. Beagle’s short story Two Hearts is worth checking out for that one alone.

[Xenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read anthologies all the time but haven't in years. This book bright me back nicely. I usually go into them knowing that I'm not going to love all of them, but this one had a high number of great ones!! And a great variety of types of fantasy... Scary, thrilling, mystery, aliens, funny, fair tales.

[Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun fantasy short story. In terms of stories Levar Burton has read on his podcast this was the most enjoyable. The protagonist plays off the wizard character for some entertaining exchanges throughout. A reasonably satisfying ending as well.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another venture into the LeVar Burton reads podcast. This is light fantasy (just a whiff of magic) where a thief is compelled to help a wizard break into a castle, with an unexpected but satisfying ending.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a wizard, a thief, and a covert adventure to take your mind off real life. Enjoyed listening to this short fantasy story. Motives weren't clear which helped drive the plot. Story lets you in on the secret that people aren't always the label they've been given.

[Brian Mikołajczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wizard forces a thief to plant a box in the prince's chambers. The thief is always suspicious of the wizard but is always proved wrong. Eventually the wizard predicts what the thief will do before the thief even knew he was going to do it. It is interesting, but the climax is a bit lacking.

[Eva Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third installation in the LeVar Burton Reads podcast series.

Very nice! Very traditional fantasy setting with a wizard and a rogue and a royal couple, but never felt stale.
Good banter, a tense little plot and an interesting ending.

[Nkandu Mukabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy is my favourite genre and LeVar Burton brings a new kind of life to the story that I'm sure I could never have found if I had just read it. The story telling is great and I felt transported to the fantasy world. I'll be listening to this again very soon

[refgoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these authors!!!! Reading new (to me) stories by Theodora Goss, Elizabeth Bear, Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle....it's pure joy. I just had too many other things checked out to be able to finish this. Something to look forward to.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was read by LeVar Burton in one of his podcasts. It had a twist at the end because I was expecting the worst.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks, LeVar Burton, for reading this to me while I'm recovering from a concussion. I'll definitely be tuning in more.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not an avid fantasy reader I really enjoyed this one. It made you feel, it made you think, and it made you want to talk about it. All in short story format. Nice choice Levar.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a moral rich short story with a fantasy twist.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars - So much fun!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was shocked at how much I loved this. I think Levar Burton reading it had something to do with that. My only complaint is that I wish there would have been more resolution towards the end.