Spells

Magical Worlds of Fantasy #4

by Isaac Asimov (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh

1st Robinson 1991 trade edition paperback vg book In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

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

350 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 1985

About the author

Works of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles, The Foundation Trilogy (1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.

Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.

Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).

People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.

Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.

Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again I am reviewing the US version of the book where in fact I have the British version published by Robinson Books. The contents however are identical. Like all the others in this series the books are a mixture of old and new stories (ok well to the late 70s and early 80s I guess) and show case a real breadth of talent I will admit I didnt realise. I guess anthologies are the best and worst of the genre - in that it allows you to see a real spectrum of work from many and varied authors - however you are at the mercy of the editor which at times can seem rather narrow minded in their choices - which is NOT the case with this series. It should also be noted that even though Asimov is credited as the editor of this series he is not the only editor - with Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh the main co-editors (there are others) - which I think also adds to the selection of the stories.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of fantasy stories themed around magic spells. Quite a range in tone here, from light-hearted fantasy to straight horror, which means there's something for everyone I guess. I certainly had a range of different reactions, and though overall I quite enjoyed it, most of the stories were pretty average really. Low points were the Greenberg (short and silly) and the Vance (long and dull). On the other hand, Leiber and Norton both had interesting, likeable stories, and the anthology's high point was the oldest story of them all: Arthur Conan Doyle's "Lot No. 249". I'm not usually one who finds mummy stories particularly creepy - too many B-grade movies of bandaged limbs jerking out of coffins - but this was genuinely horrifying.

[Itamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied array of stories, with distinctly different styles. Most are good, some are ok and one completely baffled me.

I know what you need - semi-scary Stephen King about a telepathic boyfriend that I couldn't get excited about.
Invisible Boy - Weird and lighthearted scary story.
The Toads of Grimmerdale - Fantastic, somewhat menacing and atmospheric.
The Miracle workers - A great Jack Vance tale with a very original premise.
The Witch is dead - an average mystery story.
Lot No. 249 - Arthur Conan Doyle is a classic horror story. So classic, in fact, it has become cliche.
Satan and Sam Sashay - a cue little tale where I'd gotten the twist way ahead of the story.
A Literary Death - probably a 3-page long pun, this has left me scratching my head as to the point.
The Hero Who Returned - A heart-felt fantasy story that was also a little obvious with its twist.
The Christmas Shadrach - It's ok, the set up and setting didn't really engage me.
The Candidate - A cool little story with a nasty twist.

[Scott Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isaac Asimov's collection of writers is a hit or miss. It does give you a great historical perspective of writers over time who are now gone but had some interesting works and lives. The Toads of Grimmerdale by Andre Norton (born on February 17, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio, her writing career spanned over seven decades, from the 1930s to the early 2000s. She was a prolific American science fiction and fantasy writer. She was a pioneer in the genre, known for her vivid imagination, strong female characters, and intricate worldbuilding)
and The Miracle Workers by Jack Vance (an American writer of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery novels. He was born on August 28, 1916, in San Francisco, California) stand out the most as interesting, weird, and memorable.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but these were overall good, with a wide range of subject matter, settings, and tones. Some are actually quite light-hearted, especially The Christmas Shadrach, and The Miracle Workers turns the standard thinking between magic and science on its head. Good range of different authors as well.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the stories were mediocre, but I enjoyed the experience of reading some dated fantasy :)