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The Magic Shop
All-original stories from P.N. Elrod, Jody Lynn Nye, Michelle West, and others explore the endlessly fascinating possibilities that would arise if a magic shop truly sold magic.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 3, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 26, 2025
This selection of short stories that each feature a magic shop is now a favorite of mine. Each story is a gem (the last story, a monkey's-paw story, I don't care for because I don't like monkey's-paw stories, but I can't say it's not a good story), and some are just perfect. Enjoy!
October 28, 2019
Def a mixed bag of stories, but there really weren’t any I can say I loved. Great theming though! Who doesn’t love magic shops?
February 4, 2011
An anthology of 15 stories whose themes revolve around a magic shop. This is a nice collection as the stories vary greatly.
Susan Sizemore’s Every Little Thing She Does is a cute romance between a mundane and the owner of a not-too-successful magic shop in Scotland. Overtly, the stubborn Amanda pushes, pokes, and prods Trevor into helping her reduce the spiritual activity in her new-to-her home while covertly introducing him to the joys of outside activities.
P. N. Elrod’s Tarnished Linings is a grim introduction to the need to be careful what you wish for when using magic.
Jody Lynn Nye’s For Whom the Bell Tolled is a variation on the “be careful what you wish for” which ends happily. I suppose, in a short story, it is difficult to include much depth, yet I wish that there could have been just a bit more tension. It was just too easy…
India Edghill’s Winter Phoenix was a grim look at the overthrow of the Tsar at the beginning of the 20th century as it played on the Anastasia mystery. I did enjoy the happy ending. The shopping trip was extremely unbelievable and the walnut seemed rather pointless.
Laura Resnick’s Magic Keyboard was a lovely story of belief. Very clever usage of an age-old plot.
ElizaBeth Gilligan’s Off Key is a fun non-romance romance. Such a lovely promise of romantic hope.
Michelle West’s Dime Store Rings was very sweet and very sad…I cried. A story of family love and traditions around the Christmas holidays.
Bradley H. Sinor’s Grails was a fun bit of action. Intriguing characters with a unique way of finding the perfect employee. I’m hoping he’s written a series on this…
Josepha Sherman’s Mightier than the Sword is so very Murphy’s Law personified…I find myself hoping that maybe I can make use of this little trick!
Bill McCay’s Curse of the Itch is certainly unique with a combination of very long-life, a homunculus, a powerful artifact, and a young man’s on again-off again relationship.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Assassin’s Dagger was one of my favorites. What can I say, a shop in France…who wouldn’t love it?? Another unique twist with Abracadabra as the head office with branch magic shops throughout the world has a roaming trouble fixer…with enemies…
Mel Odom’s Serpent of the Lakes is a Native American mythic tale with a unique magic shop as a young warrior fights to save his love.
Gary Braunbeck’s Hand Which Graces is a sad, heartwarming tale of one man’s personal discovery of the power of real magic.
Von Jocks’ Fairest brings a twist to the mirror from Snow White as it helps a young woman determine just where she fits in the workforce.
Rosemary Edghill’s Winter’s Tale is a twist on the Monkey’s Paw story. Not one of my favorites.
Susan Sizemore’s Every Little Thing She Does is a cute romance between a mundane and the owner of a not-too-successful magic shop in Scotland. Overtly, the stubborn Amanda pushes, pokes, and prods Trevor into helping her reduce the spiritual activity in her new-to-her home while covertly introducing him to the joys of outside activities.
P. N. Elrod’s Tarnished Linings is a grim introduction to the need to be careful what you wish for when using magic.
Jody Lynn Nye’s For Whom the Bell Tolled is a variation on the “be careful what you wish for” which ends happily. I suppose, in a short story, it is difficult to include much depth, yet I wish that there could have been just a bit more tension. It was just too easy…
India Edghill’s Winter Phoenix was a grim look at the overthrow of the Tsar at the beginning of the 20th century as it played on the Anastasia mystery. I did enjoy the happy ending. The shopping trip was extremely unbelievable and the walnut seemed rather pointless.
Laura Resnick’s Magic Keyboard was a lovely story of belief. Very clever usage of an age-old plot.
ElizaBeth Gilligan’s Off Key is a fun non-romance romance. Such a lovely promise of romantic hope.
Michelle West’s Dime Store Rings was very sweet and very sad…I cried. A story of family love and traditions around the Christmas holidays.
Bradley H. Sinor’s Grails was a fun bit of action. Intriguing characters with a unique way of finding the perfect employee. I’m hoping he’s written a series on this…
Josepha Sherman’s Mightier than the Sword is so very Murphy’s Law personified…I find myself hoping that maybe I can make use of this little trick!
Bill McCay’s Curse of the Itch is certainly unique with a combination of very long-life, a homunculus, a powerful artifact, and a young man’s on again-off again relationship.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Assassin’s Dagger was one of my favorites. What can I say, a shop in France…who wouldn’t love it?? Another unique twist with Abracadabra as the head office with branch magic shops throughout the world has a roaming trouble fixer…with enemies…
Mel Odom’s Serpent of the Lakes is a Native American mythic tale with a unique magic shop as a young warrior fights to save his love.
Gary Braunbeck’s Hand Which Graces is a sad, heartwarming tale of one man’s personal discovery of the power of real magic.
Von Jocks’ Fairest brings a twist to the mirror from Snow White as it helps a young woman determine just where she fits in the workforce.
Rosemary Edghill’s Winter’s Tale is a twist on the Monkey’s Paw story. Not one of my favorites.
September 2, 2010
The stories here are very heartfelt and engaging. I greatly enjoy these anthologies edited by Denise Little. Ones that stand out for me are "Every Little Thing She Does" by Susan Sizemore, "Dime Store Rings" by Michelle West, and "The Fairest" by Von Jocks. Particular passages I feel are noteworthy: "There is a magic in childhood that slowly fades. Time hurts it, truth changes it, experience makes it something other than what it appeared to be. Magic is all in silence." "Silence is a way of hoarding things, and there are some magicks that die when hoarded, like cut flowers die." "Memory is kinder than reality, it always has been. We make our memories; we knit them together out of disparate events; we define ourselves by what we make."--Michelle West. "The People will learn to think of themselves as things apart from nature, which will lead them to self-destruction." "Love is the only thing that truly sets us apart from everything that has gone on before us. If not for love, we would be no more than the animals that exist in the forests, and swamps, and lakes." "Love is weakness. Love is strength also. You can't have the one without the other."--Mel Odom. "Perhaps a mirror's greatest power is that it lets you not just see yourself, but see how you see yourself."--Von Jocks. "The story had no proper end, but reality rarely does. It is the province of fiction to tie up loose ends, to punish the guilty and reward the good, to join the lovers together and answer all questions." "Belief is the most powerful-and sometimes the most dangerous-thing there is."--Rosemary Edghill.
January 23, 2013
The usual mix of stories: some funny, some sad, a few that are excellent ("Winter Phoenix" by India Edghill, "The Assassin's Dagger" by Kristin Kathryn Rush & "Grails" by Bradley H. Sinor), the occasional disaster ("Serpent of the Lakes" by Mel Odom: the story could be nice but the author's style is awful, reminded me of bad 1950s children's books & "Dime Store Rings" by Michelle West: only enjoyable if you like very, very sentimental stories that are designed to make you cry) and a solid mediocre majority ("Tarnished Linings" by P.N. Elrod, "The Magic Keyboard" by Laura Resnick, "Mightier than the Sword" by Josepha Sherman & "A Winter's Tale" by Rosemary Edghill stand out as especially well-written even if the plot is a bit weak).
All in all an entertaining collection with several stories that will survive re-reading.
All in all an entertaining collection with several stories that will survive re-reading.
July 4, 2019
I've only read Michelle West's short story.
In this story, we see a woman’s memories of when she was young and used to go shopping each Christmas with her father to buy a gift for her mother. For that they went in a magic shop. Now an adult, she comes back to this shop to buy another Christmas present for her mother who is in a nursing home. Her mother has changed a lot after the father’s death and she is hoping to get her something that will move her again. I enjoyed this story and found it very moving.
In this story, we see a woman’s memories of when she was young and used to go shopping each Christmas with her father to buy a gift for her mother. For that they went in a magic shop. Now an adult, she comes back to this shop to buy another Christmas present for her mother who is in a nursing home. Her mother has changed a lot after the father’s death and she is hoping to get her something that will move her again. I enjoyed this story and found it very moving.
December 19, 2011
My current pocketbook paperback, a short story anthology chock full of treasures to be admired - just like the title setting. So far my most surprising gem found is India Edghill's beguiling take on the famous missing Russian princess. Haven't read anything by her before, but now I am sorting through anthologies for her other offerings.
December 27, 2013
An alright collection, seemed to be more flops then gems, but there are a few lovely stories in here though. A word of warning though, if you tend to read at work then I might suggest skip Michelle West's Dime Store Rings because coworkers might look at you funny for sobbing during your lunch break.
June 29, 2015
“Collection of shorts stories with a "magic shop" used as a central theme. Favorite's include: Every Little Thing She Does by Susan Sizemore. For Whom The Bell Toll by Jody Lynn Nye, Grails by Bradley H. Sinor and The Curse of the Itch by Bill McCoy. All in all entertaining if a bit too 'chick-littish". Would like to read more by Bradley H. Sinor.”
Rob S wrote this review Monday, June 23, 2008.
Rob S wrote this review Monday, June 23, 2008.
August 26, 2009
I read this book off and on for over a year. It took me so long to read because it was my car book for a long time. Plus, since it's an anthology, I could finish a story, even though I still had more to go.
I liked most of the stories.
I liked most of the stories.
September 12, 2010
A book of short stories involving all sorts of magic.
November 7, 2012
Nice mix of stories, kept pace well, a good thing to pick up, put down and read here and there.
April 19, 2016
Not a bad little collection, sort of hit-and-miss, like most anthologies. Keeps up a pretty good atmosphere.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews