The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers' Tales : The Ultimate Collection of Magical Fantasy from Tom Holt, Ursula K. LeGuin, Michael Moorcock, Peter Crowther, Louise Cooper, and many more

by Mike Ashley

Sorcery is all around us. From a child's struggles to control magical powers for the first time, to the epic clashes of forces of good and evil on a titanic scale, here are more than twenty of the finest in contemporary and classic wizardry tales. Ranging from Michael Moorcock's "Master of Chaos," the story of a knight traveling to a castle on the edge of the world to face the ultimate sorcerer, to Peter Crowther's "The Eternal Altercation," in which a man is forced into the eternal battle between hope and despair on a sorcerer-controlled train, The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers' Tales also includes stories from Ursula Le Guin, Steve Rasnic Tem, James Bibby, Robert Weinberg, A. C. Benson, Michael Kurland, and Louise Cooper.



Contains:

Ten Things I Know About the Wizard by Steve Rasnic Tem
Villaggio Sogno by Richard A. Lupoff
The Game of Magical Death by Doug Hornig
The Infestation by Tom Holt
The Witch's Bicycle by Timm Pratt
The Sage of Theare by Diana Wynne Jones
Timekeeper by John Morressy
The Double Shadow by Clark Ashton Smith
The Rite Stuff by Michael Kurland
Master of Chaos by Michael Moorcock
Seven Drops of Blood by Robert Weinberg
To Become a Sorcerer by Darrell Schweitzer
No. 252 Rue M. le Prince by Ralph Adams Cram
The Bones of the Earth by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Closed Window by A.C. Benson
Disillusioned by Lawrence Schimel and Mike Resnick
In the Realm of Dragons by Esther M. Friesner
Forever by Tim Lebbon
The Wizard of Ashes and Rain by David Sandner
The Walker Behind by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Last Witch by James Bibby
Last Rites by Louise Cooper
The Eternal Altercation by Peter Crowther

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Magic, Unfinished, Short Story Collection

500 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed bag of short stories including sorcerers.

[Ian Jordaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. So many great stories, especially "The Infestation" by Tom Holt, The Double Shadow" by Clarke Ashton Smith, and "The Witche's Bicycle" by Tim Pratt. I have read and reread this anthology a couple of times. I would highly recommend it!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Рассказы очень неравнозначны, известных мне имен всего три-четыре, но с некоторыми авторами я бы продолжила знакомство - Мэрион Зиммер Брэдли, Роберт Вейнберг (похоже, не переводили его у нас, а я подобные детективы люблю), Джон Морресси, ну и еще парочку. ;)

[CONNIE BALTHROP · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your a SF or Fantasy lover, there's plenty of stories to enjoy.

[Bethnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many great stories in here, it has reminded me of how much I like Ursula K LeGuin and other authors. Didn't find any new authors I need to check out, but good to be reminded.

[Akanksha Varma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barring a couple of stories that I enjoyed, the book was difficult to get through. Some were chaotic and others were quite predictable. To its credit, however, the range of this anthology is diverse.

[Tanvir Muntasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent collection of stories that demonstrates the wide range of fantasty stories on wizards and most of them are very enjoyable. Serves as a good introduction to little known, but excellent quality fantasy authors.

[Nieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

They say don't judge a book by its cover...don't judge it by its title either. Dark and sticks to the myth of magic is bad. Barring a handful of stories, this book is fit for Muggles. Can imagine Vernon Dursley coming up with something like this. Thank God, we have Rowling and Potter

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As most collections do, this one had its good and bad. But for the most part, they were good.

[Miriam]

I just found this on the bargin shelf for $2.99. Why not give it a try...

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific "mammoth" collection edited by Mike Ashley. Dude has great taste.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories are very dark and others are deeply weird. So if you like your Fantasy dark and weird, you will like this book.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad this was a cheap find. Not a bad book, but rather dark and odd for my tastes, so I wasn't as impressed.

[Ingrid Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've put this book down for now... The tales are just not gripping me, unfortunately. To be fair, my mind is elsewhere, so I will give it the chance it deserves later.

[Chele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit uneven in content quality - but a fun assortment.

[Susanne Winterhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most anthologies, the stories vary in interest and readability. Most of them are dark and some seem to be parts of larger books.