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The Very Best of Tad Williams
This career retrospective from one of the most-beloved authors in the fantasy genre is essential for fans of his internationally best-selling series novels (Otherland; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn).
Tad Williams has achieved success in multiple genres and forms, whether in epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, or young adult fiction. Readers only familiar with such masterpieces as The Dragonbone Chair and Talchaser’s Song will be delighted to discover that in his short fiction, Williams has been able to explore myriad new possibilities and adventures.
Previously collected in multiauthor anthologies and limited hardcover editions, these superlative talks of dragons, super-soldiers, wizards, cyberpunks, heroes, and fools are now available together for the first time in an affordable trade paperback edition. These stories showcase the exhilarating breadth of Williams’ imagination, in stories hearkening to the tales of such classic fantasists as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Ray Bradbury, and Peter S. Beagle. Included is an original tale written specifically for this volume.
The Very Best of Tad Williams is a true delight to those who have imagined themselves in fantastic worlds beyond the everyday and mundane.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Old Scale Game
The Storm Door
The Stranger’s Hands
Child of an AncientCity
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn
Diary of a Dragon
Not with a Whimper, Either
Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer
Z is for...
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of
Fish Between Friends
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air
A Stark and Wormy Knight
Black Sunshine
And Ministers of Grace
Tad Williams has achieved success in multiple genres and forms, whether in epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, or young adult fiction. Readers only familiar with such masterpieces as The Dragonbone Chair and Talchaser’s Song will be delighted to discover that in his short fiction, Williams has been able to explore myriad new possibilities and adventures.
Previously collected in multiauthor anthologies and limited hardcover editions, these superlative talks of dragons, super-soldiers, wizards, cyberpunks, heroes, and fools are now available together for the first time in an affordable trade paperback edition. These stories showcase the exhilarating breadth of Williams’ imagination, in stories hearkening to the tales of such classic fantasists as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Ray Bradbury, and Peter S. Beagle. Included is an original tale written specifically for this volume.
The Very Best of Tad Williams is a true delight to those who have imagined themselves in fantastic worlds beyond the everyday and mundane.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Old Scale Game
The Storm Door
The Stranger’s Hands
Child of an AncientCity
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn
Diary of a Dragon
Not with a Whimper, Either
Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer
Z is for...
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of
Fish Between Friends
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air
A Stark and Wormy Knight
Black Sunshine
And Ministers of Grace
432 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
82 people are currently reading
1355 people want to read
About the author
Tad Williams
350 books7,847 followersTad Williams is a California-based fantasy superstar. His genre-creating (and genre-busting) books have sold tens of millions worldwide, in twenty-five languages. His considerable output of epic fantasy and science fiction book-series, stories of all kinds, urban fantasy novels, comics, scripts, etc., have strongly influenced a generation of writers: the ‘Otherland’ epic relaunches June 2018 as an MMO on steam.com. Tad is currently immersed in the creation of ‘The Last King of Osten Ard’, planned as a trilogy with two intermediary novels. He, his family and his animals live in the Santa Cruz mountains in a suitably strange and beautiful house. @tadwilliams @mrstad
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 28, 2018
As much as I love Tad Williams’ writing, this collection was not exactly right up my alley. Its stories are from a variety of genres, from urban to paranormal, from sci-fi to horror but less classic fantasy, which I was interested in.
Few words on the ones I enjoyed:
The Old Scale Game© 2013. First appeared in Unfettered: Tales by Masters of Fantasy, edited by Shawn Speakman – a story about a wicked team between an old knight and a decrepit dragon. Hilarious!
The Storm Door © 2010. First appeared in The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology, edited by Christopher Golden – a horror-urban fantasy about an occult detective and his pursuit of some evil dead people spirits, which ends with a twist.
The Stranger’s Hands © 2007. First appeared in Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois - can someone change from a bad to a good person? Especially an evil wizard? Learn that for yourselves.
Child of an Ancient City © 1988. First appeared in Weird Tales, John Gregory Betancourt - a story in the spirit of Arabic tales One Thousand and One Nights
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story © 2013. First appeared in Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond, edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen - a combination between sci-fi and fantasy, a tale from the realm of Oz in a virtual reality
Not with a Whimper, Either © 2002. First appeared in DAW 30th Anniversary: Science Fiction, edited by Sheila E. Gilbert and Elizabeth R. Wollheim - great one, a sci-fi story written as a mIRC thread, about the birth of an AI.
All in all, a collection which shows the versatility of the author and with a story for every taste.
Few words on the ones I enjoyed:
The Old Scale Game© 2013. First appeared in Unfettered: Tales by Masters of Fantasy, edited by Shawn Speakman – a story about a wicked team between an old knight and a decrepit dragon. Hilarious!
The Storm Door © 2010. First appeared in The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology, edited by Christopher Golden – a horror-urban fantasy about an occult detective and his pursuit of some evil dead people spirits, which ends with a twist.
The Stranger’s Hands © 2007. First appeared in Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois - can someone change from a bad to a good person? Especially an evil wizard? Learn that for yourselves.
Child of an Ancient City © 1988. First appeared in Weird Tales, John Gregory Betancourt - a story in the spirit of Arabic tales One Thousand and One Nights
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story © 2013. First appeared in Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond, edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen - a combination between sci-fi and fantasy, a tale from the realm of Oz in a virtual reality
Not with a Whimper, Either © 2002. First appeared in DAW 30th Anniversary: Science Fiction, edited by Sheila E. Gilbert and Elizabeth R. Wollheim - great one, a sci-fi story written as a mIRC thread, about the birth of an AI.
All in all, a collection which shows the versatility of the author and with a story for every taste.
October 10, 2022
English version below
****************
Der vorliegende Band enthält 17 Kurzgeschichten von Tad Williams. Bemerkenswert ist wie weit gefächtert die Themen und der Stil dieser Geschichten ist. Um einen kurzen Eindruck zu vermitteln habe ich den Inhalt ein wenig aufgedröselt.
Diese Anthologie enthält 2 Drachentöter-Geschichten aus unterschiedlichen Perpektiven, 3 wahrlich furchterregende Horrorstories, eine davon im Format eines Drehbuchs, eine eher klassische Fantasy-Geschichte in einem mittelalterlichen Setting, 3 sehr unterschiedliche Märchen, eine Geschichte über Kinder/Jugendliche, die einen Comic entwickeln, im Format eines klassischen Memos, eine Detektivgeschichte im Zauberkünstlermilieu, eine kurze Fabel mit ungewöhnlichem Ende, eine äußerst witzige Variation der Schöpfungsgeschichte, sowie 4 Science Fiction-nahe Texte. Bei den 4 SciFi-Stories handelt es sich um eine Otherland-Geschichte mit Orlando als Hommage an den Zauberer von Oz, eine hat das Format eines Chat Protokolls und es geht um das Thema KI, eine ist einfach nur ziemlich lustig und eine dürfte als Religionskritik zu verstehen sein.
Wie immer bei Kurzgeschichtensammlungen war die Qualität der Geschichten nicht einheitlich bzw. mein Interesse an den Geschichten nicht gleichmäßig ausgeprägt.
4 der Geschichten fand ich eher so mittelmäßig, der Rest war jedoch überdurchschnittlich bis deutlich überdurchschnittlich.
Ich bin nur deswegen so detailliert auf den Inhalt eingegangen, um die große Vielfältigkeit der Texte zu verdeutlichen.
Vor kurzem habe ich eine Videorezension über eine Kurzgeschichten-Anthologie eines Autors gesehen, bei der sich die Rezensentin ziemlich negativ darüber geäußert hat, dass der Autor sehr unterschiedliche Themen in seinen Geschichten behandelt hat.
Mir geht es da ganz anders. Gerade diese große Bandbreite der Themen und die unterschiedlichen Stile und Formate lassen mich dieser Anthologie noch mindestens einen zusätzlichen halben Bonus-Stern geben, so dass ich dieses Buch mit 5 Sternen bewerte.
--------------------
This volume contains 17 short stories by Tad Williams. What is remarkable is how diverse the themes and style of these stories are. In order to give a brief impression I have unraveled the content a little.
This anthology contains 2 dragon slayer stories from different perspectives, 3 truly terrifying horror stories, one of them in screenplay format, a more classic fantasy story in a medieval setting, 3 very different fairy tales, a story about children/teens developing a comic , in the format of a classic memo, a detective story in the magician milieu, a short fable with an unusual ending, a very funny variation on the creation story, and 4 texts close to science fiction. The 4 SciFi stories are an Otherland story with Orlando as a homage to the Wizard of Oz, one is in the format of a chat log and is about AI, one is just pretty funny and one might be a criticism of religion.
As is always the case with collections of short stories, the quality of the stories was not uniform and my interest in the stories was not evenly developed.
I found 4 of the stories to be mediocre, but the rest were above average to significantly above average.
The only reason I went into the content in such detail was to illustrate the great diversity of the texts.
I recently saw a video review of an author's short story anthology where the reviewer was quite negative about the author's covering very different themes in his stories.
I'm completely different. It is precisely this wide range of topics and the different styles and formats that allow me to give this anthology at least an additional half a bonus star, so that I assign this book 5 stars.
****************
Der vorliegende Band enthält 17 Kurzgeschichten von Tad Williams. Bemerkenswert ist wie weit gefächtert die Themen und der Stil dieser Geschichten ist. Um einen kurzen Eindruck zu vermitteln habe ich den Inhalt ein wenig aufgedröselt.
Diese Anthologie enthält 2 Drachentöter-Geschichten aus unterschiedlichen Perpektiven, 3 wahrlich furchterregende Horrorstories, eine davon im Format eines Drehbuchs, eine eher klassische Fantasy-Geschichte in einem mittelalterlichen Setting, 3 sehr unterschiedliche Märchen, eine Geschichte über Kinder/Jugendliche, die einen Comic entwickeln, im Format eines klassischen Memos, eine Detektivgeschichte im Zauberkünstlermilieu, eine kurze Fabel mit ungewöhnlichem Ende, eine äußerst witzige Variation der Schöpfungsgeschichte, sowie 4 Science Fiction-nahe Texte. Bei den 4 SciFi-Stories handelt es sich um eine Otherland-Geschichte mit Orlando als Hommage an den Zauberer von Oz, eine hat das Format eines Chat Protokolls und es geht um das Thema KI, eine ist einfach nur ziemlich lustig und eine dürfte als Religionskritik zu verstehen sein.
Wie immer bei Kurzgeschichtensammlungen war die Qualität der Geschichten nicht einheitlich bzw. mein Interesse an den Geschichten nicht gleichmäßig ausgeprägt.
4 der Geschichten fand ich eher so mittelmäßig, der Rest war jedoch überdurchschnittlich bis deutlich überdurchschnittlich.
Ich bin nur deswegen so detailliert auf den Inhalt eingegangen, um die große Vielfältigkeit der Texte zu verdeutlichen.
Vor kurzem habe ich eine Videorezension über eine Kurzgeschichten-Anthologie eines Autors gesehen, bei der sich die Rezensentin ziemlich negativ darüber geäußert hat, dass der Autor sehr unterschiedliche Themen in seinen Geschichten behandelt hat.
Mir geht es da ganz anders. Gerade diese große Bandbreite der Themen und die unterschiedlichen Stile und Formate lassen mich dieser Anthologie noch mindestens einen zusätzlichen halben Bonus-Stern geben, so dass ich dieses Buch mit 5 Sternen bewerte.
--------------------
This volume contains 17 short stories by Tad Williams. What is remarkable is how diverse the themes and style of these stories are. In order to give a brief impression I have unraveled the content a little.
This anthology contains 2 dragon slayer stories from different perspectives, 3 truly terrifying horror stories, one of them in screenplay format, a more classic fantasy story in a medieval setting, 3 very different fairy tales, a story about children/teens developing a comic , in the format of a classic memo, a detective story in the magician milieu, a short fable with an unusual ending, a very funny variation on the creation story, and 4 texts close to science fiction. The 4 SciFi stories are an Otherland story with Orlando as a homage to the Wizard of Oz, one is in the format of a chat log and is about AI, one is just pretty funny and one might be a criticism of religion.
As is always the case with collections of short stories, the quality of the stories was not uniform and my interest in the stories was not evenly developed.
I found 4 of the stories to be mediocre, but the rest were above average to significantly above average.
The only reason I went into the content in such detail was to illustrate the great diversity of the texts.
I recently saw a video review of an author's short story anthology where the reviewer was quite negative about the author's covering very different themes in his stories.
I'm completely different. It is precisely this wide range of topics and the different styles and formats that allow me to give this anthology at least an additional half a bonus star, so that I assign this book 5 stars.
April 12, 2017
reviews.metaphorosis.com
2.5 stars
Seventeen stories from Tad Williams.
I've only read one of Tad Williams' short stories before - "Child of an Ancient City", included in this collection, but previously published as a novel. I've read most of his novels, including his three massive series - Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Otherland, and Shadowplay. I've found the quality to be profoundly mixed. Much of the content is overwritten, and not highly original (The War of the Flowers was good). Still, Williams puts together familiar elements in an interesting way, and I thought it would be interesting to see what he can do when forced to a less epic scale.
The result is decent but not stunning. The writing is good, but not compelling, and the narratives are relatively simple. Few of the stories really stand out as good, though there are a couple that are pretty weak.
The Old Scale Game - an aged dragon and an equally aged knight find common cause. Light-hearted and fun, but not very deep.If you read all the above, you'll find that I learned this: Williams goes for the obvious ending almost every time. While the writing is pretty solid, the stories often fail at the ending. For one thing, they're generally too long for the ending they offer - or the endings are too easy for the long story they follow.
The Storm Door - a demon hunter finds evil close to home. This stands out for the unusual tone of its ending, which I liked.
The Stranger's Hands - a pair of mysterious strangers can grant wishes, but there's something dark behind their power. I like this one quite a lot for most of its length, but the end was disappointingly simplistic and cheapened the rest of the story.
Child of an Ancient City - tales within tales within tales, with a vampire at its heart. Good, but too long for the ending to really work well.
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story - a sequel of sorts to the Otherland series, starring Orlando Gardiner, now a resident troubleshooter in Otherland. I liked the fact that Williams seemed to have actually read beyond the first book, and be a genuine fan of Oz; the Glass Cat is a key character. Well told, but again the ending is a bit of a letdown - too much buildup, too little impact.Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn - a priest, a maid, and an artist accompany a stuffed animal to its destination. This is one of the best stories in the book. For once, Williams reaches for an ending that's not pat and simplistic. He doesn't quite reach it, but he's close.
Not with a Whimper, Either - participants in a chatroom deal with a crisis. Far too long for its unoriginal premise.
Z is for... - a man coming off a drunk struggles to remember where he is. Probably the weakest story of the set. Flat, confused, and unoriginal.
The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of - a struggling stage magician fills in as a detective. As with so many others, a decently crafted story that fizzles out at the end.
A Fish Between Three Friends - three friends each encounter a talking fish. Uninteresting except for one little flourish at the end.
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air - God's daughter interferes in the Earth's creation. This was a good idea that didn't quite take off. There are a lot of bits that could and should have been funny (the creation of the platypus), but didn't quite make it. I really wish this one had worked.
A Stark and Wormy Knight - a dragon tells her son a good night story. Mildly humorous, but told in a clever patois that isn't nearly funny enough to hold the story for so long, and there's not that much else there.
Black Sunshine - old friends meet up again to relive a horrible episode of their youth. Written as a screenplay, which is handy in signposting the rapid changes in perspective and time frame. Mostly, I got the feeling that this could have been an effective film. As a story, the frequent references to background music are obstrusive, though I know and like most of the songs mentioned. The resolution is vague and undeveloped, but the ending works reasonably well emotionally.
And Ministers of Grace - a trained killer prepares to take out his target, and finds himself. This had promise, though it's desperately slow to start, and the intrusive ad snippets are as irritating to the reader as to the protagonist. Unfortunately, as so often in this book, the ending is too simple to sustain the story.
Overall, good for serious Tad Williams fans, but not recommended for others.
* As a final point - the cover art is attractive, but seems to have nothing to do with any of the stories. Always annoying.
NB: Received free copy from Net Galley.
October 1, 2018
From fantasy to horror, Tad Williams displays fantastic writing that covers a range of genres. This compilation starts with a humorous story about a dragon killing con setup by an old knight. From there we delve into a paranormal horror story that really sinks its teeth into your mind.
Williams' talent is on display in every story and even a TV screenplay. Giving the reader laughs along side some head scratching, everyone is sure to find something to interest them. I found his treatment of religion to be especially profound rather than blasphemous, even as he delved into both Christianity and Islam.
Having read this collection of short stories, I will look into one of his series.
Some of the stories are clean and accessible for young readers, but a few have profane language and sexual content. One could pick and choose which stories to allow their kids to read, but the entire compilation would be better suited for teens and older readers.
Williams' talent is on display in every story and even a TV screenplay. Giving the reader laughs along side some head scratching, everyone is sure to find something to interest them. I found his treatment of religion to be especially profound rather than blasphemous, even as he delved into both Christianity and Islam.
Having read this collection of short stories, I will look into one of his series.
Some of the stories are clean and accessible for young readers, but a few have profane language and sexual content. One could pick and choose which stories to allow their kids to read, but the entire compilation would be better suited for teens and older readers.
May 13, 2014
I would like to thank NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for granting me the opportunity to read this wonderful collection of Tad William's short stories. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.
This set of short stories brilliantly showcase the phenomenal depth and range of Mr. Williams' creative ability. His writing runs the gamut, shifting through such moods as humor, horror, joy, terror, fear, love, and depression, to name but a few. Without fail his stories are all thought provoking, be they two pages or twenty pages. This collection clearly shows many more aspects of Williams' than might be familiar to a reader of his fantasy/Sci-Fi series.
Some tales, such as The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story, are brief additions to existing series. Others, like Fish Between Friends, are brief tales that touch upon intelligence and the importance of recognizing what you already have. And the value of what you possess versus the value of trading that away for an unknown that may never arrive.
The story that surprised me the most was Black Sunshine. It was totally different than anything I've ever read by Mr. Williams before. It was written as a script, set as if for the stage or television, which made it far more compelling than any other form I can imagine. What really reached me was just how frightening it was - enough so that I'd avoid reading it after dark. In fact, if you've ever tripped, especially if you've had the poor luck to experience a bad trip, I would skip this story altogether. Which would be a shame given the power it possesses. Yet for peace of mind, I stand by my original assessment.
The story of the possible genesis of a god, Not with a Whimper, Either, is set circa 2002. It begins in an online chat room, where Fantasy readers have squared off against Sci-Fi readers. They are discussing books by authors like Heinlein and Tolkien - how they are viewed, means of certain constructs within the books, etc. Just as the discussion is about to devolve into a flame war the AOL server starts flashing a message about server problems. The 'Net goes down, as do all phones and broadcast signals of any sort. One user in chat room is able to get back online after a few minutes of seeing what looks like messed up code. The user chats with Moderator, and it quickly becomes clear that Moderator is not a joke, nor even an AI, but rather something that came into being in the pauses between electrical impulses on all our systems. It explains how it came into being in stages; first it was 'alerting and thinking', then came 'awake and thinking', now it is 'awake and talking.' It explains its plans for humans; in the end Moderator simply tells that first user to have "faith" in it.
And Ministers of Grace is another story that focuses on religion. It is a story of a holy war and one man's self realization. Set in a distant future, this religious war is wage between planets. One planet wants to convert the population of the other planet, and of course the government of the planet slated for conversion is dead set against any such thing happening to their people. Yet the story is really more about the holy warrior and his experiences. Very interesting piece and a fascinating note to end the book on.
Without a doubt I was once again surprised by Williams' superb command of the written word. Not a large fan of the short story as a medium, I may need to rethink that feeling after reading this compilation. For readers unfamiliar with Tad Williams' writing, this may be the perfect springboard, as opposed to launching into epic fantasies, or even series of any sort. One of the more surprising books I've had the pleasure of reading this year, and I say that in spite of the fact that I was already a huge fan of Williams' work.
This career retrospective from one of the most-beloved authors in the fantasy genre is essential for fans of his internationally best-selling series novels (Otherland; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn).
Tad Williams has achieved success in multiple genres and forms, whether in epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, or young adult fiction. Readers only familiar with such masterpieces as The Dragonbone Chair and Talchaser’s Song will be delighted to discover that in his short fiction, Williams has been able to explore myriad new possibilities and adventures.
Previously collected in multiauthor anthologies and limited hardcover editions, these superlative talks of dragons, super-soldiers, wizards, cyberpunks, heroes, and fools are now available together for the first time in an affordable trade paperback edition. These stories showcase the exhilarating breadth of Williams’ imagination, in stories hearkening to the tales of such classic fantasists as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Ray Bradbury, and Peter S. Beagle. Included is an original tale written specifically for this volume.
The Very Best of Tad Williams is a true delight to those who have imagined themselves in fantastic worlds beyond the everyday and mundane.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Old Scale Game
The Storm Door
The Stranger’s Hands
Child of an AncientCity
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn
Diary of a Dragon
Not with a Whimper, Either
Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer
Z is for...
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of
Fish Between Friends
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air
A Stark and Wormy Knight
Black Sunshine
And Ministers of Grace
This set of short stories brilliantly showcase the phenomenal depth and range of Mr. Williams' creative ability. His writing runs the gamut, shifting through such moods as humor, horror, joy, terror, fear, love, and depression, to name but a few. Without fail his stories are all thought provoking, be they two pages or twenty pages. This collection clearly shows many more aspects of Williams' than might be familiar to a reader of his fantasy/Sci-Fi series.
Some tales, such as The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story, are brief additions to existing series. Others, like Fish Between Friends, are brief tales that touch upon intelligence and the importance of recognizing what you already have. And the value of what you possess versus the value of trading that away for an unknown that may never arrive.
The story that surprised me the most was Black Sunshine. It was totally different than anything I've ever read by Mr. Williams before. It was written as a script, set as if for the stage or television, which made it far more compelling than any other form I can imagine. What really reached me was just how frightening it was - enough so that I'd avoid reading it after dark. In fact, if you've ever tripped, especially if you've had the poor luck to experience a bad trip, I would skip this story altogether. Which would be a shame given the power it possesses. Yet for peace of mind, I stand by my original assessment.
The story of the possible genesis of a god, Not with a Whimper, Either, is set circa 2002. It begins in an online chat room, where Fantasy readers have squared off against Sci-Fi readers. They are discussing books by authors like Heinlein and Tolkien - how they are viewed, means of certain constructs within the books, etc. Just as the discussion is about to devolve into a flame war the AOL server starts flashing a message about server problems. The 'Net goes down, as do all phones and broadcast signals of any sort. One user in chat room is able to get back online after a few minutes of seeing what looks like messed up code. The user chats with Moderator, and it quickly becomes clear that Moderator is not a joke, nor even an AI, but rather something that came into being in the pauses between electrical impulses on all our systems. It explains how it came into being in stages; first it was 'alerting and thinking', then came 'awake and thinking', now it is 'awake and talking.' It explains its plans for humans; in the end Moderator simply tells that first user to have "faith" in it.
And Ministers of Grace is another story that focuses on religion. It is a story of a holy war and one man's self realization. Set in a distant future, this religious war is wage between planets. One planet wants to convert the population of the other planet, and of course the government of the planet slated for conversion is dead set against any such thing happening to their people. Yet the story is really more about the holy warrior and his experiences. Very interesting piece and a fascinating note to end the book on.
Without a doubt I was once again surprised by Williams' superb command of the written word. Not a large fan of the short story as a medium, I may need to rethink that feeling after reading this compilation. For readers unfamiliar with Tad Williams' writing, this may be the perfect springboard, as opposed to launching into epic fantasies, or even series of any sort. One of the more surprising books I've had the pleasure of reading this year, and I say that in spite of the fact that I was already a huge fan of Williams' work.
May 1, 2014
Recommended for anyone seeking an overview of Tad Williams' career. He may be better known for his epic and lengthy novels, but he's also published quite a variety of short pieces over the years. The collection really shows the breadth of his work.
“The Old Scale Game”
A very light-hearted and humorous take on the old tale of the traveling dragon-slayer. As in some other similiar stories I've read, the dragon ends up making an agreement with the knight... but this one takes it one step further.
“The Storm Door”
A paranormal investigator goes to talk to his elderly godfather about some of the strange, possession-related phenomena he's been seeing lately. He's hoping for advice... what he gets is something else.
“The Stranger’s Hands”
A re-read – I've actually read this twice before, in the ‘Wizards’ anthology, edited by Jack Dann and in the 'Stark and Wormy Knight' collection. I do really love the story. A village takes in two wanderers - a man who seems to have lost his wits in an injury, and his caretaker. Soon, it is discovered that some who touch the disabled man's hands have their heart's desire magically granted. Soon, the needy flock to the town in hopes of having their wishes granted. But with greater exposure comes the revelation that the village's miracle man is (or was) actually one of the most powerful, dangerous, and evil wizards around. Is there some trick here? A well-crafted and thought-provoking tale.
“Child of an Ancient City”
'Dracula' meets 'The 1001 Nights' in this tale of a trading caravan that meets a supernatural horror in some foreign woods. Nicely done - although the sad tales weren't all that sad... but I guess that was part of the point...
“The Boy Detective of Oz” (An Otherland Story)
A murder mystery (?) set in a weird simulation of Oz, which will be familiar to readers of Williams' 'Otherland' series. As a matter of fact, I'd suggest reading 'Otherland' first, because this story doesn't give a lot of background. It's quite fun (and refreshing), however, to see Williams playing with themes and characters from L. Frank Baum's books, rather than the done-to-death film.
“Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn”
Previously read, this one in the anthology "Immortal Unicorn." 'A resentful priest of the Inquisition is charged with accompanying a mysterious box on a sea voyage.
A Dutch maid is asked to model for a visiting artist.
A young Thai princess encounters a handsome and arrogant warrior.
Interesting, and well-written.'
“Not with a Whimper, Either”
A fan in an Internet chatroom (it's 2002) encounters an emergent AI. Feels a bit dated, today - but that's kind of part of the charm.
“Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer”
Written in a format of a formal editor's memo to a professional writer of artist - except that the content is all about a teenage boy's juvenile and less-than-tasteful hand-drawn comics. I feel like other people would find this funnier than I did.
“Z is for…”
A man wakes up in the midst of a party, dazed and confused. He can't quite remember where he is, or who the people around him are - although they all seem familiar. Revealing more than that would be a spoiler... but I can say I really liked this one.
“Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard”
This weird vignette features the simulacrum of a duck, presented for the entertainment of the aristocracy.
“The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of”
Noir-style detective fiction. An attractive young woman comes to one of her recently-deceased father's old colleagues with what she believes may be a clue shedding light on his untimely death: a photograph with a cryptic message, and the faces of several of his other former schoolmates - at a program for stage magicians - circled. Magic and mystery mix, as the two investigate whether the supposed suicide or accident may actually have been murder.
“Fish Between Friends”
This may be one of the most entertaining takes on a story of three wishes that I've ever heard. Told in the format of a traditional fable, the familiar elements get an original twist that gave me a good chuckle.
“Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air”
Sofia (wisdom) in the form of a little girl, shows up while the angels Gabriel and Metatron are doing the work of creating the Earth - and gives them some suggestions. Irreverent and fun.
“A Stark and Wormy Knight”
A re-read - from the collection of the same title: 'A humorous dragon story, full of playful language.' Goes very well with 'The Old Scale Game.'
"Omnitron, What Ho!"
Another humorous piece playing on tropes from both space opera and 19th-century fiction. A disfavored nephew is sent by a domineering relative to make sure his cousin doesn't marry a woman that isn't wanted in their aristocratic family. Along with the nephew is sent a robotic butler, to make sure he does as he's told, and to keep him out of trouble. The butler does, indeed, keep him out of trouble - to a larger degree than anticipated.
“Black Sunshine”
Another re-read (from A Stark and Wormy Knight): "This is a screenplay for what would be a really-not-very-good (and rather short) B-movie based on our social paranoia about drugs.
“And Ministers of Grace”
Another one from 'A Stark And Wormy Knight.' I do really like this story. "Really well done. From the point of view of a future religious terrorist/assassin who sees the ubiquitous advertising of the future as evidence of our sinful ways. As Williams notes, it could work well as the opener to an epic story. I especially like that the Christians and Muslims are working together against the science/technology-based society – makes sense."
“The Old Scale Game”
A very light-hearted and humorous take on the old tale of the traveling dragon-slayer. As in some other similiar stories I've read, the dragon ends up making an agreement with the knight... but this one takes it one step further.
“The Storm Door”
A paranormal investigator goes to talk to his elderly godfather about some of the strange, possession-related phenomena he's been seeing lately. He's hoping for advice... what he gets is something else.
“The Stranger’s Hands”
A re-read – I've actually read this twice before, in the ‘Wizards’ anthology, edited by Jack Dann and in the 'Stark and Wormy Knight' collection. I do really love the story. A village takes in two wanderers - a man who seems to have lost his wits in an injury, and his caretaker. Soon, it is discovered that some who touch the disabled man's hands have their heart's desire magically granted. Soon, the needy flock to the town in hopes of having their wishes granted. But with greater exposure comes the revelation that the village's miracle man is (or was) actually one of the most powerful, dangerous, and evil wizards around. Is there some trick here? A well-crafted and thought-provoking tale.
“Child of an Ancient City”
'Dracula' meets 'The 1001 Nights' in this tale of a trading caravan that meets a supernatural horror in some foreign woods. Nicely done - although the sad tales weren't all that sad... but I guess that was part of the point...
“The Boy Detective of Oz” (An Otherland Story)
A murder mystery (?) set in a weird simulation of Oz, which will be familiar to readers of Williams' 'Otherland' series. As a matter of fact, I'd suggest reading 'Otherland' first, because this story doesn't give a lot of background. It's quite fun (and refreshing), however, to see Williams playing with themes and characters from L. Frank Baum's books, rather than the done-to-death film.
“Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn”
Previously read, this one in the anthology "Immortal Unicorn." 'A resentful priest of the Inquisition is charged with accompanying a mysterious box on a sea voyage.
A Dutch maid is asked to model for a visiting artist.
A young Thai princess encounters a handsome and arrogant warrior.
Interesting, and well-written.'
“Not with a Whimper, Either”
A fan in an Internet chatroom (it's 2002) encounters an emergent AI. Feels a bit dated, today - but that's kind of part of the charm.
“Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer”
Written in a format of a formal editor's memo to a professional writer of artist - except that the content is all about a teenage boy's juvenile and less-than-tasteful hand-drawn comics. I feel like other people would find this funnier than I did.
“Z is for…”
A man wakes up in the midst of a party, dazed and confused. He can't quite remember where he is, or who the people around him are - although they all seem familiar. Revealing more than that would be a spoiler... but I can say I really liked this one.
“Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard”
This weird vignette features the simulacrum of a duck, presented for the entertainment of the aristocracy.
“The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of”
Noir-style detective fiction. An attractive young woman comes to one of her recently-deceased father's old colleagues with what she believes may be a clue shedding light on his untimely death: a photograph with a cryptic message, and the faces of several of his other former schoolmates - at a program for stage magicians - circled. Magic and mystery mix, as the two investigate whether the supposed suicide or accident may actually have been murder.
“Fish Between Friends”
This may be one of the most entertaining takes on a story of three wishes that I've ever heard. Told in the format of a traditional fable, the familiar elements get an original twist that gave me a good chuckle.
“Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air”
Sofia (wisdom) in the form of a little girl, shows up while the angels Gabriel and Metatron are doing the work of creating the Earth - and gives them some suggestions. Irreverent and fun.
“A Stark and Wormy Knight”
A re-read - from the collection of the same title: 'A humorous dragon story, full of playful language.' Goes very well with 'The Old Scale Game.'
"Omnitron, What Ho!"
Another humorous piece playing on tropes from both space opera and 19th-century fiction. A disfavored nephew is sent by a domineering relative to make sure his cousin doesn't marry a woman that isn't wanted in their aristocratic family. Along with the nephew is sent a robotic butler, to make sure he does as he's told, and to keep him out of trouble. The butler does, indeed, keep him out of trouble - to a larger degree than anticipated.
“Black Sunshine”
Another re-read (from A Stark and Wormy Knight): "This is a screenplay for what would be a really-not-very-good (and rather short) B-movie based on our social paranoia about drugs.
“And Ministers of Grace”
Another one from 'A Stark And Wormy Knight.' I do really like this story. "Really well done. From the point of view of a future religious terrorist/assassin who sees the ubiquitous advertising of the future as evidence of our sinful ways. As Williams notes, it could work well as the opener to an epic story. I especially like that the Christians and Muslims are working together against the science/technology-based society – makes sense."
April 20, 2014
Tad Williams is an author I’ve been meaning to try for a long time. I own most of his books and they look pretty fantastic on my shelves, but I haven’t yet actually started one of his novels. I think this comes under what I was talking of earlier – finding a book I know I’ll love, and then hoarding it away and now it’s mine and I can move on to collect other books!
But when I saw this anthology I thought it would be an excellent way to get into his work more so I can get so hungry for his work I get into the books finally. I’ve seen his work in a few anthologies so far, but reading a collection instead seemed the better way into it.
As it’s a collection, it’s probably better to review each short individually, as is my usual way:
The Old Scale Game
A very strong start to this collection – a dragon slayer and a dragon who team up to con villages of their gold. Dragon shows up -village is scared – slayer turns up and ‘vanquishes’ the dragon – villagers cheer and pay the slayer – slayer later meets up again with the dragon and they continue on their merry way.
This is a short I first read in Unfettered, an anthology edited by Shawn Speakman, and one of the reasons I knew I had to start reading Tad Williams’ work sooner rather than later. The tone in this short, with the characters and their voice is just delightful. One of my favourites by Tad.
To continue reading this review, please click here.
But when I saw this anthology I thought it would be an excellent way to get into his work more so I can get so hungry for his work I get into the books finally. I’ve seen his work in a few anthologies so far, but reading a collection instead seemed the better way into it.
As it’s a collection, it’s probably better to review each short individually, as is my usual way:
The Old Scale Game
A very strong start to this collection – a dragon slayer and a dragon who team up to con villages of their gold. Dragon shows up -village is scared – slayer turns up and ‘vanquishes’ the dragon – villagers cheer and pay the slayer – slayer later meets up again with the dragon and they continue on their merry way.
This is a short I first read in Unfettered, an anthology edited by Shawn Speakman, and one of the reasons I knew I had to start reading Tad Williams’ work sooner rather than later. The tone in this short, with the characters and their voice is just delightful. One of my favourites by Tad.
To continue reading this review, please click here.
May 16, 2016
Read the majority a year ago (enjoying them mainly) but doubtful I'll finish these so moved to DNF shelf for now.
May 23, 2014
When you have an author who is one of your favorites, and they put out a compilation of some of their best short works, you want to give it a shot. The Very Best of Tad Williams is good, but not really the Very Best, especially if you walk in expecting more serious fare like his longform fantasy and fiction.
This is not to say all (or a lot of it) is bad. Far too much of it was silly for my tastes (most notably the "Wizard of Oz in Otherland" tale that really sold me on giving this a look to begin with), but when things are working, whether it be the genuinely freaky and creepy screenplay for "Black Sunshine" or the robot tale "Omnitron, What Ho!" toward the end, it really works.
This is probably a poor starting point for most Williams readers. Many would say to go to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I'm still partial to Otherland, but as a compilation of fiction of various stripes, it's certainly not bad for existing fans.
This is not to say all (or a lot of it) is bad. Far too much of it was silly for my tastes (most notably the "Wizard of Oz in Otherland" tale that really sold me on giving this a look to begin with), but when things are working, whether it be the genuinely freaky and creepy screenplay for "Black Sunshine" or the robot tale "Omnitron, What Ho!" toward the end, it really works.
This is probably a poor starting point for most Williams readers. Many would say to go to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I'm still partial to Otherland, but as a compilation of fiction of various stripes, it's certainly not bad for existing fans.
July 1, 2015
Ugh, publishers, Please stop doing this to short story collections. It's not fair to the readers or the author.
This is a great short story collection (and a screenplay), but this title is like taking the Collected Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and renaming it "The Very Best of..." without even a mention of The Great Gatsby.
It's just wrong.
I adore Tad. I am both an uber-fan and friend, and I think his "very best" is epic fantasy, the immersive world he creates and that draw you in until you feel like you're living there.
But I did really enjoy these stories. I would have liked more of a context, a short intro for each, but that's not his fault, either!
This is a great short story collection (and a screenplay), but this title is like taking the Collected Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and renaming it "The Very Best of..." without even a mention of The Great Gatsby.
It's just wrong.
I adore Tad. I am both an uber-fan and friend, and I think his "very best" is epic fantasy, the immersive world he creates and that draw you in until you feel like you're living there.
But I did really enjoy these stories. I would have liked more of a context, a short intro for each, but that's not his fault, either!
July 4, 2015
This is a collection of average stories with only two that stood out for me.
The first "Every fuzzy beast of the Earth, every pink fowl of the Air" deals with the biblical creation and what help the angels and god had to create the earth in 7 days.
The second "And Ministers of grace" deals with a future where humans have colonized the stars and human space is divided between two camps : The covenant that regroup all the religious groups and Archimede's world that regroup the rationalists non religious types. Those two camps don't like each others and we follow a guardian of the covenant, a fanatic sent to earth to assassinate the prime minister of the rationalist camp.
The first "Every fuzzy beast of the Earth, every pink fowl of the Air" deals with the biblical creation and what help the angels and god had to create the earth in 7 days.
The second "And Ministers of grace" deals with a future where humans have colonized the stars and human space is divided between two camps : The covenant that regroup all the religious groups and Archimede's world that regroup the rationalists non religious types. Those two camps don't like each others and we follow a guardian of the covenant, a fanatic sent to earth to assassinate the prime minister of the rationalist camp.
February 19, 2017
This book is a collection of short stories in various genres in wildly diverse styles. There is definitely something for everyone here.
My personal favorites were:
The Old Scale Game. (Humorous fantasy story)
Not with a Whimper, Either. (Written as a chat room log)
Black Sunshine. (Written as a TV or movie shooting script)
There were only one or two stories that I didn't care for that much, so overall I would give this a 3.5 stars.
My personal favorites were:
The Old Scale Game. (Humorous fantasy story)
Not with a Whimper, Either. (Written as a chat room log)
Black Sunshine. (Written as a TV or movie shooting script)
There were only one or two stories that I didn't care for that much, so overall I would give this a 3.5 stars.
November 27, 2016
It took me a looong time to finish this, but mostly because I find I enjoy novels much more than short stories. Also maybe because the best short stories here were to be found in the second half of the collection. Anyway, it finished strong.
September 3, 2022
It's very strange. I've been a Tad Williams fan since the early 90s, when I first encountered (and subsequently devoured) his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn saga. I was absolutely blown away by the size and scope of the story, the complexities of the characters, and the depth of the mythology. I dabbled in the Otherland books, but never really got hooked, and I loved the Shadowmarch saga, although I still have 1 book left to read.
Maybe it's because I'm so enamored with him on that large scale that I've never really dabbled in his short stories, so there was a definite appeal in picking up The Very Best of Tad Williams for review. There were a handful of tales here that simply didn't work for me - 'And Ministers of Grace' was a tad too religious, while 'Black Sunshine' and 'Not with a Whimper, Either' were written in a style I didn't care for - there were also some very pleasant surprises.
'The Old Scale Game' is a great kick-off to the collection, with a con run by dragon and dragon slayer quickly getting out of control. It's quick, it's clever, and it's very funny. By contrast, 'The Storm Door' is a very dark sort of hard-boiled detective tale with a paranormal edge . . . and an ending I didn't expect, but which works beautifully.
We get lighter again with 'The Stranger’s Hands,' in which the darkest of magicians is caught masquerading as a miracle worker, while 'Child of an Ancient City' once again turns the tables on us, taking an Arabian Nights sort of approach to a mountain flight from old-school vampyrs. 'The Boy Detective of Oz' is an Otherland story that I really liked, which may put that saga back on my to-read list, in which Williams really has fun playing with the mythology of L. Frank Baum's world.
A very strange, but very strong story, 'Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn' is a sort of historical morality tale featuring a virgin beauty, a painter, a priest, a princess, and a (ahem) rhinocerous. Yes, rhinocerous. Nosehorn. Get it? Turning our attention from rhinos to zebras, 'Z is for...' examines the aftermath of a party, and the confusion of a hangover.
'Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard' is another odd one that I really can't explain, although it did leave me suitably amused. 'The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of' brings us back to the realm of hard-boiled detectives, this time centered around the murder/suicide of a famous magician, while 'A Fish Between Three Friends' is a short, but lively sort of fairy tale fable.
'Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air' is another religious themed tale, but this one worked for me because of its earnest absurdity. 'A Stark and Wormy Knight' is the one story I had read before, and it is just as funny and entertaining the second time around, particularly with is play of language. Finally, oddly meshing pulp fantasy and space opera, 'Omnitron, What Ho!' is a very funny tale about a young man and his robot, sent by his elders to prevent a marriage.
All-in-all, a solid collection of stories that does a nice job of exposing some new facets of Williams' literary talents. Even with the few that didn't work, The Very Best of Tad Williams is a better collection than most authors could ever hope to produce.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Maybe it's because I'm so enamored with him on that large scale that I've never really dabbled in his short stories, so there was a definite appeal in picking up The Very Best of Tad Williams for review. There were a handful of tales here that simply didn't work for me - 'And Ministers of Grace' was a tad too religious, while 'Black Sunshine' and 'Not with a Whimper, Either' were written in a style I didn't care for - there were also some very pleasant surprises.
'The Old Scale Game' is a great kick-off to the collection, with a con run by dragon and dragon slayer quickly getting out of control. It's quick, it's clever, and it's very funny. By contrast, 'The Storm Door' is a very dark sort of hard-boiled detective tale with a paranormal edge . . . and an ending I didn't expect, but which works beautifully.
We get lighter again with 'The Stranger’s Hands,' in which the darkest of magicians is caught masquerading as a miracle worker, while 'Child of an Ancient City' once again turns the tables on us, taking an Arabian Nights sort of approach to a mountain flight from old-school vampyrs. 'The Boy Detective of Oz' is an Otherland story that I really liked, which may put that saga back on my to-read list, in which Williams really has fun playing with the mythology of L. Frank Baum's world.
A very strange, but very strong story, 'Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn' is a sort of historical morality tale featuring a virgin beauty, a painter, a priest, a princess, and a (ahem) rhinocerous. Yes, rhinocerous. Nosehorn. Get it? Turning our attention from rhinos to zebras, 'Z is for...' examines the aftermath of a party, and the confusion of a hangover.
'Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard' is another odd one that I really can't explain, although it did leave me suitably amused. 'The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of' brings us back to the realm of hard-boiled detectives, this time centered around the murder/suicide of a famous magician, while 'A Fish Between Three Friends' is a short, but lively sort of fairy tale fable.
'Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air' is another religious themed tale, but this one worked for me because of its earnest absurdity. 'A Stark and Wormy Knight' is the one story I had read before, and it is just as funny and entertaining the second time around, particularly with is play of language. Finally, oddly meshing pulp fantasy and space opera, 'Omnitron, What Ho!' is a very funny tale about a young man and his robot, sent by his elders to prevent a marriage.
All-in-all, a solid collection of stories that does a nice job of exposing some new facets of Williams' literary talents. Even with the few that didn't work, The Very Best of Tad Williams is a better collection than most authors could ever hope to produce.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
September 7, 2022
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
While I am familiar with the name Tad Williams and have seen his books in bookstores for as long as I can remember, I don't believe I've ever read any of his books. There's no particular reason for this other than - too many books, too little time. Also, I tend to think of his books as 'dragon fantasies' because I always picture his covers as featuring dragons (quite like the cover depicted here) and despite an appreciation of the fantasy genre, I've never been particularly drawn to stories with dragons.
But I thought it was time to get familiar with Williams' work and what better way than to read his 'very best'?!
Overall, I really liked this collection. It definitely showed a lot or variety and versatility for Williams.
The collection starts off with a dragon story ("The Old Scale Game") and I cringed a bit, hoping it wasn't going to be all dragon stories, but the next is a horror story ("The Storm Door"). This might be my least favorite story in the collection - though, while not technically a 'story', "Black Sunshine", which is an unproduced screenplay, might also qualify for least favorite.
Among my favorites, "Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn" ranks quite highly - but I'd probably give this high marks just based on the title alone! I also really liked "Monsieur Vergalant´s Canard" and "The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of."
There are a couple of dragon stories here, which is probably expected by his dedicated fans, and my favorite of those was "A Stark and Wormy Knight" - a humorous story told from the point of view of the dragon, with a mother dragon telling a bedtime story to her little ones. This reminded my of the writings of Spider Robinson (whom I often think of as someone who writes short stories around puns).
"And Ministers of Grace" closes the book and it might be one of the strongest stories in the collection. There's a lot more philosophy here, giving the reader something to think about. This was not something I had gotten a feel for with the other stories in this volume.
This book contains the following:
Introduction
"The Old Scale Game"
"The Storm Door"
"The Stranger’s Hands"
"Child of an Ancient City"
"The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story"
"Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn"
"Not with a Whimper, Either"
"Some Thoughts Re: DARK DESTRUCTOR"
"Z is for... "
"Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard"
"The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of"
"A Fish Between Three Friends"
"Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air"
"A Stark and Wormy Knight"
"Omnitron, What Ho!"
"Black Sunshine"
"And Ministers of Grace"
Looking for a good book? The Very Best of Tad Williams is a collection of the author's short fiction. All the stories are quite well written with a few standing out as more enjoyable reads, and the volume shows the authors versatility.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
While I am familiar with the name Tad Williams and have seen his books in bookstores for as long as I can remember, I don't believe I've ever read any of his books. There's no particular reason for this other than - too many books, too little time. Also, I tend to think of his books as 'dragon fantasies' because I always picture his covers as featuring dragons (quite like the cover depicted here) and despite an appreciation of the fantasy genre, I've never been particularly drawn to stories with dragons.
But I thought it was time to get familiar with Williams' work and what better way than to read his 'very best'?!
Overall, I really liked this collection. It definitely showed a lot or variety and versatility for Williams.
The collection starts off with a dragon story ("The Old Scale Game") and I cringed a bit, hoping it wasn't going to be all dragon stories, but the next is a horror story ("The Storm Door"). This might be my least favorite story in the collection - though, while not technically a 'story', "Black Sunshine", which is an unproduced screenplay, might also qualify for least favorite.
Among my favorites, "Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn" ranks quite highly - but I'd probably give this high marks just based on the title alone! I also really liked "Monsieur Vergalant´s Canard" and "The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of."
There are a couple of dragon stories here, which is probably expected by his dedicated fans, and my favorite of those was "A Stark and Wormy Knight" - a humorous story told from the point of view of the dragon, with a mother dragon telling a bedtime story to her little ones. This reminded my of the writings of Spider Robinson (whom I often think of as someone who writes short stories around puns).
"And Ministers of Grace" closes the book and it might be one of the strongest stories in the collection. There's a lot more philosophy here, giving the reader something to think about. This was not something I had gotten a feel for with the other stories in this volume.
This book contains the following:
Introduction
"The Old Scale Game"
"The Storm Door"
"The Stranger’s Hands"
"Child of an Ancient City"
"The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story"
"Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn"
"Not with a Whimper, Either"
"Some Thoughts Re: DARK DESTRUCTOR"
"Z is for... "
"Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard"
"The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of"
"A Fish Between Three Friends"
"Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air"
"A Stark and Wormy Knight"
"Omnitron, What Ho!"
"Black Sunshine"
"And Ministers of Grace"
Looking for a good book? The Very Best of Tad Williams is a collection of the author's short fiction. All the stories are quite well written with a few standing out as more enjoyable reads, and the volume shows the authors versatility.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2018
I think this is a 4-star bundle overall. There were one or two stories (mostly toward the end) which really weren't my thing, so I could've done without those. Sci-Fi isn't really my thing usually, but I really liked "The Boy Detective of Oz", "Not with a Whimper, Either", and especially "Z is for...", though I was very confused while reading it and didn't like the beginning one bit.
There's some wonderful fantasy in here as well, and it already starts out with it! "The Old Scale Game" was a lot of fun to read, and it really got me interested in the rest of the stories. "The Stranger's Hands", "Child of an Ancient City", and "A Stark and Wormy Knight" are all pretty good, with "Child of an Ancient City", although quite predictable, being my favourite.
What I think is especially brilliant, is the fact that Williams manages to really work out 3-dimensional, real characters in immensely short stories. Yes, some of them are a bit cliché and/or predictable, but his creative writing skills make up for that. I also think it's really admirable how he manages to write in many different styles and voices. He writes from a dragon's point of view in "A Stark and Wormy Knight", and it really sounds like what you would imagine a dragon to sound like! He writes through a chat room in "Not with a Whimper, Either" and he writes "Black Sunshine" as if it were a movie script. I really disliked that one, because of all the 'fade in to' 'fade out to', etc., and because I generally don't like the type of movies, but I'm sure some people think it's brilliant.
All in all, I think it's a very nice collection of stories. I could've done without a few of them, but the majority were really good reads, and I was pretty sad that they couldn't go on longer. Definite recommendation for people who like fantasy, sci-fi, or both of them (or who just enjoy short stories in general).
There's some wonderful fantasy in here as well, and it already starts out with it! "The Old Scale Game" was a lot of fun to read, and it really got me interested in the rest of the stories. "The Stranger's Hands", "Child of an Ancient City", and "A Stark and Wormy Knight" are all pretty good, with "Child of an Ancient City", although quite predictable, being my favourite.
What I think is especially brilliant, is the fact that Williams manages to really work out 3-dimensional, real characters in immensely short stories. Yes, some of them are a bit cliché and/or predictable, but his creative writing skills make up for that. I also think it's really admirable how he manages to write in many different styles and voices. He writes from a dragon's point of view in "A Stark and Wormy Knight", and it really sounds like what you would imagine a dragon to sound like! He writes through a chat room in "Not with a Whimper, Either" and he writes "Black Sunshine" as if it were a movie script. I really disliked that one, because of all the 'fade in to' 'fade out to', etc., and because I generally don't like the type of movies, but I'm sure some people think it's brilliant.
All in all, I think it's a very nice collection of stories. I could've done without a few of them, but the majority were really good reads, and I was pretty sad that they couldn't go on longer. Definite recommendation for people who like fantasy, sci-fi, or both of them (or who just enjoy short stories in general).
November 26, 2018
Possibly one of the most unexpectedly delightful collections that I've read all year. From the cover and blurb I was actually a bit hesitant to jump into this book, as I'd never read anything by the author, and the write-up focused on his fantasy writings. In general, I'm not a fan of straight-up sword and sorcery books (although my Read shelf might show otherwise). But there was actually not a lot of old school fantasy in this collection; if anything, it skewed quite significantly toward science fiction.
There were 3 duds in here that I could not finish:
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story: Since I'd not read the Otherland series, I immediately could tell that I wouldn't get much out of this story, so I bailed.
A Stark and Wormy Knight: I could not get into the pidgin-dragon speak.
Black Sunshine: I hate reading scripts
But other than that, there were some really solid stories that I enjoyed immensely. My ratings averaged out to 4.6, which I'll gladly round up to 5 stars.
The Old Scale Game: 5 Stars
The Storm Door: 4 Stars
The Stranger’s Hands: 5 Stars
Child of an Ancient City: 4 Stars
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story: DNF
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn: 2 Stars
Not with a Whimper, Either: 5 Stars
Some Thoughts Re: DARK DESTRUCTOR: 5 Stars
Z is for... : 5 Stars
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard: 5 Stars
The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of: 5 Stars
A Fish Between Three Friends: 5 Stars
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air: 5 Stars
A Stark and Wormy Knight: DNF
Omnitron, What Ho! : 5 Stars
Black Sunshine: DNF
And Ministers of Grace: 5 Stars
There were 3 duds in here that I could not finish:
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story: Since I'd not read the Otherland series, I immediately could tell that I wouldn't get much out of this story, so I bailed.
A Stark and Wormy Knight: I could not get into the pidgin-dragon speak.
Black Sunshine: I hate reading scripts
But other than that, there were some really solid stories that I enjoyed immensely. My ratings averaged out to 4.6, which I'll gladly round up to 5 stars.
The Old Scale Game: 5 Stars
The Storm Door: 4 Stars
The Stranger’s Hands: 5 Stars
Child of an Ancient City: 4 Stars
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story: DNF
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn: 2 Stars
Not with a Whimper, Either: 5 Stars
Some Thoughts Re: DARK DESTRUCTOR: 5 Stars
Z is for... : 5 Stars
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard: 5 Stars
The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of: 5 Stars
A Fish Between Three Friends: 5 Stars
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air: 5 Stars
A Stark and Wormy Knight: DNF
Omnitron, What Ho! : 5 Stars
Black Sunshine: DNF
And Ministers of Grace: 5 Stars
October 30, 2018
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I enjoy Tad Williams' novels. They've got great world building and interesting characters, and he's among one of my favorite authors.
That being said... these were not good. Most of them felt fairly weak and threadbare. This isn't the very best of Tad Williams by a longshot, and I'm disappointed. The biggest draw of this book (for me) was the Otherland story since I really wanted more Otherland, and it was weak and fairly uninteresting.
In the end it seems that Mr. Williams is a fantastic novelist, but not a great short-story writer.
That being said... these were not good. Most of them felt fairly weak and threadbare. This isn't the very best of Tad Williams by a longshot, and I'm disappointed. The biggest draw of this book (for me) was the Otherland story since I really wanted more Otherland, and it was weak and fairly uninteresting.
In the end it seems that Mr. Williams is a fantastic novelist, but not a great short-story writer.
March 24, 2018
Published in 2014, The Very Best of Tad Williams is a collection of 17 short fantasy stories originally published between the years 1988 and 2014. The quality of the tales is very high, although I personally preferred the stories written early in the author's career - opinions will vary. I finished the book wondering why I had never read a book by him before, this author is amazing.
February 12, 2025
Walked into this one with somewhat of an expectation to find short stories more in line with some of his better known, and much-talked-about, Fantasy writing. This collection was good, held some good interest for the most part, but that interest petered out about 2/3 of the way. I'd say it sort of fell short of the mark for what I'd hoped would lie between the covers of this book.
March 25, 2019
Sorry...
First two part raised expectation much too high.
In the last couple of chapters it gave a very strong impression that the writer got fed-up with his own manuscript, and wanted to ditch it asap.
Such a waste of opportunaties.
'Sir Seoman', Miramele, Jiriki, Binabik deserved much better
First two part raised expectation much too high.
In the last couple of chapters it gave a very strong impression that the writer got fed-up with his own manuscript, and wanted to ditch it asap.
Such a waste of opportunaties.
'Sir Seoman', Miramele, Jiriki, Binabik deserved much better
March 30, 2019
Such a wide range of stories from one author! I really enjoyed the stories, especially the length- it was nice being able to pick up the book and read a story, finishing it before I put it down. I was crept out by some, fascinated by others.
July 15, 2019
Pretty good story collection. It is weird reading short stories by Williams—most of his works are seriously long. And personally, I think his long-form stories are where he really shines.
These were all pretty good, but not great. Still entertaining and enjoyable, Solid 3-star.
These were all pretty good, but not great. Still entertaining and enjoyable, Solid 3-star.
June 13, 2017
Dazzled my eat pipes. 5/5 stars.
February 10, 2018
A very nice collection of short stories. I'll definitely look for more stories from Tad Williams.
September 30, 2018
There are Otherland stories in this book, along with the usual mixed short stories.
December 9, 2018
Usual thing some good and some I skipped over,definitely not the best of,but a pleasant surprise to read an Otherland short story.
January 24, 2019
A completely satisfactory bunch of stories that I enjoyed going through.
June 10, 2019
Good stories - some better than others, but none bad - but also none great. Still enjoyable - nice variety of tales. 3.5 stars.
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July 23, 2022Favorite stories: The Boy Detective of Oz and Black Sunrise
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