Black Cats and Broken Mirrors

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), John Helfers (Editor), Bruce Holland Rogers (Contributor)

Ever since humankind first realized there was reason to fear - whether that fear was of the dark, the unknown, people who seemed different, the unexpected violence of nature, or death itself - we have created rituals and talismans to insure good fortune and keep away evil spirits. And though many superstitions have fallen by the wayside over the years, there are still any number of folks who won't take chances with anything from spilled salt to sneezes.

Now some of today's most imaginative writers explore both the lighter and darker sides of superstitions from the simple to the strange, the benign to the baffling, offering their own unique answers to such questions as:

-Who created superstitions in the first place?
-Does a black cat crossing your path really bring dire consequences?
-If you break a mirror to destroy a link to evil, will the bad luck incurred bring the evil to you?

contents:
Introduction by John Helfers
How It All Began by Esther M. Friesner
Thirteen Ways to Water by Bruce Holland Rogers
Whiirlwinds by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Dead Tired by R. Davis
Shards of Glass by Kristin Schwengel
The Cat Who Wasn't Black by Josepha Sherman
Something Blue by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Crossroads by Genevieve Gprman
The Song of a Gift Horse by Dean Wesley Smith
Caretaking by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Soul Cages by Carol Rondou
Auspicious Stars by Jane Lindskold
Frogged by Nancy Springer
Step on the Crack by Michelle Sagara West
Front-Page Mcguffin and the Greatest Story Never Told by Peter Crowther
To the Edge of the World by Zane Stillings
The Pennymen by Charles de Lint

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Amélie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Step on the crack" by Michelle Sagara West is about a mother raising her two children in a world where magic can make children's beliefs reality and the dangers that come with it.

[Cathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories. A little weird but not unbelievable. Too bad there were so many typos.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Front Page McGuffin and the Greatest Story Never Told by Crowther, Peter
* Dead Tired by Davis, R.
* The Pennymen by de Lint, Charles
* How It All Began by Friesner, Esther M.
* Crossroads by Gorman, Genevieve
* Caretaking by Hoffman, Nina Kiriki
* Auspicious Stars by Lindskold, Jane M.
* Thirteen Ways to Water by Rogers, Bruce Holland
* Soul Cages by Rondou, Carol
* Something Blue by Rusch, Kristine Kathryn
* Whirlwinds by Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann
* Shards of Glass by Schwengel, Kristin
* The Cat Who Wasn't Black by Sherman, Josepha
* The Song of a Gift Horse by Smith, Dean Wesley
* Frogged by Springer, Nancy
* To the End of the World by Stillings, Zane
* Step on the Crack by West, Michelle Sagara

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection started out pretty dark, but the stories quickly lightened up and became enjoyable. I have never been superstitious; I prefer science and rational thought to fairy tales and speculation, but there is always that thought in the back of my head that says, "Well, it wouldn't hurt to stay away from the 13th floor and not step on sidewalk cracks!" My favorite story was "The Pennymen" by Charles De Lint. I had heard the luck theory about picking up pennies, but had never heard about Pennymen before. Next time I pick up a penny, I will think. All in all, a good collection.

[Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

i couldn't wait to read... I just finished the first story... How it all began. Several more stories to go.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bunch of creppy short stories. Some were ok the rest were ave. Not somthing I will be kepping on my bookshevles.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful collection of tales about superstitions.