The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy

by Mike Ashley (Editor), Andy Duncan (Contributor), Lawrence Person (Contributor)

Here is the future of fantasy-25 short stories from top contemporary writers. This collection embraces all the newest forms of fantasy in vogue, from urban fantasy and extreme dystopian fiction, to alternate history and entire new fantasy worlds.

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

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eclectic group of stories that get more "extreme" as the book goes on. Really shows the diversity of the genre completely avoiding the cliches that many people associate with fantasy.

With a focus predominately on newer stories, it introduced me to an array of new authors that I have not read before.

For me, some of the best stories were:

"Sandmagic" by Orson Scott Card
"The Old House Under the Snow" by Rhys Hughs
"Using It and Losing It" by Jonathan Lethem
"Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani" by William Hope Hodgeson
"The Fence at the End of the World" by Melissa Mia Hall
"I, Haruspex" by Christopher Priest
"Tower of Babylon" by Ted Chiang

There were other good ones and one or two duds but generally a good collection.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what the phrase “extreme fantasy” means. To me the word “extreme” was best defined in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle : white water rafting in a convenience store, hang gliding off a cliff, drinking Mountain Dew and lastly listening to Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. The editor of The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy defines extreme as “stories that took a basic idea, whether simple or complicated, and developed it to some extreme, beyond what the reader might normally expect.” That doesn’t sound too bad, but I like Harold and Kumar’s definition of extreme better.

For this review, I will give a brief synopsis of each story, followed by what I thought about the story and then finally the rating I give it out of 5. There are 24 stories in total making this one meaty, or mammoth if you will collection. Onto the first story:

1) Senator Bilbo by Andy Duncan. First published in 2001.
Story : A descendent of Bilbo Baggins fights for political power and immigration control in the fantasy land of the Shire.
Thoughts : Boring and overlong. Duncan is usually a good writer, but the characters in this are simply unsympathetic caricatures of Tolkien’s. I mean Gandolf-like magicians interacting with turn-of-the-century senators? Come on! Not a great way to start of a short fiction anthology.
Rating : 1/5

2) Sandmagic by Orson Scott Card. First published in 1979.
Story : A young boy watches his parents die of murder and disease and vows to seek vengeance upon the ones that caused his pain.
Thoughts : I liked the way Card expresses the concept of magic and the consequences caused by using something far greater than any one being. This story is very nicely done— heartbreaking and dark all at the same time. Now if only Card could keep his mouth shut and stop spouting his religious views on the evils of American Democracy and the Satanic undercurrents of homo-sexual marriages.
Rating : 3.5/5

3) Dream A Little Dream For Me… by Peter Crowther. First Published in 2000.
Story : A young man dealing with writers block travels to Germany to unwind and finds out he may be the key to saving God’s one true dream.
Thoughts : Crowther may be better known as the publisher of the great small press publishing house, PS Publishing. However, it also turns out that he is one heck of a good short story writer. This is a tale of how dreams can tempt us, rule us, and ultimately destroy us; how hope can turn to sorrow and regret in an instance. This one has a dreamlike melancholy feel to it— like dreaming of bunnies frolicking while your girlfriend breaks up with you.
Rating : 3/5

4) Lost Wax by Leah Bobet. First published in 2006.
Story : A young boy dreams of magic forbidden and learns that not all things wished for are beneficent and wanted.
Thoughts : A simple story with an abrupt ending. This one could’ve been more descriptive and a tad longer, but still was fun. Nothing much more to really say here, although I could never imagine myself collecting discarded wax shavings.
Rating : 2.5/5

5) Save A Place In The Lifeboat For Me by Howard Waldrop. First published in 1976.
Story : A bunch of old-time film comedians search for their destinies/purpose?
Thoughts : This is absurdist to the extreme. I don’t mind absurdist when it’s done well, like with Beckett, but this was not done well at all. Can comedy really save the world? I don’t know, but if it can, this ain’t it. If anything, this type of comedy will set things back by centuries.
Rating : 1.5/5

6) I Am Bonaro by John Niendorff. First published in 1964.
Story : A man who can turn into anything he wishes loses his mind in more ways than one.
Thoughts : An odd and short little story. This one is quite striking and will stay with you for days— or maybe like Bonaro, you’ll forget it. What wonder!
Rating : 2.5/5

7) The Old House Under The Snow by Rhys Hughes. First published in 2004.
Story : Two friends become trapped in a mansion surrounded by ice which slowly sinks, sending them deeper and deeper into a bottomless world.
Thoughts : The editor of this book, Mike Ashley, promotes this story as a nightmarish version of Alice in Wonderland, and I couldn’t agree more. This was quite the surreal one. Rhys has a definite way with words that will leave readers itching for more. I am officially a fan of his.
Rating : 3.5/5

8) Banquet of the Lords of Night by Liz Williams. First published in 2002.
Story : In a world of darkness where any concept of light means death, one man struggles to bring light to his life and save the world.
Thoughts : This is a short yet suspenseful story. Each word read is filled with more and more dread, reaching a crescendo that explodes of the page. Liz Williams always creates interesting worlds and this is no exception. Reminded me a lot of the tall creepy things from Dark Crystal and Mirrormask .
Rating : 3/5

9) Charlie the Purple Giraffe was Acting Strangely by David D. Levine. First published in 2004.
Story : A purple giraffe becomes aware that he is in a comic book and wonders if there is existence if there are no readers.
Thoughts : A story that can be read many ways: of our cultures obsessions with being famous, of peoples need to feel, well, needed— or perhaps it really is just about a purple giraffe. I’d like to live in a world where comic characters have found out the truth and Batman’s pretty pissed off at us. We can all dream.
Rating : 2.5/5

10) Master Lao and the Flying Horror by Lawrence Person. First published in 2005.
Story : In fantastic ancient China, a demonic evil starts taking the heads of villagers to build its floating head army, and it’s up to a lustful temple acolyte and his aging mentor to save the day.
Thoughts : Clearly Mr. Person has seen many Chinese horror/comedy movies, because this story is like reading the movies I grew up watching in the 80’s. He is rather funny with his turn of phrases and uses them for many laughs. It also seems like there’s more stories set in this world— gives me something to look for. This one is very reminiscent of The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart, which I entirely love.
Rating : 3/5

[Since the full review is to large to fit here, the rest is after the jump.:]

http://www.fantasybookspot.com/node/2893

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faves:
Lost Wax by Leah Bobet - 4 stars
The Old House Under The Snow by Rhys Hughes - 4 stars
Banquet Of The Lords Of Night by Liz Williams - 4 stars
Using It And Losing It by Jonathan Lethem - 4 stars
Cup And Table by Tim Pratt - 4.5 stars

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only a select few good short stories in this book. The rest I wouldn’t consider “extreme” or “fantasy”.

[Chels S · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much objectionable content, as in all Fantasy and Science Fiction anthologies and collections it seems..

[Kirk Plankey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could only make it about a third through the book before I gave up. Apparently Mr. Ashley's idea of "Extreme Fantasy" doesn't coincide with mine.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many themed anthologies have difficult sticking to their nominal theme. The more ethereal the theme, the more the stories tend to wander. Most often, they seem in fact to be mere compendia of the stories the editor could dig up, with little in the way of connective tissue. This anthology is no different. "Extreme" means different things to different people, I suppose, and certainly I could construct a case for why each story is extreme, but in simply reading through them, I certainly wasn't often struck by the thought "Wow! That was really far out!"

That's not to say the anthology is bad; it's not. In fact, most of the stories are quite good, and it's nice that the editor, Michael Ashley, made an effort not only to find new stories, but to include older ones that he felt strongly about. As with anyone else's taste, there are hits and misses, but they're mostly pretty solid hits.

Despite a cover suggesting epic fantasy, Ashley's taste seems to hew much closer to the urban/historical realm. Relatively few of the stories take place in created universes, and some of them could just as easily be classified as horror or something else than fantasy. That was a disappointment, despite the quality of the stories.

Some of the highlights:
Elric at the End of Time, by Michael Moorcock - I start with this because it was the most surprising. Who would look to Moorcock for humor - especially about Elric, the gloomy Prince with a soul-eating sword? Certainly not me, so this was an especially fun discovery. I grew tired of Elric many years back, but this is a whole new take on him and much of Moorcock's Eternal Hero cycle that's not afraid to make a little fun of itself.

Sandmagic, by Orson Scott Card - A classic by Card about the perils of power.

A Ring of Green Fire, by Sean McMullen - I know McMullen only from his longer work, which is generally good, but has ups and downs. It was nice to read a short piece, and this one (about a man's struggle to cure a highly personal malady) was well done.

Tower of Babylon, by Ted Chiang - I'd never encountered Chiang before. This story, combinging Babel and Babylon, was intriguing and well written. It was stronger on journey (construction of the tower and an assault on heaven) than arrival, but still a good read.

Lost Wax, by Leah Bobet - I've read some of her short work before, but this piece, even with its somewhat unresolved ending was stronger than most of what I've seen. It deals with the efforts and hopes of a floor-sweeper to magicians.

I am Bonaro, by John Niendorff - the editor suggests this story will stay with you, and I think he's right. It's a short piece about a man on a search, but it delivers a powerful impact.

Using It and Losing It, by Jonathan Lethem - Another author new to me. This story about the power of language is both dark and striking.

Boatman's Holiday, by Jeffrey Ford - What exactly does Charon do when he's not on duty. Another story stronger on journey than arrival, but well worth reading for its unusual setting and descriptions.

Cup and Table, by Tim Pratt - A very unusual quest for god. This, unlike some of the others, is good most of the way through, but it's really the finish that makes it worthwhile.

One of the reasons I read anthologies is to discover new authors. I can't say this selection drove me out to immediately pick up anyone's books, but there are certainly enough interesting new names that I'll keep an eye out for them should I see them again.

Overall, this anthology stays no closer to its nominal theme than most such books, but it's a strong selection of good Earth-based fantasy nonetheless, and worth exploring, especially for the reduced price you can now find it at.

[Ondrej Urban · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was in late summer of 2010 that the magic of the Balkan Flexipass ticket allowed my sister and me to explore the magic that is southeastern Europe for three weeks. We saw the breathtaking, the ugly, the magical and the scary and all the inbetween that the area has to offer - it was a one-of-a-kind experience. The part of the weird literature was fulfilled when visiting a small bookstore in the centre of Bucharest, where she got The Gunslinger and I got this collection.

Eight years onwards, it was great to come back to it (and finish it this time), as well as to get back to the memories and realize, that the most valuable physical part of the book is the price tag (saying 44lei) that ensures this book will always be special.

I didn't dislike any of the stories included, which is quite an achievement. A lot of them could safely be labeled as prime examples of new weird, the way I like it. Some reminded me of other things I read, some were original. I must broadly agree with the ordering of the stories, that the editor claims goes from less to more weird (with the last story being an exception).

Without any large effort, some notes of what I remember:

- The Old House Under The Snow is what brought me back to this book, since it offers just the kind of mental images I like - huge but contained environment, a tough of victorian exploration and applying common sense in a deeply weird world.

- Jack Neck and the Worrybird is just a nice, somehow funny, bit by Paul Di Fillippo, who has been on my radar ever since I came across his A Year in the Linear City. At times, the Jack story gets into too much of poetry - and would probably benefit from being read aloud - but never really goes full surreal.

- Radio Waves was a wonderful wonderful ghost story with a fresh approach to the afterlife and a painfully nice romantic line.

I could go on - Christopher Priest builds a great world of scary, Ted Chiang makes an appearance with his Tower of Babylon that I knew from before but was just as amazed the second time around.

This book is highly recommended for everyone, with the warning to skip the back cover blurb that, annoyingly, contains spoilers.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the commitment to finding fantasy stories that moved beyond Tolkien. But like a lot of anthologies, it's a mixed bag. Below are the stories in the collection that I would rate higher than the overall collection (four or five stars):

Sandmagic by Orson Scott Card

I know - but it's an excellent story about the all-consuming nature of revenge.

Lost Wax by Leah Bobet

Eerie fantasy story that focuses on class differences.

The Old House Under the Snow by Rhys Hughes

So weird and wild. Felt like I was reading a lost Poe story or an M.C. Escher drawing brought to life.

Banquet of the Lords of Night by Liz Williams

Beautifully detailed world with creepy villains.

Using It and Losing It by Jonathan Lethem

Not a good title - sounds like an 80s teen sex comedy. But the story is actually about one man's attempt to isolate himself from the everyday demands of other people. And his solution involves a mental phenomenon we've all experienced.

The Detweiler Boy by Tom Reamy

Film-noir style story about a series of mysterious deaths and the innocent boy that seems to be at the heart of them. The X-Files episode "Humbug" was based on this story.

Ring of Green Fire by Sean McMullen

The premise of this story was a bawdy surprise, so I won't ruin it. But the main character was a European-converted-to-Islam doctor in the middle ages, and the plot was tight.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ranging from the humorous, curious, obscene, disgusting to the downright weird, this anthology of fantasy tales show the vast territories that can be covered by master storytellers. As with any collection, there are hits and misses. I found myself bored with “The All-at-Once Man”, seeing it to be more of a philosophical exercise than anything else. So, while I found a few of the stories rather opaque and therefore incapable of moving me on anything but an intellectual level, quite a few of them were striking in their humanity, their depth of feeling and unexpected twists of storylines.

I recognized only a few names in this collection but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the unfamiliar authors; with those that I didn’t know, I often relished the introduction to their work, even on this minor scale. If anyone is interested in fantasy that doesn’t have to do with wizards, elves, fairies or the like (although you’ll find the occasional magic-wielder here), then try this anthology.

[Schnaucl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the anthology is that the stories get progressively more extreme. I'm not sure that the book really delivered on the promise, particularly since towards the end extreme seemed to mean "dealt with time travel in some way." There were a lot of time travel stories.

The anthology did have some good and memorable stories.

I particularly enjoyed the opening story about racist hobbits years after the events of Lord of the Rings.

I also liked the story about living in total darkness with evil dark overlords.

One of the stories toward the end that dealt with time travel and the holy grail was really very cool.

So, there were some good stories along with an assortment of pretty forgettable stories.

[Mance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite story: tie between "Using It & Losing It" and "The House Under the Snow", followed closely by "Banquet of the Lords of the Night."

This was a book I picked up at the plaza, attracted to it because it was nearly 600 pages for less than 10 leva, and I wasn't expecting much more than a B-list collection of odd stories. However, I thought every short was excellent and I had a treasured companion to lug around the parks for the past week, so I'm very happy.

After finishing, the only thing that niggles at me is that the overall impression by the end felt a bit more SF than fantasy, but maybe it's just the limitations of my understanding of fantasy.

Recommended for people who are strange and have too much free time.

[Hilmi Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebuah buku/novel kompilasi atau antologi yang memuatkan 24 buah cerita pendek extreme fantasy,dari 24 orang penulis yang berlainan.
Kesemua penulis yang ditampilkan,tidaklah saya kenali. Ini kali pertama saya membaca karya mereka. Malahan,ada penulisnya yang sudah meninggal dunia. Tetapi,ada beberapa cerita pendek di dalamnya adalah amat menarik sekali untuk dibaca. Antara yang berjaya menarik perhatian saya adalah seperti Senator Bilbo,Charlie the Purple Giraffe was Acting Strangely,Master Lao and the Flying Horrot, dan The Detweiler Boy.

[Daniel Ferguson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly nothing special, appealing to the kind of minds that get excited over anything with an X in the title.

HOWEVER, The Old House Under The Snow was just... wow. Surreal, awe-inspiring, haunting. Amazing read. Worth buying the book just for that one, wonderful gem. Seriously my favourite fantasy short story so far. I recommend it for this story alone.

[Jacques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great airplane reading...some good stories, including the single most off-putting story I have ever read - "I, Haruspex". It is a good story, well written, and certainly emotive - but not in a good way at all.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

24 stories by authors as diverse as William Hope Hodgson, Michael Swanwick and RA Lafferty. An astonishingly broad canvas, the highlights are Tom Reamy's 'The Detweiler Boy' and Lawrence Person's 'Master Lao and the Flying Horror.'

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bunch of dark fantasy short stories. Not to bad if you are really into that.

[Nathalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of short stories and also one of my personal favorites from The Mammoth Book of... series.

[John Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were hit and miss. Some were good, some were meh. Some I skipped.

[Chris Mata · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent. a wide range of storytelling. I will say tastes will vary for this book so 5 stars is hard to give. yet, it is worth reading every story

[David]

Interesting ideas

[Mai-ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these short stories were really good. Others were dire!

[Kyla Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasing collection, although it bears a certain Judeo-Christian bias. A good way of catching up on some significant stories.

[Blysse · Rating 2 out of 5]

A motley collection of odd stories with one spine chilling gem called 'I am Bonnaro'.

[Jeremy Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of out-there stories. Well worth it! It's a nice one to keep by the bed.