The Mammoth Book of Sorceror's Tales

by Mike Ashley

Bursting with the same magic that has brought a whole new following to fantasy, this anthology combines the excitement of the Harry Potter phenomenon with the appeal of Lord of the Rings, the ingenuity of the Discworld series and the adventure of the Conan stories. It features a range of light and dark fantasies - from quests, games and monsters, to wizards, witches, dark spells and even darker secrets - all obsessed with the use of magic in this world or the next.

Mike Ashley's masterly selection includes such precursors of the Potter series as 'The Sleuth-Worm' by Edith Nesbit, 'The Wall around the World' by Theodore Cogswell, 'Ged's Apprenticeship' by Ursula K. Le Guin and others that deal with the discovery of magic or apprenticeship into magic by ordinary folk. With plenty of specially commissioned new stories, it all adds up to a spellbinding bumper volume in which contributors include: Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, John Morressy, Theodore Sturgeon, John Jakes, Patricia McKillip, Esther Friesner, Louise Cooper, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Tom Holt and Charles de Lint.

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

617 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

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

Reviews

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed bag of short stories including sorcerers.

[Ian Jordaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[CONNIE BALTHROP · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Bethnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Akanksha Varma · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Tanvir Muntasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Nieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Miriam]

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

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Ingrid Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Chele · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Susanne Winterhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

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