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The Best of British Fantasy 2018
The Best of British Fantasy contains over twenty brilliant stories of the strange and fantastic.
These stories range from traditional sword and sorcery to contemporary fantasy, written by a mix of established fantasy authors, new voices, and even those who are not usually associated with genre fiction.
It comes packed with mermaids, impossible quizzes, sorcerous rogues, magic swords, towering monsters, ghostly lovers, unreachable islands, numerous apocalypses, a particularly irritating local councillor, and bees.
These stories range from traditional sword and sorcery to contemporary fantasy, written by a mix of established fantasy authors, new voices, and even those who are not usually associated with genre fiction.
It comes packed with mermaids, impossible quizzes, sorcerous rogues, magic swords, towering monsters, ghostly lovers, unreachable islands, numerous apocalypses, a particularly irritating local councillor, and bees.
254 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2019
About the author
Jared Shurin
38 books107 followersJared Shurin has edited over two dozen anthologies, including The Elements of Dark Academia, The Djinn Falls in Love, The Lowest Heaven, The Outcast Hours, the Best of British Fantasy series, and The Big Book of Cyberpunk.
He has been a finalist for the World Fantasy Shirley Jackson, Hugo, and British Fantasy Awards, amongst others.
He currently writes about strategy, books and pop culture at Raptor Velocity, publishes the flammable newspaper Kindling, and edits Shelfies with Lavie Tidhar.
He has been a finalist for the World Fantasy Shirley Jackson, Hugo, and British Fantasy Awards, amongst others.
He currently writes about strategy, books and pop culture at Raptor Velocity, publishes the flammable newspaper Kindling, and edits Shelfies with Lavie Tidhar.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 26, 2022
A wide and varied anthology of British fantasy (well, mostly fantasy--I'm side-eying the inclusion of a couple stories). A lot of the contributors are authors who are new to me, which is always fun when I enjoyed so many of the stories.
I think my absolute favorite story was Tade Thompson's "Yard Dog" which was a fantastic weird tale about a newcomer to the local jazz club. Just a great voice to it. Ian McDonald's "The Guile" was also perfectly voiced, featuring a stage magician vs. an AI system. Another I loved was Ben Reynold's "Mushroom Speed Boosts"--a short tale full of love and loss and Mario Kart. I really liked Harkiran Dhindsa's tale, "The Woman Who Turned into Soap"--a lot to appreciate about that one. Two funny ones I have to call out are Rhys Hughes's "Counting the Pennies" and Adam Roberts's "Godziliad"--both cracked me up so much. Kirsty Logan's "We Can Make Something Grow Between the Mushrooms and the Snow" was quite clever, but also creepy as hell in the end. Priya Sharma's "A So of the Sea" surprised me, as did RJ Barker's "To Look Upon His Works."
Only a few stories didn't quite work for me, but I appreciate the editor's curation regardless.
I think my absolute favorite story was Tade Thompson's "Yard Dog" which was a fantastic weird tale about a newcomer to the local jazz club. Just a great voice to it. Ian McDonald's "The Guile" was also perfectly voiced, featuring a stage magician vs. an AI system. Another I loved was Ben Reynold's "Mushroom Speed Boosts"--a short tale full of love and loss and Mario Kart. I really liked Harkiran Dhindsa's tale, "The Woman Who Turned into Soap"--a lot to appreciate about that one. Two funny ones I have to call out are Rhys Hughes's "Counting the Pennies" and Adam Roberts's "Godziliad"--both cracked me up so much. Kirsty Logan's "We Can Make Something Grow Between the Mushrooms and the Snow" was quite clever, but also creepy as hell in the end. Priya Sharma's "A So of the Sea" surprised me, as did RJ Barker's "To Look Upon His Works."
Only a few stories didn't quite work for me, but I appreciate the editor's curation regardless.
May 20, 2020
Similar to the “Best of British SF” anthology, this one consists of many short stories where the fantastical idea is the main point. It doesn't leave a lot of room for character development. That said, many of these are quite fun, with clever concepts. Some are so short they read as flash fiction. My favorite? Perhaps the last one in the book, “The Godziliad”, by Adam Roberts, the story of Godzilla rendered in heroic rhymed verse. Also good and written in 1940s jazz slang is “Yard Dog”, by Tade Thompson.
I dipped into this book when I had a short break from doing something else, or eating a meal. They are so different from each other that reading one or two at a time was perfect.
I dipped into this book when I had a short break from doing something else, or eating a meal. They are so different from each other that reading one or two at a time was perfect.
April 26, 2023
Fantasy's not really my thing so most of these stories I found rather bland. There are a few that did impress me:
A Son of the sea - Priya Sharma. A rootless young man is irresistibly drawn to the ocean.
The Guile - Ian McDonald. A stage magician tries to outfox an AI in Reno (this is SF not fantasy).
We can make something grow between the mushrooms and the snow - kirsty logan. A couple looking for a new home have very different views.
Road Dog - Tade Thompson. A strange jazz trumpeter turns up in a bar in the 1940's.
Dark Shells - Aliya Whiteley. An old woman whispers to the river.
A Son of the sea - Priya Sharma. A rootless young man is irresistibly drawn to the ocean.
The Guile - Ian McDonald. A stage magician tries to outfox an AI in Reno (this is SF not fantasy).
We can make something grow between the mushrooms and the snow - kirsty logan. A couple looking for a new home have very different views.
Road Dog - Tade Thompson. A strange jazz trumpeter turns up in a bar in the 1940's.
Dark Shells - Aliya Whiteley. An old woman whispers to the river.
July 28, 2019
While I received an ARC of this book, I have made an independent decision to post this review. There are so many fantastic stories inside. This book is a fascinating read. You will be entertained, I promise you!
December 30, 2022
Very interesting collection of stories, some you're sure to like, dear reader. I particuarly enjoyed "The Prevaricator," by Matthew Hughes and "Coruvorn," by Reggie Oliver. YMMV.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews