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Apprentice Fantastic
The apprentice is one of fantasy's most often identified with characters, someone who is all too human, sometimes a source of humor, sometimes that one special person who will become the catalyst for pivotal events, sometimes a villain, sometimes a hero, perhaps most often a loyal sidekick. From the poignant tale of a young girl learning to "paint" the future to a young man who "apprentices" himself to the devil, here are unforgettable portraits of apprentices attempting to master their highly unusual talents.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
120 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books163 followersMartin 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.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 13, 2023
3.5. I've read quite a bit of Martin H. Greenberg's collections and I think this is the strongest. Enjoyable stories, some really unique, some just solid.
November 10, 2015
Short story collections are always such a mixed bag...
"The Augustine Painters" by Michelle West - This was one of my favorites. The way art and magic blended, and the consequences, made a compelling backdrop for the story of one apprentice who may lose someone very dear to her.
"Sign Here" by Charles de Lint - Hated on multiple levels. This is a story told entirely in dialogue (not even any speech tags), which annoyed me. And the story tries very hard to paint someone who wants people to sign over their souls to him as NOT the devil incarnate, which I don't buy at all. It would be easier to read it as irony and say they're all damned, for either trading their own souls or trading other people's.
"Til Voices Drown Us" by Tim Waggoner - Also disliked, though not so intensely, and more for the philosophy presented than the storytelling. Telling people lies to make them feel good and protect them from the truth rubs me the wrong way.
"Homework" by Esther Friesner - Disliked, because the hero turns out to be a cad and there's no one worth rooting for. Especially not the whiny kid.
"The Last Garden in Time's Window" by Dean Wesley Smith - This was okay, but nothing really stood out to me about it. A man investigates his parent's deaths, convinced it must have been a murder.
"Final Exam" by Jane Lindskold - Another favorite. Danny's an interesting kid: spoiled rotten by his own admission, with powers to heal that seem incongruous with such a disposition until you realize how he got them and what he does with them. And it really makes me want to hunt down the original story featuring him to see how the beginning all works out (footnotes indicate these exist in other anthologies).
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice's Apprentice" by David Bischoff - Disliked. Too much focus on sex and being drunk.
"Zauberschrift" by David D. Levine - An interesting piece about a man who left magic for a job as a dyer being called back to troubleshoot his village's weather issues. Not terribly memorable overall.
"When the Student is Ready" by Tanya Huff - A good piece about a girl who has to apprentice to a homeless bum of a magician who is all that stands between her and the forces of darkness.
"What Has to be Done" by Fiona Patton - This one could get a bit gross since it deals with necromancy, but it's a fascinating look at an apprentice who hates his trade. The only downside is this feels a bit thin for a short story (and it's one of the longest in the book), as though a longer form would've allowed it to play more with its ideas, and bring them to a fuller conclusion.
"Flanking Maneuver" by Mickey Zucker Reichert - A bit too happily ended, given the generations of conflict, but otherwise okay. A young man pressed into service for his country accidentally ends the war.
"The Muses' Darling" by Sarah A. Hoyt - It's a fantasy short story about the beginnings of William Shakespeare. The intro kind of spoils the whole thing, as once you know she has a Shakespearean novel it's no stretch to figure out who "Will" is. This was okay. I was happy with the ending, though rather annoyed that so many of the ordinary people were speaking in rhyme (and, for the watchful, these are lines adapted from his plays).
"Blood and Scale" by John Helfers - I liked this, though it wasn't a favorite. The relationship between the unlucky apprentice and the dragon who captures him was fun, and the story kept twisting in surprising directions.
Overall the good stories, like "The Augustine Painters", tend to be really good, but they're mixed in with a lot that doesn't feel worth the effort. So it may just boil down to how much you like short stories. I rate this book Neutral.
"The Augustine Painters" by Michelle West - This was one of my favorites. The way art and magic blended, and the consequences, made a compelling backdrop for the story of one apprentice who may lose someone very dear to her.
"Sign Here" by Charles de Lint - Hated on multiple levels. This is a story told entirely in dialogue (not even any speech tags), which annoyed me. And the story tries very hard to paint someone who wants people to sign over their souls to him as NOT the devil incarnate, which I don't buy at all. It would be easier to read it as irony and say they're all damned, for either trading their own souls or trading other people's.
"Til Voices Drown Us" by Tim Waggoner - Also disliked, though not so intensely, and more for the philosophy presented than the storytelling. Telling people lies to make them feel good and protect them from the truth rubs me the wrong way.
"Homework" by Esther Friesner - Disliked, because the hero turns out to be a cad and there's no one worth rooting for. Especially not the whiny kid.
"The Last Garden in Time's Window" by Dean Wesley Smith - This was okay, but nothing really stood out to me about it. A man investigates his parent's deaths, convinced it must have been a murder.
"Final Exam" by Jane Lindskold - Another favorite. Danny's an interesting kid: spoiled rotten by his own admission, with powers to heal that seem incongruous with such a disposition until you realize how he got them and what he does with them. And it really makes me want to hunt down the original story featuring him to see how the beginning all works out (footnotes indicate these exist in other anthologies).
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice's Apprentice" by David Bischoff - Disliked. Too much focus on sex and being drunk.
"Zauberschrift" by David D. Levine - An interesting piece about a man who left magic for a job as a dyer being called back to troubleshoot his village's weather issues. Not terribly memorable overall.
"When the Student is Ready" by Tanya Huff - A good piece about a girl who has to apprentice to a homeless bum of a magician who is all that stands between her and the forces of darkness.
"What Has to be Done" by Fiona Patton - This one could get a bit gross since it deals with necromancy, but it's a fascinating look at an apprentice who hates his trade. The only downside is this feels a bit thin for a short story (and it's one of the longest in the book), as though a longer form would've allowed it to play more with its ideas, and bring them to a fuller conclusion.
"Flanking Maneuver" by Mickey Zucker Reichert - A bit too happily ended, given the generations of conflict, but otherwise okay. A young man pressed into service for his country accidentally ends the war.
"The Muses' Darling" by Sarah A. Hoyt - It's a fantasy short story about the beginnings of William Shakespeare. The intro kind of spoils the whole thing, as once you know she has a Shakespearean novel it's no stretch to figure out who "Will" is. This was okay. I was happy with the ending, though rather annoyed that so many of the ordinary people were speaking in rhyme (and, for the watchful, these are lines adapted from his plays).
"Blood and Scale" by John Helfers - I liked this, though it wasn't a favorite. The relationship between the unlucky apprentice and the dragon who captures him was fun, and the story kept twisting in surprising directions.
Overall the good stories, like "The Augustine Painters", tend to be really good, but they're mixed in with a lot that doesn't feel worth the effort. So it may just boil down to how much you like short stories. I rate this book Neutral.
currently-reading-anthcoll
July 31, 2022The Augustine Painters • novelette by Michelle West
Sign Here • [Newford] • shortstory by Charles de Lint
Till Voices Drown Us • novelette by Tim Waggoner
Homework • shortstory by Esther M. Friesner [as by Esther Friesner ]
The Last Garden in Time's Window • shortstory by Dean Wesley Smith
Final Exam • [The Albuquerque Adepts] • novelette by Jane Lindskold
The Sorcerer's Apprentice's Apprentice • novelette by David Bischoff
Zauberschrift • shortstory by David D. Levine
"When the Student Is Ready" by Tanya Huff reprinted in Relative Magic and February Thaw reread 3/7/2015
What Has to Be Done • novelette by Fiona Patton
Flanking Maneuver • shortstory by Mickey Zucker Reichert
The Muses' Darling • shortstory by Sarah A. Hoyt
Blood and Scale • novelette by John Helfers
Sign Here • [Newford] • shortstory by Charles de Lint
Till Voices Drown Us • novelette by Tim Waggoner
Homework • shortstory by Esther M. Friesner [as by Esther Friesner ]
The Last Garden in Time's Window • shortstory by Dean Wesley Smith
Final Exam • [The Albuquerque Adepts] • novelette by Jane Lindskold
The Sorcerer's Apprentice's Apprentice • novelette by David Bischoff
Zauberschrift • shortstory by David D. Levine
"When the Student Is Ready" by Tanya Huff reprinted in Relative Magic and February Thaw reread 3/7/2015
What Has to Be Done • novelette by Fiona Patton
Flanking Maneuver • shortstory by Mickey Zucker Reichert
The Muses' Darling • shortstory by Sarah A. Hoyt
Blood and Scale • novelette by John Helfers
April 27, 2014
I've bought this anthology for Michelle West's storiy and I absolutely love The Augustine Painters. You can see my full review of it at Fans of Michelle Sagara West.
August 24, 2015
Good stories. a few very good.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews