Firebirds by Sharyn November (ed.)

Some people don’t like short stories, especially in anthologies where you are reading several different authors. I, however, almost always have a volume of short stories on my bedside table. Even if I manage to get no other reading done during a hectic day, it is a way for me to finish a whole story in 15-20 minutes. In an age where many authors seem incapable of writing anything other than multi-novel epics, it is a treasure to be able to enjoy a whole tale in one sitting.

Many collections of fantasy short stories are a compilation of hit or miss attempts to match a loosely defined theme for the volume. The Firebird Anthologies far exceed the industry standard. They are edited by Sharyn November who has managed to collect such fan favorites as Emma Bull, Read More

Firebirds Rising by Sharyn November (ed.)

Firebirds Rising has more science fiction in it, but is still predominately fantasy. It starts and ends on strong notes, and each story in between visits a different world. I found it interesting that in an anthology that includes selections by some of the genre’s superstars, my favorite selection, “In the House of the Seven Librarians,” was again by an unknown-to-me author, Ellen Klages.

Firebirds Soaring by Sharyn November (ed.)

The third entry in The Firebird Anthologies maintains the high quality of the previous two volumes. While still including some of the best fantasy short stories in the genre, this edition also branches out into speculative and science fiction, and features a novella for the first time — The Ghosts of Strangers by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, a beautifully written story of a young woman who can capture ghosts, and her responsibilities to the ghosts she captures.

Though this volume lacks some of the superstar contributions present in earlier volumes, the quality of the stories isn’t diminished. Nancy Springer starts the collection with the beautifully a... Read More