Publication History |
The anthology “Fantastical Visions III” contains an introduction by Elizabeth
Swanstrom and fourteen short stories by Cindy Ellen Hill (“Singing Dragon”),
Jeremy Yoder (“Always Greener on the Other Side”), Eliza Chan (“Blood of the
Blade”), Michail Velichansky (“Paper Shadows”), Michael Penncavage
(“Affliction”), Christine Ricketts (“Thick as Thieves”), Jane Guill (“No One
Marks My Passage”), Carole McDonnell (“Black is the Color of My True Love’s
Hair”), Dennis C. Wilson (“Red Silk, Silver Dagger”), Traci Normandeau (“The
Mordred Hour”), Sarah Totton (“The Pear Thief”), James Cain (“Happy
Birthday, Pinko”), Kimberly Eldredge (“Cuts and Folds”), and Tom Steckert
(“Calico”). All illustrations are by Stephanie Pui-Man Law.
With its eclectic, well written stories and beautiful cover illustrations,
“Fantastical Visions III” easily rivals better known anthologies put out by
major publishing houses. In fact, these stories and characters are arguably
more memorable and—a rarity, it seems—there was not a single bad story in the
book.
Stand-outs include the clever “Affliction,” in which a surgeon risks stony death
to try to cure a patient suffering from her family’s curse in a combination of
mythology and science fiction. A recurring typo (it’s “TriBeCa” or Tribeca,”
not “Tribecca”) was distracting, but the tale was entertaining enough to survive
it.
“Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” the story of a battered knight’s
return from the Crusades, has a wonderful fairy tale rhythm. In contrast, the
strength of “Happy Birthday, Pinko” is its cast of struggling mental patients.
The best two stories of the anthology are Guill’s “No One Marks My Passage”
and Eldredge’s “Cuts and Folds.” These two stories alone make “Fantastical
Visions III” a worthwhile purchase.
“No One Marks My Passage” features Gervais the Dwarf, an ill-treated and
disfigured fellow who sold by his father to be a temple servant. Gervais’s first-
person narrative is vivid, but also has the distanced emotion of one
accustomed to abuse. The beauty of this tale is its conversational tone—
complete with digressions—rather than a straight-forward plot. Gervais is a
unique and fascinating protagonist and his story never ceases to surprise.
In “Cuts and Folds,” an unappreciated master scientist seeks to make real a
myth of sorcerers folding time matter to create dark and powerful creatures.
Eldredge skillfully mixes traditional Japanese culture, futuristic science,
fantasy, and ambition into a superb story.
Overall, I rate “Fantastical Visions III” 8 out of 10.
Swanstrom and fourteen short stories by Cindy Ellen Hill (“Singing Dragon”),
Jeremy Yoder (“Always Greener on the Other Side”), Eliza Chan (“Blood of the
Blade”), Michail Velichansky (“Paper Shadows”), Michael Penncavage
(“Affliction”), Christine Ricketts (“Thick as Thieves”), Jane Guill (“No One
Marks My Passage”), Carole McDonnell (“Black is the Color of My True Love’s
Hair”), Dennis C. Wilson (“Red Silk, Silver Dagger”), Traci Normandeau (“The
Mordred Hour”), Sarah Totton (“The Pear Thief”), James Cain (“Happy
Birthday, Pinko”), Kimberly Eldredge (“Cuts and Folds”), and Tom Steckert
(“Calico”). All illustrations are by Stephanie Pui-Man Law.
With its eclectic, well written stories and beautiful cover illustrations,
“Fantastical Visions III” easily rivals better known anthologies put out by
major publishing houses. In fact, these stories and characters are arguably
more memorable and—a rarity, it seems—there was not a single bad story in the
book.
Stand-outs include the clever “Affliction,” in which a surgeon risks stony death
to try to cure a patient suffering from her family’s curse in a combination of
mythology and science fiction. A recurring typo (it’s “TriBeCa” or Tribeca,”
not “Tribecca”) was distracting, but the tale was entertaining enough to survive
it.
“Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” the story of a battered knight’s
return from the Crusades, has a wonderful fairy tale rhythm. In contrast, the
strength of “Happy Birthday, Pinko” is its cast of struggling mental patients.
The best two stories of the anthology are Guill’s “No One Marks My Passage”
and Eldredge’s “Cuts and Folds.” These two stories alone make “Fantastical
Visions III” a worthwhile purchase.
“No One Marks My Passage” features Gervais the Dwarf, an ill-treated and
disfigured fellow who sold by his father to be a temple servant. Gervais’s first-
person narrative is vivid, but also has the distanced emotion of one
accustomed to abuse. The beauty of this tale is its conversational tone—
complete with digressions—rather than a straight-forward plot. Gervais is a
unique and fascinating protagonist and his story never ceases to surprise.
In “Cuts and Folds,” an unappreciated master scientist seeks to make real a
myth of sorcerers folding time matter to create dark and powerful creatures.
Eldredge skillfully mixes traditional Japanese culture, futuristic science,
fantasy, and ambition into a superb story.
Overall, I rate “Fantastical Visions III” 8 out of 10.
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| Fantastical Visions 3 (W.H. Horner, et al., eds.) By SC Bryce |
First Printing:
FantasyBookSpot.com (Dec. 6, 2006).
FantasyBookSpot.com (Dec. 6, 2006).
Second Printing:
SCBryce.com (Dec. 21, 2006).
SCBryce.com (Dec. 21, 2006).
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