Fantasy: Best of the Year, 2007
Book Review

Rich Horton, the software engineer/fiction reviewer, began compiling best of anthologies for both science fiction and fantasy in 2006. If the other compilations are nearly as entertaining as this one, they will be well worth reading.

Horton has pieced together a diverse, inventive, and above all, fun collection of fantasy tales, showcasing the creativity and range of both new and established talent. Within the sixteen stories featured, you will find everything from ghosts to magic to alternate versions of reality.

‘Journey into the Kingdom’ is a powerful, haunting tale about the dark implications of a young girl’s first love, who just happens to be a ghost. With its seashore setting and ghostly visits, I couldn’t help but compare it to the classic, ‘The Ghost and Mrs. Muir’ – only much more disturbing and with much darker plot twists. It’s a great opening story that sets a high standard for the rest of the book.

Falling in love with the wrong person (either living or dead) is a recurring theme through a handful of stories. ‘A Fish Story’, ‘The Original Word for Rain’, and ‘A Fine Magic’ all deal with the heartbreak, and occasional dark consequences, of one-sided love. ‘Naturally’ is a sad, poignant tale about a young man who falls in love with his high school crush – after he has been murdered

The idea of something not being as fantastic as first thought is the underlying theme of the collection’s two most entertaining entries. If you took the quirky storytelling of ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ and threw in one of ‘The Twilight Zone’s’ disturbing endings, you would wind up with “The Night Whiskey.” It’s a wonderfully offbeat little tale about a special whiskey that allows the town folk to visit with the deceased once a year. The seamless transition from a fun to dark tone is handled brilliantly by Jeffrey Ford. “The Salt Wine” is also about a supposedly wonderful drink that comes with a hitch. The authentic narrative tone of an old sailor is so well done that it sends this story of sailors and mermaids to a whole new level of enchanting entertainment.

The many highlights continue with the tense magic of “The Osteomancer’s Son” by Greg van Eekhout. This hip, inventive fable about an alternate California where the greatest power is found in the magic of bones, especially those of extinct or mystical animals such as a mammoth, is a true page turner.

Quieter moments include “Journey to Gantica” about a giant girl searching for others her own size, and “The Water Poet and the Four Seasons” which actually seems closer to a poem than a short story.

The only real criticism of the collection (and it’s a cosmetic one) is that the names of Neil Gaiman and Gene Wolfe are displayed on the cover and yet neither one contributes a story. I did notice that both were a part of last year’s compilation, which probably explains the error.

Anthologies are a great option for those looking for a quick, entertaining read, without the time commitment of an epic novel. Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2007 edition should have something for everyone and comes highly recommended.