The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, edited by Jane Yolen and Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor, 2005)

When I first stumbled across this particular anthology, I couldn’t resist it. After all, I love YA science fiction and fantasy, and I love short fiction. So finding a collection which combined both those loves seemed tailor-made for me. I … Continue reading

Swan Sister, edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow (Simon and Schuster, 2003)

In the same vein as Windling and Datlow’s A Wolf At The Door, Swan Sister is another collection of fairy tales retold for young adults, with stories from some of the most talented authors in the field, including a number … Continue reading

New Skies, edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor, 2003)

From Tor comes this reprint anthology, containing seventeen young adult-aimed science fiction stories published within the last two decades. It’s an odd mix, eclectic and almost intellectual in natural, spanning the variety of talent and style. Philip K Dick is … Continue reading

Firebirds, edited by Sharyn November (Firebird Books, 2003)

In January 2002, Firebird Books was launched, an imprint specifically devoted to young adult and childrens’ fantasy and science fiction, the very same material this column covers. In that short space of time, they’ve released dozens of reprints and originals … Continue reading

The Eternal Kiss, edited by Trisha Telep (RP Teens, 2009)

In this all-new anthology of vampire stories, fourteen authors explore the dangerous relationship between blood and desire, looking at how the romanticized undead interact with their victims, prey, and lovers. Among the stronger stories are Maria Snyder’s “Sword Point,” Holly … Continue reading

Missing Absolute Magnitude Reviews

The following reviews ran in Absolute Magnitude issues #14 (Summer 2000) and #15 (Spring 2001), and currently exist only in print format.  What follows is a very brief roundup to serve until they can be retyped. Past Lives, Present Tense, edited … Continue reading

Redshift, edited by Al Sarrantonio (Roc, 2001)

Inspired by Dangerous Visions, and driven by the same goal, to deliver “cutting edge” original science fiction, Redshift bills itself as “Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction.” What happens when you mix numerous Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker and Joseph … Continue reading

Redgunk Tales by William R. Eakin (Invisible Cities Press, 2001)

Redgunk Tales is subtitled “Apocalypse and Kudzu from Redgunk, Mississippi,” and that’s about as accurate a description of this unusual collection as any. Because where else are you going to find aliens, ghosts, swamp gas, a dime store mummy, a … Continue reading

Impact Parameter, by Geoffrey A. Landis (Golden Gryphon,

The first collection of Geoffrey Landis’ short stories, Impact Parameter features some of the very best work by the award-winning author. The stories mix keen characterization, hard science, humor, and boundary-defying concepts, demonstrating why Landis has received so much attention … Continue reading

Wild Cards: Deuces Down, edited by George R.R. Martin (iBooks, 2005)

After a significant hiatus, the popular Wild Cards series of shared-world anthologies and novels returns, with an all-new collection of tales drawn from the sixty-year history of a world gone mad. In 1946, an alien virus is released over New … Continue reading