Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy [Hardcover]

Firebirds Rising is an engaging mix of SF and Fantasy stories aimed at a young adult audience, though quite enjoyable for adults as well.

Two of my favorites are Science Fiction: Carol Emshwiller's "Quill", an oddly old-fashioned, charming yet sad, story of an isolated family and their curious secret; and Kara Dalkey's "Hives", an uncompromising story of teen-aged girls and cliques, exacerbated by near-telepathic phone connections.

Naturally one of the stories I most looked forward to was Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil", and this is indeed a very enjoyable piece, though not as good as her best work. A boy named Onion and his disagreeable cousin Halsa, as well as Halsa's mother and brothers, are fleeing a war that has already their other parents' lives. Money is short, so when a reprensative of the reclusive Wizards of Perfil offers to buy a child, one of them must go. Onion, who may be telepathic, seems a natural candidate to sell to the representative of the reclusive wizards, but somehow Halsa is sold instead. As we expect with Link, the story goes in unexpected directions, telling of both Onion and Halsa and the very reclusive wizards - though I must say the resolution was exactly what I expected. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing.)

I was also delighted to see a story by Emma Bull, with the intriguing title "What Used to Be Good Still Is" (a title actually credited to Elise Matthesen). This is a moving story of a young man in a mining town in Arizona in the 1930s, and his love for a Mexican-American girl, who loves him but loves something else even more.

Patricia A. McKillip contributes another of her stories about a group of painters resembling the Pre-Raphaelites. "Jack O'Lantern" is about a girl struggling with her parents' conventional views of the role of women, particularly upper class women, as her older sister prepares to be married. During the painting of a wedding party portrait she meets a curious local lad, and hears a story about the Jack O'Lantern. Diana Wynne Jones's "I'll Give You My Word" is as clever as we expect from her, about a boy whose younger brother speaks in phrases like "sententious purple coriander". The story concerns the younger boy's trouble at school, and the problems the whole family encounters when the mother takes a book promotion trip. Ellen Klages's "In the House of the Seven Librarians" is purely charming, about a child growing up in a shuttered old-fashioned library.

And there are plenty further fine stories here, from names I expected to see like Charles de Lint and Tamora Pierce, and from perhaps surprising names like Alan Dean Foster. I enjoyed the anthology throughout. If I had a complaint, it would be that perhaps a few too many stories seem to play things just a bit safe. (With exceptions, such as Dalkey's "Hives" and Francesca Lia Block's "Blood Roses".) I would attribute that to the YA nature of the book - I suspect I should, indeed - but we certainly have plenty of examples of YA fiction that doesn't play safe. That said, this is a fine book, and it does a fine job of presenting interesting new stories, both SF and Fantasy, that will appeal to all readers.

This collection as a whole is definitely worth reading, and many of the stories deserves rereading as well. At the same time, there were a few stories that just weren't that impressive. This collection contained a lot of coming of age stories. Here are my thoughts on the individual stories (sorry if they're a bit vague- I'm trying to be helpful without giving too much away!):

Tamora Pierce's "Huntress"- One of those stories that just didn't impress me, although I really did like the concept (wicked youth and a vengeful goddess).

Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Unwrapping"- For me, it wasn't exactly memorable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It had an interesting premise and I liked the imagery.

Alison Goodman's "The Real Thing"- I didn't really like this story that much. It's based on some of the author's other books, and reads like a chapter out of one of them. It's a decent work of science fiction, but it seems like it belongs with a greater story.

Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost"- I love the title. However, I'm not really a big fan of stories about little people, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.

Diana Wynne Jones's "I'll Give You My Word"- I loved this story. The character of Jeremy is just so unique and lovable, and the story is interesting, quirky, and somewhat humorous.

Ellen Klages "In the House of the Seven Librarians"- This is one of my favorite stories in the book. Basically, a baby is returned to the library to pay for an overdue book, and the story follows her progress as she grows up. Very cute. It's one of the many coming of age stories in the book, definitely one of the better ones.

Sharon Shinn's "Wintermoon Wish"- This would make a great Christmastime story. Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same effect when you read it in the summer. It's got a nice moral though.

Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil"- A nice bit of fantasy. Onion is immediately likeable, and Halsa grows on you once you see her good side. The wizards are interesting as well, especially the stories relating to them.

Patricia A. McKillip's "Jack O'Lantern"- I liked the mix of mythologies in this story. Although I wasn't crazy about the setting, I do see the point the narrator was trying to get across. I just wish that the protagonist had been somewhat stronger and more resistant to the world around her.

Carol Emshwiller's "Quill"- A nice work of science fiction. A bit darker than a lot of the other works in this anthology. It's simultaneuosly a coming of age story and a commentary on humanity, at least from my point of view.

Francesca Lia Block's "Blood Roses"- This one is a bit complicated. Like "Quill", it also has a somewhat dark side. It's a bit complicated, and I really feel I need to read it at least one more time to get it completely, but the language is simply beautiful.

Kara Dalkey's "Hives"- This one sucked me in for no reason whatsoever. I suppose I just found the concept fascinating, and I was attracted to the strong heroine. Her voice is pretty unique. It's yet another story that's a bit darker in nature than the majority of the work in this anthology (perhaps they were put together one purpose?). It's about the dangers of technology and how addictive constant companionship can be.

Alan Dean Foster's "Perception"- This story is pretty simple. A point is stated at the end that makes it make sense. Worth reading.

Tanith Lee's "The House on the Planet"- A wonderful work of science fiction. Three different coming of age stories in one, all of them connected. An interesting point about the concept of humanity is made in the third, which also happened to be my favorite..

Pamela Dean's "Cousins"- Not crazy about this one. The main character is likeable enough, but the story was just too long for my liking. I might have liked it better if it was shorter.

Emma Bull's "What Used to Be Good Still Is"- I loved this one. It was just... touching. The end is bittersweet. Also, it had an interesting concept.

The jacket blurbs and the reviews fail to indicate an important fact: every story in this book is about a disaffected teenager. Every single one of them. Disaffected six-inch-tall teenagers. Disaffected genetically modified teenagers. Disaffected Victorian teenagers. Disaffected teenagers raised by feral librarians. Magical or mundane, ten or eighteen, they're all disaffected, and they all learn pithy lessons about finding acceptance while staying true to themselves.

The individual stories aren't bad at all; Kelly Link and Ellen Klages make particularly solid contributions. If I were still a disaffected teenager, however, I'd throw this heavy-handed, preachy anthology right out the window.