- Paperback: 521 pages
- Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks; New edition edition (9 Mar 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0192823981
- ISBN-13: 978-0192823984
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 843,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Review
"As Tom Shippey puts it, in his unfailingly intelligent and interesting introduction to The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories, 'the rule is that sorcerers always lose.' Tom Shippey has chosen well, and his choice of stories accurately reflects the themes and moods of the genre as a whole."--Times Literary Supplement
"Shippey discusses the long tradition of fantasy and then offers stories from 1888 through 1992 to illustrate its growth in this century....Vast, mythic, and wild."--Booklist
"Excellent selection--comprehensive and representative. Good introduction and useful bibliography (and attractive design too)."--Gene Doty, University of Missouri-Rolla
"Those who already admire Shippey for his Tolkien book now have reason to respect his taste in other fantasy tales."--Professor Michael Foster, Illinois Central College
Product Description
Stories of the unreal, of trolls and werewolves, spells and sorcerers and magic lands, have been part of the human psyche for as long as records have been kept. In the present century, far from being outdated by the rise of technology and science fiction, fantasy has once more become a major literary genre expressive of the deepest feelings about humanity and its relation to the natural world. Tom Shippey, editor of the companion "Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories", brings together 31 short fantasy stories from the last years of the 19th century to the immediate present. The anthology shows both the development of the fantasy genre over time and the range of individual talents it has embraced, from Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft, through John Buchan, Mervyn Peake, Larry Niven and Angela Carter, to the latest creations of Tanith Lee, Lucius Shepard and Terry Pratchett.
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'So you won't sell me your soul?' said the Devil. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Shippey brings the insight he showed with his Tolkien studies to the fantasy genre as a whole. The intro shows how fantasy developed from medieval legends, to Victorian "strange tales",
to modern bestsellers. Shippey defines fantasy as "literature which makes deliberate use of something known to be impossible"(p.x). He also interestingly states that modern fantasy shows not only an interest in the impossible, but a demand that the impossible element "be brought into some accomodation with the rational and the scientific"(p.xv). Hence fantasy writers set up various rules to govern their stories
(i.e. setting them in locations-a distant magical past,a "secondary world", or a version of the real world where magic has replaced science-where impossible events can thus take place).
He then gives us a selection of thirty-one tales.The first and last(Garnett's "Demon Pope" & Pratchett's "Troll Bridge") are clever and witty.Lord Dunsany,Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore and Fritz Leiber give us rousing tales of heroes pitting their swords against evil sorcery. Ray Bradbury & Keith Roberts give us poignant narratives of supernatural beings secretly living in the mundane world.
There are many other good stories, together with an excellent bibliography. Recommended for fantasy enthusiasts.
to modern bestsellers. Shippey defines fantasy as "literature which makes deliberate use of something known to be impossible"(p.x). He also interestingly states that modern fantasy shows not only an interest in the impossible, but a demand that the impossible element "be brought into some accomodation with the rational and the scientific"(p.xv). Hence fantasy writers set up various rules to govern their stories
(i.e. setting them in locations-a distant magical past,a "secondary world", or a version of the real world where magic has replaced science-where impossible events can thus take place).
He then gives us a selection of thirty-one tales.The first and last(Garnett's "Demon Pope" & Pratchett's "Troll Bridge") are clever and witty.Lord Dunsany,Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore and Fritz Leiber give us rousing tales of heroes pitting their swords against evil sorcery. Ray Bradbury & Keith Roberts give us poignant narratives of supernatural beings secretly living in the mundane world.
There are many other good stories, together with an excellent bibliography. Recommended for fantasy enthusiasts.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A great variety from well-known and lesser known authors
19 Feb 1999
Format:Paperback
diverse collection of fantasy short stories, including heavyweights such as H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, and Larry Niven as well as other lesser-known but skilled writers.
Some of the stories I just couldn't get into, such as "The Erl-King" by Angela Carter, and some dragged on a bit. However, others I now consider among my favorite short stories, such as "The Nameless City", my first taste of Lovecraft. Other favorites include "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth" written in 1908 by Lord Dunsany, "The Kings of the Sea" by Sterling Lanier, "Lila the Werewolf" by Peter Beagle, "Beyond the Dead Reef" by James Tiptree, Jr. and "Troll Bridge" by Terry Pratchett.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Superbly selected
15 Nov 1998
Format:Hardcover
Shippey has chosen a wonderful range of stories and arranged them with considerable wit and art. Even stories which might seem a bit superficial or illwritten in isolation take on new significance in this collection.
I got this book from the library originally and ever since have been trying to find a copy I can buy. Well worth the money.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
GREAT STORIES!
25 Sep 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I needed the book for school. The book contains a good amount of solid fantasy stories. The book is out of print now, so they're harder to find.
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