Review: Good selection. Stronger than 2011
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 10, 2013
This is a stronger collection than the2011 Edition, perhaps because it was less self-consciously global - the stories were better, but had a narrower reach. There were no weak stories here. Some were no more than adequate, but a number were quite strong. The anthology came closer than 2011's to fulfilling the goal of a simple collection of good stories.In particular, I enjoyed:"Portrait of Lisane de Patagna", by Rachel Swirsky, about a painter, her instructor, and magic. The ending could have been stronger, but the body of the story was well done."The Mongolian Wizard", by Michael Swanwick, about a steampunkish alternate Earth of wizards and espionage. I've not been taken with Mr. Swanwick's other work, but I found this very enjoyable. It suffers from giving a strong feeling of excerpt or prologue, but it does stand alone reasonably well.All in all, a good collection, and worth picking up (it's free).