Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy

Edited by Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

I've let my "fantasy" reading slack off a bit. It was good to get back and this collection of short stories was a good starting place. Each author's story is prefaced with a brief biography and a catalogue of his/her works. If I follow up on these various authors I'll finish off the summer reading fantasy. (Ah--but my stack of books "to read" does not include much fantasy. I guess I'll just need to buy some and add them to the stack. Of my favorites in this collection:

• "Holly and Iron" by Garth Nix (I haven't really read Nix, although I know he is popular. This may prompt me into an exploration of his works.)
• "Color Vision" by Mary Rosenblum (A new author to me. This is another collection to add to my stack.)
• "Naming Day" by Patricia A. McKillip
• "Winter's Wife" by Elizabeth Hand (Wonderful! Great balance of realistic/fantasy and important environmental considerations.
• "A Diorama of the Infernal Regions, or the Devil's Ninth Question" by Andy Duncan
• "Stone Man" by Nancy Kress
• "Stonefather" by Orson Scott Card

I recommend the collection and also recommend reading additional works by each of the authors names above.

Year of the Horse by Justin Allen

Allen is a graduate of Borah HS and Boise State University. I picked up this book because it was recommended to me by one of his classmates. I would not normally chose a "cowboy" book to read. The settings are "imaginary"--you have to sort of invent where these spots might be in the US. Through the book there is an increasing "magical" or "mystical" tone.