SUMMARY:
βEllen Datlow is the queen of anthology editors in America.ββPeter StraubWith original stories by Jeffrey Ford, Pat Cadigan, Elizabeth Bear, Margo Lanagan, and othersFrom Del Rey Books and award-winning editor Ellen Datlow, two of the most respected names in science fiction and fantasy, comes a collection of fifteen all-new short stories, plus a science fiction novella, that could count as a virtual βbest of the yearβ anthology. Here you will find slyly twisted alternate histories, fractured fairy tales, topical science fiction, and edgy urban fantasy. In βDaltharee,β World Fantasy Award-winning author Jeffrey Ford spins a chilling tale of a city in a bottleβand the demented genius who put it there. In βSonny Liston Takes the Fall,β John W. Campbell Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear pens a poignant and eerie requiem for the heavyweight forever associated with his controversial loss to Cassius Clay. From hot new writer Margo Lanagan comes βThe Goosle,β a dark, astonishing take on Hansel and Gretel. In the novella βPrisoners of the Action,β Paul MccAuley and Kim Newman take a trip down a rabbit hole that leads to a Guantanamo-like prison whose inmates are not just illegal but extraterrestrial. Many of the writers youβll recognize. Others you may not. But one thing is certain: These stars of today and tomorrow demonstrate that the field of speculative fiction is not only alive and wellβitβs better than ever.