Shapers of Worlds Volume II: Science fiction and fantasy by authors featured on The Worldshapers podcast by Edward Willett
Shapers of Worlds Volume II: Science fiction and fantasy by authors featured on The Worldshapers podcast
by Edward Willett
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Ratings 4.5/5
Synopsis
Explore twenty-four imaginative tales crafted by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its second year, and including several international bestsellers and winners and nominees for every major award in the field, as well as newer authors just beginning what promise to be stellar careers.
There are brand-new stories from Kelley Armstrong, Marie Brennan, Garth Nix, Candas Jane Dorsey, Jeremy Szal, Edward Willett, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Lisa Foiles, Susan Forest, Matthew Hughes, Heli Kennedy, Helen Dale, Adria Laycraft, Edward Savio, Lisa Kessler, Ira Nayman, James Alan Gardner, and Tim Pratt, plus fiction by Jeffrey A. Carver, David D. Levine, Carrie Vaughn, Nancy Kress, Barbara Hambly, and S.M. Stirling.
A woman seeking the power to see the evil hiding within others regrets receiving it. Letters written by a wizard in the past threaten a queen’s reign in the present. Competing for Earth, a human wrestler faces an alien shapeshifter in an interstellar tournament. A guide in Tibet must weigh the good of his people when asked to lead a westerner to the fabled realm of Shangri. An activist imprisoned for illegal genetic modification works with the materials at hand and the threads of the multiverse to make the world— a world, at least—a better place. A demonic agent sent to help a human turns the tables on his summoner.
Like the “cabinets of curiosities” created by collectors of the sixteenth century, Shapers of Worlds Volume II displays a varied array of thought-provoking delights: tales of humour and sorrow, darkness and light, and hope and despair that are full of adventure, full of life, and sometimes full of regret. There are stories set in alternate histories, in possible futures, near and far, and in the here-and-now, taking place on Earth, on distant planets, or in fantastic realms. All arise from the innate need of human beings to create, to imagine . . . to shape worlds.
My Thoughts
A good anthology can stretch your mind in a way that a singe novel can’t. You’ll have to plow through the occasional clunky story, but these books will also expand your sense of what science fiction and fantasy can be. It’s easy to see why anthology shows based on short stories are appealing: they don’t represent a whole lot of commitment from viewers, and provide a lot of variety. A science fiction and fantasy writer’s collection of short stories can provide both: self-contained, bite-sized narratives that can play out in 20-40 minutes. Don’t like one? Skip to the next.
I must say it's A stunning and satisfying retrospective. . . . This is a complex and fantastic project. . . . It’s handsome, huge, and amazingly well-curated; editor, here, have done a fabulous job. . . . I couldn’t ask for more, truly. It’s diverse, wide-ranging, engaging, and fun; the stories are introduced well, juxtaposed better, and the overall effect is one of dizzying complexity and depth.
I must say it's A definitive volume of the genre. . . . This is an amazing book, and it’s an essential tome for readers who are dedicated SF and fantasy fans or casual newcomers alike. Do they manage to redefine science fiction? I think so.
An enormous anthology of science fiction and fantasy put together by two of our sharpest purveyors of the genre. . . . This volume is a perfect mix of the classic and the unexpected.
Highly Recommended!
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