It's almost time for The Beastly Bride--and definitely time for a pre-order. Kirkus has given the book its blessing, saying that it "fits" the familiar, much-desired pattern of a Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow anthology with its Charles Vess illustrations, notes, biographies, bibliography, and solid introduction.Here's what the reviewer notes about the contents: "The 22 writers include Jane Yolen, Ellen Kushner , Midori Snyder , Tanith Lee and Peter S. Beagle, among others. Delia Sherman ’s 'The Selkie Speaks' allows a seal maiden to tell her own tale; Terra L. Gearhart-Serna brings a trickster’s sly voice and a little Spanish into her first published writing, 'Coyote and Valarosa.' Marly Youmans turns to glassmaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains for the intensely romantic 'The Salamander Fire.' The three interwoven motifs of these tales, inspired by many cultures, are beings who shape-shift between animal and human of their own will, who are transformed as a curse or enchantment and who are both human and animal yet wholly neither. Rich reading that meets the editors’ high standards." Catch that? "Intensely romantic." That's with either a small "r" or a large "R."
So if you're somewhere between about 12 and about 112, you might just like it! Available for pre-order now and with a pub date of March 1.
The Beastly Bride and Other Tales of the Animal People
Preface by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Introduction by Terri Windling
Island Lake by E. Catherine Tobler
The Puma’s Daughter by Tanith Lee
Map of Seventeen by Christopher Barzak
The Selkie Speaks by Delia Sherman
Bear’s Bride by Johanna Sinisalo
The Abominable Child’s Tale by Carol Emshwiller
The Hikikomori by Hiromi Goto
The Comeuppance of Creegus Maxin by Gregory Frost
Ganesha by Jeffrey Ford
The Elephant’s Bride by Jane Yolen
The Children of Cadmus by Ellen Kushner
The White Doe Mourns Her Childhood by Jeanine Hall Gailey
The White Doe’s Love Song by Jeanine Hall Gailey
The White Doe Decides by Jeanine Hall Gailey
Coyote and Valorosa by Terra L. Gearheart
One Thin Dime by Stewart Moore
The Monkey Bride by Midori Snyder
Pishaach by Shweta Narayan
The Salamander Fire by Marly Youmans
The Margay’s Children by Richard Bowes
Thumbleriggery and Fledglings by Steve Berman
The Flock by Lucius Shepard
The Children of the Shark God by Peter Beagle
Rosina by Nan Fry
And see just below for some of the online things I've found interesting lately... I'll be back to talking about friends with new books just as soon as I wallow through the taxes-and-documents slough.
Sounds like something I would love, perhaps to teach a class sometime.
ReplyDeleteI think the whole series of these Windling/Datlow anthologies is interesting. "The Faery Reel." "The Green Man." And there's a Coyote trickster collection too. "Coyote Tales," maybe?
ReplyDeleteIt's pouring snow for the second day and getting quite deep. This looks to be a 3-day snow. So far we've taken in two visitors, one who works at night, the other who works in the day. Fun. Busy.
Lovely, Marly. Your productivity continues to inspire and warm me through a cold winter here in the South.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Phil--
ReplyDeleteGreat words, coming from Mr. Productive! I feel rather disorganized at the moment, though.
But the snow has finally paused. Three days straight is a lot. The car's a hill, and the oval picnic table looks like a gigantic coffin. For King Winter, I hope!
I've been looking forward to your story ever since the TOC was announced!
ReplyDelete(And #3 is The Coyote Road, by the way) :)
Ah, yes. Road. Head like a sieve.
ReplyDeleteI remember your story from the galleys. Naga story. Though the snakes were not much like the stone ones I've sheltering a Buddha or churning the sea of milk for amrita! And I liked it very much...
You're not a relation of R. K. Narayan, are you? I have no idea whether Narayan is a common or uncommon sort of name.