nice collection of short horse stories.
This is a great book for horse lovers and fantasy readers. This is a compilation of short stories, 16 in all, written by modern fantasy and sci-fi authors. One of my favorites was CLASSICAL HORSES: a woman is drawn to help a old woman care for her white herd, little suspecting that she was being groomed herself to take the reins of eternity's steeds. WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES was memorable too: a magic statue is brought to life when a woman's life is threatened. There is always magic in horses and if you grew up reading, riding, dreaming horses-you will enjoy this book as much as I did.
As a horse lover, I picked up this book not quite knowing what to expect. I have to agree with one of the previous reviewers that I think the best story in this collection is one entitled "Classical Horses" by Judith Tarr. A close second is "Silverdown's Gold", by Janny Wurts, which left me wanting to know more of the main characters' stories. Another unexpected gem, albeit short and very odd, is "The Czechoslovakian Pigeon Farmer and the Pony Who Wasn't a Paint" by Mary Stanton.
That said, this book has a wide range of writing styles and will not appeal to everyone. There were a few selections I was unable to enjoy, including a few that seemed to try too hard to hit the fantastical mark mentioned in the title.
With a smattering of horror as well as the fantasy, Horse Fantastic tried to run the gamut of emotional response from the reader, hitting sometimes and missing others, much like any short story collection. All in all, recommended as a quick read for lovers of horses and fantasy alike, keeping in mind that there are a few duds.
That said, this book has a wide range of writing styles and will not appeal to everyone. There were a few selections I was unable to enjoy, including a few that seemed to try too hard to hit the fantastical mark mentioned in the title.
With a smattering of horror as well as the fantasy, Horse Fantastic tried to run the gamut of emotional response from the reader, hitting sometimes and missing others, much like any short story collection. All in all, recommended as a quick read for lovers of horses and fantasy alike, keeping in mind that there are a few duds.
I've been looking for this anthology for the longest time! The very first story in this book is "Stolen Silver" by Mercedes Lackey and in this story we see Alberich being rescued by his Companion, Taver, and him realizing that he's been Chosen. I absolutely ADORE Lackey's style of writing; in just 14 pages she manages to introduce a character you're dying to know more about and his Companion who has traveled to a rather dangerous region in order to get him. If you are a fan of Lackey's Valdemar series, I would strongly suggest "Stolen Silver" and the other two books in Alberich's tale, "Exile's Honor" and "Exile's Valor", as must-reads.
