30 May 2007

Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

Best American Fantasy
Edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer.
Prime (www.primebooks.net), $14.95 paper (460p) ISBN 978-0-8095-6280-0


In a genre where yearly “best of” volumes often repeat one another, the first in Prime’s new annual fantasy anthology series is a breath of eclectic and delightfully innovative fresh air. While the VanderMeers have included such fantasy veterans as Kelly Link and Elizabeth Hand, most of the 29 stories are by nongenre authors as well as gifted newcomers. Among the more memorable tales are Tyler Smith’s “A Troop [sic] of Baboons,” about a troupe of unruly baboon thespians, and Tony D’Souza’s whimsical “The Man Who Married a Tree,” about a man in love with a birch tree. This outstanding entry in the crowded “best of” stakes may not be the most commercially successful fantasy anthology of the year, but genre and mainstream fiction fans alike will be pleasantly surprised by these unconventional short fiction gems. (July)

LINK: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6446277.html

BAF on NPR

We've gotten word that Best American Fantasy will be highlighted on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" as a great summer book. The plan is for there to be a brief reading by Kelly Link from her story "Origin Story" along with the review. Once we know when the show is to be aired, we'll let you know.

The Blurb

We feel incredibly lucky to have captured the attention of Michael Chabon, who read an advance copy of Best American Fantasy and liked it enough to send us a quote for the cover:

"A cabinet of dark wonders, and an important—no, a crucial—map of the richness and strangeness and startling range of the modern American short story."

—Michael Chabon