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SutekoWriter

The best books you never read

I am both a reader and a writer. I find that the best writers are in fact avid readers. I love books of all kinds but I really adore reading new authors who are just getting their feet wet. Some of the very best writers are now found in the indie set. These reviews will be of books I have devoured in my never ending quest for good fiction. Some will be up and comers who have hit the top of the chart, but most will be struggling new writers who deserve a second look.

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy by George Mann

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy - George Mann, Mark Chadbourn, Mike Resnick, Steven Savile, Jay Lake, Conrad Williams, Scott Thomas, Lucius Shepard, Steven Erikson, Janny Wurts, James Maxey, Tim Pratt, Hal Duncan, Jeff VanderMeer, Christopher Barzak, Chris Roberson, Juliet E. McKenna

Okay first off I am going to say we all know I love fantasy. I adore it and I adore short stories. It is what got me started as a writer.

 

But! And there is a but. You see one of the things that drives me nuts is a story where the author is taking themselves too seriously. They are not writing a story to entertain the reader, but to get themselves into collections like this one.

 

While there are some good stories in this collection (and i will review them over on my google blog) most of these stories are just the writers attempts to seem literary.

 

While fantasy can be amazing, it can be deep and touching and important, it generally is not literary to the literary snobs out there. This book is filled with stories that literary snobs would adore!

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I can finish a five hundred page book within a day or so. So the fact that I have yet to finish a book that I bought years ago should tell you something. Many of the tales in this book are just...not worth the effort.

 

Yes i have given this book overall a three star review. That is because there are tales in here well worth the read. Once that make me want to read them again. but over all...no, I would pass it by.