I had a mail from the editor of Clockwork Phoenix 2 the other day to say that the upcoming anthology has received a starred review by Publishers Weekly. A mighty achievement I have been told. Here is the review.
Clockwork Phoenix 2: More Tales of Beauty and Strangeness Edited by Mike Allen. Norilana/Fantasy (www.norilana.com), $11.95 paper (296p) ISBN 978-1-60762-027-3
Allen finds his groove for this second annual anthology of weird stories, selecting 16 wonderfully evocative, well-written tales. Marie Brennan's thought-provoking “Once a Goddess” considers the fate of a goddess abruptly returned to mortality. Tanith Lee puts a stunning twist in the story of a morose prince in “The Pain of Glass.” Mary Robinette Kowal's “At the Edge of Dying” describes a world where magic comes only to those at death's door. In “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela,” Saladin Ahmed tells of a small village on the edge of a desert, a hermit and a woman who may be a witch. Each story fits neatly alongside the next, and the diversity of topics, perspectives and authors makes this cosmopolitan anthology a winner. (July)
Big congrats to Marie Brennan, Tanith Lee, Mary Robinette Kowal and Saladin Ahmed for their special mention. I feel grateful just to be included in this constellation of sixteen stars. (And relieved that the review didn't say something like 'All the stories rocked apart from the dodgy one about the fish which tanked.'In other news, I have just discovered the delights of home made daquiries which are proving to be vital given the sudden soar in temperatures earlier this week.
I am also thinking alot about a very special friend back in Brisbane who is about to deliver a little star of her own. Good luck EB :-)
