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ISBN #
1596062134
Published December 2008
as a hardback by
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Clockwork Phoenix made the prestigious Locus Recommended Reading List for 2008.
From Publishers Weekly
Author and editor Allen (Mythic) has compiled a neatly packaged set of short stories that flow cleverly and seamlessly from one inspiration to another. In The City of Blind Delight by Catherynne M. Valente, a man inadvertently ends up on a train that takes him to an inescapable city of extraordinary wonders. In All the Little Gods We Are, Hugo winner John Grant takes a mind trip to possible parallel universes. Modern topics make an appearance among the whimsy and strangeness: Ekaterina Sedia delves into the misunderstandings that occur between cultures and languages in There Is a Monster Under Helen's Bed, while Tanith Lee gleefully skewers gender politics with The Woman, giving the reader a glimpse of what might happen if there was only one fertile woman left in a world of men.
Lush descriptions and exotic imagery startle, engross, chill and electrify
the reader, and all 19 stories have a strong and delicious taste of weird.
Product Description
You hold in your hands a cornucopia of modern cutting-edge fantasy.
The first volume of this extraordinary new annual anthology series of fantastic literature explodes on the scene with works that sidestep expectations in beautiful and unsettling ways, that surprise with their settings and startle with the manner in which they cross genre boundaries, that aren't afraid to experiment with storytelling techniques, and yet seamlessly blend form with meaningful function. The delectable offerings found within these pages come from some of today's most distinguished contemporary fantasists and brilliant rising newcomers.
Whether it's a touch of literary erudition, playful whimsy, extravagant style, or mind-blowing philosophical speculation and insight, the reader will be led into unfamiliar territory, there to find shock and delight.
Introducing CLOCKWORK PHOENIX.
Clockwork Phoenix assembles eighteen "tales of beauty and strangeness" defying labels, crossing genres, experimenting, and trying to astonish.
Another "new weird" collection, perhaps? A slipstream opus? Whatever — set somewhere between fantasy, SF, and something else, the stories selected by editor Mike Allen have an unique property: they are never tedious. Some are beautiful, some alien and odd, a few irritating, several too incredible to be taken seriously, but none leave the reader indifferent or bored. This is no minor accomplishment for any anthology.
... Another excellent contribution is "Choosers Of The Slain" by John C Wright, a sad, lyric tale of time travel in which an old warrior, doomed but intrepid, refuses to be lured by a shining future and proudly goes to his death.
From a review at The Harrow.
When I saw the actual table of contents, I was thrilled: Catherynne Valente, Marie Brennan, Cat Rambo, Ekaterina Sedia . . . be still my beating heart! For an anthology from a small press I'd never even heard of (which probably says more about me than them), I was beyond impressed with the degree of talent they'd combined to make this anthology.
From a review at Calico Reaction.
"...if you're looking for beautiful word pictures, this is an excellent collection..."
From a review by Ian Randal Strock at SfScope.
Contributions include:
“ The City of Blind Delight” by Catherynne M. Valente
“ Old Foss is the Name of His Cat” by David Sandner
“ All the Little Gods We Are” by John Grant
“ The Dew Drop Coffee Lounge” by Cat Rambo
“ Bell, Book, and Candle” by Leah Bobet
“ The Tarrying Messenger” by Michael J. DeLuca
“ The Occultation” by Laird Barron
“ There is a Monster Under Helen's Bed” by Ekaterina Sedia
“ Palisade” by Cat Sparks
“ The Woman” by Tanith Lee
“ A Mask of Flesh” by Marie Brennan
“ Seven Scenes from Harrai's Sacred Mountain” by Jennifer Crow
“ Oblivion: A Journey” by Vandana Singh
“ Choosers of the Slain” by John C. Wright
“ Akhila, Divided” by C.S. MacCath
“ The Moon-Keeper's Friend” by Joanna Galbraith
“ The Tailor of Time” by Deborah Biancotti
“ Root and Vein” by Erin Hoffman