Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy

Almost every story in this book was terrific. Most of the authors were new to me, most werewomen, and of those authors with whom I was familiar, several are among my favorites (Emma Bull, Sharon Shin). The short biographical information about each author and personal statement has sent me searching through Amazon to find other works. "Firebird" is "an imprint of Penguin" that publishes work from an amazing group of authors from whom these stories were drawn. There is also an earlier "Firebird" anthology which I've ordered and can't wait to read. I was afraid it might be too "young adult", but all of these storiesreward a mature reader.Other authors with stories in this original anthology include Tamora Pierce, Alison Goodman, Charles de Lint, Diana Winne Jones, Ellen Klages, Kelly Link, Patricia McKillip, Carol Emshwiller, Francesca Lia Block, Kara Dalkey, Alan Dean Foster, Tanish Lee, and Pamela Dean.Even at more than 500 pages it's a fairly quick read that I wanted never to end.

I liked half of this book, to be honest I didn't read the whole thing. I am a huge science fiction fan and this book has both science fiction and fantasy stories. I don't really like fantasy all that much so I did not enjoy some of the fantasy stories, but that is my preference. Overall, this book is a good read and I would recommend it to any science fiction or fantasy fan. It is a good compilation of great authors. All of the science fiction stories from the book that I read drew me in from the first or second page and by the end of the story I was left wanting more. I would definitely consider buying books from the authors featured in the book. This book is a great buy for any science fiction or fantasy fan looking for a new fix when they run out of books to read.

I love these stories

got the book quickly and promptly. The book is a mix of short stories. Didn't realize that when I bought the book.

Firebird books are my favorites; whenever I run out of books, I look at the authors in the latest Firebirds anthology (or their website) and get some of their books. Firebird anthologies are the best sources of fantasy. Good stuff.

gift

Excellent *^_^*

This anthology follows in the footsteps of the original 'Firebirds' collection: A few brilliant stories among the padding of watered down sub-fare from famous names. In all honesty many of these stories would never have seen print without the famous name of the author being used on the cover to promote the book. A shame, since the premise of the anthology delights me.I *am* very glad I read this book, though, especially for the sake of two stories I very much enjoyed:'In the House of the Seven Librarians' by Ellen Klages is my favorite story, and worth the price of the book alone! This story is about a young girl named Dinsy who is raised by seven 'feral librarians' in an old library building. This book is a paean to old libraries and classics of literature. Any lover of books and reading will thrill to this book. For those of us who remember the old-style libraries with card catalogs, it is a veritable love song. For all book lovers, it's a treasure to love and cherish.'Hives' by Kara Dalkey is a science fiction story about a future where technology can telepathically link minds, and teen girls use this to keep themselves in constant contact with their groups of friends, or 'hives'. But what happens when the girls get 'cut' from the network of their hive? Why does the sudden silence in their minds cause them to kill themselves? This story takes a science fiction approach to the importance of female friendships, and how necessary and addictive they can become. As Peter S. Beagle said in his novel 'Tamsin', "When you're 14 years old you're not yourself, you are your friends. You forget that when you grow up."There were two other stories that I did enjoy reading. 'The Real Thing' by Alison Goodman was another sci-fi story exploring a future where genetic enhancement is prevalent, and the prejudice between those who are 'comp' made and those whose parents let nature take its course. The story is taken from a novel by the author, so it does feel a bit like a chapter out of a larger novel. That said, I really enjoyed this story and plan to track down the source novel it came from. An interesting story that made me think, as all good sci-fi does (I loathe the modern sci-fi movie cliche that sci-fi is only good for loud explosions).'The House on the Planet' by Tanith Lee explores three young women living in the same house over 100 years' time on a colonized alien planet in the future. The subtle beauty of this story, of the alien landscape and how its birds and creatures speak to and inspire these women over many generations was inspiring. The end is a surprise, but indeed says a lot about the nature of 'humanity'. A beautiful story I'm glad I read.Of the other stories, many were sub-par efforts on behalf of famous writers. Many were out-takes from other books or story universes, which really didn't work for anyone unfamiliar with the source material. Regardless, many of the stories felt like watered-down pap, very 'expurgated for children.' I always hated reading this kind of stuff as a teen.On the other side, there were several stories that had a chilling amount of violence that I wouldn't feel comfortable with in an adult novel not sold in a horror section. I suppose it is a sad indictment of our culture, that violence is seen as perfectly natural for children and teens to view. There's a vengeful goddess hunting down and killing a pack of teens for trying to kill one of her followers ('Huntress' by Tamora Pierce). For the life of me I'm not sure what the point of that one was other than to be shocked by the violence. In 'I'll Give You My Word' by Diana Wynne Jones a group of female domestics turn out to be witches out to kill the mother of a family and take it over. There's so many misogynistic stereotypes here I don't know where to start. I'm sick of all this 'Hand That Rocks The Cradle' excrement that female domestics are all psychopaths. And all witches are evil murderers - how very Brothers Grimm. Can we get away from these stereotypes in the 21st century, please? Is that too much to ask? But the worst by far was 'Quill' by Carol Emshwiller. I don't know about you, but stories where teen girls are abducted by their fathers so they can rape and impregnate them just sicken me. This is a young adult story? It's like Stephen King at his goriest. *shudder*Under the 'violence' heading are 'Perception' by Alan Dean Foster and 'What Used To Be Good Still Is' by Emma Bull, both stories where saintly females sacrifice their lives for the sakes of the unknowing and unappreciative. The 'virgin saint' stereotype of Victorian times. Can girls have heroines in their books who are not victims or self-sacrificing martyrs? Is that too much to ask?That said, I am glad I read this book for the four stories I enjoyed. They made the book worth it. I just wish the collection was a little more even in quality. Alas, that's usually the case with multi-author story collections.

i was disappointed...rambling, verbose, sad, violent revenge fantasies, most of them...deaths left and right, abuse, cruelty, rampaging evil creatures...loneliness, alienation and anguish...poorly constructed, loose and disjointed, needed editing, tightening and cutting...some good ideas, but simply too long-winded...did i like any of them? yes, three, by klages, shinn and link, and mckillip's was ok...but the rest? nah...

Brilliant follow-up on the brilliant Firebirds.

Second of three anthologiesGreat way to introduce new readers to some amazing authorsHopefully it will inspire further exploration into the creations of these talented peopleDiana Wynne JonesSharon ShinnCharles de LintAnd others

This collection is unlikely to be of much interest to anybody above, say, 14. The target audience age would seem to be between 12 and 14: Mostly simplistic writing, clichés abounding, twee settings - barely readable (and thus rather pointless) for more mature audiences.