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The Year's Best Fantasy Stories #6
The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 6
Contents:
* "The Year in Fantasy" (Lin Carter)
* "Garden of Blood" (Roger Zelazny)
* "The Character Assassin" (Paul H. Cook)
* "The Things That Are Gods" (John Brunner)
* "Zurvan's Saint" (Grail Undwin)
* "Perfidious Amber" (Tanith Lee)
* "The Mer She" (Fritz Leiber)
* "Demon of the Snows" (Lin Carter)
* "The Pavilion Where All Times Meet" (Jayge Carr)
* "Cryptically Yours" (Brian Lumley)
* "Red as Blood" (Tanith Lee)
* "Sandmagic" (Orson Scott Card)
* "The Year's Best Fantasy Books" (Lin Carter)
* "The Year in Fantasy" (Lin Carter)
* "Garden of Blood" (Roger Zelazny)
* "The Character Assassin" (Paul H. Cook)
* "The Things That Are Gods" (John Brunner)
* "Zurvan's Saint" (Grail Undwin)
* "Perfidious Amber" (Tanith Lee)
* "The Mer She" (Fritz Leiber)
* "Demon of the Snows" (Lin Carter)
* "The Pavilion Where All Times Meet" (Jayge Carr)
* "Cryptically Yours" (Brian Lumley)
* "Red as Blood" (Tanith Lee)
* "Sandmagic" (Orson Scott Card)
* "The Year's Best Fantasy Books" (Lin Carter)
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 4, 1980
60 people want to read
About the author
Lin Carter
485 books165 followersLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H.P. Lowcraft (for an H.P. Lovecraft parody) and Grail Undwin.
Carter had a marked tendency toward self-promotion in his work, frequently citing his own writings in his nonfiction to illustrate points and almost always including at least one of his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. The most extreme instance is his novel Lankar of Callisto, which features Carter himself as the protagonist.
As an author, he was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. Carter himself was the model for the Mario Gonzalo character. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose work he anthologized in the Flashing Swords! series. Carter is most closely associated with fellow author L. Sprague de Camp, who served as a mentor and collaborator and was a fellow member of both the Trap Door Spiders and SAGA.
Carter served in Korea, after which he attended Columbia University. He was a copywriter for some years before writing full-time. Carter resided in East Orange, New Jersey, in his later years, and drank and smoked heavily. It may have been his smoking that gave him oral cancer in 1985. Only his status as a Korean War veteran enabled him to receive extensive surgery. However, it failed to cure the cancer and left him disfigured.
In the last year before his death, he had begun to reappear in print with a new book in his Terra Magica series, a long-promised Prince Zarkon pulp hero pastiche, Horror Wears Blue, and a regular column for the magazine Crypt of Cthulhu. Despite these successes, Carter increased his alcohol intake, becoming a borderline alcoholic and further weakening his body. His cancer resurfaced, spreading to his throat and leading to his death in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1988.
Carter had a marked tendency toward self-promotion in his work, frequently citing his own writings in his nonfiction to illustrate points and almost always including at least one of his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. The most extreme instance is his novel Lankar of Callisto, which features Carter himself as the protagonist.
As an author, he was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. Carter himself was the model for the Mario Gonzalo character. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose work he anthologized in the Flashing Swords! series. Carter is most closely associated with fellow author L. Sprague de Camp, who served as a mentor and collaborator and was a fellow member of both the Trap Door Spiders and SAGA.
Carter served in Korea, after which he attended Columbia University. He was a copywriter for some years before writing full-time. Carter resided in East Orange, New Jersey, in his later years, and drank and smoked heavily. It may have been his smoking that gave him oral cancer in 1985. Only his status as a Korean War veteran enabled him to receive extensive surgery. However, it failed to cure the cancer and left him disfigured.
In the last year before his death, he had begun to reappear in print with a new book in his Terra Magica series, a long-promised Prince Zarkon pulp hero pastiche, Horror Wears Blue, and a regular column for the magazine Crypt of Cthulhu. Despite these successes, Carter increased his alcohol intake, becoming a borderline alcoholic and further weakening his body. His cancer resurfaced, spreading to his throat and leading to his death in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1988.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 4, 2021
Carter's "Year's Best" series have an archaeological quality in its editorial commentary and appendix material, placing the collection in the context of the publishing industry and fandom. Fantastic magazine had just folded and the Other Worlds collections had begun great enthusiasm (by Carter).
The selections here are typical of the editor: conservative, pulpish, and weighted in favor of sword and sorcery. Stories written by young women are noted as being by women who are young and isn't that amazing that someone could be young and a woman. Except that one--"Grail Undwin"--is actually neither, and is a pseudonym for Carter himself. So the compliments in the editorial introduction ring quite hollow. The usual complaints, that is.
You'll get a Dilvish tale, Traveler in Black, Cyrion, a late-series Gray Mouser (sans Fafhrd), an early-life Thongor. And these are all representative, with "The Mer She" standing out just in the way that Leiber explores the foibles and weaknesses of his heroes: this is another case where Mouser out-clevers himself and proves both a lech and a man devoid of empathy. It wraps up with the "hero" dodging disaster through his own unbelievable luck.
Paul H Cook's "The Character Assassin" is a deviation from Carter's usual and is a refreshing change, even if the thing feels like it is about to fly apart. "The Pavilion Where All Times Meet" would be helped if Carter actually wrote _less_ in his introduction, as he gives away the keys to the surprise ending. Lee's reformulation of Snow White, "Red as Blood", should be considered carefully if Disney wants to attempt the Maleficent treatment with another property. It doesn't really go anywhere but the telling is interesting and is beautifully done.
The selections here are typical of the editor: conservative, pulpish, and weighted in favor of sword and sorcery. Stories written by young women are noted as being by women who are young and isn't that amazing that someone could be young and a woman. Except that one--"Grail Undwin"--is actually neither, and is a pseudonym for Carter himself. So the compliments in the editorial introduction ring quite hollow. The usual complaints, that is.
You'll get a Dilvish tale, Traveler in Black, Cyrion, a late-series Gray Mouser (sans Fafhrd), an early-life Thongor. And these are all representative, with "The Mer She" standing out just in the way that Leiber explores the foibles and weaknesses of his heroes: this is another case where Mouser out-clevers himself and proves both a lech and a man devoid of empathy. It wraps up with the "hero" dodging disaster through his own unbelievable luck.
Paul H Cook's "The Character Assassin" is a deviation from Carter's usual and is a refreshing change, even if the thing feels like it is about to fly apart. "The Pavilion Where All Times Meet" would be helped if Carter actually wrote _less_ in his introduction, as he gives away the keys to the surprise ending. Lee's reformulation of Snow White, "Red as Blood", should be considered carefully if Disney wants to attempt the Maleficent treatment with another property. It doesn't really go anywhere but the telling is interesting and is beautifully done.
May 18, 2018
This anthology was like much of the similar anthologies I've read in that some of the stories are really good and others just confuse me, which seems to be a standard of this type of fantasy. There are some big name authors in this one with some well known characters (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Thongor, etc.)
I'm a big Fritz Leiber fan, but this Grey Mouser story was a little, well, kinkier than I remember the others being. Mouser keeps tying a girl up, sometimes even nude and spread eagled, and keeps going on about how much he likes disciplining her. Granted there was some magic involved and he was under a spell, but still, it was a little--different.
Overall not a bad collection and if you enjoy fantasy, especially Sword and Sorcery, you'll probably like this one.
I'm a big Fritz Leiber fan, but this Grey Mouser story was a little, well, kinkier than I remember the others being. Mouser keeps tying a girl up, sometimes even nude and spread eagled, and keeps going on about how much he likes disciplining her. Granted there was some magic involved and he was under a spell, but still, it was a little--different.
Overall not a bad collection and if you enjoy fantasy, especially Sword and Sorcery, you'll probably like this one.
September 26, 2023
Overall, not the usual anthology I'd add to my collection. I agree with the other user who describes the selections as rather conservative and pulpish, honestly surprising this was published in 1980. Most of the stories wouldn't have been out of place in a 1950 anthology. But I saw that there were two stories by Tanith Lee, a writer I'd not fit into that camp, so I had to pick it up. Since I've found tracking all the stories/writers from anthologies useful for jogging my memory, they're all listed below.
"Garden of Blood," Roger Zelazny
First Dilvish story I've read. Competent swords & sorcery tale, but lacks the high style and inventiveness I appreciate with Zelazny. ***
"The Character Assassin," Paul H. Cook
Clever literary fantasy, very unlike the more standard high fantasy in the rest of the book. Good writing. ****
"The Things That Are Not Gods," John Brunner
Liked the gloomy mood and lyricism of the writing. Not the sort of fantasy that typically appeals, but it kept me reading. ****
"Zurvan's Saint," Grail Undwin
Pretty cringe when the editor of an anthology includes themselves in said anthology, but a particularly bold move to present your pseudonym as a woman in an anthology dominated by men. Nice short short, though. ***
"Perfidious Amber," Tanith Lee
Bought this anthology for the Lee and might've read this one before. This one is in her Poe-ish mode, and a Poe mystery at that. Of course, it is dark and beautifully written, as one expects. ****
"The Mer She," Fritz Leiber
Definitely among the stories in a more conservative vein, but there's something about the way Leiber writes that manages to elevate pulpish material. The Gray Mouser is no hero, which I like. ****
"Demon of the Snows," Lin Carter
Again, competent swords & sorcery. The budding teen romance is a cute touch against the characters search the evil that is destroying whatever destroyed their villages, but also a bit rote. **
"The Pavilion Where All Times Meet," Jayge Carr
Not my favorite story, but I did find the gradual reveal of the plan for what the "woman without a future" intends for the "man without a past" rather clever. ***
"Cryptically Yours," Brian Lumley
Epistolary format adds some interest to what amounts to a wizard revenge mystery, but it's too obvious what's going on too soon, so story fell flat for me. ***
"Red As Blood," Tanith Lee
Always enjoy Lee's fairy tale retellings–subversion with her usual stylish Gothic gloss. Her inversion of Christian symbol in this one is particularly inventive and striking. ****
"Sandmagic," Orson Scott Card
The only bit of his work I've read, and this one definitely fits into that more conservative vein. Still, a nice story, and I like when the magic becomes a catalyst for internal conflicts in the protagonist. ***
"Garden of Blood," Roger Zelazny
First Dilvish story I've read. Competent swords & sorcery tale, but lacks the high style and inventiveness I appreciate with Zelazny. ***
"The Character Assassin," Paul H. Cook
Clever literary fantasy, very unlike the more standard high fantasy in the rest of the book. Good writing. ****
"The Things That Are Not Gods," John Brunner
Liked the gloomy mood and lyricism of the writing. Not the sort of fantasy that typically appeals, but it kept me reading. ****
"Zurvan's Saint," Grail Undwin
Pretty cringe when the editor of an anthology includes themselves in said anthology, but a particularly bold move to present your pseudonym as a woman in an anthology dominated by men. Nice short short, though. ***
"Perfidious Amber," Tanith Lee
Bought this anthology for the Lee and might've read this one before. This one is in her Poe-ish mode, and a Poe mystery at that. Of course, it is dark and beautifully written, as one expects. ****
"The Mer She," Fritz Leiber
Definitely among the stories in a more conservative vein, but there's something about the way Leiber writes that manages to elevate pulpish material. The Gray Mouser is no hero, which I like. ****
"Demon of the Snows," Lin Carter
Again, competent swords & sorcery. The budding teen romance is a cute touch against the characters search the evil that is destroying whatever destroyed their villages, but also a bit rote. **
"The Pavilion Where All Times Meet," Jayge Carr
Not my favorite story, but I did find the gradual reveal of the plan for what the "woman without a future" intends for the "man without a past" rather clever. ***
"Cryptically Yours," Brian Lumley
Epistolary format adds some interest to what amounts to a wizard revenge mystery, but it's too obvious what's going on too soon, so story fell flat for me. ***
"Red As Blood," Tanith Lee
Always enjoy Lee's fairy tale retellings–subversion with her usual stylish Gothic gloss. Her inversion of Christian symbol in this one is particularly inventive and striking. ****
"Sandmagic," Orson Scott Card
The only bit of his work I've read, and this one definitely fits into that more conservative vein. Still, a nice story, and I like when the magic becomes a catalyst for internal conflicts in the protagonist. ***
July 1, 2009
Say what you will about Lin Carter's own work, he was a pretty darn good editor and had an eye for stories with solid adventure backbones. This is a pretty good collection, with stories by Zelazny, Brunner, Tanith Lee, Leiber and Brian Lumley.
October 26, 2016
Review TBC
April 17, 2017
I’m not sure about “best”. Other than containing a mediocre Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser story, it seems like there are a lot of fairly standard, stereotypical stories in this collection. Not one of them, sadly, jumped up and grabbed me. None of them were horrible, but none of them were really good, either, and I can’t pick a story out of the batch that stands above the others.
And there’s not a lot of variety in the fantasy represented here, with the bulk of it, even admitted by the editor, falling into the Sword and Sorcery camp. That’s clearly what Mr. Carter preferred at the time, which is fine, but in that case, why not call it Year’s Best S&S?
But I suppose the thing that bothered me the most about this volume is that the editor slipped one of his own stories into the volume. Not a crime in and of itself, maybe until you learn that it’s not just any story, but one that hadn’t actually been published. So how was it eligible for inclusion in a Year’s Best anthology? Oh, it had been accepted at Fantastic, but Fantastic folded before the story could be published, and the editor thought it was a great story, and since it had been accepted at a now-defunct magazine it clearly should be counted among the best the genre had to offer during the previous year. Well, no. To my reading, it’s a rather derivative tale of a barbarian warrior king, walking over some ground that was pretty well trodden even in 1980.
Overall rating: 2 stars. Full of meh.
And there’s not a lot of variety in the fantasy represented here, with the bulk of it, even admitted by the editor, falling into the Sword and Sorcery camp. That’s clearly what Mr. Carter preferred at the time, which is fine, but in that case, why not call it Year’s Best S&S?
But I suppose the thing that bothered me the most about this volume is that the editor slipped one of his own stories into the volume. Not a crime in and of itself, maybe until you learn that it’s not just any story, but one that hadn’t actually been published. So how was it eligible for inclusion in a Year’s Best anthology? Oh, it had been accepted at Fantastic, but Fantastic folded before the story could be published, and the editor thought it was a great story, and since it had been accepted at a now-defunct magazine it clearly should be counted among the best the genre had to offer during the previous year. Well, no. To my reading, it’s a rather derivative tale of a barbarian warrior king, walking over some ground that was pretty well trodden even in 1980.
Overall rating: 2 stars. Full of meh.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews