Review: Xanadu

Title:  Xanadu

Author:  various authors, edited by Jane Yolen

Published:  March 1994

Page Count:  256

Genres:  Fantasy, Short Stories

My Rating:  2.5/5

The first in an original anthology series that will transcend the boundaries of category fiction. Here are fantasy stories by some of the best writers of our day, both mainstream and genre, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Tanith Lee, Steven Brust, Esther Friesner and more.

I enjoy fantasy, but I can’t say that I have much experience with the genre – I’ve read several books here and there, but I in no way am familiar with most of the biggest fantasy authors, nor do I typically pick up a fantasy novel unless I’ve heard really great things about it from multiple people.  So it was with great trepidation that I embarked on reading Xanadu.  What did I think?  Well, for me, this book was a mixed bag.  As is the case with many short story collections, I really liked a few of the stories in here, some I was “meh” about, and others I either didn’t like or didn’t “get”.  One of my favorite stories in this collection was “Lucy Maria” by Lisa Tuttle, about a boy who makes friends with the ghost of a little girl in an abandoned house and promises to take care of her all his life – a promise that ends up having interesting consequences.  Another one I quite enjoyed was “To Scale” by Nancy Kress, which was about a teenage guy who is obsessed with creating stuff for his dollhouse – so obsessed, in fact, that he finds he can transport real people and animals to live in his dollhouse.

I think this book is a good choice for fantasy enthusiasts.  I didn’t love it, but there were definitely pieces in here I really enjoyed.