The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories ~Susanna Clarke

–published 2006
–235 pages, Bloomsbury
–4.75/5 stars

“Magic, madam, is like wine and, if you are not used to it, it will make you drunk.”

It is a foregone conclusion that you dear readers are every bit like myself–there are books on your shelves that you had every intention of getting to the moment that you purchased, or were given, them but instead they have languished unread. And then that fateful day arrives in which you gently slide the book off the shelf, turn back the cover, and you find yourself swept away. As you close the last page you wonder aloud, “How could I possibly have waited so long to read this book?”.

Such was my experience with Susanna Clarke’s collection of short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu.

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The Wood Wife ~Terri Windling

–published 1996
–318 pages, Tom Doherty Associates
–1997 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Novel of the Year
–5/5 stars

Maggie Black has always been a fan of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Davis Cooper. Her one great desire is to write a biography of the man whose work has been her inspiration and although they carry on a friendship through correspondence, Cooper never allows Black to visit him in his Tucson desert home nor gives permission for a biography. Thus when he dies a mysterious death–an apparent drowning in a dry riverbed–and leaves her his house, property, and all the house contains, she is both confused and intrigued. A trip to Tucson introduces Maggie to the intimate group of people whose orbit revolved around Cooper and her investigation into the work he left behind and the paintings of his lover Anna Naverra opens up Maggie to a connection with a world she never knew existed.

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The Sword-Edged Blonde ~Alex Bledsoe

–published 2007
–256 pages, Night Shade Books
–4.5/5 stars

“The Sword-Edged Blonde has all the finesse and depth of a great hard-boiled mystery, but takes place in a fully realized heroic fantasy setting. From start to finish, it’s a treat for readers of either genre, and easily one of the better books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Don’t miss this one!” ~Charles de Lint

With a quote like that from one of the world’s premiere fantasists, the book has to be good, right? In this case ‘right’ is an understatement. Mr. de Lint’s concise review is spot on and I could readily step away now and just tell you to go out and buy this book. But that would just be too easy.

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