Sharyn November, Firebirds Rising (Firebird, 2006)
Ahhhh, a cool new anthology of short fiction edited by Sharyn November, one of the finest editors gracing our presence these days. And what could be more fitting to read than on a cold, rainy afternoon in November of 2005 than an anthology edited by a woman named November? So I settled down with the advance proof as the already ever-so-dim sun faded away on this cold, persistently windy day to while away a few hours... Firebirds Rising is the second anthology edited by November, with the first one two years ago being Firebirds. (The first is subtitled An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction with the second being subtitled An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy.) That anthology caused the Book Editor at that point in time, Grey Walker, to curse me. Here is how she tells her version of the tale in her review of that anthology:
GMR's Editor in Chief, Cat Eldridge, is a wicked, wicked man. He e-mailed me the other day to say, 'Firebirds, the new anthology from Sharyn November, just came in. Let's get it reviewed fast!'
'Fine,' I replied. 'I've got a couple of reviewers I can ask. I'll let you know as soon as I've found someone.'
'OK,' he said. 'In the meantime, I'll just send one of the extra review copies we received over to your office so you can take a look at it.'
It came. I looked at the list of authors, noted the subtitle: 'Original Fantasy and Science Fiction. . . .' I e-mailed Cat. 'I'll review it myself,' I said.
He wrote back with a laugh. 'I thought you would, once you saw it.' He knows me too well.
As GMR's book review editor, it's my job to make sure all the pirates on the crew here get their fair share of the loot — err, that is, it's my job to see that the books we receive for review get spread around evenly amongst the reviewers, and that folks who are especially knowledgeable in particular areas get the right books sent their way. I try to do my job fairly and well, and not let anyone get too many of the best gems we score. But this time, I admit that I acted with utmost greed and entirely in my own self-interest.
I decided this time to read and review it myself as I noticed it had new (!) tales from three of my favorite writers -- Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, and Patricia McKillip. Not to say that the rest of the writers weren't just as impressive -- Francesca Lia Block, Kara Dalkey, Sharon Shinn, Alison Goodman, Diana Wynne Jones, Tanith Lee, Tamora Pierce, Kelly Link, Ellen Klages, Pamela Dean, Carol Emshwiller, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Alan Dean Foster are here as well! As you can see, that line-up of writers is quite impressive. And for me, any anthology is an invitation to discover writers that I did not know enough about, so I can decide if I should be truly interested in reading their work. I know that my favorite writers -- Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, and Patricia McKillip -- will always be superb. But anthologies like Firebirds Rising allows me the opportunity to sample, like a good Scandinavian smorgasbord, tasty little treats that I might otherwise pass by.
So sitting down in my favorite overstuffed leather chair near the well-stoked fireplace in the Robert Graves Memorial Read Room in the Green Man library on that cold, rainy afternoon with a pot of tea and nibblies at hand, I first admired the very cool artwork of a tree in November, leafless and prepared for the long winter, shaped like a particularly scary phoenix. Cool. Kudos to the artist, Cliff Neilsen! As artwork, it works better for me than the cliched phoenix comprised of flames that was drawn by the same artist for Firebirds. But then I always did prefer ice and cold over fire any day. The editors of the Seventeenth edition of The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror called the original anthology 'the standout fantasy anthology of the year,' and I certainly would agree. November showed in that anthology, her first ever as an editor, that she knows a great story when she sees it!
All those who appreciate great fantasy stories must read Ellen Klages' 'In The House of Seven Librarians,' which is one of the best library tales I've ever had the pleasure to encounter. The other great library tale of recent memory was 'CATNYP,' by Delia Sherman, which Jasmine Johnston, the GMR reviewer who commented on it in her review of Jane Yolen and Patrick Nielsen Hayden's The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens: First Annual Collection, rightfully called 'witty contemporary slipstream interpretation of the New York Public Library catalogue search engine.' 'CATNYP' was originally published in The Faery Reel, an anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
Whereas that story was set firmly in the technological modernity, 'In The House of Seven Librarians' is a timeless tale of seven librarians and the library they make their home after the modern world deems that particular Carnegie library to be obsolete. All is quite well there and life goes on without a lot happening until the day in which a small baby girl is left at the Library door as a sort of payment for a long overdue book -- the book being The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. It is the single best description of librarians in their 'native habitat' which I've ever read, and a very sweet story as well. Having not read Ellen Klages before, I will now make a note to look for more of her fiction!
Equally worth reading -- and should be kept in mind when you put together your own personal list of The Best of 2006 -- is 'Huntress' by Tamora Pierce. I now must now see if she's always this good by seeking more of her fiction. Holly Black picked her Trickster's Choice as one of the Best Books of 2003, and November had the same novel on her stockpile list for that year as well. It's a elegant and chilling updating of the Artemis story in which the human hunters mess with the wrong prey to their eventual regret. Also well-crafted is Sharon Shinn's 'Wintermoon Wish', a particularly satisfying take of pagan rituals, what a wish means, and how redemption happens even to those not seeking it.
I am not implying anything here is less than very good, as that simply would not be true, but you will, like me, have your favorites. Favorites which, no doubt, will differ from my favorites!
There's enough good reading here to keep you, as it did me, content for quite some time. And like the wonderful anthologies done by far more veteran editors like Terri Windling, Ellen Datlow, and Jane Yolen, I will indeed return many times to Firebirds Rising to read a story here and there. It is an anthology that I will, like Firebirds, be adding to the permanent fiction collection. This is not a decision I make lightly. If I kept even one book in ten of what comes in here that actually I read, no library would be expansive enough to hold them!
Though it is seemingly far too early to make the statement I am now going to make, this would certainly be on my list of best anthologies of 2006! Yes, it's that superb. To judge by this anthology, November has become a better editor since did her first anthology a mere two years ago. As good as Firebirds was, this is a much better anthology with regards to both the writers and their work herein. I can easily see a number of the pieces here being nominated for awards and November herself should be considered when award lists are being drawn up for Best Anthologies of 2006. With this superbly edited anthology, November has joined the exalted ranks of Yolen, Datlow, and Windling as one of the best anthology editors ever.
