Despite one or two throwaways, these are entertaining and satisfying stories even if you are unfamiliar with TW's clever and brash presentation. As a fan, I enjoyed this and wish he was able to write more short fiction. He does such good work with character and pacing; he plays the reader so well.

"Child of an Ancient City" is certainly among the best vampyr stories I've read; "Not With a Whimper, Either" is a nice AI origin tale that either Bradbury or Zelazny could have been party to; "Go Ask Elric" is a hysterical and yet frankly reverent Moorcock riff; "Some Thoughts re: Dark Destructor" gives the publishing industry (and any other construction-by-committee) the treatment it deserves, and....drumroll...."The Happiest Dead Boy in the World" is indeed the coda that this Otherland devotee hoped for. It's wonderful.

Further, in the touching and eloquent "Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn," TW shows that a story can include Albrecht Dürer, ancient Cambodia, and a rhinoceros and not lose a whit of gravitas. Well played! ( )

An anthology of shorter works by Tad Williams, some from the very beginning of his carreer. I was disappointed in the overall quality; while some were creative and entertaining, others were less good: depressing or pointless. Nothing was on the level of the Dragonbone Chair series. But the shorter works were quickly read, so you did not lose too much of your time reading them. Overall rating: uneven. ( )

There is a reason that Tad WIlliams writes novels. The long novel format gives him plenty of scope to exercise his best skills, plotting and multiple viewpoint characters, while hiding his weakest skills, female characters that only fall in the pattern of the Beauteous Virgin and his total lack of narrative poetry. All of his best drawn characters are adolescent boys. Even the grown men in this anthology are yearning boys at heart. His women are untouchable visions (or self absorbed matriarchs). In a book of short stories, his lack of scope is particularly noticeable. Oh, there are some humorous essays and two completely unfunny British sitcom scripts, but I suggest you stick to his novels. The later ones are quite engaging. ( )