From Publishers Weekly
There is nothing bad in this newest in the series edited by Datlow and Windling; but among more than 50 pieces, too few are memorable or engrossing. The anthology is most successful with humor: "Truman Capote's Trilby: The Facts" by Garry Kilworth is a delightful look at a man's relationship with his somewhat fickle hat; and "The Dog's Tale" by Karel Capek is a canine fairy tale that will warm the hearts of dog owners everywhere. Some of the better entries give a new spin to an old story: Angela Carter reexamines Cinderella in "Ashputtle: or, The Mother's Ghost," while a fresh view of Lewis Carroll is provided by Steven Millhauser in "Alice, Falling." Perhaps the most inspired story is Ian Frazier's "Coyote V. Acme," a transcript of the opening statements made on behalf of Wile E. Coyote, who is suing Acme for selling him inferior merchandise. Some of the horror stories are very effective (especially those by Joyce Carol Oates, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, George Szanto and John Brunner); others (by David J. Schow, Michael Bishop, Peter Straub and Haruki Murakami, for example) are more soporific than horrific.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Another huge, 51-piece compilation of 44 stories, an essay, and six poems, ranging in tone from light humor through splatterpunk to dark horror. Among the standouts: John Brunner's tale of moths, witchcraft, and vengeance; computer surgery (Adrian Cole); the power of words (Isabel Allende); and a typically brilliant, witty Sleeping Beauty piece from R.A. Lafferty. Elsewhere, Joyce Carol Oates, T.E.D. Klein, Angela Carter, Peter Straub, Karel Capek, Michael Bishop, and others less renowned offer variations on: ghosts, abandonment, carnival freaks, satyrs, sinister festivals, dreams, sex, clocks, baseball, little people, Einstein, snake people, cancer, hats, organ donors, quilts, TV people, butterflies, Alice, Cinderella, dogs, mass murders, therapy, cartoon litigants, haunted houses, initiations, God as an amnesiac, and more. Eclectic, well crafted, with authentic thrills and chills: a solid addition to the series. --
Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
