Fablewoodby Rebecca BuchananReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 In this collection of thirteen tales, creators offer a wide variety of fantasy tales, from the heroic to the tragic to the comic. In Ahonen's "Solace," a child mourns the death of his parents .... In "Die a Hero," by Kinder and Crossley, two heroes cross paths, with tragic results .... In "Vicious Circle," by Cooper and Nass, a group of friends experiments with some new magic, and things don't turn out quite as they intended .... In Hallett's "The Spirits and the Woods," a young warrior must convince a musician to give up his enchanted lyre before it summons a less-than-benign ghost .... In "Mandala," by Infurnari, a young boy is plucked from his idyllic existence to serve a gigantic machine .... Ward and Ottley's "Blessings" tells a take of Achilles at Troy .... "J'Nee Where Are You?" by Suitor, records the travails of a human ma trying to make up with his fairy girlfriend .... Machain's "The Ancient Pact" also features a fairy, but, in this case, a fairy interested in teeth .... In Studabaker and Neal's "Under the Midnight Sun," a newborn shadow vows to see the sun one day, and tragically achieves his dream .... In "Unworthy," by Lafrance, a young warrior challenges the guardian of a pass to let her through, but she must earn her passage .... "Fish," by Mensinga finds a mermaid coming to the aid of a sailor .... In Dye and Kelesides' "A Tale of Two Shifters," a pair of thieving goblins take on a bigger heist than they were expecting .... Finally, in Dalton's "The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain," Tukil risks her life to face the monster threatening her people ....Anthologies are hit-or-miss. Flight and The Dark Horse Book of ... series have all been hits. Fablewood, too, is a hit. Only a couple of the stories left me scratching my head. "Solace" was sad but heart-warming. "Fish" was hilarious; I love Mensinga's use of pictographs instead of words. "Under the Midnight Sun" left me almost in tears. "Unworthy" had me wanting more, wondering who this warrior is and why it is so important that she pass. "The Ancient Pact" was fun, and "Cloud-Leapers" had a strong socio-political theme underneath its fantasy surface. "Vicious Circle", on the other hand, felt incomplete, like it was part of a much larger story, while "Mandala" (while very interesting) was also quite bizarre. Like the stories, the artwork varies widely in style, from black-and-white pencil to bold technicolor. I especially liked Hallett's transparent spirits and Mensinga's neon-like pastels. Fablewood is a great collection of fantasy tales. Recommended to fans of Flight, Colonia, Conan and Far West. Written: March 30, 2008
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