Daw Book Collectors / Anthology
Edited by Martin H. Greenberg
and Jennifer Brozek
Daw Books, Inc
December 6. 2011 / 978-0756407001
Fantasy
Amazon
Reviewed
by Jan
Fields
In “Human
for a Day” sixteen authors imagine what creatures might find
themselves in human form for a day and how that might transpire.
Robots, cats, dogs, zombies, statues, angels and more discover the
surprise and wonder of humanity. The settings of the stories vary
from ancient to Victorian to otherwordly. I found the anthology
premise fascinating and the stories inside never let me down. Some
were so deeply psychological as to be a little difficult to track,
while others wore the very familiar trappings of urban fantasy,
a genre I enjoy very much. Some creatures make the most of their
day in the human skin, while others find it an unpleasant inconvenience.
Some stories
are touchy and tender, others funny but still thought provoking.
This collection highlights one of my favorite things about anthologies,
the amazing variety of viewpoints in the creative imagination.
My favorite
story grew out of one of my favorite newspaper editorials. When
young Virginia wrote to ask a newspaper editor if Santa Claus was
real, the resulting editorial changed the very fabric of reality
-- or so the story suggests. I know I like to think it did. So if
you like an anthology that posits a truly wonderful "What If?"
and then responds to it with sixteen delightful, fast-reading answers,
this truly will be a treat for you. I know it was for me. With the
rush and hurry of this time of year, a book you can consume in small
bites of spare time and that fills you with new creative wonder
is likely to be a welcome addition to your personal library -- so
go take a bite. You'll be glad you did.
The Mainspring
of His Heart, the Shackles of His Soul by Ian Tregillis
The Blade of His Plow by Jay Lake
Cinderella City by Seanan McGuire
Tumulus by Anton Strout
The Sentry by Fiona Patton
Ten Thousand Cold Nights by Erik Scott de Bie
Mortality by Dylan Birtolo
The Dog-Catcher's Song by Tanith Lee
Mortal Mix-Up by Laura Resnick
Band of Bronze by Jean Rabe
Zombie Interrupted by Tim Waggoner
Beneath the Silent Bell, the Autumn Sky Turns to Spring by Eugie
Foster
The Very Next Day by Jody Lynn Nye
The Destroyer by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Into the Nth Dimension by David D. Levine
Epilogue by Jim C. Hines
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