Firebirds Rising: An Anthology of Original Science Fiction and Fantasy

Gr. 7-10. Editor November follows Firebirds0 (2003) with an equally captivating collection of 16 original stories offering a rich variety of selections. "Huntress," by Tamora Pierce, which grew from news stories about teens "wilding" in New York City's Central Park, proves a strong jumping-off place. In Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost," a human teenage girl and a Little teenage girl meet when the Little girl runs away from her home behind the bedroom baseboard. Patricia A. McKillip, Carol Emshwiller, and Emma Bull are also among the contributors. This volume contains more sf than its predecessor; November includes tales about genetic engineering and human-alien interactions, as well stories such as "Hives," by Kara Dalkey, a chilling, high-tech piece that takes teen girls beyond cell phones to "constant, voice-in-head-close contact"; and Tanith Lee's "The House on the Planet," a richly depicted, three-part tale about establishing a human colony on a distant planet. Fans will be happy to learn that a third anthology is in the works. --Sally Estes Copyright 2006 Booklist

Gr 7 Up-Imagine that Archeoptrix, the prehistoric link between birds and dinosaurs, had evolved into the dominant life-form on a planet. In Carol Emshwiller's "Quill," representatives of that planet have secretly crashed on Earth and begun interbreeding with humans. In Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil," an orphan boy and his caustic cousin, both dirt poor and gifted with unusual psychic powers, are bought by a strange man to serve the awesome and forbidding wizards of Perfil, only to learn after difficult trials and life-changing tragedies that they are the wizards. In Kara Dalkey's near-future "Hives," cell phones can beam and receive messages without external sound. The phones are highly addictive and used by high school girls to connect ultra-exclusive cliques. A former-addict-turned-girl-detective gets involved when the rejects of one such hive begin committing suicide one after another. These are just 3 of the 16 stories in this collection. The selections range in length from 9 pages (Francesca Lia Block's chilling "Blood Roses," in which two sisters confront a serial killer) to 50 pages. Fantasy stories outnumber sci-fi two to one, and the great majority of the tales feature female protagonists. Even those with male protagonists deal with themes of friendship, family, love, and loss more than action and adventure. Compelling stories for thoughtful readers.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Middle School, High School) Anthologies are an effective taste-test approach for readers encountering authors they haven't met before; in Firebirds Rising, November presents short stories by sixteen established writers, an appetizer platter featuring Francesca Lia Block, Charles de Lint, Diana Wynne Jones, Tanith Lee, Patricia A. McKillip, Tamora Pierce, and others. The variety includes a clutch of teens kicking against parental decisions, peer pressure problems, and romantic twinges. Some of the tales are predictable; some evoke more substantial predecessors, such as de Lint's ""Little (Grrl) Lost,"" a play on The Borrowers and other such stories. But at their best, they combine humor, character, and surprise with remarkable depth. The familiar and the unexpected meet with pleasing logic in Pamela Dean's ""Cousins,"" in which a penchant for questioning ultimately saves the day. In ""The Wizards of Perfil,"" Kelly Link gives us a vividly depicted marshy setting, two fully realized children, and a twist of perspective that leaves us eager for more. All in all, although not consistently strong, a respectable successor to November's earlier Firebirds (rev. 1/04). (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

The second Firebirds anthology gathers an all-star cast to explore adolescence and discovering the world. Tamora Pierce makes a welcome foray into modern fantasy with a schoolgirl whose family worships an ancient hunt goddess and who discovers social responsibility. For Alison Goodman's psychic heroine, social upheaval is the backdrop for both romance and personal growth. The protagonists of Carol Emshwiller's "Quill" and Alan Dean Foster's "Perception" are forced to look at themselves through the eyes of aliens, while Emma Bull's hero learns a little something about hubris, sacrifice and power. Diana Wynne Jones brings a lighter touch with a boy whose younger brother speaks in nonsense strings of sesquipedalian words, and Kara Dalkey adds contemporary flavor, taking the current trend for constant communication among teenagers to a terrifying extreme. Only Francesca Lia Block's shapeless offering disappoints, but it's more than redeemed by Pamela Dean's fully realized and fascinating heroine. A third of the collection is devoted to science fiction, an exciting presence in a field dominated by fantasy. Altogether, a gorgeous and rich collection. (Fantasy. 12+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr. 7-10. Editor November follows Firebirds (2003) with an equally captivating collection of 16 original stories offering a rich variety of selections. "Huntress," by Tamora Pierce, which grew from news stories about teens "wilding" in New York City's Central Park, proves a strong jumping-off place. In Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost," a human teenage girl and a Little teenage girl meet when the Little girl runs away from her home behind the bedroom baseboard. Patricia A. McKillip, Carol Emshwiller, and Emma Bull are also among the contributors. This volume contains more sf than its predecessor; November includes tales about genetic engineering and human-alien interactions, as well stories such as "Hives," by Kara Dalkey, a chilling, high-tech piece that takes teen girls beyond cell phones to "constant, voice-in-head-close contact"; and Tanith Lee's "The House on the Planet," a richly depicted, three-part tale about establishing a human colony on a distant planet. Fans will be happy to learn that a third anthology is in the works. ((Reviewed April 1, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 7 Up -Imagine that Archeoptrix, the prehistoric link between birds and dinosaurs, had evolved into the dominant life-form on a planet. In Carol Emshwiller's "Quill," representatives of that planet have secretly crashed on Earth and begun interbreeding with humans. In Kelly Link's "The Wizards of Perfil," an orphan boy and his caustic cousin, both dirt poor and gifted with unusual psychic powers, are bought by a strange man to serve the awesome and forbidding wizards of Perfil, only to learn after difficult trials and life-changing tragedies that they are the wizards. In Kara Dalkey's near-future "Hives," cell phones can beam and receive messages without external sound. The phones are highly addictive and used by high school girls to connect ultra-exclusive cliques. A former-addict-turned-girl-detective gets involved when the rejects of one such hive begin committing suicide one after another. These are just 3 of the 16 stories in this collection. The selections range in length from 9 pages (Francesca Lia Block's chilling "Blood Roses," in which two sisters confront a serial killer) to 50 pages. Fantasy stories outnumber sci-fi two to one, and the great majority of the tales feature female protagonists. Even those with male protagonists deal with themes of friendship, family, love, and loss more than action and adventure. Compelling stories for thoughtful readers.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA