When you read stories selected by a good writer you can be confident that most, if not all, of the stories will be good. In this collection of short stories selected by Neil Gaiman, we see Gaiman’s childhood desire to visit a “Museum of Unnatural History”. For, as he says, such a museum exists - werewolves and dragons, manticorns and unicorns do exist - in the pages of books, and in stories like these! My top 5 favourites in this book were:
5. Gabriel Ernest by Saki (H. H. Munro)
I loved this very creepy story about a strange young boy encountered in the woods. The continuing sense of whether or not he is a werewolf, makes for a very interesting read.
4. (----) by Gahan Wilson
This is the story about the day Reginald Archer’s house was invaded by a (----) and, along with him and his butler Faulks, we live through the growing fear as (----) transforms from an annoying spot to something quite horrific as Sir Harry Mandifer comes to discover. Ps: Anyone else reminded of the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who?
3. Sunbird by Neil Gaiman
This story about ultimate foodies brings together myth, fantasy and mystery in a brilliant manner. Sunbird is the story of the Epicurean Club, the members of which have eaten all kinds of strange and exotic creatures … except the mythical Sunbird. The journey to the feast, as well as enchanted memories of days long gone, adds so much to the grand finale.
2. The Sage of Theare by Diana Wynne Jones
Part of the series of tales featuring Chrestomanci, the powerful sorcerer, this story sees the future Sage of Dissolution sent to Chrestomanci’s world by the order-obsessed gods of Theare, who are trying to subvert a major crisis regarding the prophesied chaos accompanying the Sage. Just for being set in the world of science fiction and fantasy, the story was awesome. What really added an interesting spin was Chrestomanci’s taking the abandoned and confused young Sage under his wing, and showing him the invaluable need for asking questions - a concept very alien to his home planet.
1. Come Lady Death by Peter S. Beagle
Tired of always throwing the perfect parties, a highborn London socialite finally decides to top her last best effort - and invites the one famous guest no one else has: Death. What will the guest of honour do when the dancing stops and the party is over? An excellent narration of a brilliant idea.
As with all anthologies, this is a mixed bag of stories, some really good, some less so. What pervades all, however, is the unabashed abandonment to a world of fairy tale and fantasy, with no hidden ‘meaningful’ allusions to the ‘real’ world. The Cockatoucan or Great-Aunt Willoughby by E. Nesbit, The flight of the Horse by Larry Niven, Prismatica by Samuel R. Delany or The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank R. Stockton are just some examples of this great flight of fantasy.
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