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I liked most of the stories in this book, and several I even loved. More than that, the tone or theme of the collection as a whole--the sense of quiet inscrutable vitality surging in the roots and leaves and green shadows--haunts my imagination even after the individual stories begin to fade. That is the highest praise I know to give an anthology.
After having read Kingsley Amis' book The Green Man, and seen the film version with Alfred Finney, I expected this book to have more horror tales based on the Green Man mythology. There was a poem by Neil Gaiman and a story by Charles de List that were good, but the rest was mainly fairy tales.
This collection of short stories, all inspired by the myth/ legend of the Green Man, was the most satisfying collection of short stories I've read in a long time. There were only one or two that didn't stick with me for a long time after reading them, and as a whole, the work was tremendously cohesive. Definitely a keeper for any fan of YA fantasy.***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on
This book is a truly magical composition. One day I must visit Grand Central Park and say hello to Gnaw-bone and Bugle, or go into a lonely wild tangle searching for a wodwo or The Green Man, or gae to the Scotland woodland to find the Cailleach Bheur. In some ways I feel I already have, it transported me so.“When you see the wind stir the green-wood, or when you turn the pages of a book made from a tree’s still-blameless flesh, lean close and listen.You hear my voice.”And I do; it is my own voi...
This book was a complete mixed bag of hauntingly beautiful short stories I hoped would never end to ones I couldn't wait to finish. There are poems too but I bought the book for the stories.The highlights to me were:Somewhere in my Mind there is a Painting Box by Charles De Lint. I don't think this man can write badly. The romantic in me wanted a different ending but his was right for the characters and situation. Hunter's Moon by Patricia A. McKillip. I wanted to know what happened next. It fel...
This book claims to be an anthology of works interpreting the spirit of nature. While that description is technically correct, it gives a completely inaccurate picture of the short stories in this works. The majority of the works are modern dark or weird fantasy in an urban setting. Only one or two incorporate the green man of the title and provide any sense of the mystery of nature. It may be that I am too old for this work, which is aimed at teens, but I found it really slow going. The stories...
Anthologies can always be a little daunting to read. For every incredible, can't-put-this-down tale, there's bound to be at least one that's really not to your taste. And yes, that happened here too, with one or two stories that I skimmed through, disliking and bored.I didn't care. The stories that made up for this were stunning and I'm torn between favourites.Tanith Lee's "Among the Leaves So Green" is a lingering, strange tale where the good and kind are rewarded, as in any fairytale - but it
Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have paid true homage to the spirit of the Green Man in this anthology: "In this book, we've asked the writers to journey deep into the Mythic Forest, to bring back tales of those wild lands, and of the creatures who dwell within them. Thus in these pages you'll find witches, wolves, dryads, deer men, a faery or two, and numerous magical spirits of nature..." This anthology of the spirit who symbolizes nature includes stories by: Gaiman, Neil: "Going Wodwo" (poem)...
I was so excited to start reading and was so thoroughly disappointed. The collection read very juvenile and sort of cobbled together. The only redeeming story for me was "Daphne", which had a lilting quality to it that was quite nice; unfortunately some of the word choice was a bit put-upon and indulgent. Granted, I only made it through the first 4 stories before deciding to put it down. Other choices were calling my name.
Oddly, my favorite story was the least green -- Emma Bull's "Joshua Tree."
I loved this collection and just wish it had been longer
This was somewhat of a disappointment for a fan of this editing team and their previous anthologies. Admittedly, I did not realize that this one was categorized as YA until after I bought the book, so it was immediately at a disadvantage with me. The first story was definitely starting out on the wrong foot. Although I enjoyed Delia Sherman's adult fantasy, The Porcelain Dove, this urban fantasy tale never bridged the gap of disbelief for me. I know Central Park quite well, have explored the wil...
This was a very inspiring collection of short stories all to do with forests and magic. They were all wonderful but The Pagodas of Ciboure by M. Shayne Bellstood out for me as a really special piece of writing!This book is a must-read!
A nice collection of stories with a a couple of poems.
Excellent, diverse stories! Each of the stories leaves an impression on your heart, and will make you look at magic, nature, and people differently. Learn about the mythical French forest pagodas, the urban faeries of NYC, artists lost in the fairy realm, desert forests and their silent magic, the inner thoughts of the "crazy" lady with bags in her trees. These stories are worth your time, and a great way to celebrate Beltane and Earth spirits!
Great anthology with a wide array of stories and writing styles. My favorite was the last piece, entitled "The Green Word" by Jeffrey Ford. Looking forward to the other collections in this series.
A beautiful collection of mythic short stories(with the exclusion of two). I loved the introduction, which I usually skip in most books. This one, however, was very informative and interesting. I also like that at the end of each story or poem they give you a little info about that author. I've found many new authors that I like as well as books by them that I've added to my "to-read" shelf. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars, but there were two stories in particular that did not fit in wit...
I’m not much of a fan of short stories, but some of my favorite fantasy writers were included in this collection so I had high hopes. I quite liked the stories by Charles De Lint, Tanith Lee, and Jeffrey Ford. The rest were hit or miss. Too many of them were contemporary urban fantasy, which doesn’t seem to fit the Green Man theme, at least not the way I would interpret it, i.e. nature spirits connected to trees and plants. YMMV
I was so pleasantly surprised by this anthology. It was one of those books that I kept seeing at the library and wanting to check out but kept reminding myself "hey, you don't like short stories that much."I was incorrect. (Well, the half of me saying "don't bother" was incorrect, and fortunately overruled by the other half that kept saying: "but forests.")While I didn't like every single entry, I did like a lot of them and loved a few. For some reason /Grounded/ is probably my favorite, even th...
Compilations are always literally a mixed bag. This collection centered around a beloved themes; the power of nature personified, mythic beings and worlds within our world. I'm thrilled to have some new favorite authors to hunt down as well :)Many thanks to my sweet friend April for pressing this into my hands when I also borrowed The Wood Wife. She knew this would be right up my alley.💙💚💙Favorite pieces:Somewhere in My Mind There Is A Painting Box by Charles De LintAmong The Leaves So Green by