Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
"By Moonlight" by Peter S. Beagle was named Best Novelette at the 2010 Locus Awards. The novelette comes from the collection We Never Talk About My Brother
Modern parables of love, death, and transformation are peppered with melancholy in this extraordinary collection of contemporary fantasy. Each short story cultivates a whimsical sense of imagination and reveals a mature, darker voice than previously experienced from this legendary author. In one tale the Angel of Death enjoys newfound celebrity while moonlighting as an anchorman on the network news, while in another the shortsighted ruler of a gentle realm betrays himself in dreaming of a "manageable war." Further storylines include an American librarian who discovers that, much to his surprise and sadness, he is the last living Frenchman, and rivals in a supernatural battle who decide to forgo pistols at dawn, choosing instead to duel with dramatic recitations of terrible poetry. Featuring several previously unpublished stories alongside a bevy of recently released works, this haunting compilation is appealing to both genre readers and mainstream literature lovers.
"By Moonlight" by Peter S. Beagle was named Best Novelette at the 2010 Locus Awards. The novelette comes from the collection We Never Talk About My Brother
Synopsis
"By Moonlight" by Peter S. Beagle was named Best Novelette at the 2010 Locus Awards. The novelette comes from the collection We Never Talk About My Brother
Modern parables of love, death, and transformation are peppered with melancholy in this extraordinary collection of contemporary fantasy. Each short story cultivates a whimsical sense of imagination and reveals a mature, darker voice than previously experienced from this legendary author. In one tale the Angel of Death enjoys newfound celebrity while moonlighting as an anchorman on the network news, while in another the shortsighted ruler of a gentle realm betrays himself in dreaming of a "manageable war." Further storylines include an American librarian who discovers that, much to his surprise and sadness, he is the last living Frenchman, and rivals in a supernatural battle who decide to forgo pistols at dawn, choosing instead to duel with dramatic recitations of terrible poetry. Featuring several previously unpublished stories alongside a bevy of recently released works, this haunting compilation is appealing to both genre readers and mainstream literature lovers.
Publishers Weekly
Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Beagle showcases his narrative breadth in this eclectic new collection with nine powerful fantasy tales and a short set of poems based on the famous Unicorn Tapestries. In the title story, one benevolent sibling must somehow stop another from becoming the Angel of Death. "The Last and Only, or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" explores the significance of identity as a mild-mannered American librarian irrevocably transforms into the last true Frenchman, while the profoundly moving "King Pelles the Sure" denounces the insanity of war. The most memorable selection is "The Stickball Witch," in which a group of Bronx boys playing stickball come face to face with the suspected witch of their neighborhood. Impressively diverse themes, styles and subject matter make this collection addictive. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Beagle showcases his narrative breadth in this eclectic new collection with nine powerful fantasy tales and a short set of poems based on the famous Unicorn Tapestries. In the title story, one benevolent sibling must somehow stop another from becoming the Angel of Death. "The Last and Only, or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" explores the significance of identity as a mild-mannered American librarian irrevocably transforms into the last true Frenchman, while the profoundly moving "King Pelles the Sure" denounces the insanity of war. The most memorable selection is "The Stickball Witch," in which a group of Bronx boys playing stickball come face to face with the suspected witch of their neighborhood. Impressively diverse themes, styles and subject matter make this collection addictive. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Booklist
Mr. Beagle, write on!Peter S. Beagle [has] rejoined the main flow of literature with a vengeance . . . his work is marvelous.
Pure poetry. Beagle is an American bard.
There is a new Peter Beagle short story collection out. I've twittered about it, but forgot to mention it on the blog. Peter is one of those writers who just seems to be getting better and better, and his short stories are delights.
— journal.neilgaiman.com
Beagle is a treasure, that's all there is to it, and each new story is a wonder, and this book is thoroughly worth reading.
Hugo and Nebula award-winning Beagle, best known for his beloved fantasy The Last Unicorn, offers this collection of new and previously released stories with an introduction by Charles de Lint. Although different fantastical elements are explored-angels, dybbuks, ghosts, fairies-the stories remain rooted in rich, thoughtful prose set in real-world thinking. Characters are drawn with an economy of words into believable, multilayered, and compelling people. While each tale is a beautifully crafted gem, cut and polished to perfection, the title story is the standout. To say it's about a venomous newsman and his brother struggling for supremacy in the ultimate case of sibling rivalry is to understate vastly the depth and simplicity of the writing and the sucker punch of an ending. Also included is "The Unicorn Tapestries," a cycle of seven poems that celebrates the famous tapestries hanging in the Cloisters branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a worthwhile purchase for public libraries where fantasy and short story collections are popular.
—Charli Osborne