Rogues

April 27, 2015
Martin and Dozois (Dangerous Women) showcase 21 original cross-genre tales about scoundrels in this star-studded anthology. A hooker and faux clairvoyant is ensnared in a tangled web of who's conning whom in Gillian Flynn's "What Do You Do?" Scott Lynch's team of reformed scoundrels takes on an impossible heist with a deadline and severe consequences for failure in the highly entertaining "A Year and a Day in Old Theradane." Cherie Priest's "Heavy Metal" provides a unique alchemy of Southern Gothic and old gods in a mostly restored Tennessee mining pit. In Steven Saylor's "Ill Seen in Tyre," young Gordianus is educated about the power of stories via his tutor's tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Knight Sir Hereward and puppet-sorcerer companion Mister Fitz encounter a succession of unexpected difficulties as they endeavor to retrieve "A Cargo of Ivories" in Garth Nix's clever contribution. While the characters' undertakings fall within a pretty broad spectrum of shades of moral gray, the common theme of survival by one's wits will keep readers entertained throughout.

May 15, 2014
Avast, ye varlets, intergalactic and otherwise: There are new bad boys and girls afoot on Mars and in Middle Earth, and you'll like them, even if you'll count your silverware after they leave.There are lovable rogues, like Johnny Depp of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and unlovable ones, like Sarah Palin. They have in common an irresistible penchant for gaming the system, no matter what mess they leave for others to pick up. They also nurse a narcissistic dose of self-worth relative to other people, as well as a conviction that whatever they're doing is right; thus, as Joe Abercrombie writes of one femme criminale, "To be caught by these idiots would be among the most embarrassing moments of her career." Exactly: for a rogue, the worst crime is to be busted. Martin, of Game of Thrones franchise fame, and Hugo Award-winning editor Dozois assemble a lively collection of original stories across several fictional genres that have in common Conan-like qualities-in the sense that, as they write in their introduction, Conan is "a hero, but...also a thief, a reaver, a pirate, a mercenary, and ultimately a usurper who installed himself on a stolen throne." (There's another thing about rogues, too, and that's that their victories tend to be fleeting, if not pyrrhic.) The biggest draw in this sprawling collection is a new Song of Ice and Fire yarn by Martin, giving back story to a mid-Targaryen dynasty scamp whose "bold deeds, black crimes and heroic death in the carnage that followed are well known to all." But then, arguably, all the men of Westeros are rogues. Of particular interest, too, are a grandly whimsical piece by Neil Gaiman that begs to be turned into a Wes Anderson film; a shaggy dog tale by Paul Cornell of a Flashman-ish character gone to seed; and, especially, an utterly arresting, utterly surprising tale by Gillian Flynn that begins, "I didn't stop giving hand jobs because I wasn't good at it."Rambunctious, rowdy and occasionally R-rated: a worthy entertainment, without a dud in the bunch, that easily moves from swords and sorcery to hard-boiled Chandler-esque.

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Starred review from June 15, 2014

Everyone loves a scoundrel. As themes go, this outstanding collection has chosen one with a generous flexibility and a surefire appeal. Beyond the general setup of characters who are a little dangerous, a little nefarious, and very unpredictable, the stories unfold in a delightful number of directions. Contributions from well-known mystery and thriller writers, as well as offerings from those who are better known for sf and fantasy, are included. The table of contents alone will make fans from all genre aisles salivate, as it lists 21 new pieces from the likes of Gillian Flynn, Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Steven Saylor, and many more. VERDICT The wide array of styles and genres mean that this is easiest to dip in and out of rather than read cover to cover, but there is not a single bad story in the bunch. Perhaps inevitable owing to Martin's coediting (with skilled anthologist Dozois), some of the most exquisitely written are the fantasy descriptions: Gaiman's latest entry in his Neverwhere world, a brilliant tale from Patrick Rothfuss featuring Bast from the "Kingkiller Chronicles," and Abercrombie's entertaining roller-coaster fable of nonstop thievery. Last but not least is a story that offers us a slice of history from the world of Martin's Game of Thrones. [A June 2014 LibraryReads Pick.--Ed.]

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