Comments on: Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy

By: Vulpine

Vulpine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:33:57 +0000

I’ve been reading Science Fiction and Fantasy for over 40 years and this anthology reinforces my opinion of anthologies by third-party editors rather than by their authors. Of the stories in this book, Flights, only two of the stories really caught my attention and I ended up completely skipping most of the rest, despite their so-called critical acclaim. Basically, this book is a collection of what the editor liked and woe to the reader who doesn’t like the same things. At least with an author’s collection, you can relate the stories to what the author himself writes and enjoys; and if you happen to like the author’s own works, it’s more likely you’ll enjoy the same stories the author did.

To me, this book doesn’t deserve the ratings everyone else has given it. While a few of the authors featured are authors I like, these seemed to be works that simply couldn’t work anywhere else. If I had read this book before reading these author’s other books, I would probably have never read those authors’ other works. In other words, don’t use this book as a touchstone representing the other titles by these authors; those other works may be better or worse than these stories.

By: Horrorween » Bookgasm

Horrorween » Bookgasm — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:06:42 +0000

[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR: • FLIGHTS: EXTREME VISIONS OF FANTASY edited by Al Sarrantonio • HALLOWS EVE by Al Sarrantonio • 999: TWENTY-NINE ORIGINAL TALES OF HORROR AND SUPSENSE edited by Al Sarrantonio [...]

By: Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders » Bookgasm

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders » Bookgasm — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:43:39 +0000

[...] There are 31 pieces here – many of them award winners and a few of which I had already read before in books like FLIGHTS, 999, MCSWEENEY’S MAMMOTH TREASURY OF THRILLING TALES, THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRES, NOISY OUTLAWS… and THE MATRIX COMICS. [...]

By: Retro Pulp Tales » Bookgasm

Retro Pulp Tales » Bookgasm — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 13:27:18 +0000

[...] OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS: • BERSERK by Tim Lebbon • FLIGHTS: EXTREME VISIONS OF FANTASY edited by Al Sarrantonio • HALLOWS EVE by Al Sarrantonio • 999: TWENTY-NINE ORIGINAL TALES OF HORROR AND SUSPENSE edited by Al Sarrantonio [...]

By: Bookgasm » Hallows Eve

Bookgasm » Hallows Eve — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 12:06:33 +0000

[...] Up until this final segment, I was running right alongside the quick pace of Sarrantonio’s story, which accurately captures that small-town-in-fall feel that Ray Bradbury perfected. While the supernatural-heavy climax by no means wrecks the book, it’s departure from solid horror was a little disappointing. Still, HALLOWS EVE is not your run-of-the-mill horror novel, with Sarrantonio almost as compelling as an author as he is an anthologist. [...]

By: Louis Fowler

Louis Fowler — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:29:58 +0000

Oh, sure, there are a couple of wizards and dragons and elves within, but when have you ever read a story about an elf who goes to San Francisco, picks up AIDS and takes it back to his elf village to infect all the other elves?

GREATEST. PLOT. EVER.