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Some things have two natures. Or three. Or more. Even stories.

Now, I am not saying a respectable story would go putting on airs like a fancy fur coat. It would just end up thin and threadbare. There’s a bit of alchemy of fashion, though, when you take a bit of the familiar here and, mix it with novel new thoughts there. With the right bit of magic, it can come out svelte and stylish – something to make you proud just to be there to see it.

And, without a doubt, you should be there for this tale. Ms. Valente is a moste excellent guide where things are wild. Take her hand and, don’t dream of sleeping on this newly-minted classic.

Some things have two natures. Or three. Or more. Even stories.

Now, I am not saying a respectable story would go putting on airs like a fancy fur coat. It would just end up thin and threadbare. There’s a bit of alchemy of fashion, though, when you take a bit of the familiar here and, mix it with novel new thoughts there. With the right bit of magic, it can come out svelte and stylish – something to make you proud just to be there to see it.

And, without a doubt, you should be there for this tale. Ms. Valente is a moste excellent guide where things are wild. Take her hand and, don’t dream of sleeping on this newly-minted classic.

A delightful and entertaining collection of short faery stories. Terri Windling's wonderful introduction covering the history and and some anthropology around faery stories alone was worth the price of the book. Not one of the tales disappointed, either.

Alas, the digital edition (Kindle, at least) needs some attention from an editor. The Introduction appears twice, both before and after the Preface. There are pairs of words run together every couple lines, as if through some sort of formatting accident. It really does a disservice to a good book to make the digital edition feel like shovelware.