The Best of Michael Swanwick by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
By its title, one could intepret this to be a collection of bright spots out of three decades of writing. But the worth of these stories has already been judged. Out of the twenty-one stories in the collection, there's a Theodore Sturgeon Award winner, a World Fantasy Award winner, and five, count 'em, five, Hugo Award winners. The Best of Michael Swanwick is, on its own terms, a pretty convincing argument that when it come to short fiction, the best of Michael Swanwick is synonymous with the best in the field.

The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Dustin Kenall
Fantasy has desired dragons -- if not always as profoundly as one would like, then at least profusely. E.R. Eddison invoked the beast as a symbol of eternal return in The Worm Ouroboros. John Gardner, delving into similar mythological mines in Grendel, unearthed a creature existing outside of time, an intelligence spearing the past, present, and future on the tip of its claw. Most other authors, however, fashion serpents only scale deep, imagining them as gigantic sand worms (Frank Herbert), fire lizards (Anne McCaffrey), or leonine raptors (Dragonheart). Among contemporary writers, Robin Hobb is one of the few to express a deeper interest in the metaphysical properties of dragons. Michael Swanwick's dragons, however, are one of a kind.

The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
There are two types of story. But it isn't as straightforward as the difference between realist and fantastic or between genre and mainstream. No, the two types of story are those that want you to be aware they are story, and those that don't. The difference between these two types is not in the telling, but in where the telling is intended to take us. Immersive stories mean to tell us something about the world by way of the characters, setting, plot we encounter in the story. Framed narratives mean to tell us something about Story, the imaginative construct by which we comprehend and negotiate the world.

Cigar-Box Faust, and Other Miniatures by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Art for art's sake? There would seem to be few other explanations for the existence of this collection. In an age of multi-volume epics, even the short novel is met with a bit of reluctance on the part of a publisher. A volume of short-short stories, most no more than a few hundred words long, just doesn't have any slot in the current marketplace. All the better for SF readers, then, that this collection of stories is a treasure.

Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
Although his novels have earned plenty of acclaim, they have never been as celebrated as his short stories. Collections such as Tales of Old Earth, Gravity's Angels, and others offer the award-winners and the better-known stories. But he has also produced plenty of little-known short-short fiction. "The primary rule of writing is to use exactly as many words to say something as it takes, no more, no less," he tells us in his introduction. These stories offer his proof.

Tales of Old Earth by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The stories in this collection range from the charming, but somehow disturbing, "Ice Age" to the chilling "Radiant Doors" to the erotic fantasy of "Midnight Express." Also included are 2 Hugo-nominees for this year. It's an impressive display of dexterity and range -- although you realize that the author has much more to say and more ideas to explore. Lisa is convinced we can't see the edge of his horizons from here.

The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by James Seidman
It's a very original story, quite unlike any other James has read. It has a dynamic, unpredictable writing style that succeeds in providing fairly consistent entertainment.

Jack Faust by Michael Swanwick
reviewed by Steven H Silver
It begins as a highly innovative retelling of Johann Faust's legend. Unfortunately, the momentum slows and Faust's descent into amorality loses steam along the way. But it's worth reading, despite this.