"Peter S. Beagle has both opulence of imagination and mastery of style."
New York Times Book Review
“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.”
Publishers Weekly , starred review
“Peter [Beagle] is one of those writers who just seems to be getting better and better, and his short stories are delights.”
Neil Gaiman
“...rooted in rich, thoughtful prose...each tale is a beautifully crafted gem, cut and polished to perfection....”
Library Journal
“A perfect little assemblage of oddities, a handful of extremely well-realized sketches with unusual, unpredictable endings...instantly addictive.”
The A.V. Club
“Beagle’s true strength in the last few years lies with his short fiction, an area in which he’s been both prolific and brilliant. His latest collection, from Tachyon Publications, showcases the best of his recent output.”
Omnivoracious.com
“...not only worth reading, but worth adding to your library, for you are likely to find yourself returning to these stories again and again.”
Reading the Leaves
“Beagle is a treasure, that’s all there is to it.... Peter Beagle’s new collection, We Never Talk About My Brother , is a great way to introduce yourself to the fabulous work this wonderful writer has been doing these recent years.”
SF Site
“Beagle plays the classic themes of love and death, sacrifice, and self-discovery like a master. Never clichéd, he pulls out new riffs and vamps on the expected conventions of modern fantasy, even the ones he helped create in the first place.... Pure poetry. Beagle is an American bard.”
io9.com
“...Peter S. Beagle [has] rejoined the main flow of literature with a vengeance.... [H]is work is marvelous.”
Green Man Review
“I am sorely tempted to chase up every single word Peter S. Beagle has ever written and devour them at my leisure.”
SFCrowsnest , Eamonn Murphy
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.)
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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
Peter S. Beagle [has] rejoined the main flow of literature with a vengeance . . . his work is marvelous.
Mr. Beagle, write on!
Pure poetry. Beagle is an American bard.
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