This book gave fresh stories of strange happenings. I really think that this is an excellent book.

This book is sooooooo cool I'm really intrested in UFOligy anyone who likes it like me should get this book. If you think you know all the stories your probably wrong because it has rare stories as well as well known ones. Anyone intrested in UFOs should get this book!

With Greenberg as one of the editors, you can expect nothing less than excellently put together short stories by top and up and coming authors in the genre.

Some readers might be put off by the cover, but it isn't all traditional hack-and-slash heroes - there are Valkyries on a modern fishing vessal, a cat who battles against the dark forces, and other wonderful adventures both serious and tongue-in-cheek. Great for fun, light reading that's a little thought provoking.

I know it's out of print, but I gotta recommend this book and its sequel PAY DIRT, collections of Gardner's classic "Bob Zane" stories for the old pulp mag ARGOSY, written in the early thirties. Until the reprint comes, you can usually find these books at your local public library (at least here in the Southwest.)

Gardner truly loved the deserts of Cal, Az and Nevada. His descriptions of them are the best and most evocative I have ever found-- and yes, I HAVE read Edward Abbey's silly, Macho/environmental anti-ranching mantras. Forget that self-important windbag and read these old pulp mysteries instead. I guarantee your time will be better spent!

Bought this book a really long time ago, in fact, I regret to have lost it now. The stories in this anthology were all very interesting and entertaining, I especially like the one written by Poul Anderson on a world similar to ours inhabited by normal people who just happen to be witches, werewolves, vampires and the like. The others aren't as happy as this and will cater to a more blood thirsty and mature audience. The only bad experience I had with this book was that the last few pages of my favorite story got torn out and I never did get to finish it.

An incredible antology of wizardry short stories by Jack Vance, Ursula K. Le Guin and other award winner writers, if you like magic this book will surely put a spell on you, Wizards is an awesome book with 10 charming stories with the warranty of Isaac Asimov's taste.

-to the beholder an advanced science appears to be magic- Arthur C. Clarke's first law

- From Atlantis to California, from the orient to far-distant worlds, come classic tales of wizardry used for evil and for good. from a sorcerous battle where a warlock's only ally is his werewolf, to demons thirsting for the souls of victims and masters alike, to Conan the Barbarian in a danger-filled contest with the forces of darkness, these are spellbinding journeys into Isaac's Asimov's magical worlds of fantasy: Wizards -

I was impressed by about a third of the stories in this book. The rest ranged from mediocre to mildly interesting. My favorite was "Truth", one of the most interesting treatments of telepathy that I have ever read. One disappointing factor was the numerous glaring typographical errors that jarred my reading experience. Not a bad collection but the few outstanding stories made the others pale by comparison.

Except where noted, I think the stories herein are well worth reading.

Berliner, Janet: "Interview with a Mutant" begins with the narrator noting a wire story about 'the world's first hand and forearm transplant', saying the patient got such weird vibes afterwards that he petitioned to have the hand amputated. She'd like to refer him to the *real* first, whom the world doesn't know about.

Bilgrey, Marc: The narrator's empathy means that Doug often makes "Lucky Guesses" about what people will say through reading their feelings; at least, that's what he called them as a child, when they were erratic. But over the years, his power has steadily increased, with his accuracy - and the difficulty of concealing his ability.

Bischoff, David: "Mutant Mother from Hell: A 'Fizz Smith' Story" I dislike this one; the style reminds me of the "Scott Free" dream-sequence (drawn from Kirby's "Fourth World" titles for DC comics) in Gaiman's _Preludes and Nocturnes_; here we don't even have the redeeming feature of being used as the setting of a nightmare within a better story.

de Lint, Charles: "Freak", written for this collection, also appears in de Lint's _Tapping the Dream Tree_, but de Lint fans may prefer West's "Truth"; the narrator's learning-disabled, and expresses himself clumsily and crudely.

duBois, Brendan: "In the Dark Valley" is told in a braided style, one thread following Claire's desperate attempt to escape by car during a winter storm, the other her arrival with her new husband 9 months before. Having family was wonderful, in this close-knit valley - but her dreams were strange, the town lacks records - even obituaries. Shades of Innsmouth?

Foster, Alan Dean: Bull Threerivers can smell electricity, which helped him diagnose electrical problems in cars - until he started milking slot machines. Unfortunately, various Native American casinos' security personnel noticed him. Now several tribes have decreed "The Killing of Bad Bull", seeing in him a threat he doesn't fully appreciate even when running for his life...

Haber, Karen: Even "Behind His Gates of Gold", Prosper Mephisto doesn't really abandon his elaborate defenses, retaining his mask even before fellow super-rich members of the Diamond Club - much to the disappointment of Hugh Carter, seeking to reestablish his reporting career. While not drawn as stupid, Hugh doesn't use his brain: even after his fall to obscurity his cover should've been blown...

Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Sensitives" Art, the narrator, is sensitive to anything with a high enough copper content: once in his mouth, such an object "remembers" where it's been. He covers himself by claiming he picks up pennies for luck; his mother and uncle between them have taught him not to seek "penny visions" when anyone's watching, but nobody's perfect.

Huff, Tanya: "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice", despite the title, is unrelated to Huff's "What Little Girls are Made Of" from _Magic in Ithkar 3_. Danielle, the narrator, is far from sugary-sweet, despite being (apparently) 4 years old. Her parents made the mistake of accepting help with their infertility from the Director of Research at the Benjamin Avob Basic Biology of Aging Center. Danielle, despite her appearance and Dr. Thorton's rough handling, has the mind of the bright 15-year-old that she truly is, and she *really* wants payback.

Masson, Sophie: After his son Henry's failed suicide attempt over a girl earlier in this year 1712, William Featherstone took him to his late wife's family home in Wales, concealing his hurt over Henry's foolishness in thinking he doesn't understand love. Featherstone didn't believe the family legend of descent from one of the sealmen of "The Great Deep"...until by chance a wounded selkie came ashore before his eyes.

Norman, Lisanne: The art students are banned from trespassing during their week's stay on the estate; is it to prevent meetings with Cassandra, who isn't allowed to meet strangers? When Anne gives Cassandra a "Paint Box", she learns that while Cassandra can't draw, other things happen. How can Anne unravel the mystery when Cassandra's brother hovers over her?

Nye, Jody Lynn: Thanks to the Anti-Mutant Act of 2166, Demetrios with his heat-sensitive vision, Stu with his enhanced sense of smell, and the gang who *aren't* fakes from the circus are being deported off-planet. This "Rite of Passage" serves a double purpose of removing mutants from overcrowded Earth and providing expendable guinea pigs for Calderon Hop Drive ships.

Pack, Janet: Duncan's ability to manipulate storms led him into meteorology, but his unorthodox forecasting methods have left him vulnerable to professional - or rather, unprofessional - attack by a penny-pinching acquisitions creep. And in response to Duncan's frustration, storms swirl about Kansas City, piling on more stress with "Fire and Rain"...

Patton, Fiona: Everybody around Blind Duck Island is "Family", with odd abilities - and they all make heroic efforts to see that their kids are born there, despite the high rate of birth defects and lack of technology. They've dealt with investigative reporters before - but George Prescott's descended from one of their own.

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn: "Trust" is Carter's gift with all animals, especially dogs: they seek him out when in need. His talent's a side effect of genetic alteration in this near-future; he daren't have meaningful relationships for fear of betraying his parents - and condemning himself to second-class citizenship. The latest of his rescues, however, is a mystery in her own right.

West, Michelle: When young Callie's telepathy told her more of the "Truth" - or is it? - than she could bear about her family and friends, ran away from home. She's now under the wing of the mysterious Scrape, a fellow homeless person whose talent for silence makes him bearable to her, though he tells her home truths she resists hearing. Reminds me strongly of de Lint, including some light taps on the conscience regarding homeless people.

For those of you who like the X-Men this book has lots of short stories that will make you think about mankinds direction. With human clones about to be a reality (in the news today);it makes you think about how we treat one another. I especially liked the sci fi themed stories. Without repeating all the other reviewers comments I have to say this one is worth the money

I recently purchased this book and was very pleased with it. I am a very big batfan and i enjoyed the book. The Catwoman stories are somewhat lacking and the book could do without the stories that do not contain a supervillain. However, the Joker stories are incredible. My two favorites are "Masks" and "On the Wire". "Masks" portrays the greates comic book rivalry of all time in a fashion that any writer would envy. Not only does it show Batman and The Joker's hatred for one another, it shows exactly how closely they are connected because of one night in an alley a long time ago. "On the Wire" digs deep into the mind of The Clown Prince of Crime. It is a truly terrifying story as to how anyone could be so insane and a genius at the same time. Batman never utters a word in this story, and it is relatively short. But, it is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Joker stories ever written. Buy this book. You'll enjoy it.

There's something for everyone in here, and probably a dozen or so things for most people. Stories focus on the Penguin, Joker, and Catwoman. Check out the companion volume, Tales of the Batman.

This is by far the best collection of Batman stories I have ever read. It's a return to the dark and thoughtful Batman. Many of the stories look into how Batman views himself as well as his enemies. My personal favorites are the Catwoman stories. The writers really put emphasis on the bittersweet relationship of Batman and Catwoman. Just like it should be! I really recommend this book to those of you who are looking to get back to the greater Pre-Crisis (Before Zero-Hour) stories or those of you who want to learn more about the Dark Knight. Anyway you look at, it's the Batman at his best.

Nothing quite like curling up with a purring cat in your lap and an adventures cat in your book! ^_^

As with all compendiums there are some good, and some bad stories, but I feel that the good drasticaly outweight the bad. I've found this to be a well collected anthology series and would highly recommend it to anyone who is fond of cats!

Belden, Wilanne Schneider: "The Last Answer" - Perielle is the precocious child in this one (look for one, generally a very interesting character, in almost every Belden story). The conspirators who are trying to seize power upon the disappearance of her father the king need her to be able to steal the Royal Relics; she herself has shown no signs of developing Royal Power, but the ability to use the magic of the relics isn't necessary for what the conspirators have in mind.

Braude, Anne: "The Quincunx Solution" - Quincunx lives with Margaret and her father (who, after inheriting a modest legacy, retired from his work as an apothecary to squander the family's money on alchemy). Sensible daughter/scatterwit father story.

Carr, Jayge: "Circus" - The felines here include both housecats and an alien masquerading as a lion in an interstellar circus. Cool.

Edghill, India: "Tybalt's Tale" - Here is the tale of the Prince of Cats (who have no king, since a cat speaks for himself).

Fontenay, Charles L. "Miss Hettie and Harlan" - Harlan's the cat; he can talk.

Gladney, Heather; Clayton, Don; Osborne, Alan Rice: "The Tale of the Virtual Cat" - Decades ago, when mice were still used, somebody thought it was funny to hook up their drivers in the new lattice software to data about *real* mice. Now Mice are a big problem for Virtual Reality operating theaters, so a surgeon suggests a tried-and-true method for exterminating mice. (In case anybody gets the notion that it's always easy to shut down a computer system and reboot, consider why the phone company is stuck with a lot of antiquated computers before posting negative reviews.)

Griffin, P.M.: "The Neighbor" - Finally, a followup to "Trouble" from _Catfantastic_, rather than one of the Bastet stories from 2, 3, and 5.

Hamilton, Jane: "Arrows" - The arrows in this case are elfshot; 2 mischievous jinn have accidentally messed up a stray cat's life, and are trying to undo the damage.

Horwood, Sharman: "Tinkerbell" - The spirit of the former ship's cat still helps her human companion through Jump in times of great need.

Lackey, Mercedes: "SCat" - See my review of her collection _Werehunter_.

Linaweaver, Brad & Fredsti, Dana: "Professor Purr's Guaranteed Allergy Cure" - Bastet, for reasons never explained, decides to kill all dogs, all humans who don't like cats, and 'return the world to the true religion'. Only one cat hater, portrayed as a complete sleazeball, is to be spared when the cats take over. (The cat massacres of the 14th century, which contributed to the Black Death, are mentioned, but didn't merit such treatment.) Apparently Bastet only approves of freedom in that you're free to agree with her or die. I'll pass up this 'paradise.'

Lindskold, Jane M.: "Noh Cat Afternoon" - The Daimyo offended the Fox Spirits' lord, so the Fox Spirits have entered a troupe in his Noh competition, to use his generosity against him when they win the prize. But the geisha Okesa, a cat in human guise, has other ideas.

Major, A.R.: "Totem Cat" - Who's in charge, he who sits on the cushion or those who hold doors and empty litter pans? :)

McConchie, Lyn: "Deathsong" - A dravencat story (see also Catfantastic 5).

Norton, Andre: "Noble Warrior, Teller of Fortunes" - Installment #4 (see the other volumes of Catfantastic). Thargun was separated from Emmy at the beginning of tale #3, and has now been picked up by a band of Gypsies.

Pack, Janet: "One with Jazz" - Jeff's cat Satchmo has an uncanny ability to tell good jazz from bad, so Jeff makes a foolish wager.

Scarborough, Elizabeth: "Born Again" - Peaches has earned Nirvana, but he isn't interested unless it's his cushion by the heater back home.

Schaub, Mary: "The Cat, the Sorcerer, and the Magic Mirror" - Concludes the Flax & Drop stories from 1, 2, & 3; Drop is now back in cat shape.

I just can't get enough of cat antics! There is something for everyone in this charming set. And I usually don't even like short stories!

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson have been in the public domain for some time, and since then the literary world seems to be divided between those who can duplicate the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories tolerably well and those who only THINK that they can do this.

The cover on this book is as fascinating as any individual story: an eye-catching color scheme which includes a robotic Sherlock (the eyes are blank and the head is opened to reveal what appears to be a computer chip) superimposed against a background that includes a waterfall (presumably the infamous Reichenbach Falls) and a traditional 19th Century London scene of a horse-drawn carriage on cobblestones.

As one might guess from the title as well, the cover depicts the theme of the book: some of the short stories in it are set, in accordance with tradition, in 19th century London, and some are set in the future.

Even some of the "traditional" stories have a futuristic twist to them. For example, The Adventure of the Second Scarf involves an alien visitation to the year 1897 and a subsequent space flight.

I was prepared to hate all of the futuristic stories, but some of them are intriguing. In "Two Roads, No Choices", two scientists from the year 2014 visit go back 102 years in time to visit Holmes and Watson in their lodgings on Baker Street in order to ascertain why the Titanic did NOT sink.

This story has got a warm familiar Rod Serling kind of feel to it, and it's very easy to forgive the author, Dean Wesley Smith, for overlooking (deliberately, I'm sure) the fact that by 1912, Conan Doyle's Holmes had long since left Baker Street and retired to his country home in Sussex to keep bees.

"The Case of the Purloined L'isitek" by Josepha Sherman is a cute futuristic story about a staid and dignified horsy race known as the Shrr'loks on the planet Kholmes ruled by a pony whose mannerisms resemble those of a certain fictitious earthly detective - just the sort of story that I wanted to hate but couldn't.

Some of the more traditional stories cleverly interweave actual historical personages or events from the Sherlockian era with genuine references from the Conan Doyle stories or with conclusions drawn by Sherlockians from those stories.

"The Adventure of the Russian Grave" by William Barton and Michael Capobianco involves an actual astronomical event that took place in the early 20th century, plausibly anticipated by Professor Moriarty's "Dynamics of an Asteroid".

"The Future Engine" by Byron Tetrick features the son of mathematician Charles Babbage, a genuine historical figure, whose creation of an analytical engine to perform mathematical calculations anticipate the development of the computer - the functions of which really do match Sherlock Holmes's description (from Conan Doyle's "Adventure of the Greek Interpreter") of the mental processes of his brother Mycroft.

There are also two stories in this volume which alternatively provide a lighter and darker side of Lewis Carroll.

And Frank M. Robinson's "The Phantom of the Barbary Coast" sets Holmes and Watson in 1895 San Francisco ("The most evil city in the world, Watson; it would put Port Said to shame!"). There is a reference to Watson's having lived in this city before during a prior marriage that ended in tragedy. This is not directly derived from anything that Conan Doyle wrote, but I'm pretty sure that it is a tribute to Ronald Knox or some other Sherlockian cryptographer who concluded the existence of such a marriage based on his own reading between the lines of the Conan Doyle stories.

There are also stories in this volume not worth mentioning and others that are worth mentioning, if only to chastise the author. The logic that provides the solution to "You See But Do Not Observe" (a cat in the box is neither alive nor dead until one observes its condition) is unworthy of any adult consideration, let alone that of Sherlock Holmes or an advanced futuristic society. Equally illogical is the solution to "The Adventure of the Pearly Gate". Yet that last story, together with Janni Lee Simner's "Illusions" (an homage to Conan Doyle's actual interest in the afterlife), describes a recurring theme that often occurs in collections such as this: Sherlock Holmes can never die, can never be ALLOWED to die.

I wonder. Although he still has a loyal following, it's hard to imagine that the man who could discern the trades of everyone on a third-class carriage on the Underground (as suggested by Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet") by observing certain defining features would have the same success in an age where computers have eliminated much of the variety that once might have distinguished one professional from another.

Could the detective who used the distinguishing characteristics of a typewriter to unmask a scoundrel in Conan Doyle's "A Case of Identity" have the same success in an era where the word processor and laser printer have replaced the typewriter? Could purloined documents (from "The Case of the Naval Treaty" and "The Case of the Second Stain") be recovered so readily when faxes, photocopiers, and email make them so readily reproducible? And is a Sherlockian passion for justice permissible at a time when people are often quite willing to parse justice for base and self-serving motives?

Perhaps we keep Sherlock Holmes alive because we need him as a live object of respect. And perhaps we need him for this purpose because deep inside, we know that we are dead.

This is a interesting concept in general. I gave it a four star because a few stories in there seemed forced.

Some of the stories have a few points/themes in common. Such as H.G.Wells, Alice in Wonderland, Watson being the real genius, and Holmes being a fake or even a villian. I wonder if it's intentional to have common themes or was it a coincidence.

Two of the stories i especially liked. One, Second Fiddle by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Second, The Adventure of the Second Scarf by Mark Aronson.

Dear friends,

It is a real pleasure to be able to read other stories about Sherlock Holmes. Many of the stories show that the writer has read indeed the original books.

You start reading and when you look around you perceive that the day is almost ending and you have done nothing except reading.

Paulo Sunao