The Urban Fantasy Anthology

With this impressive collection, Beagle, best known for The Last Unicorn, and Lansdale, author of the cult classic novella Bubba Ho-Tep, demonstrate their knowledge of the urban fantasy genre. Included here are pieces from well-known contributors in three categories: mythic fiction, paranormal romance, and noir fiction. The authors run the gamut from YA magical realist Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie Bat) to Charles de Lint, the creator of the expansive Newford series, who also contributes the introduction to the mythic fiction section. Most of these stories have appeared in both multiauthor anthologies and personal collections (Neil Gaiman's "The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories," for instance, was first printed in David Copperfield's Beyond Imagination and then in Gaiman's own Smoke and Mirrors). Others are previously unpublished and well worth a read.