David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer - Year's Best Fantasy (2001-2009)

 

Huvitav meeldetuletus nullindate (angloameerika) fantaasiakirjandusest - siin on klassikuid kaugetest aegadest (ikka veel!), siin on nüüdseks hääbuvaid või ununenud klassikuid, siin on praeguseid klassikuid, siin on nüüdseks oluliseid autoreid, kes on nullindatel hakkasid tähelepanu koguma. Ja muidugi väga palju autoreid, kellest pole enne midagi kuulnud ning pole hiljemgi muudes kogumikes kohanud (aga millised autoritutvustused neid saadavad, eksole). Kuskilt olen kuulnud, et Hartwelli ja Crameri valikuid iseloomustab pigem klassikalisem lähenemine ulmekirjandusele, seega siin just väga ei ole vandermeerlikke või strahanlikke teravamaid valikuid. Ja ikka see vana nutulaul - kuidas küll praeguseks kümnendiks on sellised antoloogiasarjad pea täielikult välja surnud.

8

Gene Wolfe

6

Kage Baker

5

Neil Gaiman, Michael Swanwick

4

Peter S. Beagle, Nalo Hopkinson, Tanith Lee, Richard Parks, Tim Pratt, M. Rickert, Liz Williams

3

Laird Barron, Charles de Lint, Jeffrey Ford, Theodora Goss

2

Terry Bisson, Andy Duncan, R. Garcia y Robertson, Gavin J. Grant, Daryl Gregory, Ellen Klages, Naomi Kritzer, Joel Lane, Ursula K. Le Guin, David D. Levine, Kelly Link, Bruce McAllister, Michael Moorcock, James Morrow, Garth Nix, Robert Reed, Geoff Ryman, Robert Sheckley, Lucius Shepard, Delia Sherman, Brian Stableford, John Sullivan, Greg van Eekhout, Howard Waldrop, Don Webb

1 David Ackert, Poul Anderson, Timothy J. Anderson, Dale Bailey, Ashok Banker, Donald Barr, Elizabeth Bear, M. Shayne Bell, Renee Bennett, Holly Black, James P. Blaylock, Richard Bowes, Patricia Bowne, Scott Bradfield, Marion Zimmer Bradley, John Brown, Simon Brown, Steven Brust, Octavia E. Butler, P. D. Cacek, Pat Cadigan, Mark Chadbourn, Stepan Chapman, Fred Chappel, Ted Chiang, Deborah Coates, Storm Constantine, Greg Costikyan, Kris Dikeman, Thomas M. Disch, Candas Jane Dorsey, Terry Dowling, Debra Doyle, Brendan Duffy, Charles Coleman Finlay, Esther M. Friesner, Lisa Goldstein, Terry Goodkind, Nicola Griffith, Elizabeth Hand, Richard Harland, Anne Harris, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Kij Johnson, Diana Wynne Jones, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Marc Laidlaw, Claude Lalumière, Mary Soon Lee, Yoon Ha Lee, Thomas Ligotti, Rosaleen Love, James D. Macdonald, Ian R. MacLeod, George R. R. Martin, Kain Massin, Randy McCharles, Patricia A. McKillip, John Meaney, Al Michaud, China Miéville, William Mingin, L. E. Modesitt, Jr, Devon Monk, Pat Murphy, Naomi Novik, Patrick O'Leary, Diana L. Paxson, Steven Popkes, Arthur Porges, Tim Powers, Kit Reed, Kate Riedel, Uncle River, Chris Roberson, Barbara Robson, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Nicholas Royle, Patrick Samphire, Patrice E. Sarath, Patrice E. Sarath, Darrell Schweitzer, Heather Shaw, Sharon Shinn, Sarah Singleton, Sherwood Smith, Bruce Sterling, James Stoddard, Charles Stross, Alison Tokley, Catherynne M. Valente, James Van Pelt, Jeff VanderMeer, Jo Walton, Martha Wells, Kim Westwood, Kim Wilkins, Tad Williams, Connie Willis, Gahan Wilson, Ron Wolfe, Stephen Woodworth, Zoran Živković

David Ackert: The King of the Djinn (8)

Poul Anderson: The Lady of the Winds (2)

Timothy J. Anderson: Newbie Wrangler (6)

Dale Bailey: The End of the World as We Know It (5)

Kage Baker: What the Tyger Told Her (2), Her Father's Eyes (3), Leaving His Cares Behind Him (5), The Ruby Incomparable (8), Running the Snake (9), Caverns of Mystery (9)

Ashok Banker: In the Shadow of Her Wings (2)

Donald Barr: Sam (3)

Laird Barron: The Imago Sequence (6), Hallucigenia (7), The Forest (8)

Peter S. Beagle: Quarry (5), Four Fables (7), The Rabbi's Hobby (9), King Pelles the Sure (9)

Elizabeth Bear: Shoggoths In Bloom (9)

M. Shayne Bell: The Pagodas of Ciboure (3)

Renee Bennett: The Fey (1)

Terry Bisson: Almost Home (4), Death's Door (5)

Holly Black: Paper Cuts Scissors (8)

James P. Blaylock: His Own Back Yard (2)

Richard Bowes: If Angels Fight (9)

Patricia Bowne: Want's Master (3)

Scott Bradfield: The Devil Disinvests (1)

Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Heart of the Hill (2)

John Brown: From the Clay of His Heart (9)

Simon Brown: A Serpent in Eden (1)

Steven Brust: The Man from Shemhaza (5)

Octavia E. Butler: The Book of Martha (4)

P. D. Cacek: A Book, by Its Cover (3)

Pat Cadigan: Stilled Life (8)

Mark Chadbourn: Who Slays the Gyant, Wounds the Beast (8)

Stepan Chapman: The Comedian (3)

Fred Chappell: Dance of Shadows (8)

Ted Chiang: Hell Is the Absence of God (2)

Deborah Coates: Magic in a Certain Slant of Light (6)

Storm Constantine: The Face of Sekt (1)

Greg Costikyan: And Still She Sleeps (1)

Charles de Lint: Making a Noise in This World (1), Big City Littles (2), Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box (3)

Kris Dikeman: Dearest Cecily (9)

Thomas M. Disch: The Shadow (2)

Candas Jane Dorsey: Mom and Mother Teresa (6)

Terry Dowling: One Thing About the Night (4)

Debra Doyle: Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita (9)

Brendan Duffy: Louder Echo (4)

Andy Duncan: Senator Bilbo (2), A Diorama of the Infernal Regions, or The Devil's Ninth Question (8)

Charles Coleman Finlay: Wild Thing (4)

Jeffrey Ford; The Green Word (3), Under the Bottom of the Lake (8), Daltharee (9)

Esther M. Friesner: The Fraud (6)

Neil Gaiman: October in the Chair (3), Closing Time (4), The Problem of Susan (5), Sunbird (6), The Witch's Headstone (8)

R. Garcia y Robertson: Firebird (2), Death in Love (3)

Lisa Goldstein: Reader's Guide (9)

Terry Goodkind: Debt of Bones (1)

Theodora Goss: Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold (4), Miss Emily Gray (5), Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon (8)

Gavin J. Grant: Heads Down, Thumbs Up (6), Yours, Etc. (7)

Daryl Gregory: Unpossible (8), The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm (9)

Nicola Griffith: A Troll Story: Lessons in What Matters, No. 1 (1)

Elizabeth Hand: Winter's Wife (8)

Richard Harland: A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead (9)

Anne Harris: Still Life with Boobs (6)

Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Sea Air (7)

Nalo Hopkinson: Greedy Choke Puppy (1), Shift (3),  The Smile on the Face (5), Soul Case (8)

Alaya Dawn Johnson: Shard of Glass (6)

Kij Johnson: 26 Monkeys & the Abyss (9)

Diana Wynne Jones: 'll Give You My Word (7)

James Patrick Kelly: The Pyramid of Amirah (3)

John Kessel: The Baum Plan for Financial Independence (5)

Ellen Klages: Travel Agency (3), Basement Magic (4)

Naomi Kritzer: The Golem (1), Comrade Grandmother (3)

Marc Laidlaw: Childrun (9)

Claude Lalumière: Being Here (6)

Joel Lane: The Hunger of the Leaves (1), Beyond the River (5)

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Finder (2), Social Dreaming of the Frin (3)

Mary Soon Lee: Shen's Daughter (4)

Tanith Lee: The Man Who Stole the Moon (2), Persian Eyes (3), Moonblind (4), Elvenbrood (5)

Yoon Ha Lee: Eating Hearts (6)

David D. Levine: Nucleon (2), Charlie the Purple Giraffe Was Acting Strangely (5)

Thomas Ligotti: My Case for Retributive Action (2)

Kelly Link: Catskin (4), Monster (6)

Rosaleen Love: The Raptures of the Deep (4)

James D. Macdonald: Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita (9)

Ian R. MacLeod: The Bonny Boy (7)

George R. R. Martin: Path of the Dragon (1)

Kain Massin: Wrong Dreaming (1)

Bruce McAllister: The Seventh Daughter (5), Poison (8)

Randy McCharles: Ringing the Changes in Okotoks, Alberta (9)

Patricia A. McKillip: Out of the Woods (5)

John Meaney: Diva's Bones (5)

Al Michaud: The Salting and Canning of Benevolence D. (9)

China Miéville: Familiar (3)

William Mingin: Greaves, This is Serious (3)

L. E. Modesitt, Jr.: Ghost Mission (7)

Devon Monk: Stitchery (2)

Michael Moorcock: The Roaming Forest (7), A Portrait in Ivory (8)

James Morrow: Apologue (2), Lady Witherspoon's Solution (9)

Pat Murphy: Dragon's Gate (4)

Garth Nix: Read It in the Headlines! (6), Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again (8)

Naomi Novik: Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake (9)

Patrick O'Leary: The Black Heart (2)

Richard Parks: Golden Bell, Seven, and the Marquis of Zeng (1), A Place to Begin (2), A Hint of Jasmine (5), Skin Deep (9)

Diana L. Paxson: The Heart of the Hill (2)

Steven Popkes: A Fable of Savior and Reptile (3)

Arthur Porges: A Quartet of Mini-Fantasies (4)

Tim Powers: Pat Moore (5)

Tim Pratt: Fable from a Cage (4), Life in Stone (5), Robots and Falling Hearts (6), Grander Than the Sea (8)

Kit Reed: Perpetua (5)

Robert Reed: The Dragons of Summer Gulch (5), Show Me Yours (7)

M. Rickert: Peace on Suburbia (4), Many Voices (5), The Christmas Witch (7), Don't Ask (8)

Kate Riedel: To Others We Know Not Of (2)

Uncle River: My Stolen Sabre (2)

Chris Roberson: And Such Small Deer (8)

Barbara Robson: Lizzy Lou (5)

Benjamin Rosenbaum: The King of the Djinn (8)

Nicholas Royle: Hide and Seek (3)

Geoff Ryman: Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy) (7), The Film-Makers of Mars (9)

Patrick Samphire: Crab Apple (6)

Patrice E. Sarath: A Prayer for Captain La Hire (3)

Darrell Schweitzer: How It Ended (3)

Heather Shaw: Single White Farmhouse (6)

Robert Sheckley: Magic, Maples, and Maryanne (1), The Tales of Zanthias (4)

Lucius Shepard: Señor Volto (4), The Lepidopterist (7)

Delia Sherman: Walpurgis Afternoon (6), Gift from a Spring (9)

Sharon Shinn: The Double-Edged Sword (7)

Sarah Singleton: Ebb Tide (1)

Sherwood Smith: Mom and Dad at the Home Front (1)

Brian Stableford: Chanterelle (1), Tread Softly (3)

Bruce Sterling: The Denial (6)

James Stoddard: The First Editions (9)

Charles Stross: Pimpf (7)

John Sullivan: Everything Changes (1), Niels Bohr and the Sleeping Dane (6)

Michael Swanwick: The Raggle Taggle Gypsy-O (1), Five British Dinosaurs (3), Cecil Rhodes in Hell (3), King Dragon (4), An Episode of Stardust (7)

Alison Tokley: A Serpent in Eden (1)

Catherynne M. Valente: A Buyer's Guide to Maps of Antarctica (9)

Greg van Eekhout: Robots and Falling Hearts (6), The Osteomancer's Son (7)

James Van Pelt: Origin of the Species (3)

Jeff VanderMeer: The Farmer's Cat (6)

Howard Waldrop: Thin, on the Ground (7), Avast, Abaft! (9)

Jo Walton: On the Wall (2)

Don Webb: The Prophecies at Newfane Asylum (1), The Great White Bed (8)

Martha Wells: The Potter's Daughter (7)

Kim Westwood: Stella's Transformation (5)

Kim Wilkins: The Forest (9)

Liz Williams: Honeydark (3), Mortegarde (6), Debatable Lands (8), Queen of the Sunlit Shore (9)

Tad Williams: The Stranger's Hands (8)

Connie Willis: Inside Job (6)

Gahan Wilson: The Big Green Grin (4)

Gene Wolfe: The Walking Sticks (1), Queen (2), From the Cradle (3), Of Soil and Climate (4), Golden City Far (5), Comber (6), Build-A-Bear (7), Bea and Her Bird Brother (7)

Ron Wolfe: Our Friend Electricity (3)

Stephen Woodworth: The Olverung (9)

Zoran Živković: The Window (1)

Naomi Novik - Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake (Buried Deep and Other Stories, 2024)

 

Tore lugu aadlineiust, kes ei taha olla tavaline aadlineiu - ta vanemad on otsustanud Araminta ära saata asumaadesse, et seal abielluks. Nii saaksid nooremad õed rahumeeli oma saatusele vastu minna, ilma et vanem õde neile häbi teeks ja nii võimalusi ahendaks.

Merereis pole teadagi miski lõbus väljasõit rohelisse ja vanemad siiski hoolitsevad, et tütar jõuaks pärale võimalikult siivsas konditsioonis - peale saatjaneidude ja ihukaitsja antakse Aramintale kaasa hädaolukorra amulett; juhul kui mereröövlid peaksid vallutama laeva vms. Aga jah, merereis on aadlineiule tõesti huvitav - kuni viimaks tõesti piraadid üritavad laeva kaaperdada. Eks siis tuleb võtta amulett kasutusse ning aadlipreilist Aramintast saab habetunud aadlik Aramin, kes pakub end mereröövlitele vangi, kui need lasevad laeval lahkuda. Tõepoolest, selline pantvang ja ta kaasavõetu väärtuslike esemete eest saaks rohkem raha kui ühe tavalise asumaa vahet sõitva laeva lasti eest.

Kuid … Araminta ei soovigi naasta oma perekonna juurde - sel juhul oleks ta saatuseks piraatide poolt arvatavalt häbistatuna eluks ajaks kloostrisse sulgemine. Talle meeldib hoopis Araminina merel seilata. Kuniks aga mereröövlite laeva ründab hiiglaslik merekoletis.

Kui esmapilgul tundub see olevat justkui britilik maailm (nagu “Tema Majesteedi lohe”), siis tegelikult on see puhtalt fantaasiailm - Araminta isal on mitu abikaasat, kuskil on kurjad haldjad, nõiakunst on valitutele, meredes ulbivad hiiglaslikud koletised (leviaatanid). Ja siis on veel maailm, mis on ammusest ajast uppunud. Ühesõnaga, külluslik fantaasiamaailm.

Liz Williams - Debatable Lands (Year's Best Fantasy 8, 2008)

 

Kui esmatutvus autori jutuloomega oli üsna nadi, siis see tekst on hulga loetavam. Eks algul on umbusku, aga siis võtab loodud maailma õõv endasse.

Peategelane elab muistse Britannia aladel ning on õpetatud sõdalaseks - selliseks, kes ülesannete täitmiseks üksi rändab metsikumatel aladel. Ühel järjekordsel “missioonil” näeb ta aga soos veidrat koletist - mingil moel justkui tagajalgadel seisev, aga samas on külgedel veel jalgu … ja noh, ilmselge tapamasin.

Ta jutustab sellest nähtud õudusest kuninga õukonnas ja muidugi on tulipäid, kes tahavad seda tappa ja nii nime teha. Järgmine päev lähebki seltskond teele ja naaseb neist käputäis - ellujäänud on kogetust šokis. Kahjuks on üks tapetutest naaberkuninga pärija ning peagi saabubki see kuningas nõudma kahjutasu - ja selleks just sama ala, kus kohati koletist. Milleks talle see väärtusetu ja viljatu soomaa, kus pole võimalik midagi kasvatada? Ja miks seda talle õieti loovutada ei taheta? Igal juhul, siiski loovutatakse see soourgas kahjutasuks ja lisaks peab peategelane tema õukonda minema - või noh, õigupoolest saadetakse sinna sooalale elama. Oh õudust.

Eks selline jube koletis tuletas mulle meelde filmi “Predator” … aga et selline tulnukas oleks varakeskaegses olustikus (nojah, tegelikult see pole niivõrd tulnukas, kui …).

Garth Nix - Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again (Year's Best Fantasy 8, 2008)

 

Fitzi ja Herewardi seeria avalugu ja oh üllatust, siin on siis selgelt kirjas, kes need kaks tegelast õieti on - Hereward polegi mingi seiklev rüütel ja Fitz miski suva maagiliseks pööranud nukk; neid on Herewardi lapseeast saati koos hoitud, et kasutada nüüd mittesobilike jumalate elimineerimiseks. Sest Hereward on järglane, keda õieti poleks tohtinud olla jne. Ja Fitz … teda on kasutatud sajandeid Herewardi ema organisatsioonis.

Nende järjekordsest missioonist õieti polegi midagi kirjutada (sest hoopis huvitavam on see tausta avamine, mis teeb järgnevate tekstide puhul mõndagi arusaadavamaks) - Fitz teeb oma koledat tööd, Hereward kohtub ihaldusväärse naisega ja tapab hulga selle alluvaid. Peale missiooni loodab rüütel saada hingetõmbeaega, aga ei … Fitz juhatab teda edasi - ja mitte veel järgneva loo sündmustesse.

““In the name of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World, acting under the authority granted by the Three Empires, the Seven Kingdoms, the Palantine Regency, the Jessar Republic and the Forty Lesser Realms, we declare ourselves agents of the Council. We identify the godlet manifested in this city of Shume as Pralqornrah-Tanish-Kvaxixob, a listed entity under the Treaty. Consequently, the said godlet and all those who assist it are deemed to be enemies of the World, and the Council authorizes us to pursue any and all actions necessary to banish, repel or exterminate the said godlet.”

Neither felt it necessary to change this ancient text to reflect the fact that only one of the three empires was still extant in any fashion; that the seven kingdoms were now twenty or more small states; the Palantine Regency was a political fiction, its once broad lands under two fathoms of water; the Jessar Republic was now neither Jessar in ethnicity nor a republic; and perhaps only a handful of the Forty Lesser Realms resembled their antecedent polities in any respect. But for all that the states that had made it were vanished or diminished, the Treaty for the Safety of the World was still held to be in operation, if only by the Council that administered and enforced it.” (lk 260)

Michael Swanwick - Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play (The Dog Said Bow-Wow, 2007)

 

Kolmas  lugu Darger ja Surplusi seiklustest ning üha paremaks läheb - mitte et tegu oleks üle harju keskmise tekstiga, aga iseenesest võiks mõelda sarja edasi lugemise asjus. Kui eelmiste tekstide puhul zoofiilseid armulugusid (mis küll tekstiajas pole midagi eriskummalist) ja sai imestatud, et kuhu Swanwick niimoodi edasi jõuab … siis seekord ollakse Kreeka maakolkas, kus muuhulgas elutsevad nümfid ja saatürid.

Ja muuhulgas on seal Uus-Zimbabwe teadlased, kes katsetavad seal kloostris jumalate loomist - mis muidugi tekitab kelmipaaris huvi, eriti kui nad kogevad läbi küla kulgenud Dionysose rongkäigu hullutavat mõju. Kuid teadlased ja mungad ei piirdu vaid Dionysosega - nende eesmärk on juhtida jumalate abil rahvamasse vajalikus suunas, seega luuakse ka teistsuguseid mõjutusvahendeid antiiksete jumalate näol. Kui Dionysos on ikka inimliku välimusega, siis teised loodavad jumalad on cthulhulikud kombitsalised.

Igal juhul, järgmine katse rikastuda  võiks toimuda Bütsantsis.

“Afterwards, staring at the burning monastery from a distance, Darger murmured, “I have the most horrid sensation of déjà vu. Must all our adventures end the same way?”

“For the sake of those cities we have yet to visit, I sincerely hope not,” Surplus replied.” (lk 229)