And the Library Journal weighs in on Eclipse One:

Eclipse One: New Science Fiction and Fantasy. Night Shade. Nov. 2007. c.263p. ed. by Jonathan Strahan. ISBN 978-1-59780-117-1. pap. $14.95. SF

From Andy Duncan’s opening tale of a parish priest’s encounter with a precocious little girl and her pet chicken, Jesus Christ (“Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse”), to the final story, by Lucius Shepard, of an unforgettable relationship with a Russian woman as enigmatic as the country of her birth (“Larissa Miusov”), the 15 original stories gathered here defy easy categorization as either sf or fantasy but push the borders of both genres to surprising extremes. Contributions by a variety of veteran and new writers including Peter S. Beagle, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Bruce Sterling, and Gwyneth Jones round out an unusual collection of speculative fiction that belongs in libraries where short stories are popular.

Dear blog,

This week has been, in some senses, a wash.  I arrived back on Sunday afternoon. I thought I was perky and fine, but I slept two hours of Monday and Tuesday afternoons away, and have felt hungover for most of the week so far. Jetlag, oh how I love thee.  I’m very happy with how my trip went, but happier that CHARLES went into hospital on Monday and was sent home because he was fine.  I’m worried because my mother is headed for hospital on Saturday, for surgery, so struggle to worry about the deadlines that aren’t quite whizzing by.  Today I watched both of my girls swimming lessons, which delighted at least one of them to almost unreasonable proportions. Tomorrow Marianne and I are taking my mother out for lunch.  I will worry about deadlines on Friday.  The cricket’s on, and I can noodle away between deliveries. Proposals to be written and reminagined, and lists to be made and checked.  I should focus.  And that day job comes back onstream on Monday. Till then, though, it’s lunch, naps and West Wing re-runs.  Envy me.

J

When I was in Manhattan I discussed a book with Justine that she’d recommended on her blog. It’s a fantasy novel that’s been shortlisted for the US National Book Award, and she’d said it rocked (I paraphrase). When I mentioned it, a bunch of other people like Peter from Books of Wonder, Scott, and Barry also said it was great so, on Justine’s recommendation, I bought it.

The book is Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey. It’s the first in a series called ‘A Resurrection of Magic’, according to her blog a sequel called Sacred Magic is in the works, and it features the kind of cover that almost makes sure you won’t look at it.  That is an enormous pity, because it is an extraordinarily good book. It’s  a sometimes dark, rather mesmerising look at two people, one helping to set up a school of magic (groan now, you won’t when you read it), and another, hundreds of years later, sent to study there.  It’s short and tightly written, and complex and messy in the best way.   It also features a brutal cliffhanger ending, but such is the way of series. If you like great fantasy novels, you need to read this one.  Ignore the cover, and get it wherever you can.  Although it’s nothing at all like it, Skin Hunger is probably the best first novel in a fantasy series I’ve read since Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass.

home again, jiggity jig.  I’m home.  Tired.  I think jetlag will follow me for a while.  It was a great trip.  My thanks to everyone who made it such a great time.

This is me, looking kinda weary, blogging from SFO. Time to go, Jonathan.