Firebird is an imprint of Penguin (Puffin) Publishers; it was founded in 1999 when Sharyn November had the idea to release books specifically aimed at all the young-adult types who had been telling her how much they enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy, and how they had to go to the adult section to find new authors. This anthology, pulled together by the intrepid Ms. November, is made up of authors who have had books published under the Firebird imprint. A good deal of Firebird’s novels are reprints; Sherwood Smith’s four volumes, for example, were originally published in the ’80s and ’90s. Sharyn November is a poet by training (at Sarah Lawrence College, no less) and has been editing children’s and YA books for almost twenty years. She has edited this volume, the second volume (Firebirds Rising), and a third volume, to be released shortly.

This collection of speculative fiction stories includes such authors as Charles de Lint, Delia Sherman, Sherwood Smith, Meredith Ann Pierce, Lloyd Alexander, Megan Whalen Turner, and Diana Wynne Jones, among others. All, I believe, are original to this collection, although a few have since been reprinted in other places. The collection is over four hundred pages long and contains sixteen stories. Each story is followed by a short biography of the author, and then the author’s notes, describing some of the background of the story itself. Elves, fairies, men trying to get jobs, airplanes, bluegills, trees who become human, babies in bank overnight deposit boxes — even very mundane elements of life take on a shimmer in these tales.

I’ll be up front about it — this is one of my favorite anthologies ever. The selection of authors and the selection of stories is just about perfect for me. I’d heard of the majority of the authors going in, but even the authors I thought I knew managed to surprise me. The first story, Delia Sherman’s “Cotillion,” was a joy and a delight and drew me into a world where young women wore dresses with organza petals, and danced with mysterious young men at their debuts. It’s set (apparently) in the same fantastical New York as her novel Changeling, but at a different time and with a different feel; I didn’t actually recognize them as the same place, but I enjoyed both works.

The stories then flow through all the aspects of fantasy: fairy tales, legends, high fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and even a story or two that I’d just consider fiction, or historical fiction. Sherwood Smith’s tale is a sequel, of sorts, to her Crown Duel; Nancy Farmer pens a lovely and amusing story about losing one’s soul. Kara Dalkey’s is set in Heian Japan, but a retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Elizabeth Wein, whom I didn’t know, tried to write a story set in quasi-historical Ethiopia, but ended up with a story about airplanes and civil war. Diana Wynne Jones’s story was about opera, cats, and a Great Beast; I loved the narrator, Little Dot. Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s story is apparently part of a much larger story; I hope I’ll see the rest of it someday.

Overall, I suppose there is a preponderance of female characters and female authors. That’s not to say that men are under-represented; Lloyd Alexander, Charles de Lint, and Garth Nix can hold their own among even as many women as I’ve mentioned above. I would guess, based on my reaction to it, that those who read like stereotypical females might enjoy this anthology a bit more than those who read like stereotypical males, but if one reads like a stereotypical male, I’d certainly not skip it. I’d recommend it for all ages; younger readers might be put off by the length, but older middle-grade readers through adults would enjoy all the subjects, themes, and tones. Fans of any author with a story in here should definitely give it a try! 5/5 stars.