Finding Magic

Cover art by Jody A. Lee.

Tanya Huff has personally selected these seventeen pieces for Finding Magic, her fourth short story collection. They showcase her amazing versatility as she effortlessly moves from the science fiction of "I Knew a Guy Once" to the vampiric "After School Specials" to the fantastic in "Brock" to the humorous "A Woman's Work..."

The variety is really not surprising, considering that since her 1988 debut fantasy novel, Child of the Grove, Huff has written about space marines, private investigators, and the Keeper of the Balance of Good and Evil (and an elderly cat with attitude). And today her work involves the world of vampires and television shows.

Her wonderful tales shine with spot-on dialog, real characters we could meet any day (well, almost any day) and compelling situations not all that different from our own. And, at the same time, she reveals worlds of magic and power we can only dream of. Choice and responsibility are her main themes. Not always obvious, Tanya Huff's characters (and by implication, all of us as well) make both meaningful and seemingly trivial choices, and must take responsibility for the good or evil results. As Able Harris says "You name a boy Strawberry, there are always consequences."

Finding Magic includes the previously uncollected stories:

• "I Knew a Guy Once" about a bartender, who may be more than just a bartender who knew lots of guys.
• "He Said, Sidhe Said," a retelling of a classic fairy tale, with a skateboarding Tam Lin.
• "Slow Poison," featuring a chef who exemplifies the hidden dangers of good cooking.
• "The Demon's Den" with a very differently abled heroine.

In addition to Tanya Huff's fiction, Finding Magic includes an introduction by Julie Czerneda and an insightful essay by Erica Neely.