A Time To... Volume 2 Review

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From Fiction Factor Reviews:

Carol Hightshoe continues to amaze me with the quality of stories she chooses for her e-zines (The Sorcerous Signal and The Lorelei Signal). She's brought another delightful collection together to commemorate the second year of publication. In "A Time To… Volume 2" the stories are well-written, thought provoking and moving. While many of the authors are new, their style and delivery is rich and strong.

Growing up with fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm and written by Hans Christian Anderson, I have a special place in my heart for "The WITCH'S REVENGE" by Barbara Davies. She captures the feel and atmosphere of Anderson's work in this sequel to "The Tinderbox". One of my favorite tales, she turns it on it's ear and tells it from the witch's point of view. Justin Stanchfield's "PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST IN MANGANESE AND COPPER OXIDE" is the story of the relationship between a mother and daughter and he brings it to fruition when the daughter finally understands her mother's need to create.

"HARLEYS IN DRIFTWOOD" is a story I read when it was first printed in the Lorelei Signal and I was struck by how it reminded me of some of the early fantasy stories I'd read as a young teen. It left me imagining so much more than C.A. Casey had written and I remembered why I fell in love with the genre.

It would be hard to choose a favorite in this well-crafted collection, but "KASERIE'S CHOICE" is certainly in the top three. Linda Epstein does a wonderful job of world building in a short story format. Never an easy task with so few words, but I was immediately transported to the world she had created and enthralled by the growth of the main character, Kaserie. "MENTOR FOR HIRE" was another favorite and Gloria Oliver had me feeling Rees's frustration, delight and consternation in turn. The tale left me hoping and believing that Rees would find a way to turn this half victory into a full one.

Too often I hear people say that they can't relate to science fiction or fantasy because it has nothing to do with the real world, but Marva Dasef showcases how socially oriented fantasy can be with her story "THE DELEGATE." Even androids can have "a dream" of being human and their struggles can mirror our own world.

Well worth the time and money, A Time To… Volume 2 is a must read for the science fiction and fantasy lover. I'm looking forward to the next anthology...