LITTLE GODS

Tim Pratt, . . Prime, $29.95 (228pp) ISBN 978-1-894815-83-3

In his debut collection, which includes 15 stories and four poems, newcomer Pratt shows genuine talent, even if he tends to overuse certain hallowed fantasy themes. Comic strip heroes and historical villains collide awkwardly in "Captain Fantasy and the Secret Masters." A western, "Bleeding West," treads heavily on caricature. Dark fantasy rambles on in the grotesque "Fable from a Cage." The Nebula-nominated title story and "Entropy's Paintbrush," with their sensitive depictions of human relationships, however, show why Pratt is a writer to watch: each hints at the secret of life and of the universe. (Nov.)

Forecast: The warm, eye-catching cover (of a child releasing a balloon from atop a pile of industrial waste), plus blurbs by Terri Windling and James Morrow, should help bring the book to the notice of fans of quality fantasy.

Featured Fiction Reviews

Joseph Earl Thomas

The magnificent first novel from Thomas (Sink, a memoir) centers on an Iraq War veteran who works in a Philadelphia emergency room. Joey, who grew up in poverty, relies on Continue reading »

Briony Cameron

Cameron debuts with an exciting and multidimensional story inspired by the women pirates who sailed the Caribbean in the 17th century. Jacquotte Delahaye, who is of Haitian and Continue reading »

Marcela Fuentes

Fuentes debuts with the astonishing story of two malas, or women who challenge traditional Mexican gender norms. The year is 1951 and Pilar Aguirre, who is eight months pregnant Continue reading »

Scott Preston

Preston’s blistering debut takes place in the farthest reaches of northern England, on “cloud-eaten” fells battered by wind and inhabited mostly by sheep. There’s nothing much Continue reading »