The Best of Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine

This collection of 25 stories from the first three years (12 issues) of Pulphouse contains horror, fantasy, SF and straight fiction. In her introduction Rusch ( The White Mists of Power ) observes that many of these stories have in common their defiance of categorization. In Lisa Goldstein's ``A Traveler at Passover'' the story of Elijah provides the catalyst that soothes a family's tensions and misunderstandings. ``The Soft Whisper of Midnight Snow'' by Charles de Lint ties together an artist's self-worth and creative ability. Both ``The Third Sex'' by Alan Brennert and Nancy A. Collins's ``The Two-Headed Man'' are reminiscent of Sturgeon in their consideration of love. The book is arranged in a progression--stories about sex precede those of violence and horror--and adjacent entries are often similar. Readers are advised to jump around to maximize their enjoyment. (Sept.)