IN THE PALACE OF REPOSE

This collection of nine fantasy and slipstream short stories from Canadian author Phillips, her first book, offers a neat package of quietly thoughtful, composed writing. In the title story and "The Other Grace," characters must deal with the unalterable changes caused when dream and reality diverge. Similarly, in "The New Ecology" and "One of the Hungry Ones," runaway girls learn that safety is relative and the easiest route is seldom the safest. Likewise in "Pen and Ink," "A Woman's Bones" and "By the Light of Tomorrow's Sun," the main character must discover the fate of a forebear before she may define her place in the world. "Summer Ice" and "Variations on a Theme" detail the efforts of artists to find completion in their lives and work. Indeed, each of the stories is a variation on a theme, illustrating the many methods—some successful, some not—one may attempt in search of a place to belong. Along the way, Phillips offers gentle epiphanies rather than more conclusive endings, often leaving her characters hanging in mid-revelation. Despite the thematic repetition, readers will find themselves drawn in by elegant imagery and evocative settings. (Feb.)

Forecast: A blurb from Michael Bishop, prominently displayed on the attractive jacket (depicting Thomas Cole's The Course of Empire: Desolation), will make this one stand out from the pack on the fantasy shelf.