30TH ANNIVERSARY DAW SCIENCE FICTION.

In honor of the thirtieth anniversary of DAW Books, a remarkable anthology of short fiction by some of science fiction's most important authors features works by Brian Stableford, Ron Goulart, C. J. Cherryh, Brian Aldiss, Tad Williams, Robert Sheckley, C. S. Friedman, and other notables.

DAW owners/editors Elizabeth R. Wollheim and Sheila E. Gilbert gather together their bullpen's heavy hitters in two celebratory volumes, the DAW 30th Anniversary Science Fiction Anthology (DAW, $24.95 464p ISBN 0-7564-0064-3) and the DAW 30th Anniversary Fantasy Anthology ($24.95 432p -0070-8). With the former boasting 19 stories by the likes of Robert Sheckley, C.J. Cherryh and Kate Elliot, and the latter offering 18 tales by writers such as Michael Shea, Ian Watson and Michelle West, the only misstep in these excellent line-ups is that the DAW grande dames gave both tomes virtually identical introductions.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

DAW Books, the oldest publisher dedicated to sf and fantasy, celebrates its longevity with a collection of stories by its roster of writers. DAW gave first American publication to such distinguished sf household names as Timothy Zahn and C. J. Cherryh. The level of quality in this book is more than respectably high, though not all the contributors are as much masters of the story as they are of the novel. The introduction is a tribute by the editors to one another. As a retrospective monument and as good reading, this volume should adorn any sf collection. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

To celebrate DAW Books's 30 years of publishing in the sf and fantasy genres, Wollheim and Gilbert have assembled these volumes that feature authors who have published under the DAW banner and whose works have made significant contributions to the field of imaginative literature. An essay by the editors (repeated in both volumes) relates the history of DAW and its founders, Donald and Elsie Wollheim, while individual author or editor commentaries introduce many of the stories. The fantasy collection includes a variety of stories, including Mercedes Lackey's expression of an author's worst nightmare ("After Midnight") and Christopher Stasheff's melancholy parable of a wizard's journey of bitter self-discovery ("Coronach of the Bell"). Contributions by other notable fantasy writers such as Tanith Lee, Melanie Rawn, and Lynn Abbey round out this collection of 18 tales. The sf anthology collects a stellar group of stories, including Brian Aldiss's cautionary tale of a space-faring warship whose passage results in the death of civilizations ("Aboard the Beatitude") and Tad Williams's wry recounting of the chat room at the end of the world ("Not with a Whimper, Either"). Stories by authors including Frederik Pohl, Timothy Zahn, and Kate Elliott are also among the 19 selections in this well-balanced volume. Together or separately, both books are recommended for most libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.