they weren't kidding when they said that this was the best of Elizabeth Hand, these stories are all really well done and I had a lot of fun reading this.

Before reading this collection of Elizabeth Hand’s stories and novellas, I had only read one of her novels, “Wylding Hall, and that was a music group mystery set in England with touches of fantasy and the “other”. I hadn’t realized that she is well known in the sci-fi and fantasy worlds and had won awards for her writing in those areas. Now I understand why.

There are 16 works in this collection; the earliest written in 1991, the most recent in 2020. Several are set in Maine where Hand lives. A few in parts of England where she has also lived. In a coda to the stories that I very much appreciated, Hand describes some of the inspiration for the subject, setting and characters. It’s fascinating to see relationships to her life after the fact. I don’t think they would have added to the story if read before. I really liked one comment she wrote in this section about her flash fiction “Eat The Wyrm” which is set in Greenland.

Now of course the entire country is melting, so I tried to
cram as much desolation, rage, and also plain old weirdness
as I could into a few hundred words.

There was only one story I didn’t like, The Bacchae, and that was due to the subject not the writing. I loved many: Illyria is beautiful, coming of age; The Owl Count- a different apocalyptic tale; The Least Trumps, set on a small island in Maine; Last Summer at Mars Hall, an early story, another Maine setting but more mystical; Pavanne for a Prince of the Air, death and dying but here filled with pagan ritual and the natural world. Oh well, I think I should stop here. There’s no need to keep listing how many I really enjoyed.

I do recommend you give Elizabeth Hand’s writing a try if you’re inclined to read fiction with some fantasy or sci-fi elements at all. She is an excellent writer. Rating 4 to 4.5* rounded to 4*.

A copy of this book was provided by Subterranean Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Elizabeth Hand is an incredible writer with a fascinating mind. I didn't love all these stories, but I admired the craft of each one. I love the diversity of this collection, and it shows Hand's versatility as a writer beautifully.

Elizabeth Hand is a wonderful artist with words. Every story in here is great, but I especially love the novellas Illyria and The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerphon. Sub Press has another winner here with this collection of solid work.

For a book to receive five stars from me, it must be something that I would want to read again. And it must elicit an emotional response from me, whether sorrow, happiness, horror, remorse, or even anger. The Best of Elizabeth Hand gives me all these feels and more. I was surprised with how many stories really were 'the best.' The fact that most of the stories had a fantastical element was a delightful added bonus. I enjoyed the fact that some imagery was repeated over different stories, but most stories stood alone, independent and alluring.
Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Elizabeth Hand is an extraordinarily talented writer, which is very apparent in this collection. Even when I didn't enjoy the story, her writing was stunning. And I have to admit, there were several stories I HATED, and several others that I can acknowledge I just didn't understand. Hand is highly creative, sometimes beyond what my brain can handle. But when her gorgeous prose and creativity mesh just right, the result is some truly incredible stories. In particular, I adored the first story, "Last Summer at Mars Hill", and the series of stories entitled "The Last Domain - Three Story Variants". The themes of grief and love and loss were heavy in these stories, but woven with such beauty that I couldn't look away.

3.5 because I really truly did hate some of the stories; rounded up because Hand's prose is so consistently lovely

I always like to pick up a collection by Subterranean Press, because they often abduct me from my usual reading habits and introduce me to authors I haven't experienced before. Elizabeth Hand is well-known, has won a large number of awards for her works - Tiptree, World Fantasy, Mythopoeic, Nebula, IHG, and Shirley Jackson. And yet, I didn't come across her works.

This collection demonstrates the author's literary variability by giving us works in subgenres of Magical realism, Dark Fantasy, Horror, Apocalyptic fiction, Weird fiction, and also plain literary fiction. She tends towards the creepy side, but often the stories are just plain beautifully narrated with only a hint of magic in it. 

Not all the stories were to my taste, some of them I just didn't get at all, and clearly broke my comfort zone in a bad way. If you favor highbrowed darker fiction, then you'll be fine, and there are really a couple of great gems to discover. My favorite was the last, long novella "Illyria", and the first two stories. 

Contents:

9 • ★★★★☆ • Last Summer at Mars Hill • 1998 • Magical realism novella
63 • ★★★★☆ • Pavane for a Prince of the Air • 2002 • Literary fiction novelette
95 • ★★☆☆☆ • The Bacchae • 1991 • Horror SF short story
113 • ★★★☆☆ • Cleopatra Brimstone • 2001 • Dark Fantasy novella
171 • ★★☆☆☆ • Ghost Light • 2018 • Crime flash fiction • A roadie's helper has her revenge on a traveling solo musician. Interesting in the scope of this collection, because flash fiction and crime story. Beside of that nothing to write home about.
175 • ★★★☆☆ • The Have-Nots • 1992 • Magical realism short story
193 • ★★★★☆ • The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerphon • 2010 • Magical realism novella
249 • ★★★☆☆ • Eat the Wyrm • 2017 • Literary flash fiction • On Greenland, a pair travels for three days just to taste a special shot of Tequila in a famous bar. Strong visuals with complete open ended plot.
255 • ★☆☆☆☆ • Fire • 2017 • Apocalyptic fiction • a man together with a handful foreigners seeks shelter from a megafire in a bunker. It's his turn to bring up a story. He's constantly interrupted and reacts to that, nether getting forward with his narration. As short as it is, I never was able to connect to the narration, and DNFed it.
265 • ★★★☆☆ • The Lost Domain—Three Story Variations: Echo, The Saffron Gatherers, and Kronia  • 2005-2006 • Apocalyptic fiction short stories
299 • ★★★★☆ • Near Zennor • 2011 • Weird fiction novella
359 • ★★☆☆☆ • The Owl Count • 2020 • Weird short story • two people in a post-apocalyptic setting discover something unidentified monster while counting the population of owls. Ineffective, unsatisfying turn to horror.
383 • ★★★☆☆ • The Least Trumps • 2002 • Magical realism novella
443 • ★★★★★• Illyria • 2007 • Magical realism novella
549 story notes

The Best of Elizabeth Hand is a new compilation collection containing 16 stories and novellas by speculative fiction powerhouse Elizabeth Hand. Due out 28th Feb 2021 from Subterranean Press, it's 552 pages (!!) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I've been a huge fan of the writer for decades. In my experience, she's always been consistent and writes with a rare versatility which defies genre categorization. There were several previously-unfamiliar-to-me stories in this collection alongside a number of favorites. One of the best features of the collection for me were the author's story notes for each entry - background and reminiscence and inspiration.

The stories' original publication dates span several decades. The earliest was published 1991 (The Bacchae); the most recent 2020 (The Owl Count). All are top shelf fiction from a strong and gifted author. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I became familiar with Elizabeth Hand in the last few years, after reading her brilliant collection, Errantry, as well as her truly terrifying novel, Wyldling Hall. Hand has been actively writing for decades, and this collection, lovingly compiled by Bill Sheehan and Subterranean Press, is both an excellent introduction to her short fiction, and a beautiful limited edition release for established fans.

The Best of Elizabeth Hand truly displays the incredible breadth of her work. Opener, Last Summer on Mars Hill, places us in a strange commune, where strange beings only known as Them sporadically appear. Pavane for a Prince of the Air is a deeply personal story of the last days of a dying friend. I had a feeling that this was based on Hand’s real-life, and this was confirmed in the fantastic author’s notes that conclude the collection.

The Have-Nots reads like a gorgeous monologue of a life literally snatched away, opportunities missed, and an Elvis-like figure. I was especially pleased to see two of my favorite stories from the aforementioned Errantry in this collection, The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon, and the disturbing Near Zennor. The former of these two stories is one of my favorite stories of all time, so I devoured the author’s notes on this story with relish.

Elizabeth Hand is a fantastic, consistent writer, and this excellent collection is a testimony to her skill. Hand has a wealth of great stories; it must have been a heck of a task to select only a few of the "best". I recommend this book to sci-fi fans, fantasy fans, horror fans, and fans of quality writing.

A brilliant compilation of Elizabeth Hand's short works. Last Summer at Mars Hill is a personal favorite, but I also loved The Have-Nots...I could just hear the woman's voice in my head as I was reading it! The author's stories dealing with the repercussions of climate change are unsettlingly plausible (Fire), and her ability to slide gently over the line into horror is always jarring, as in The Owl Count. Highly recommended.