Lost Worlds & Mythological Kingdoms

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Pub Date 08 Mar 2022 | Archive Date 01 Jun 2022

Description

“Here be dragons . . . and a lot of stories that would make a dragon blink. A fascinating kaleidoscope of people and places and Things That Might Have Been—or Might Be.”
—Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to Journey to the Center of the Earth, from the fabled island of Avalon to the lost oasis of Zerzura, from The Land That Time Forgot to the golden city of El Dorado, storytellers have long imagined what exists beyond the edges of the map.

The need to seek and discover the unknown is embedded in who we are, no matter the culture or era. To celebrate this sense of wonder, award-winning editor John Joseph Adams has gathered together some of the best SF&F writers working today, collecting adventure and mystery in this spectacular anthology. With original contributions from Kate Elliott, Tobias S. Buckell, Dexter Palmer, E. Lily Yu, Jonathan Maberry, and a dozen more, there are short stories sure to enthrall every reader.

Explore the rich tradition begun centuries ago with this all-new compilation full of imagination and delights. What lies beyond the edge of the unknown? Only you, brave reader, can find out.

The line-up includes new stories by:

Tobias S. Buckell
James L. Cambias
Becky Chambers
Kate Elliott
C.C. Finlay
Jeffrey Ford
Theodora Goss
Darcie Little Badger
Jonathan Maberry
Seanan McGuire
An Owomoyela
Dexter Palmer
Cadwell Turnbull
Genevieve Valentine
Carrie Vaughn
Charles Yu
E. Lily Yu

“Here be dragons . . . and a lot of stories that would make a dragon blink. A fascinating kaleidoscope of people and places and Things That Might Have Been—or Might Be.”
—Diana Gabaldon, New York Times...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781944145798
PRICE $30.00 (USD)
PAGES 384

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Average rating from 73 members


Featured Reviews

Like most short stories, these left me wanting more! What happens next?? I’m so e cases wanting more was a good thing but for some of the stories, I felt the ending was just too abrupt. I don’t want to guess what happens to the characters. I was only familiar with a few of the authors so I’m not sure if some of these tie into larger stores but I guess I’ll have to find out.

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LWaMK is a collection of speculative stories that center around the idea of lost places being found, or traveling to worlds that exist in some pocket of unreachable reality and so on. It’s a fun concept, that’s for sure.

Some of the stories lack a sense of setting because of the way they’re told (i.e. through customer reviews) though credit must be given to their different formats as it adds some variation to the book as a whole. I have a few (okay, maybe more than a few) favourites: Down in the Dim Kingdoms, Out of the Dark, Endosymbiosis, The Orpheus Gate, The Return of Grace Malfrey, The Tomb Ship and Pellargonia. These ones have drawn me in either because they make me more curious about the world the stories inhabit and/or the characters have made such distinct and interesting decisions that I want to know more about them.

Now, a tangent: I think the cover is doing the book a disservice. A majority of the stories could (primarily) be categorized as sci-fi, a few as fantasy and even fewer in that supernatural realm. Even though the cover is a good concept and follows the direction of uncovering lost land, it reads "fantasy" to me and as such made me expect more fantasy stories. We should not judge books by their covers but damnit do I think they affect our expectations of the book. While I wish there’s a different cover that reflects the broad speculative scope of the book, I understand that the main intention of a business is to make money, and for publishers, fantasy is easier to market/sell than sci-fi, hence this cover.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grim Oak Press for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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"Lost Worlds & Mythological Kingdoms" is a fine collection of stories written by an even finer selection of authors. To be fair, each story was firmly in my comfort zone in terms of writing styles, content, and characters, so they all had an advantage! I only wish the words "Volume 1" was tagged onto the title - I'd love to throw myself into another volume.

My thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

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John Joseph Adam’s is a leading SF editor and anthologist and he has assembled a stellar group of authors for this lost worlds anthology. I found many of the stories excellent but judged the overall effort somewhat uneven. Some stories were slight, albeit entertaining, like “Comfort Lodge Enigma Valley”, a series of quirky hotel reviews which offer no explanation or conclusion but do intrigue and entertain. I found a good chunk of the book less entertaining, with many of the stories grim and devoid of hope; I want at least some new worlds to provide wonder and positivity. I also found several of the stories to finish before a big reveal a big reveal, to end rather than conclude. The anthology concluded, however, on a strong note, with welcome stories by Becky Chambers, Theodora Goss, and Cadwell Turnbull, which all worked well for me.

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"From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to Journey to the Center of the Earth, from the fabled island of Avalon to the lost oasis of Zerzura, from The Land That Time Forgot to the golden city of El Dorado, storytellers have long imagined what exists beyond the edges of the map.

The need to seek and discover the unknown is embedded in who we are, no matter the culture or era. To celebrate this sense of wonder, award-winning editor John Joseph Adams has gathered together some of the best Science Fiction and Fantasy writers working today, collecting adventure and mystery in this spectacular anthology. With original contributions from Kate Elliott, Tobias S. Buckell, Dexter Palmer, E. Lily Yu, Jonathan Maberry, and a dozen more, there are short stories sure to enthrall every reader.

Explore the rich tradition begun centuries ago with this all-new compilation full of imagination and delights. What lies beyond the edge of the unknown? Only you, brave reader, can find out.

Featuring new tales by today's masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy:

Tobias S. Buckell
James L. Cambias
Becky Chambers
Kate Elliott
C.C. Finlay
Jeffrey Ford
Theodora Goss
Darcie Little Badger
Jonathan Maberry
Seanan McGuire
An Owomoyela
Dexter Palmer
Cadwell Turnbull
Genevieve Valentine
Carrie Vaughn
Charles Yu
E. Lily Yu"

I really can't pick an author whose story I am most excited for. Just look at the roster!

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A very interesting read that took the reader through all of the classic fantasy lands. If you're a fan of fantasy or imaginary lands, and want to revisit some of your favorites, I would definitely recommend checking out this book!

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Arc Copy...It is a good, decent anthology of various different genres across the Sci-fi and Fantasy spectrum. In-addition with the common-tying theme of venturing into an unknown and often weird "other world", which I enjoyed.

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