cover image Down These Strange Streets

Down These Strange Streets

Edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. Ace, $26.95 (496p) ISBN 978-0-441-02074-4

Some of the top names in urban fantasy (Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs) are joined by some of today’s best historical mystery writers (Laurie R. King, Steven Saylor) in this top-notch anthology of 16 original stories. Urban fantasy purists may gripe that Martin merely asked contributors to include “a private detective and a case with a fantastic slant, be it real or... less so,” and some of the mysteries have a perfectly rational resolution. But those are the exceptions, and the rational and supernatural are perfectly blended in entries like Lisa Tuttle’s remarkable “The Curious Affair of the Deodand,” a Sherlockian homage that deserves sequels. King’s versatility is demonstrated convincingly in “Hellbender,” which is set in a future where human and salamander DNA have been combined and plotted in ways that Chandler would recognize. Lovecraftians and Sookie Stackhouse fans alike will find plenty to relish. (Oct.)