A collection of fantasy short stories. Patricia Wrede's "The 62 Curses of Caliph Arenschadd" has fun world-building. Charles de Lint's "Fairy Dust" is, like all his other work, filled with fascile moral conclusions and immature writing. I loved the main character in Will Shetterly's "The Princess Who Kicked Butt." Tappan King's "Come Hither" also has a very enjoyable main character (another self-sufficient girlchild).
I have always thought Bruce Coville is awesome, and he proves it yet again with the imaginative, very anti-war story "With His Head Tucked Under His Arm." Alan Smale's "The Breath of Princes" is a fantastic story in the same vein as [book: Dealing With Dragons] or [book: Dragon's Bait]. Speaking of Vande Velde's work, her short story "Lost Soul" is a creepy tale of a peasant seduced by the fey. ( )