Magic for Beginners Is the Highly Anticipated Second Collection by Kelly Kelly Link Is the Editor of the Anthol- Link (Stranger Things Happen)
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24.00 U.S. “A new collection by Kelly Link—and once more, for a little while, the world is worth saving.”—Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay 33.00 Can. Praise for Kelly Link’s first collection, Stranger Things Happen: Kelly Link Magic for Beginners is the highly anticipated second collection by Kelly Kelly Link is the editor of the anthol- Link (Stranger Things Happen). Link’s ogy Trampoline, and co-editor of “Her stories have the vibrancy, the “My favorite fantasy writer.” stories are engaging and funny—call the zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud buzzing resonance and the oddly —Alan Cheuse, All Things them kitchen-sink magical realism. Wristlet. With Ellen Datlow and insistent quality of dreams.” Considered MagiCMagic They riff on haunted convenience Gavin J. Grant, she edits The Year’s —The New York Times Book Review stores, husbands and wives, rabbits, Best Fantasy & Horror (St. Martin’s k for Beginners zombies, weekly apocalyptic poker Press). She once won a free trip e for Beginners “Sinister. Dreamy. Supernatural. parties, witches, superheroes, mar- around the world by answering the “Link’s exquisite stories mix the Link’s stories dazzle even as they aggravations and epiphanies of every- riage, and cannons. Link is an original question “Why do you want to go unsettle.” day life with the stuff that myths, voice—no one else writes stories quite around the world?” (“Because you —Miami Herald dreams and nightmares are made of.” like these. can’t go through it.”) —Laura Miller, Salon Magic for Beginners includes j U Link’s stories have won the “These stories “I think she is the most impressive several new stories as well as work World Fantasy, James Tiptree, Jr., J will come alive, writer of her generation.” previously published in McSweeney’s and Nebula Awards. Her first collec- “Dazzling, funny, scary, and sexy, but put on zoot suits, —Peter Straub, In the Night Room Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, tion, Stranger Things Happen, was only when they’re not all of these and wrestle you Magic for Beginners Conjunctions, and The Dark. “Stone a Firecracker nominee, and a 2001 at once. Kelly Link has strangeness, U to the ground.” Animals” is forthcoming in The Best Village Voice and Salon Favorite charm and spin to spare. Writers bet- “There’s no mistaking Link’s —Alice Sebold, American Short Stories. Book. ter than this don’t happen.” unique voice, at once sly and The Lovely Bones —Karen Joy Fowler, She lives in Northampton, MA. charming, tart and wise.” The Jane Austen Book Club Advance praise for Magic for Begin- Her website is www.kellylink.net —San Francisco Chronicle ners: i W “The exact best and strangest and “A tremendously appealing book, H “Highly original.”—Publishers funniest short story writer on earth Shelley Jackson has illustrated many and lovers of short fiction should that you have never heard of at the Weekly (Starred Review) children’s books including her own fall over themselves getting out the The Old Woman and The Wave. exact moment you are reading these door to find a copy.” “Spellbinding.”—Time Out Chicago When wearing her writing hat, she words and making them slightly inexact. Now pay for the book.” —Washington Post is the author of The Melancholy of —Jonathan Lethem, j “A complete delight.”—Locus Anatomy, Patchwork Girl, and Skin, a The Fortress of Solitude story told in tattoos. “Fuses storytelling smarts with “An eagerly-awaited new collection www.ineradicablestain.com O postmodern flair, Nancy Drew of thoughtfully strange tales that “A joy. I’ve not been so with Philip K. Dick.” sprinkle the mundane with pixie dust, moved and affected—and —The Village Voice a dash of old-fashioned tragedy and a dammit, yes, inspired—by a KELLY book for a long time.” bit of gallows humor.” —China Miéville, Iron Council LINK —The Ruminator Review k “Hilarious, sometimes disconcerting, Jacket painting by Shelley Jackson: based on “A delightful collection.” Link’s stories demonstrate her wicked “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci, held —Cleveland Plain Dealer Author of sense of humor and genius wit.” in The Czartoryskich Museum, Krakow. Small Stranger Things —BookPage Small Beer Press Beer Happen Distributed by SCB Distributors Press “Link is the purest, most distinctive www.smallbeerpress.com surrealist in America.”—Booklist mfb reg. ed. dustjacket 1 7/25/05, 11:33 AM Praise for Kelly Link’s stories: A new Fountains of Wayne album, a new Wes Anderson movie, a new short story collection by Kelly Link—and once more, for a little while, the world is worth saving. Kelly Link owns the most darkly playful voice in American fiction since Donald Barthelme. She is pushing the American short story into places that it hasn’t yet been pushed, while some- how managing to maintain a powerful connection to traditional forms and storytelling values. —Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay The dream-logic of Magic for Beginners is intoxicating. These stories will come alive, put on zoot suits, and wrestle you to the ground. They want you and you will be theirs. —Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones Kelly Link’s exquisite stories mix the aggravations and epiphanies of everyday life with the stuff that myths, dreams and nightmares are made of. Some of them are very scary, others are immensely sad, many are funny and all of them are written in prose so flawless you almost for- get how much elemental human chaos they contain. —Laura Miller, Salon Book of the Year Kelly Link’s debut collection fuses storytelling smarts with postmodern flair, Nancy Drew with Philip K. Dick. A great pop coup, part tabloid headlines, part Joycean “Ithaca.” —The Village Voice (Favorite Books of ) My favorite fantasy writer. —Alan Cheuse, NPR All Things Considered Her stories have the vibrancy, the buzzing resonance and the oddly insistent quality of dreams. —Andrew O’Hehir, New York Times Book Review Her rare and beautiful strangeness provides the real rapture. —Daniel Mendelsohn, New York Magazine Stranger Things Happen is a tremendously appealing book, and lovers of short fiction should fall over themselves getting out the door to find a copy. —Gregory Feeley, Washington Post Book World Link’s stories defy explanation, or at least, brief summary, instead working on the plane between dream and cognitive dissonance. They are true to themselves: witty, beautiful, funny, and startling. —Rain Taxi Sly and charming, tart and wise. —Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle Quirky and exuberantly imagined . the best shed a warm, weird light on their worlds, illumi- nating fresh perspectives and fantastic possibilities. —Publishers Weekly 00-mfb-front 1 7/25/05, 11:38 AM Strange and tantalizing stories . blurring the distinctions between the mundane and the fantastic to tease out the underlying meanings of modern life. —Booklist Satisfying, bizarre, hilarious and beautiful. —Juliet Waters, Montreal Mirror “Catskin” is a fascinating fairy tale that finds its own complex internal logic and spins out a lively, visceral, unpredictable plot. —The Onion A dexterous use of language. Link references fairy tales, mythology, and bits of our com- mon contemporary cultural experience, not to offer commentary but to take off on her own original riffs. Stylistic pyrotechnics light up a bizarre but emotionally truthful landscape. Link’s a writer to watch. —Kirkus Reviews Stranger Things Happen is one of the very best books I have ever read. These stories will amaze, provoke, and intrigue. Best of all, they will delight. —Fred Chappell, Family Gathering Kelly Link’s stories . will sit in my library on that very short shelf of books I read again and again. For those who think Fantasy tired, Stranger Things Happen is a wake-up call. —Jeffrey Ford, The Girl in the Glass Dazzling, funny, scary, and sexy, but only when they’re not all of these at once. Kelly Link has strangeness, charm and spin to spare. Writers better than this don’t happen. —Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club Link’s writing is gorgeous, mischievous, sexy and unsettling. —Nalo Hopkinson, The Salt Roads Kelly Link is the exact best and strangest and funniest short story writer on earth that you have never heard of at the exact moment you are reading these words and making them slightly inexact. Now pay for the book. —Jonathan Lethem, The Fortress of Solitude I’ve not been so moved and affected—and dammit, yes, inspired—by a book for a long time. —China Miéville, Iron Council Few writers render the textures of daily life, the terrible entwine of its ordinariness and its marvels, as well as Link. —James Sallis, Cypress Grove 00-mfb-front 2 7/25/05, 11:38 AM 00-mfb-front 3 7/25/05, 11:38 AM 00-mfb-front 4 7/25/05, 11:38 AM 00-mfb-front 5 7/25/05, 11:38 AM 00-mfb-front 6 7/25/05, 11:38 AM Small Beer Press Northampton, MA 00-mfb-front 7 7/25/05, 11:38 AM This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Copyright © by Kelly Link. Some rights reserved. Creative Commons License Summary: Creative Commons License Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Creative Commons may be contacted at www.creativecommons.org This book is governed by Creative Commons licenses that permit its unlimited noncommercial redistribution, which means that you’re welcome to share them with anyone you think will want to see them. If you do some- thing with the book you think we’d be interested in please email ([email protected]) and tell us.