Another very, very quick book post, sadly. (Gotta make them when I can...)
As its title indicates, Coyote Road is an anthology about trickster tales from around the world(though, also as indicated by the title, more focused on American folklore than European or Eastern folklore and myth, which is what I prefer) Like it's sibling anthology, The Faery Reel, Coyote Road is entirely comprised of very solid stories, ranging from "good" to "really good," as opposed to the anthology standard of "ok" to "pretty good."
I've always liked trickster tales, so I-rightly-assumed that I would like this one. Though, I've always preferred tricksters, malevolent or benevolent, protagonist or antagonist, to be a smaller part of a larger story, as opposed to the main focus. Even the ones you hate add a lot to a tale. Oddly, no one (or several) story stood out above and beyond the rest, unlike Faery Reel. which is not to say that any were bad or unmemorable, just that they were all good. The ones I liked the best-Nina Kiriki Hoffman's The Listeners, Christopher Barzak's Realer Than You, Delia Sherman's The Fiddler of Bayou Teche, Richard Bowes's A Tale For the Short Days, Charles de Lint's Crow Roads and Ellen Kushner's Honored Guest-were stories that stood out because I'm always attracted to the basic myth and original tales behind them, and as such was naturally disposed to like them more.
One thing it let me down on, though: no kitsune tales. I was sad. I feel deprived.
Anyway, very, very good book, highly recommended for fans of folklore and trickster tales.
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