An odd couple patrols a county full of mythological beasts and ornery locals. A familiar youngster from the world of The Last Unicorn is gifted in magic but terrible at spell-casting. A seemingly incorruptible judge meets his match in a mysterious thief who steals his heart. Two old friends discover that the Overneath goes anywhere, including locations better left unvisited.
Lyrical, witty, and insightful, The Overneath is Peter S. Beagle's much-anticipated return to the short form. In these uniquely beautiful and wholly original tales, with new and uncollected work, Beagle once again proves himself a master of the imagination
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[No, his father brought him to me; that story about him wandering out of the woods to my door is just that - a foolish tale that no mere fact seems capable of putting to rest (THE GREEN-EYED BOY)]***
(Tachyon Publications, 7 November 2017, ARC provided by the publisher and voluntarily reviewed)
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Stories:
- The Green-Eyed Boy
- The Story Of Kao Yu
- My Son Heydari And The Karkadann
- The Queen Who Could Not Walk
- Trinity County, CA: You'll Want To Come Again And We'll Be Glad To See You!
- The Way It Works Out And All
- Kaskia
- Schmendrick Alone
- Great-Grandmother In The Cellar
- Underbridge
- The Very Nasty Aquarium
- Music, When Soft Voices Die
- Olfert Dapper's Day
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This is only my second time reading this author. I've clearly been missing out.
I loved this collection of stories. Every story was well-written, compelling and just fantastic. I liked the fact that no two stories were the same, they're all different even if some of the themes and ideas are the same.
The stories in The Overneath remind me of the short fiction of George R. R. Martin. This is a compliment, believe me. Martin's short fiction is amazing.
My favourites were The Way It Works Out and All, Great-Grandmother In The Cellar, Underbridge and The Very Nasty Aquarium. I enjoyed all of the stories but these shone a little brighter.
