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Lord Ermenwyr
The Best of Kage Baker
Kage Baker’s death in 2010 silenced one of the most distinctive, consistently engaging voices in contemporary fiction. A late starter, Baker published her first short stories in 1997, at the age of forty-five. From then until the end of her life, she wrote prolifically and well, leaving an astonishing body of work behind.
The Best of Kage Baker is a treasure trove that gathers together twenty stories and novellas, eleven of which have never been collected anywhere. The volume is bookended by a pair of tales from her best known and best loved creation: The Company, with its vivid cast of time traveling immortals. In “Noble Mold,” Mendoza the botanist and Joseph, the ancient “facilitator,” find themselves in 19th century California, where a straightforward acquisition grows unexpectedly complex, requiring, in the end, a carefully engineered “miracle.” In “The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park,” an autistic Company operative named Ezra encounters a lost soul named Kristy Ann, and finds a way to give her back the world that she has lost.
Among the volume’s many other highlights are a pair of brilliant Company novellas: the Hugo Award-nominated “Son, Observe the Time” and “Welcome to Olympos, Mr. Hearst,” a tour de force set in the Hollywood of the 1930s and featuring an encounter with legendary newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. There is also a generous assortment of equally brilliant standalone tales, including “Calamari Curls,” the account of a faded resort town that takes a surprising turn into Lovecraftian terrain, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated “Caverns of Mystery,” in which ancient stories play themselves out repeatedly, shaping and altering the world around them.
These are only a few of the pleasures waiting within this book. The Best of Kage Baker is exactly what the title proclaims: the best short work of a gifted and irreplaceable writer. Anyone with an interest in first-rate imaginative fiction – anyone with an interest in lovingly crafted fiction of any kind – needs to read this book.
The Best of Kage Baker is a treasure trove that gathers together twenty stories and novellas, eleven of which have never been collected anywhere. The volume is bookended by a pair of tales from her best known and best loved creation: The Company, with its vivid cast of time traveling immortals. In “Noble Mold,” Mendoza the botanist and Joseph, the ancient “facilitator,” find themselves in 19th century California, where a straightforward acquisition grows unexpectedly complex, requiring, in the end, a carefully engineered “miracle.” In “The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park,” an autistic Company operative named Ezra encounters a lost soul named Kristy Ann, and finds a way to give her back the world that she has lost.
Among the volume’s many other highlights are a pair of brilliant Company novellas: the Hugo Award-nominated “Son, Observe the Time” and “Welcome to Olympos, Mr. Hearst,” a tour de force set in the Hollywood of the 1930s and featuring an encounter with legendary newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. There is also a generous assortment of equally brilliant standalone tales, including “Calamari Curls,” the account of a faded resort town that takes a surprising turn into Lovecraftian terrain, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated “Caverns of Mystery,” in which ancient stories play themselves out repeatedly, shaping and altering the world around them.
These are only a few of the pleasures waiting within this book. The Best of Kage Baker is exactly what the title proclaims: the best short work of a gifted and irreplaceable writer. Anyone with an interest in first-rate imaginative fiction – anyone with an interest in lovingly crafted fiction of any kind – needs to read this book.
501 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2012
31 people are currently reading
470 people want to read
About the author
Kage Baker
162 books357 followersBorn June 10, 1952, in Hollywood, California, and grew up there and in Pismo Beach, present home. Spent 12 years in assorted navy blue uniforms obtaining a good parochial school education and numerous emotional scars. Rapier wit developed as defense mechanism to deflect rage of larger and more powerful children who took offense at abrasive, condescending and arrogant personality in a sickly eight-year-old. Family: 2 parents, 6 siblings, 4 nieces, 2 nephews. Husbands: 0. Children: 0.
Prior occupations: graphic artist and mural painter, several lower clerical positions which could in no way be construed as a career, and (over a period of years for the Living History Centre) playwright, bit player, director, teacher of Elizabethan English for the stage, stage manager and educational program assistant coordinator. Presently reengaged in the above-listed capacities for the LHC's triumphant reincarnation, AS YOU LIKE IT PRODUCTIONS.
20 years of total immersion research in Elizabethan as well as other historical periods has paid off handsomely in a working knowledge of period speech and details.
In spare time (ha) reads: any old sea stories by Marryat, the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brien, the Hornblower books, ANYTHING by Robert Louis Stevenson, Raymond Chandler, Thorne Smith, Herman Melville (except Pierre, or the Ambiguities, which stinks) Somerset Maugham, George MacDonald Frasier.
Now happily settled in beautiful Pismo Beach, Clam Capital of the World, in charming seaside flat which is unfortunately not haunted by ghost of dashing sea captain. Avid gardener, birdwatcher, spinster aunt and Jethro Tull fan.
http://www.sfwa.org/2010/01/rip-kage-...
Prior occupations: graphic artist and mural painter, several lower clerical positions which could in no way be construed as a career, and (over a period of years for the Living History Centre) playwright, bit player, director, teacher of Elizabethan English for the stage, stage manager and educational program assistant coordinator. Presently reengaged in the above-listed capacities for the LHC's triumphant reincarnation, AS YOU LIKE IT PRODUCTIONS.
20 years of total immersion research in Elizabethan as well as other historical periods has paid off handsomely in a working knowledge of period speech and details.
In spare time (ha) reads: any old sea stories by Marryat, the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brien, the Hornblower books, ANYTHING by Robert Louis Stevenson, Raymond Chandler, Thorne Smith, Herman Melville (except Pierre, or the Ambiguities, which stinks) Somerset Maugham, George MacDonald Frasier.
Now happily settled in beautiful Pismo Beach, Clam Capital of the World, in charming seaside flat which is unfortunately not haunted by ghost of dashing sea captain. Avid gardener, birdwatcher, spinster aunt and Jethro Tull fan.
http://www.sfwa.org/2010/01/rip-kage-...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 28, 2014
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
The more I read Kage Baker, the more I love Kage Baker. Of the hundreds of speculative fiction authors I’ve read, I rank Kage Baker in the top ten. Maybe top five. She’s that amazing. I love her clever imagination and her style which is unembellished, straightforward, and full of wit and charm. Which is why I was jumping up and down when the nearly 500-page story collection called The Best of Kage Baker showed up on my doorstep.
This collection, published by Subterranean Press, contains 20 excellent stories; nine have been published in five previous collections and eleven are uncollected. Several are set in the world of Baker’s most famous creation: THE COMPANY. Here are the stories you’ll find in The Best of Kage Baker:
1. “Noble Mold” — (1997, Asimov's Science Fiction) Mendoza, the Company botanist, is sent to collect an important vine from an Indian mission in California, but the Indians refuse to give it up. Joseph, acting as a Roman Catholic priest, has to play a trick on them to get the precious vine out of their hands.
2. “Old Flat Top” — (2002, Black Projects, White Knights) A Cro-Magnon boy climbs a mountain searching for God. It turns out that God is a Company Enforcer.
3. “Hanuman” — (2002, Asimov’s Science Fiction) When Mendoza meets a pre-human hominid at a Company R&R facility and hears his story about how he visited his chimpanzee surrogate mother, Mendoza must consider her own feelings about being human.
4. “Son Observe The Time” — (1999, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Hugo nominee) Before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a group of Company operatives is sent on a mission to preserve the city’s important relics before they are destroyed. This story is full of magnificent imagery and will likely bring tears to the eyes of anyone who loves that city. You can almost feel the earth starting to tremble... what a beautiful story.
5. “Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst” — (2003, Asimov’s Science Fiction) Joseph and Lewis visit the mansion of media magnate Walter Randolph Hearst. The Company wants to make a deal with the inestimable Mr. Hearst.
6. “The Catch” — (2004, Asimov’s Science Fiction) Clete and Porfirio are tracking a dangerous rogue Company operative who used to be a freckle-faced baseball- and cowboy-loving All-American boy from 1951.
7. “Leaving His Cares Behind” — (2004, Asimov’s Science Fiction) This is a sequel to Baker’s novel The House of the Stag, which I loved. The spoiled loafing son of the King of the Mountain and the Saint of the World needs some spending money. It was such a pleasure to revisit this world.
8. “What the Tyger Told Her” — (2001, Realms of Fantasy) A caged Tyger advises a young girl about life. Using her family members as examples, he demonstrates that to get what you want in life, you should not talk too much and you should never underestimate your opponents.
9. “Calamari Curls” — (2006, Dark Mondays) In this silly tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, the owner of the Chowder Palace restaurant (whose customers seem to all be missing body parts) hires a transgender mime to ruin the business of the new Calamari Curls restaurant that opened across the street. In this story we learn the real words to the song Louie, Louie.
10. “Maelstrom” — (2007, The New Space Opera) On Mars, a rich man uses his money to build the Edgar Allan Poe playhouse. Now where is he going to find some decent actors?
11. “Speed, Speed the Cable” — (2008, Extraordinary Engines) The Society is involved in a covert operation to prevent sabotage to the world’s first transatlantic communications wire. While they’re at it, they install a little something extra for themselves. This story ends with a thoughtful vignette about copyright and internet piracy.
12. “Caverns of Mystery” — (2008, Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy, World Fantasy Award nominee) This spooky story is about a girl who has the curse of being able to see phantoms from the past. While on a beach vacation with her family, she is drawn to the caverns which have an old sad story to tell.
13. “Are You Afflicted With Dragons?” — (2009, The Dragon Book) A hotel owner can’t get rid of the dragons roosting on his roof until he meets a man in the marketplace who offers to do the job for free... For free... Really?
14. “I Begyn as I Meane to Go On” — (2008, Fast Ships, Black Sails) Slaves escaped from Barbados are picked up by some unlucky pirates and eventually find themselves hunting treasure on a creepy booby-trapped island. There’s not much fantasy here – it’s just a thrilling pirate adventure that would make a great movie.
15. “The Ruby Incomparable” — (2007, Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy) We return again to the world of The House of the Stag in this story about the headstrong daughter of the King of the Mountain and the Saint of the World. I love this world and its inhabitants and this story seemed like just a fun frolic until the poignant end that brought tears to my eyes. This is a story for parents, and especially for mothers.
16. “Plotters and Shooters” — (2007, Fast Forward) This hilarious story is about a colony of geeks who plot and shoot asteroids above the planet Mars. The Shooters have enslaved the inferior Plotters, but when a new plotter arrives, geek civil war ensues. I laughed all the way through this story.
17. “The Faithful” — (2003, New Voices in Science Fiction) Two temple priestesses are in danger of losing their faith when their goddess is replaced with a new religion. If you’ve never read this clever story, I guarantee that as soon as you read the last paragraph, you’ll go right back to the beginning and read it again. I love stories that make me do that. This was one of my favorites.
18. “Leaping Lover” — (2007, The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits) In letters to a friend, a delusional narcissistic lady explains how Spring-Heeled Jack has fallen in love with her. Another hilarious story.
19. “Bad Machine” — (2005, Asimov’s Science Fiction) The 16 year old son of a parliamentarian living in an Orwellian future England has been noticed by the authorities because he’s been ordering too many condoms by mail. His computer, which manifests as a pirate, must “patch” things up.
20. “The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park” — (original) A Company operative whose surgery was unsuccessful is used only as a living camera to document decades of change in Sutro Park in San Francisco. As the park declines, so also does a little girl who grows up and eventually deteriorates into madness as she fights to preserve the park she loves. I cried at the end of this story, too.
In my experience, story collections are almost always a mixed bag, but The Best of Kage Baker is not. Even those I’d read before were welcome re-reads. I enjoyed every single story in this collection. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the honest truth that nearly every one of them made me think, smile, laugh, or cry. What can be better than that? And at the very end, I wanted to cry just because Kage Baker, who died a couple of years ago, will write no more of her wonderful stories. We have lost such a great talent.
The Best of Kage Baker is one of the best story collections I’ve ever read. I will treasure this volume. Please don’t ask me if you can borrow it.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
The more I read Kage Baker, the more I love Kage Baker. Of the hundreds of speculative fiction authors I’ve read, I rank Kage Baker in the top ten. Maybe top five. She’s that amazing. I love her clever imagination and her style which is unembellished, straightforward, and full of wit and charm. Which is why I was jumping up and down when the nearly 500-page story collection called The Best of Kage Baker showed up on my doorstep.
This collection, published by Subterranean Press, contains 20 excellent stories; nine have been published in five previous collections and eleven are uncollected. Several are set in the world of Baker’s most famous creation: THE COMPANY. Here are the stories you’ll find in The Best of Kage Baker:
1. “Noble Mold” — (1997, Asimov's Science Fiction) Mendoza, the Company botanist, is sent to collect an important vine from an Indian mission in California, but the Indians refuse to give it up. Joseph, acting as a Roman Catholic priest, has to play a trick on them to get the precious vine out of their hands.
2. “Old Flat Top” — (2002, Black Projects, White Knights) A Cro-Magnon boy climbs a mountain searching for God. It turns out that God is a Company Enforcer.
3. “Hanuman” — (2002, Asimov’s Science Fiction) When Mendoza meets a pre-human hominid at a Company R&R facility and hears his story about how he visited his chimpanzee surrogate mother, Mendoza must consider her own feelings about being human.
4. “Son Observe The Time” — (1999, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Hugo nominee) Before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a group of Company operatives is sent on a mission to preserve the city’s important relics before they are destroyed. This story is full of magnificent imagery and will likely bring tears to the eyes of anyone who loves that city. You can almost feel the earth starting to tremble... what a beautiful story.
5. “Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst” — (2003, Asimov’s Science Fiction) Joseph and Lewis visit the mansion of media magnate Walter Randolph Hearst. The Company wants to make a deal with the inestimable Mr. Hearst.
6. “The Catch” — (2004, Asimov’s Science Fiction) Clete and Porfirio are tracking a dangerous rogue Company operative who used to be a freckle-faced baseball- and cowboy-loving All-American boy from 1951.
7. “Leaving His Cares Behind” — (2004, Asimov’s Science Fiction) This is a sequel to Baker’s novel The House of the Stag, which I loved. The spoiled loafing son of the King of the Mountain and the Saint of the World needs some spending money. It was such a pleasure to revisit this world.
8. “What the Tyger Told Her” — (2001, Realms of Fantasy) A caged Tyger advises a young girl about life. Using her family members as examples, he demonstrates that to get what you want in life, you should not talk too much and you should never underestimate your opponents.
9. “Calamari Curls” — (2006, Dark Mondays) In this silly tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, the owner of the Chowder Palace restaurant (whose customers seem to all be missing body parts) hires a transgender mime to ruin the business of the new Calamari Curls restaurant that opened across the street. In this story we learn the real words to the song Louie, Louie.
10. “Maelstrom” — (2007, The New Space Opera) On Mars, a rich man uses his money to build the Edgar Allan Poe playhouse. Now where is he going to find some decent actors?
11. “Speed, Speed the Cable” — (2008, Extraordinary Engines) The Society is involved in a covert operation to prevent sabotage to the world’s first transatlantic communications wire. While they’re at it, they install a little something extra for themselves. This story ends with a thoughtful vignette about copyright and internet piracy.
12. “Caverns of Mystery” — (2008, Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy, World Fantasy Award nominee) This spooky story is about a girl who has the curse of being able to see phantoms from the past. While on a beach vacation with her family, she is drawn to the caverns which have an old sad story to tell.
13. “Are You Afflicted With Dragons?” — (2009, The Dragon Book) A hotel owner can’t get rid of the dragons roosting on his roof until he meets a man in the marketplace who offers to do the job for free... For free... Really?
14. “I Begyn as I Meane to Go On” — (2008, Fast Ships, Black Sails) Slaves escaped from Barbados are picked up by some unlucky pirates and eventually find themselves hunting treasure on a creepy booby-trapped island. There’s not much fantasy here – it’s just a thrilling pirate adventure that would make a great movie.
15. “The Ruby Incomparable” — (2007, Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy) We return again to the world of The House of the Stag in this story about the headstrong daughter of the King of the Mountain and the Saint of the World. I love this world and its inhabitants and this story seemed like just a fun frolic until the poignant end that brought tears to my eyes. This is a story for parents, and especially for mothers.
16. “Plotters and Shooters” — (2007, Fast Forward) This hilarious story is about a colony of geeks who plot and shoot asteroids above the planet Mars. The Shooters have enslaved the inferior Plotters, but when a new plotter arrives, geek civil war ensues. I laughed all the way through this story.
17. “The Faithful” — (2003, New Voices in Science Fiction) Two temple priestesses are in danger of losing their faith when their goddess is replaced with a new religion. If you’ve never read this clever story, I guarantee that as soon as you read the last paragraph, you’ll go right back to the beginning and read it again. I love stories that make me do that. This was one of my favorites.
18. “Leaping Lover” — (2007, The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits) In letters to a friend, a delusional narcissistic lady explains how Spring-Heeled Jack has fallen in love with her. Another hilarious story.
19. “Bad Machine” — (2005, Asimov’s Science Fiction) The 16 year old son of a parliamentarian living in an Orwellian future England has been noticed by the authorities because he’s been ordering too many condoms by mail. His computer, which manifests as a pirate, must “patch” things up.
20. “The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park” — (original) A Company operative whose surgery was unsuccessful is used only as a living camera to document decades of change in Sutro Park in San Francisco. As the park declines, so also does a little girl who grows up and eventually deteriorates into madness as she fights to preserve the park she loves. I cried at the end of this story, too.
In my experience, story collections are almost always a mixed bag, but The Best of Kage Baker is not. Even those I’d read before were welcome re-reads. I enjoyed every single story in this collection. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the honest truth that nearly every one of them made me think, smile, laugh, or cry. What can be better than that? And at the very end, I wanted to cry just because Kage Baker, who died a couple of years ago, will write no more of her wonderful stories. We have lost such a great talent.
The Best of Kage Baker is one of the best story collections I’ve ever read. I will treasure this volume. Please don’t ask me if you can borrow it.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
December 24, 2021
I don't remember how this one came across my bow, but I think it was the review by my friend Renee. I had never heard of Kage Baker before this but I'm glad I have now. She was an excellent writer. The stories range across speculative fiction, SF, fantasy, weird, and a smattering of non-genre styles. Several are in a setting based on a Company that rescues objects of art from disasters / wars / etc. in the past to preserve them in the future. A lot of those were my favorites. As with any collection like this a few of the stories weren't to my taste, but overall a very enjoyable run.
May 26, 2012
If you are an avid Kage Baker follower, you have probably read most of these stories. The only ones which had not previously appeared in an anthology or collection were "Bad Machine" and "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park." (I had not read "The Faithful", though — it seems not to have appeared anywhere since its 2003 appearance in New Voices In Science Fiction.) For a full listing of the contents of this collection, see here.
I had been looking forward to reading "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park" ever since it was mentioned on Baker's web site, before her death in 2010. The immortal cyborgs of the Company series plus public gardens, a topic which interests me extremely? Yes please. (For pictures of and information about the carpet beds, see this page and this page, particularly page 2. For a very info-dense history about the park that is probably more detail than most people will care for, see this PDF.)
"Carpet Beds" does not involve any characters we had seen before. Rather, it features Ezra — a cyborg whose transformation from human to machine rendered him unable to speak — and Kristy, a human whose transformation from shy teenager to lonely woman and finally elderly cancer patient he can only watch. Given that Kage Baker knew what it was like to try to resist cancer and die from it anyway — this is a heartbreaking story.
If you are a fan of the Company series, then "Carpet Beds" is a must-read. I felt that "Bad Machine" (an story of adolescent Alec) provided some interesting background. "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst" and "Son Observe the Time" are must-reads too, if you haven't read them. ("Son" appears partly but not entirely in The Children of the Company, IIRC.) If you haven't read the series and think you might like to, then I recommend Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers or Sky Coyote as a starting point, depending on whether you prefer to read short stories or novels. This will expose you to a wide range of Baker's writings, but personally, I think it's not the best place to start.
The cover art is gorgeous, and the interior illustrations are nice but suffer somewhat by not being printed in color or designed from the first (I suspect) for greyscale printing. I think the anthology suffers somewhat by not having any supplementary material about these stories, whether produced by Kage Baker before her death, or by her sister Kathleen after it. (For Kathleen's post-Kage writings, see this blog.)
I had been looking forward to reading "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park" ever since it was mentioned on Baker's web site, before her death in 2010. The immortal cyborgs of the Company series plus public gardens, a topic which interests me extremely? Yes please. (For pictures of and information about the carpet beds, see this page and this page, particularly page 2. For a very info-dense history about the park that is probably more detail than most people will care for, see this PDF.)
"Carpet Beds" does not involve any characters we had seen before. Rather, it features Ezra — a cyborg whose transformation from human to machine rendered him unable to speak — and Kristy, a human whose transformation from shy teenager to lonely woman and finally elderly cancer patient he can only watch. Given that Kage Baker knew what it was like to try to resist cancer and die from it anyway — this is a heartbreaking story.
If you are a fan of the Company series, then "Carpet Beds" is a must-read. I felt that "Bad Machine" (an story of adolescent Alec) provided some interesting background. "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst" and "Son Observe the Time" are must-reads too, if you haven't read them. ("Son" appears partly but not entirely in The Children of the Company, IIRC.) If you haven't read the series and think you might like to, then I recommend Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers or Sky Coyote as a starting point, depending on whether you prefer to read short stories or novels. This will expose you to a wide range of Baker's writings, but personally, I think it's not the best place to start.
The cover art is gorgeous, and the interior illustrations are nice but suffer somewhat by not being printed in color or designed from the first (I suspect) for greyscale printing. I think the anthology suffers somewhat by not having any supplementary material about these stories, whether produced by Kage Baker before her death, or by her sister Kathleen after it. (For Kathleen's post-Kage writings, see this blog.)
July 25, 2016
1/18/13 These short stories are amazing! I love her range, satirical whimsy, and humor.
7/22/16 Reread once again. It was so fun revisiting these stories once again. She was a master!
On a separate note, I was blown away by the beauty of the cover art, chapter art and book design for this. This artist and Kage Baker are perfect for each other. The book design was just lovely, and particularly for a e-book, I find that incredibly rare. KUDOS!
...Now, I must be off to reread The Anvil of the World et al. I forgot just how much I loved that trilogy--was reminded by reading the Lord Ermenwyr/Smith stories here. (I'm also sporadically rereading "The Company" series.)
7/22/16 Reread once again. It was so fun revisiting these stories once again. She was a master!
On a separate note, I was blown away by the beauty of the cover art, chapter art and book design for this. This artist and Kage Baker are perfect for each other. The book design was just lovely, and particularly for a e-book, I find that incredibly rare. KUDOS!
...Now, I must be off to reread The Anvil of the World et al. I forgot just how much I loved that trilogy--was reminded by reading the Lord Ermenwyr/Smith stories here. (I'm also sporadically rereading "The Company" series.)
December 7, 2020
I bought this on a whim because it was on sale, and I'm glad I did.
Baker's writing voice is like a fresh apple: crisp and delicious. I stayed fully immersed in each story, never wandering off to do other things, unless it was to look up historical references I found interesting.
I loved the stories of the humanoids traveling through time to collect artifacts for The Company. The demon-saint family ones were also fun. I bounced hard off the story where Baker's disabled-villain main character misgenders someone repeatedly, and there's a dystopian tale that missed for me as well, but the rest of the collection kept me turning pages.
Baker's writing voice is like a fresh apple: crisp and delicious. I stayed fully immersed in each story, never wandering off to do other things, unless it was to look up historical references I found interesting.
I loved the stories of the humanoids traveling through time to collect artifacts for The Company. The demon-saint family ones were also fun. I bounced hard off the story where Baker's disabled-villain main character misgenders someone repeatedly, and there's a dystopian tale that missed for me as well, but the rest of the collection kept me turning pages.
May 12, 2022
♦"Noble Mold" (Company) re-read 8/2/2015
"Old Flat-Top"
"Hanuman"
"Son, Observe the Time"
"Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst"
♦"The Catch" RE-read 8/2/2015
♦ "Leaving His Cares Behind" (Anvil of the World) 4/5/2004
♦ "What the Tyger Told Her" read in Realms of Fantasy Nov 11, 2000 re-read 6/1/2001
♦ "Calamari Curls" read to Lisa 7/25/2014
"Maelstrom"
"Speed, Speed the Cable"
"Caverns of Mystery"
♦ "Are You Afflicted With Dragons" RE-read 7/9/2015
"I Begyn As I Meane To Go On"
"The Ruby Incomparable"
"Plotters and Shooters"
"The Faithful"
"The Leaping Lover"
"Bad Machine" red in Asimov's #353 5/2/2005
♦ "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park" was original to this collection (reprinted in In the Company of Thieves) re-read (aloud to Lisa) on Dec 11, 2014
"Old Flat-Top"
"Hanuman"
"Son, Observe the Time"
"Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst"
♦"The Catch" RE-read 8/2/2015
♦ "Leaving His Cares Behind" (Anvil of the World) 4/5/2004
♦ "What the Tyger Told Her" read in Realms of Fantasy Nov 11, 2000 re-read 6/1/2001
♦ "Calamari Curls" read to Lisa 7/25/2014
"Maelstrom"
"Speed, Speed the Cable"
"Caverns of Mystery"
♦ "Are You Afflicted With Dragons" RE-read 7/9/2015
"I Begyn As I Meane To Go On"
"The Ruby Incomparable"
"Plotters and Shooters"
"The Faithful"
"The Leaping Lover"
"Bad Machine" red in Asimov's #353 5/2/2005
♦ "The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park" was original to this collection (reprinted in In the Company of Thieves) re-read (aloud to Lisa) on Dec 11, 2014
May 12, 2016
Worth the price just for the comically Lovecraftian "Calamari Curls," and the Poe on Mars episode "Maelstrom." But there aren't any duds.
Notable notes:
The Master of the Mountain's nursery decor in "Leaving His Cares Behind": "Halfway up the walls was a mural painted in tones of pink and pale blue, featuring baby rabbits involved in unlikely pastimes."
Also, in "Maelstrom," the theatrical "Maelstromettes."
Notable notes:
The Master of the Mountain's nursery decor in "Leaving His Cares Behind": "Halfway up the walls was a mural painted in tones of pink and pale blue, featuring baby rabbits involved in unlikely pastimes."
Also, in "Maelstrom," the theatrical "Maelstromettes."
May 15, 2012
Kage Baker left us far too soon. Her untimely death in 2010, at age 57, was an immense loss for the science fiction and fantasy world, but she’s sure to pop up on recommended reading lists for many years to come thanks to the treasure trove of genre fiction she left us, spread across about a dozen novels and several short story collections.
The Best of Kage Baker is a brand new collection from Subterranean Press containing twenty examples of her brilliant short fiction as well as a set of beautiful, eerie illustrations by J.K. Potter.
Baker will probably always be best known for her historical time travel science fiction series about the Company, starting with her memorable debut novel In the Garden of Iden. The first four novels in the series were originally published by Harcourt and, for the mass market paperback editions, the Avon Books SF imprint Eos. After The Graveyard Game, the series ended up in limbo for years until Tor picked it up. During that period, Golden Gryphon released a beautiful (but at the time somewhat confusing) collection of stories called Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers. After this, dedicated fans could occasionally find new Company short stories online and in magazines, but it took some work to get your Company fix and, mostly, it was a frustrating waiting game. Thank goodness Tor finally re-released the out-of-print early books and published the long-awaited concluding volumes.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
The Best of Kage Baker is a brand new collection from Subterranean Press containing twenty examples of her brilliant short fiction as well as a set of beautiful, eerie illustrations by J.K. Potter.
Baker will probably always be best known for her historical time travel science fiction series about the Company, starting with her memorable debut novel In the Garden of Iden. The first four novels in the series were originally published by Harcourt and, for the mass market paperback editions, the Avon Books SF imprint Eos. After The Graveyard Game, the series ended up in limbo for years until Tor picked it up. During that period, Golden Gryphon released a beautiful (but at the time somewhat confusing) collection of stories called Black Projects, White Knights: The Company Dossiers. After this, dedicated fans could occasionally find new Company short stories online and in magazines, but it took some work to get your Company fix and, mostly, it was a frustrating waiting game. Thank goodness Tor finally re-released the out-of-print early books and published the long-awaited concluding volumes.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
July 4, 2018
Excellence in speculative fiction is almost an oxymoron. So much dreck fantasy and so little real literature. I found this book in the library 4 or 5 years ago and was overwhelmed. Not long after finishing the book I started reading the Company books more or less in order and then found out that Kage Baker had died a year or two before I started reading her excellent books. What a great loss to the sci fi world and to humanity—Kage Baker’s unique writing is beautiful, dark, humorous and a splendid example of what makes great sci fi literature. Bold plots, excellent descriptions and believable dialogue along with roller coaster twists and turns.
This is a great start for anyone interested in time travel, adventure and historical fiction. But beware, you’ll come back and read this again a few years from now to put all of the puzzle pieces together again after reading the other Company novels and short stories!
This is a great start for anyone interested in time travel, adventure and historical fiction. But beware, you’ll come back and read this again a few years from now to put all of the puzzle pieces together again after reading the other Company novels and short stories!
April 18, 2024
Short story collections are not always my thing, but this "Best of" collection was a good introduction to Kage Baker. The stories ranged from science fiction/time travel, fantasy/magical realism/Horror, etc. Some might even be enjoyable to those who like historical fiction.
My public library seems to have mostly Baker's "Lord Ermenwyr" series, but I'll admit that the story clearly including that character was pretty much my LEAST favorite of the collection. The time travel series, of which there are quite a few stories, definitely appealed more to me.
Even those stories I didn't particularly like often had memorable parts that made me think.
The final eleven stories were previously uncollected and I enjoyed a number of them: the humorous situation included in "Are You Afflicted with Dragons," which did make me think of the "Pern" books, even though they weren't really similar; "The Ruby Incomparable" definitely speaks to those of us who are parents; raising children to choose their own paths can be fraught with turmoil!; and "The Leaping Lover." That last one rather drove me crazy while reading, at first. But this Regency-style epistolary story became more intriguing because of the sheer vanity pf the letter writer is so over-the top. I started thinking that someone might be able to write a mystery series based on the idea of a main character that thinks he/she is so wonderful/beautiful/smart, etc. while it's those she scorns that really solve the case. I was thinking all this before the story ended, so I'll not include, here, how that story actually ended.
So, there is definite worth to many readers in reading this collection. It is over 500 pages long, so may appear daunting; but that's the good thing about short stories... you don't have to read them all or at the same time!
My public library seems to have mostly Baker's "Lord Ermenwyr" series, but I'll admit that the story clearly including that character was pretty much my LEAST favorite of the collection. The time travel series, of which there are quite a few stories, definitely appealed more to me.
Even those stories I didn't particularly like often had memorable parts that made me think.
The final eleven stories were previously uncollected and I enjoyed a number of them: the humorous situation included in "Are You Afflicted with Dragons," which did make me think of the "Pern" books, even though they weren't really similar; "The Ruby Incomparable" definitely speaks to those of us who are parents; raising children to choose their own paths can be fraught with turmoil!; and "The Leaping Lover." That last one rather drove me crazy while reading, at first. But this Regency-style epistolary story became more intriguing because of the sheer vanity pf the letter writer is so over-the top. I started thinking that someone might be able to write a mystery series based on the idea of a main character that thinks he/she is so wonderful/beautiful/smart, etc. while it's those she scorns that really solve the case. I was thinking all this before the story ended, so I'll not include, here, how that story actually ended.
So, there is definite worth to many readers in reading this collection. It is over 500 pages long, so may appear daunting; but that's the good thing about short stories... you don't have to read them all or at the same time!
August 17, 2019
Writing: detailed and articulate. Evocative and engaging.
Plot & pacing: some stories I liked more than others, but each one was unique.
Characters: since these are all short stories there isn’t a lot of development throughout but that’s understandable.
Overall: thoroughly enjoyed it
Would recommend: yes
Plot & pacing: some stories I liked more than others, but each one was unique.
Characters: since these are all short stories there isn’t a lot of development throughout but that’s understandable.
Overall: thoroughly enjoyed it
Would recommend: yes
May 7, 2018
Always a delight
You just can’t fail with Kage Baker. If you want thoughtful diversion, this is the way to go. I loved the short story format and that not all stories were about the Company. Great for my lunchtime reading.
You just can’t fail with Kage Baker. If you want thoughtful diversion, this is the way to go. I loved the short story format and that not all stories were about the Company. Great for my lunchtime reading.
July 29, 2018
I think this book of short stories must have been released under another name at some point, because I'd read nearly all of them before. Kage Baker is a great writer so it was still a good read, but I do get annoyed when I accidentally re-read things.
January 3, 2022
Finally found the e-book. Thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable, and satisfying. Kage Baker was an excellent storyteller. This collection includes short stories from the worlds she created and a few unexpected treasures.
May 21, 2013
“You are such a poser! Changes is a best of!”
-Henchman #21, The Venture Brothers
Ah, the eternal debate for the SuperFan – do you buy every book / album / action figure / sticker collection to show you are true and dedicated to your fandom? Or do you disdain such collections as a mere capitalistic ploy?
Personally, I dodged the question by splitting hairs and getting the book from the library.
I skimmed past everything I had already read and/or anything that was not a Company story. (It would have REALLY helped if the stories were arranged by universe rather than which prior collection they had come from. And no WAY was I reading the WTF drawing room horror show of ‘What the Tyger Told Her’ again!)
Also, I was sad we did not get the author notes like the ones in Black Projects / White Nights. It’s always fun to see behind the curtain!
Speaking of behind the curtain, the first of the two stories I read here – “The Carpet Beds of Sutro Park” – violently rips back the curtain in regards to death bed visions of heaven. An autistic cyborg (!!!) gives a girl dying of cancer a pretty little death bed comfort, brought entirely on by the use of circuitry and electricity.
There is no God here, says Baker, only technology – and if never the twain shall meet, neither are they distinguishable from the other in certain circumstances. The worst part is Baker unwittingly poured herself into both the main characters, given the fact I believe (please correct me if I’m wrong) she had a form of autism, and she also died of cancer.
It’s a heart breaking story - but only if you know the Company stories AND you know of the author. It doesn’t stand alone as well as some of her other short stories.
Ah, then, for lighter fare, we have ‘Bad Machine’, in which she examines a logical extreme of a government monitoring its own citizens for the public good. Poor Alec Checkerfield just wants to have safe sex! Is it so wrong that he is very good at sex and hence orders a LOT of condoms online? The story is a hilarious mix up of artificial intelligence and the British variety of sex (think bad pickup lines and some really weird turn ons) , and yet every now and then Baker will causally thrown in one little line here and there that makes the story terrifying.
June 12, 2012
I was very excited when this leather bound limited edition of Kage Baker's best short stories showed up on my doorstep (my wife is awesome). It was a joy to read through these stories, though it was a bit with a heavy heart as I know there could have been many more Best Of volumes for Baker if she hadn't passed away at 57 from cancer.
The collection began with six short stories set in The Company universe, and my enjoyment of them varied on how well I liked the protagonist of each. I love Porfirio, Joseph, and the Enforcers so the stories that featured them were great (with Welcome to Olympus Mr Hearst being particularly enjoyable).
The next story, Leaving His Cares Behind was set in The Anvil of the World universe and was so good it made me put down this collection and read Baker's first two novels set in that world. Two other stories in this collection were set in this universe and both were excellent: a fun look at getting rid of a dragon infestation (Are you afflicted with dragons?) and a story I have already discussed twice here at Goodreads: The Ruby Incomparable.
Other highlights included What the Tyger Told Her (a young girl tries to survive some evil Uncles with the help of a furry friend) and Plotters and Shooters (Revenge of the Nerd...in space and with tasers!).
The collection began with six short stories set in The Company universe, and my enjoyment of them varied on how well I liked the protagonist of each. I love Porfirio, Joseph, and the Enforcers so the stories that featured them were great (with Welcome to Olympus Mr Hearst being particularly enjoyable).
The next story, Leaving His Cares Behind was set in The Anvil of the World universe and was so good it made me put down this collection and read Baker's first two novels set in that world. Two other stories in this collection were set in this universe and both were excellent: a fun look at getting rid of a dragon infestation (Are you afflicted with dragons?) and a story I have already discussed twice here at Goodreads: The Ruby Incomparable.
Other highlights included What the Tyger Told Her (a young girl tries to survive some evil Uncles with the help of a furry friend) and Plotters and Shooters (Revenge of the Nerd...in space and with tasers!).
September 9, 2013
this is a GREAT collection, especially (for us fanatic KB completists) as there are several previously unpublished stories.
this would be a great intro to her style for anyone new to her work. how i envy the person discovering her.
from a completist standpoint, the book is mildly frustrating, as the stories are grouped by which of her original collections they're from, which i guess is chronological. normally, i prefer this sort of anthology, but in this case the different worlds of KB become a bit scrambled rather than really flowing,imho. the Company stories, especially, gave me a bit of wiplash, and i think i'd prefer they'd been grouped together with more of an internal logic to that universe.
in no way can this small quibble detract from the brilliantly intelligent, witty, wise and eminently readable prose found in these pages. Kage Baker was a gem in this world, and we'll sorely miss her.
this would be a great intro to her style for anyone new to her work. how i envy the person discovering her.
from a completist standpoint, the book is mildly frustrating, as the stories are grouped by which of her original collections they're from, which i guess is chronological. normally, i prefer this sort of anthology, but in this case the different worlds of KB become a bit scrambled rather than really flowing,imho. the Company stories, especially, gave me a bit of wiplash, and i think i'd prefer they'd been grouped together with more of an internal logic to that universe.
in no way can this small quibble detract from the brilliantly intelligent, witty, wise and eminently readable prose found in these pages. Kage Baker was a gem in this world, and we'll sorely miss her.
November 29, 2012
I stumbled across this book at the Library, and a whole new world was opened for me. It's a book of short stories, perfect for sampling a new author... and Kage Baker is an eye-opener for me! She writes primarily of a "superior" race which has existed alongside of homo sapiens forever. They disguise themselves as human - in some stories these "creatures" come from the far future and, armed with their knowledge of history, work behind the scenes to either prevent colossal tragedies or retrieve books and works of art that might otherwise have been destroyed...and they have a lot of interaction with the humans that they walk among. Really nice take on a very old idea.
I do plan to read more of this womman's work - Sadly, she passed away in 2010,-- but she did leave behind a lot of good reading!
I do plan to read more of this womman's work - Sadly, she passed away in 2010,-- but she did leave behind a lot of good reading!
November 10, 2013
Anyone who likes Kage Baker (and everyone should) will love this collection. Half the stories have been collected elsewhere half haven't. Most of the stories are in her wonderful Company series, including the first story of hers I ever read, Son Observe the Time, an account of the final hours before the 1905 San Francisco earthquake. A lot of the stories are set in California, where Baker was from, but they're stories out of time. I hate living in a world with no more new Kage Baker stories, which to me makes these even more precious. Even if you have some of her other collections, this is still a book that should be in one's library. I have been told there is a final collection of short fiction coming out soon. I look forward to getting my hands on that book when it is published.
September 8, 2012
Reading this collection of short stories and novellas was bittersweet due to the reminder that it was likely the last new stories from Baker due to her untimely death in 2010. This collection is about half previously published stories, so I had read several of the stories before. Baker's gift for combining history and science fiction is evident in both the old and new stories. My only wish is that the collection contained more new tales of The Company.
December 18, 2012
I had never read any Kage Baker before. I tend to be very picky about science fiction and fantasy. Essentially, it has to transcend the genre in order for me to like it. And this does. Certainly some of the previously unreleased material was a little rough around the edges, but so much of it was just so superb. I was really surprised. I had gotten the book from my brother-in-law who had accidentally purchased two copies. Now I will have to read more of her work.
May 16, 2013
A wonderful, brilliant collection, some of which were previously published and some NEW stories. If you have never read anything by her, this might be a nice introduction. When Kage Baker died in January 2010, her distinctive voice was stilled forever. I feel that she was one of the finest storytellers of her generation. I miss her.
December 16, 2014
Five stars, which is fitting since the collection is The Best of Kage Baker, and when she is good, she is very very good.
Several of the stories appear in other anthologies of her shorts, but most do not. Well worth reading, and might make a nice introduction to her work and style for new readers.
Several of the stories appear in other anthologies of her shorts, but most do not. Well worth reading, and might make a nice introduction to her work and style for new readers.
October 12, 2012
The short stories were mostly written before the rather disappointing last book in the Company series. I had read all but one of them before, either in earlier anthologies or in the science fiction magazines. I do like the Company characters.
September 15, 2016
As with many "best of "compilations, the stories that truly are stand-out remarkable I've already read from other collections. ;-) The ones "never before collected" are more of a mix. All good, of course—I've yet to run into a Kage Baker piece I haven't admired—but not necessarily "best".
May 3, 2016
Another author who died too soon...I enjoyed the stories about time-traveling members of "The Company" and will look up any that didn't appear in this book. Stories on other themes were somewhat "why bother?" for me.
October 6, 2012
Kage Baker was a rare writer.
July 23, 2012
So sad to have found out she's died. I absolutely loved her Company novels.
February 19, 2013
Some stories were better than others - and probably make the most sense to someone who knows the characters from other Kage Baker books.
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