Emerald Magic

Book excerpt: Irish magic comes alive in this collection—“a sheer delight of grand storytelling” —featuring Ray Bradbury, Tanith Lee, Charles de Lint and others (Publishers Weekly). From the great Celtic myths featuring the bard Taliesin, the terrible Morrigan, the heroic Cuchulain, to strange and mysterious tales of today, the storytelling traditions of Ireland hold a strong attraction for many. Emerald Magic brings together some of today’s finest fantasy authors to explore these immortal myths, bringing their own vision to these ancient tales of luck, love, and honor. Edited and with an introduction by bestselling author Father Andrew M. Greeley, Emerald Magic contains fourteen wonderful stories of legend and lore, including: In Ray Bradbury’s “A Woman Is a Fast Moving Picnic”, a group of pub regulars set out to discover the truth behind a local song and answer that age-old question: Just how fast does a person sink in a bog? “The Isle of Women” by Jacqueline Carey tell the tale of a warrior sailing for vengeance who happens upon an island ruled by a woman like no other. And when a woman finds her grandfather’s diary, she unleashes the specter of an old debt in Tanith Lee’s “Speir-Bhan”. These and other fantastic tales capture the stirring drama and unique flavor of Emerald Magic.