Sleight of Hand

Abundant with tales of quiet heroism, life-changing decisions, and determined searches for deep answers, this extraordinary collection of contemporary fantasy explores the realms between this world and the next. From the top of the Berlin Wall to the depths of the darkest seas, gods and monsters battle their enemies and innermost fears, yet mere mortals make the truly difficult choices. A slightly-regretful author and a vengeful-but-dilapidated dragon square off over an abandoned narrative; the children of the Shark God demand painful truths from their chronically absent father; and a bereaved women sacrifices herself to change one terrible moment, effortlessly reversed by a shuffle of the deck. Whether melancholic, comedic, or deeply tragic, each new tale is suffused with misdirection and discovery, expressed in the rich and mesmerizing voice of a masterful storyteller.

Peter S. Beagle is the author of A Fine and Private Place, The Innkeeper’s Song, The Last Unicorn, The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche, Tamsin, and We Never Talk About My Brother. He wrote the screenplays for the animated feature-film versions of The Last Unicorn and The Lord of the Rings and is the recipient of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, a Hugo Award, and a Nebula Award. He lives in Oakland, California.

The Woman Who Married the Man in the Moon (a Schmendrick story)
Sleight of Hand
The Children of the Shark God
The Best Worst Monster
What Tune the Enchantress Plays
La Lune T’Attend
Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers
The Rock in the Park
The Rabbi’s Hobby
Oakland Dragon Blues
The Bridge Partner
Dirae
Vanishing