The Other Nineteenth Century
A Story Collection
By Avram Davidson

      If you are tired of Tolkeinesque fantasies and want a change from the old dungeons and dragons scenario, then this book of Avram Davidson's short stories ought to hit the spot, and restore your faith in the joys of originality. Certainly there has never been any other writer quite like Davidson, whose meticulously-realized depictions of alternative versions of existing places or of fantastic happenings in ordinary places truly need to be read rather than merely described in a book review. Whether it is one of his Dr Esterhazy tales set in a fictitious Ruritanian state, or a Lovecraftean tale about strangeness in everyday America or even a non-fantastic story set in China, Davidson is never less than inventive, witty, macabre and erudite.

      In best anthology style, each story has a postscript by either his late wife or a respected New York bookseller, although in some cases these could have been longer and a little more explanatory - features essential sometimes to anybody new to Davidson's unique style. Without picking out all his best stories, the editors have achieved a nice balance between his better-known work and the more obscure and virtually all his differing styles are represented here, with a leaning towards the fantastic. It is hard to choose a favorite, but it is surely either the delightful what if tale of what might have happened if George II's eldest son Frederick hadn't died, but had gone to America instead, or Dr Esterhazy's fossil-hunting exploits. The Other Nineteenth Century is a breath of fresh air down the dusty dungeon corridors of fantasy literature. Highly recommended.