From Publishers Weekly
Sure to appeal to Cherryh enthusiasts as well as initiates, this omnibus volume gathers the stories from two out-of-print collections, Sunfall (1981) and Visible Light (1986), plus 16 additional tales. The majority showcase the author's talent for depicting the effect of history on individuals. In the Sunfall stories, about a far-future Earth where the Sun has begun to cool, Cherryh dramatizes how the inhabitants of such cities as Paris, London and Moscow might cope with gradual cultural and physical collapse. "Masks," a new Sunfall story original to this book, portrays carnevale revels in a far-future Venice as if it were again an independent city-state. The Visible Light section, which includes the Hugo-winning "Cassandra," highlights her skill at creating poignant, believable characters embedded in political and personal conflicts. Notable in the miscellaneous group is "Pots," which simultaneously recapitulates differing priorities in the politics and science of archeology. Its basic premise, that archeological truth is not always acceptable to those in power, could equally describe the past or the future of this science. Some may wish that the author's brief general introduction and new introduction to the Visible Light stories were more substantial, but all readers should appreciate her short fiction's lyrical blend of SF and fantasy. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This massive and valuable collection reprints all of Cherryh's short fiction, beginning with the contents of two out-of-print theme collections. Sunfall (1981) consists of seven stories (one of them new as of this volume) of Earth's great cities in a far future when the mother planet is hardly more than a memory to her interstellar children. The stories of Visible Light (1986) are offered as if they were the work of a traveler telling tales at spaceports or aboard starships as he or she wanders across the wine-dark universe. "Cassandra" is a Hugo Award winner and, with "A Thief in Korianth" (a shorter early version of Angel with the Sword, 1985) and "The Last Tower," enjoys classic status in the Cherryh canon. Toward the end comes an assortment of "Other Short Fiction," amid which "The Dark King," "The Unshadowed Land," and "Gwydion and the Dragon" are outstanding. Cherryh crafts even less impressive stories well enough to verify her reputation for brilliance and versatility. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
A stunning collection of C.J. Cherryh's short fiction

Featuring the short stories, novellas, and novelettes of multiple award-winning author C.J. Cherryh, this volume is a must-have for fans and newcomers alike. It includes stories that originally appeared in her earlier collections, in magazines, and in other collections from DAW and other publishers. This special volume will include an introduction by Cherryh, written exclusively for this book.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Millions of C. J. Cherryh fans should be preparing thank-you letters to DAW for having the insight to collect into one volume Cherryh's short stories, novellas, and novelettes. Included in the collection are the Hugo Award–winning "Cassandra" and classics like "The Unshadowed Land" and "Mech," as well as a never-before-published Sunfall story!

"Masks," the new Sunfall tale, takes place in a quixotic Venice of the far future -- a "city at war between sea and land, a city that has found a unique way to be modern, and still to remain so perfectly ancient." Forced into a marriage by her materialistic grandmother, young Giacinta vows to follow her heart, even if it means dishonor and almost certain death. In "Companions," Paul Warren is the last explorer left alive on an idyllic planet after a mysterious plague kills the rest of his team. Left alone with just the ship's artificial intelligence, he searches the lush planet for another sentient form of life -- and finds it in the unlikeliest of places. In 1977's "The Dark King," Death gets outsmarted by King Sisyphos in Corinth when the dark twin of Sleep comes for the king's soul.

Admirers of Cherryh's internationally renowned novels -- Downbelow Station, the Faded Sun trilogy (Kesrith, Shon'jir, Kutath), the epic Foreigner sequence, et al. -- need to read this masterful collection of her short works. Highly intelligent and inexhaustibly imaginative, this versatile collection should be cherished for decades to come. Much more than entertainment, The Collected Short Fiction of C. J. Cherryh is literary history unearthed. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A stunning collection of C.J. Cherryh's short fiction

Featuring the short stories, novellas, and novelettes of multiple award-winning author C.J. Cherryh, this volume is a must-have for fans and newcomers alike. It includes stories that originally appeared in her earlier collections, in magazines, and in other collections from DAW and other publishers. This special volume will include an introduction by Cherryh, written exclusively for this book.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Sure to appeal to Cherryh enthusiasts as well as initiates, this omnibus volume gathers the stories from two out-of-print collections, Sunfall (1981) and Visible Light (1986), plus 16 additional tales. The majority showcase the author's talent for depicting the effect of history on individuals. In the Sunfall stories, about a far-future Earth where the Sun has begun to cool, Cherryh dramatizes how the inhabitants of such cities as Paris, London and Moscow might cope with gradual cultural and physical collapse. "Masks," a new Sunfall story original to this book, portrays carnevale revels in a far-future Venice as if it were again an independent city-state. The Visible Light section, which includes the Hugo-winning "Cassandra," highlights her skill at creating poignant, believable characters embedded in political and personal conflicts. Notable in the miscellaneous group is "Pots," which simultaneously recapitulates differing priorities in the politics and science of archeology. Its basic premise, that archeological truth is not always acceptable to those in power, could equally describe the past or the future of this science. Some may wish that the author's brief general introduction and new introduction to the Visible Light stories were more substantial, but all readers should appreciate her short fiction's lyrical blend of SF and fantasy. (Feb. 1) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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