100 GREAT FANTASY SHORT SHORT STORIES
edited by Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg & Terry Carr
Teeny-weeny tales—so teeny-weeny that the table of contents is longer than any of the entries here. Also, in true fantasy short-short fashion, these tidbits (1940-84) tend to dwell on familiar themes: deals with the devil, Judgement Day, wizards, Aztecs, unicorns, dragons, bottled genies and fairies offering three wishes, voodoo, feeble fairy tales, and horrible puns. And, despite the short-short's essential reliance on surprise for impact, many are dreadfully predictable. There are, inevitably, a few moments of shock or amusement here and there, not to mention the sprinkling of famous names (Lovecraft, Andre Maurois, Harlan Ellison, Damon Knight, Donald A. Wollheim). But the overall effect is numbing rather than stimulating: one of the Asimov factory's less workable ideas for an anthology.