The Griffin or the Agate

     The title of this reissued collection of short stories is actually a misnomer. Don't expect to find the further adventures of Gandalf, Frodo, or Bilbo contained within the pages of the book. Rather, this collection is supposed to serve to honor Tolkien's written legacy, despite making little or no connections with his works. This makes the title seem like a packaging trick, cleverly re-released just in time to coincide with the growing excitement brewing over the impending debut of the first film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, set for winter of 2001. Still, it's the writing that counts, and while shrewd marketing may catch a reader's eye, the ultimate worth will be determined by what's found on the pages and not on the cover.
     Like most anthologies, After the King is a hit or miss affair, with some authors faring better than others. The omnibus starts off on the right foot with Stephen Donaldson's well-told tale 'Reave the Just' and stays on the right path with Terry Pratchett's humorous 'Troll Bridge.' A husband and wife collaboration between Poul and Karen Anderson produces 'Faith,' a finely crafted work showing life both inside and outside of a mysterious and forbidding castle. Karen Haber and Peter S. Beagle also offer up winners, as does Mike Resnick with his 'Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies,' a witty and amusing entry. Last among the standouts is 'Gotterdammerung,' by Barry Malzberg, who manages to work in some allusions to Tolkien's creation. The story rises above the irritating usage of dashes instead of quotation marks to denote speech.
     The other twelve stories run the gamut from decent to so-so, with a couple of clunkers that possibly should have been tossed. Sometimes, having a known name shouldn't be enough. In any case, there's more than enough good stuff here to make After the King worth a read. Just don't expect to find Nazgul lurking about.   §

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