MAGIC

Another posthumous anthology from the science fiction grandmaster (1920-92), this time of previously uncollected stories and writings on fantasy—though Asimov uses examples from science fiction freely and makes no rigid distinction between fantasy and science fiction. Of the 11 stories, 8 belong to the familiar series featuring George and his tiny demons, Azazel, depending heavily on puns and jokes for their impact; in another, the Black Widowers interview Batman; while two are light, amusing fables. "On Fantasy," 13 pieces of mild criticism and commentary, includes introductions to books whose titles receive only passing mention and which remain un-footnoted by the publishers. Meanwhile, the nine pieces "On Writing Fantasy" incline toward general remarks rather than Asimov's usual prescriptive, avuncular how-tos aimed at wannabe fictioneers. Although Asimov fans will want to browse, this, like Gold (1994), a posthumous collection of writings on science fiction, is publishing at its laziest: Surely someone could have been induced to write something illuminating about the contents here.