ORPHANS OF THE NIGHT
edited by Josepha Sherman
Sherman (Windleaf, 1993, etc.) promises ``no clichÇd vampires, no trite and toothless werewolves,'' and the 14 contributors to this collection, most well known to fantasy fans, deliver on that promise. Whether original or loosely based on folklore, the creatures here seep or slither from imagination's darkest corners, encounter humans—and frequently come off second best: In Harry Turtledove's ``Bleeding Moon'' a vurkolak, a spirit risen from the blood of a murdered man, is driven off by Bulgarian villagers; Lawrence Watt- Evans's noisy ``Bogle in the Basement'' hears Led Zeppelin's music and flees in panic; Shetland Island fishermen kill Laura Frankos's shape-changing ``Njuggle'' by exposing it to sunlight. Other spirits, such as the barrow wight in Susan Schwartz's haunting ``Ring-Thane,'' are more powerful, and some are even benevolent: It only takes the magic of ``A Few Good Menehune,'' by Esther Friesner, to save a Hawaiian beach from developers. A demonic horse becomes a molested New Jersey child's ``Black Angel'' in Nancy Springer's satisfying final tale; Jane Yolen rounds out this stellar gathering with a selkie poem. A winner from beginning to end. (Fiction/short stories. 11-15)