Review of Alchemy and Artifacts
Edited by: Lorina Stephens and Susan MacGregor

In captivating and enthralling historical fiction and anthologies of myths and legends will delight you as you scroll through time and history. Some may be more than just fiction which you may question as factual and not just a tale. These Tesseracts are a must-read for those who desire fantasy and delve into unforeseen mythical pleasures.

This has something for everyone. Some of the stories involve children, others are for the adults. All are full of magic. ( )

ALCHEMY AND ARTIFACTS (Tesseracts Twenty-Two) edited by Lorina Stephens and Susan MacGregor is an anthology of twenty-three stories based on historical artifacts combined with fantastic historical fiction. I have not read them all yet, but based on the first two, it promises to be excellent.

"Cleaning House in Ithaca" by Leslie Brown is a wonderful tale about what has happened to Odysseus and his family some years after his return. 5 stars.

"Caligula's Eagle" by Tony Pi Another fine tale. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from the LibraryThings Early Reviewers Program for the purposes of writing an unbiased review.

I wish this collection of short stories covered a broader range of history - i.e. it seemed to be predominantly focused on western history. Saying that, there were a couple of stories that stood out for me - Caligula's Eagle and Things Better Left Buried. I also appreciated that the stories were in a rough chronology order. ( )

Alchemy and Artifacts is the latest installment of the Tesseracts anthology of Canadian science fiction and fantasy. The edition focuses on historical fantasy with each story featuring an historical artifact. As with most anthologies with a variety of authors, there are stories that I enjoyed very much, and others that I found less memorable. I appreciated the stories that were set in Canada in different historical periods. By a Thread by Geoff Gander & Fiona Plunkett takes place in the early Viking settlement in Newfoundland and involves their interactions with the original First Nations inhabitants. Uki Dreams by Colleen Anderson, also a first contact story, takes place in Nunavut. Holding Our Own by Holly Schofield is a “me too” story which takes place during the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald. These, and other stories set in Canada’s past, were refreshing and exciting to read. I enjoyed Cleaning House in Ithaca by Leslie Brown, a funny revisit of the Odyssey. Some of the other stories take place in ancient Alexandria, Elizabethan England and World War 2 Russia. Overall, this is a varied and enjoyable anthology which introduced me to some new authors. ( )