Once Upon a Galaxy (American Storytelling)

This delightful anthology uses folktales from around the world to demonstrate the ages-old heritage of modern science fiction and fantasy. Presenting more than 40 tales and excerpts thematically, editor Sherman examines the heroic quest, the mage or sage, magic rings and swords, the trickster, and other motifs. She links Jason's Argo in Greek mythology with the starship Enterprise, associates Bugs Bunny with the coyote of Native American myth, and makes many other sometimes surprising connections while acutely illuminating some of the basic themes of popular--and classic--literature. The whole effort is so successful that the only complaint that might be made is that 40 stories are too few. Dennis Winters