''Academic Exercises'' is a
collection
Collection or Collections may refer to:
* Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department
* Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service
* Collection agency, agency to collect cash
* Collectio ...
of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
short stories and essays by British writer
Tom Holt
Thomas Charles Louis Holt (born 13 September 1961) is a British novelist. In addition to fiction published under his own name, he writes fantasy under the pseudonym K. J. Parker.
Biography
Holt was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel H ...
, writing as K. J. Parker. It was the first of two Parker collections from
Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...
, and was first published in hardcover and ebook in July 2014.
Summary
The book collects nine short works of fiction and three essays by the author.
Contents
*"A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong" (from ''Subterranean Online'', Winter 2011)
*"A Rich, Full Week" (from ''Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery'' (June 2010))
*"Amor Vincit Omnia" (from ''Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine'' #45, May 2010)
*"On Sieges" (essay) (from ''Subterranean Online'', Summer 2009)
*"Let Maps to Others" (from ''Subterranean'', Summer 2012)
*"A Room with a View" (from ''Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2'', April 2011)
*"Cutting Edge Technology" (essay) (from ''Subterranean Online'', Fall 2011)
*"Illuminated" (from ''Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine'' #55, December 2012)
*"Purple and Black" (originally published as ''Purple and Black'' (Subterranean Press, Jul. 2009))
*"Rich Men's Skins; A Social History of Armour" (essay) (from ''Subterranean'', Summer 2013)
*"The Sun And I" (from ''Subterranean'', Summer 2013)
*"One Little Room an Everywhere" (from ''Eclipse Online'', October 22, 2012)
*"Blue and Gold" (originally published as ''Blue and Gold'' (Subterranean Press, Dec. 2010) )
Reception
The collection was reviewed by
Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo (born October 29, 1954) is an American science fiction writer. He is a regular reviewer for print magazines ''Asimov's Science Fiction'', ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction Eye'', ''The New York Re ...
(2014) in ''
Locus Online
''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
'', Jul. 13, 2014,
Gary K. Wolfe
Gary K. Wolfe (born Gary Kent Wolfe in 1946) is an American science fiction editor, critic and biographer. He is an emeritus Professor of Humanities in Roosevelt University's Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies.
Life
Wolfe was ...
in ''
Locus'' #643, August 2014,
Gardner Dozois in ''
Locus'' #644, September 2014, and Katherine Farmar in ''
Strange Horizons'', Oct. 27, 2014.
Awards
The collection placed second in the 2015
Locus Poll Award for Best Collection.
"A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong" won the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed eighteenth in the 2012
Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
"A Rich, Full Week" placed twenty-fourth in the 2011
Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
"Amor Vincit Omnia" placed twentieth in the 2011
Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
"Let Maps to Others" won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed ninth in the 2013
Locus Poll Award for Best Novella.
"The Sun And I" was nominated for the 2014 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed ninth in the 2014
Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
"One Little Room an Everywhere" placed twenty-fourth in the 2013
Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
"Blue and Gold" placed fourteenth in the 2012
Locus Poll Award for Best Novella.
References
{{Tom Holt
2014 short story collections
Fantasy short story collections
Subterranean Press books