‘Rogues’ anthology of short fiction

During the recent “Winter Reads” program through Jackson County Library Services, participants were able to select a free “gently used” book for each reading log turned in.

My selection was Rogues, an anthology of short fiction edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

I was already partial toward anthologies of short fiction for the benefits they offered the reader: short stories, easy to read in one sitting, but with a variety that transcended the collected works of only a single author.

But just a few weeks earlier, I’d read a piece by Rothfuss discussing the story he contributed to Rogues. So it seemed a serendipitous coincidence to find this book on the “Winter Reads” shelf.

Add to that, original contributions by Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman, two other authors whose work I admire, plus scores more writers newly discovered in the pages of this anthology.

The stories span genres of science fiction, epic fantasy, noir and shades in-between. (Martin calls the selection a “healthy mix.”) And protagonists operate by moral codes that don’t necessarily align with the law.

There are several copies of the Rogues anthology available through Jackson County Library Services. When checked in, they can be found in Medford, Ashland, Central Point and Jacksonville.