"A Fine Magic" is a 2006

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving 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 literature and drama ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by American writer

Margo Lanagan Margo Lanagan (born 1960 in Waratah, New South Wales) is an Australian writer of short stories and young adult fiction. Biography She grew up in Raymond Terrace and moved to Melbourne circa 1971/1972. After overseas travel, she moved to Sydne ...

Background

"A Fine Magic" was first published in 2006 in ''

Eidolon I ''Eidolon I'' is a 2006 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy G. Byrne. Background ''Eidolon I'' was first published in 2006 by Eidolon Books in trade paperback format. It was a short-list nominee for the 2007 D ...

'', edited by Jeremy G. Byrne and

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

and published by Eidolon Books. It was published alongside 16 other stories by the authors

Eleanor Arnason Eleanor Atwood Arnason (born December 28, 1942) is an American author of science fiction novels and short stories. Arnason's earliest published story, "A Clear Day in the Motor City", appeared in '' New Worlds'' in 1973. Her work often depicts cu ...

, Kim Westwood,

Holly Phillips Holly Phillips (born 25 December 1969) is a Canadian writer of science fiction and fantasy.Clute, John.Phillips, Holly" in ''SFE: the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''. 4/1/2012, rv.12/21/2015. Life and career Phillips was born in Nelson, British ...

Elizabeth Bear Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born September 22, 1971) is an American author who works primarily in speculative fiction genres, writing under the name Elizabeth Bear. She won the 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo ...

Chris Lawson Chris Lawson is an Australian writer of speculative fiction. Early life and education Lawson was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1966. During his childhood Lawson spent time in Papua New Guinea, where his father worked as a biologist on a croc ...

, Simon Brown,

Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. The t ...

Hal Duncan Hal Duncan (born 21 October 1971, real name Alasdair) is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer. His works have been listed in the New Weird genre, but he prefers not to ascribe his writings to any genre. Life Hal Duncan was born in Kil ...

, Carol Ryles, Grace Dugan,

Deborah Biancotti Deborah Biancotti is an Australian writer of speculative fiction. Biography Biancotti was born in 1971 in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Her first work was published in 2000 with her short story "The First and Final Game" which was featured in ...

, Alistair Ong,

Lucy Sussex Lucy Sussex (born 1957 in New Zealand) is an author working in fantasy and science fiction, children's and teenage writing, non-fiction and true crime. She is also an editor, reviewer, academic and teacher, and currently resides in Melbourne, Aus ...

Tim Pratt Tim Pratt (born December 12, 1976) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and poet. He won a Hugo Award in 2007 for his short story " Impossible Dreams". He has written over 20 books, including the Marla Mason series and several Path ...

, Deborah Roggie, and William R. Eakin. In 2007 it was republished in '' Fantasy: The Best of the Year: 2007 Edition'', edited by

Rich Horton Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...

and published by

Wildside Press Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both ...

under their Cosmos Books imprint. "A Fine Magic" won the 2006 Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story and finished 15th in the 2007

Locus Awards The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the p ...

for best short story.

References

2006 short stories Australian short stories Fantasy short stories Aurealis Award-winning works {{2000s-fantasy-story-stub