Library Journal on Sleight of Hand

One more rave for Sleight of Hand (and not the last one):

Multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Beagle opens readers' eyes to wonder with his latest collection of 13 short stories. Each piece bridges the rich intersection of fantasy and fairy tale, reality and possibility, exploring predestination, fate, and the power of love through characters that come to vivid, three-dimensional life within a few short pages. Beagle's lyrical writing is set in a wide range of landscapes both familiar and fresh, with twists on Jack and the Beanstalk, monsters and dragons, a singing enchantress, ghostly photographs, and a modern werewolf tale. "The Bridge Partner" is more noir than fantasy yet fits within the collection quite well, as does the deeply chilling, experimental, and dark "Dirae." "The Woman Who Married the Man in the Moon" features two lost children and an encounter with an early version of Schmendrick the Magician from his classic novel, The Last Unicorn. Each story is introduced with some background about its origin.

Verdict: Short story and fantasy lovers will devour these tasty tidbits that whet the appetite for more.
—Charli Osborne, Oxford P.L., MI