In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls the book an "excellent story collection" in which McKillip "take[s] the most common fantasy elements--dragons and bards, sorcerers and shape-shifters--and reshape[s] them in surprising and resonant ways.

"[2] Roland Green, writing in Booklist, finds the collection "a valiant rescue from out-of-print limbo of stories whose high readability demonstrates that McKillip is one of the most distinguished, if least publicized, modern fantasy writers."

He notes that it "displays a variety of well-written treatments of other material [from] traditional folklore" and that "[f]antasy collections should assign the book high priority for acquisition.

"[4] Sandy Freund in School Library Journal calls the collection "outstanding," stating that "McKillip's elegant prose explores the nature of love, friendship, wisdom, and change, often with a touch of humor.

Her language is always rich and selective but not self-conscious, and her books belong in any library, not only for leisure reading but as outstanding examples of quality writing.