The premise behind THE THACKERY T. LAMBSHEAD CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is amazing. Dr. Lambshead is a scientist who collects unusual artifacts and the mythical, fantastical, supernatural stories associated with them. The book uses text and images to give us a glimpse of his collection. Some of the top names in speculative fiction and comics contributed works to the anthology.

Some of the stories read like stories. My favorite piece, "Lot 558: Shadow of My Nephew by Wells, Charlotte" (written by Holly Black and illustrated by Eric Orchard) comes across like a European folk tale with a dab of steampunk thrown in. In other cases, the text reads like an auction catalog. In that respect, the writing is rather uneven and sometimes even hard to follow.

The art styles also vary widely, from pen-and-ink drawings to computer-generated images. The trade paperback edition includes only black-and-white reproductions, and it could benefit from some color. In addition, I found it strange to have the text describe photographs when all we see are drawings. Some coordination between writers and artists might have reduced that seeming discrepancy.

The introduction is a fictional one, and the notes at the end are biographical and career highlights of the contributors. For me, the book would have benefited from a real-world forward or afterward, at least, explaining the evolution of the project and describing how artists and authors worked together to develop and describe their artifact(s).

Fans of the artists and writers featured in the CABINET OF CURIOSITIES will enjoy this book, as will those who like an encyclopedic approach to unusual ideas. If you're looking for a collection of short stories in the traditional sense, this is not for you.