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Annwn Cycle #The Dead's Revenant
Unbound
Not bound, as a book. Free.
Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to read—without the constraints of a shackling theme.
The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you—some will move you to tears while others will keep you turning the pages long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or reading the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.
Return to Landover with Terry Brooks. Go to trial with Harry Dresden and Jim Butcher. Enter the Citadel and become remade with Rachel Caine. Survive a plague with John Marco and his robot companion Echo. Be painted among the stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. These tales and the others that comprise the anthology are only bound by how enchanting and enthralling they are.
Unbound is filled with spectacularly wonderful stories, each one as diverse as its creator.
You will be changed upon finishing it.
And that is the point.
Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to read—without the constraints of a shackling theme.
The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you—some will move you to tears while others will keep you turning the pages long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or reading the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.
Return to Landover with Terry Brooks. Go to trial with Harry Dresden and Jim Butcher. Enter the Citadel and become remade with Rachel Caine. Survive a plague with John Marco and his robot companion Echo. Be painted among the stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. These tales and the others that comprise the anthology are only bound by how enchanting and enthralling they are.
Unbound is filled with spectacularly wonderful stories, each one as diverse as its creator.
You will be changed upon finishing it.
And that is the point.
549 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2015
About the author
Shawn Speakman
26 books715 followersShawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near a volcano and surrounded by old-growth forests filled with magic. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster, leading to an enchanted life surrounded by words.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
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April 22, 2024
“You know who I am. You know what I can do. Let her go.”
She rolled her eyes, and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. “Why should I?”
“Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back.”
Her smile faltered slightly. As it should have. When bloodsucking Red Court vampires had taken my daughter, I took her back—and murdered every single one of them in the process. The entire species.
I’m not a halfway kind of person.
Wow, that forgotten hair-raising thrills and excitements of reading The Dresden Files!!!
A very short story, just a little plot, but still the one and only Harry Dresden stands tall here in all his badass wiseass actionpacked glory. And even in such a little space Jim Butcher delivers like he always do with perfect execution. You can't help but feel a contented sigh and have a stupid little smile on your face after you finish it. After three looong years (since the last released novel of the series Skin Game). As there's yet no sign of even a release date for the next one Peace Talks in the horizon, this will have to do for now.
9 out of 10.
Bangla:
আহা, ড্রেসডেন ফাইলস পড়ার সেই ভুলে যাওয়া রোমহর্ষক শিহরণ ও উত্তেজনা!!!
ছো্ট্ট একটা গল্প, অল্প একটু কাহিনি, তার মাঝেও হ্যারি ড্রেসডেন তার দুর্ধর্ষ ব্যাডঅ্যাস অ্যাকশনপ্যাকড স্বমহিমায় উদ্ভাসিত। এইটুকু স্পেসেও জিম বুচারের নিখুঁত এক্সিকিউশন, গল্প শেষে আপনা থেকেই বিশুদ্ধ তৃপ্তির একটা শ্বাস বেরিয়ে যায়, মুখে হাসি লেগে থাকে অনেকক্ষণ। দীর্ঘ তিন বছর পর। পরবর্তি উপন্যাসের যখন খোঁজ নাই, যা পাই তাই সই। ১০ এ ৯।
She rolled her eyes, and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. “Why should I?”
“Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back.”
Her smile faltered slightly. As it should have. When bloodsucking Red Court vampires had taken my daughter, I took her back—and murdered every single one of them in the process. The entire species.
I’m not a halfway kind of person.
Wow, that forgotten hair-raising thrills and excitements of reading The Dresden Files!!!
A very short story, just a little plot, but still the one and only Harry Dresden stands tall here in all his badass wiseass actionpacked glory. And even in such a little space Jim Butcher delivers like he always do with perfect execution. You can't help but feel a contented sigh and have a stupid little smile on your face after you finish it. After three looong years (since the last released novel of the series Skin Game). As there's yet no sign of even a release date for the next one Peace Talks in the horizon, this will have to do for now.
9 out of 10.
Bangla:
আহা, ড্রেসডেন ফাইলস পড়ার সেই ভুলে যাওয়া রোমহর্ষক শিহরণ ও উত্তেজনা!!!
ছো্ট্ট একটা গল্প, অল্প একটু কাহিনি, তার মাঝেও হ্যারি ড্রেসডেন তার দুর্ধর্ষ ব্যাডঅ্যাস অ্যাকশনপ্যাকড স্বমহিমায় উদ্ভাসিত। এইটুকু স্পেসেও জিম বুচারের নিখুঁত এক্সিকিউশন, গল্প শেষে আপনা থেকেই বিশুদ্ধ তৃপ্তির একটা শ্বাস বেরিয়ে যায়, মুখে হাসি লেগে থাকে অনেকক্ষণ। দীর্ঘ তিন বছর পর। পরবর্তি উপন্যাসের যখন খোঁজ নাই, যা পাই তাই সই। ১০ এ ৯।
June 19, 2022
Unbound is a collection of short stories from various authors in the fantasy genre. Overall this is a good collection. The only thing I would have liked to see is at minimum a paragraph talking about what world these stories appear in because it's not clear where a reader should go if he or she wanted to read more about the characters and their world.
I reviewed these stories not in the order they appear, but in the order I chose to read them. I didn't review all the short stories, these are just some that stood out to me.
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan
Many years before Promise of Blood, Tamas was a sergeant who desperately wanted a promotion. Tamas had two things against him though, he's a commoner and a powder mage. Commoners aren't to have ambition and powder mages were marked for death in some countries just for being powder mages. Being the man who takes the wall and breaks the siege of Tilpur was Tamas's best chance at a promotion. When he finds out the Adran army is withdrawing from the siege, Tamas takes desperate measures for his advancement and to save lives.
Tamas is a very different man in The Siege of Tilpur than he is in the Powder Mage trilogy. He's just as arrogant, but more subdued than he was in the novella Servant of the Crown when he shot the lower part of a noble's earlobe off in a duel. Tamas knows what he's capable of and realizes he has a nearly impossible task in front of him in order to be promoted in the Adran army.
I really enjoyed The Siege of Tilpur because first Brian McClellan is an awesome author and second Tamas is one intense devoted character. He loves Adro even though those who rule it don't acknowledge him and some outright despise him. It would have been far simpler for Tamas to join The Wings of Adom who seem more concerned with merit in their ranks instead of noble blood. Tamas took some crazy risks just for the hope that someone would overlook his common blood and promote him.
The Siege of Tilpur is the reason I chose to read Unbound in the first place and I have to say I am not disappointed by that choice at all.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Small Kindnesses by Joe Abercrombie
Shev owns a dump of a husk house. She's trying to do the right thing, she even helped an unconscious mountain of a woman into her bed just that morning. Unfortunately she has a past that won't leave her alone. Shev is the best thief in Westport which means people come to her when they want things stolen. She can often say no, but when the son of a powerful man comes she has no choice but do as he says.
Small Kindnesses wasn't bad, but an introduction to the short story would have been great. I wasn't sure what world this story took place in, which happens to be Abercrombie's First Law world. I also couldn't tell when it was taking place, the only identifier I noticed was a young Severard appears and he works for Shev. So I imagine this is at least a decade prior to the events in The Blade Itself.
Lord Grimdark himself is back and Small Kindnesses is just a sample of his dark creativity. I'll have to check out Abercrombie's website to figure out if this story ties into a new book. It certainly seems like it does as this story reads like the first chapter or two of a longer book.
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Ethical Heresy by Sam Sykes
The story begins with some heretics against the Venarium being tortured, witch burned on the stake style with magic thrown in there. The story is told from the perspective of the apprentice Dreadaeleon. Dread isn't the sharpest, but he has some ability. He and fellow apprentice Cesta are pressed into service while searching for the leader of the Heretics and things get crazy from there.
The Ethical Heresy was my first exposure to Sam Sykes and I have to say I liked it. This story was a mash up of Wizards, Jedi child snatchers, desertion, and consequences. It reads much better than that mini description, but those were all familiar territories I noticed. In the end I have to say I will be checking out more of Sam Sykes books because of The Ethical Heresy.
4 out of 5 stars
The Game by Michael J. Sullivan
The employees of DysanSoft are facing an impossible issue. A character in their game Realms of Rah isn't following his programing. Many games have glitches like characters walking through walls or falling into the sky, but that's not what they're facing here. It appears a giant dark green troll named Troth has gained sentience. DysanSoft's president wants answers, but the employees just don't have answers.
Michael J. Sullivan takes on a highly philosophical idea in a familiar technological format in The Game. Troth is eerily aware of the world he lives in and he's asking the big questions of where did he come from, what happens when he dies, and why is the world like this. Troth's creator Jeri Blainey recently asked the same questions herself when her father died and wonders how could Troth be this way.
I've seen many stories like The Game that attempts to answer the unknowable parts of life and I find them all interesting in their own way. They are thought provoking, but in the end they only leave me with more questions. The Game was certainly an unexpected short story in the Unbound collection.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence
Firestone is a young tribal man who just passed his manhood trial. Unfortunately he has anger in him which he unleashes on a member of his tribe over something trivial and is sent to face the king. Nothing from that point on goes as he once expected.
A Good Name is likely a story I could appreciate more if I got into the Broken Empire series. I tried reading the first book before and wasn't a fan so perhaps it's time to give it another try. The writing in the short story is solid yet unspectacular.
3 out of 5 stars
The Farmboy Prince by Brian Staveley
The Farmboy Prince is one of those short stories that's easy to appreciate without being familiar with the main story or world the story exists in. Peasants are peasants and these peasants knew their place. A bit vulgar, but when the POV character is rough around the edges it only makes sense that his vocabulary matches.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Madwalls by Rachel Caine
I liked the writing style of Madwalls, but the story made absolutely no sense to me.
3 out of 5 stars
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher
Jury Duty is a Harry Dresden Law and Order episode. An ex-con gone straight is being set up to go to jail because of supernatural interests and Dresden can't just let that happen. This was a pretty good short story even with the fact that I've barely read any of the Dresden books. Short stories like this one make me feel like I should give the main series another try.
3.5 out of 5 stars
I reviewed these stories not in the order they appear, but in the order I chose to read them. I didn't review all the short stories, these are just some that stood out to me.
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan
Many years before Promise of Blood, Tamas was a sergeant who desperately wanted a promotion. Tamas had two things against him though, he's a commoner and a powder mage. Commoners aren't to have ambition and powder mages were marked for death in some countries just for being powder mages. Being the man who takes the wall and breaks the siege of Tilpur was Tamas's best chance at a promotion. When he finds out the Adran army is withdrawing from the siege, Tamas takes desperate measures for his advancement and to save lives.
Tamas is a very different man in The Siege of Tilpur than he is in the Powder Mage trilogy. He's just as arrogant, but more subdued than he was in the novella Servant of the Crown when he shot the lower part of a noble's earlobe off in a duel. Tamas knows what he's capable of and realizes he has a nearly impossible task in front of him in order to be promoted in the Adran army.
I really enjoyed The Siege of Tilpur because first Brian McClellan is an awesome author and second Tamas is one intense devoted character. He loves Adro even though those who rule it don't acknowledge him and some outright despise him. It would have been far simpler for Tamas to join The Wings of Adom who seem more concerned with merit in their ranks instead of noble blood. Tamas took some crazy risks just for the hope that someone would overlook his common blood and promote him.
The Siege of Tilpur is the reason I chose to read Unbound in the first place and I have to say I am not disappointed by that choice at all.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Small Kindnesses by Joe Abercrombie
Shev owns a dump of a husk house. She's trying to do the right thing, she even helped an unconscious mountain of a woman into her bed just that morning. Unfortunately she has a past that won't leave her alone. Shev is the best thief in Westport which means people come to her when they want things stolen. She can often say no, but when the son of a powerful man comes she has no choice but do as he says.
Small Kindnesses wasn't bad, but an introduction to the short story would have been great. I wasn't sure what world this story took place in, which happens to be Abercrombie's First Law world. I also couldn't tell when it was taking place, the only identifier I noticed was a young Severard appears and he works for Shev. So I imagine this is at least a decade prior to the events in The Blade Itself.
Lord Grimdark himself is back and Small Kindnesses is just a sample of his dark creativity. I'll have to check out Abercrombie's website to figure out if this story ties into a new book. It certainly seems like it does as this story reads like the first chapter or two of a longer book.
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Ethical Heresy by Sam Sykes
The story begins with some heretics against the Venarium being tortured, witch burned on the stake style with magic thrown in there. The story is told from the perspective of the apprentice Dreadaeleon. Dread isn't the sharpest, but he has some ability. He and fellow apprentice Cesta are pressed into service while searching for the leader of the Heretics and things get crazy from there.
The Ethical Heresy was my first exposure to Sam Sykes and I have to say I liked it. This story was a mash up of Wizards, Jedi child snatchers, desertion, and consequences. It reads much better than that mini description, but those were all familiar territories I noticed. In the end I have to say I will be checking out more of Sam Sykes books because of The Ethical Heresy.
4 out of 5 stars
The Game by Michael J. Sullivan
The employees of DysanSoft are facing an impossible issue. A character in their game Realms of Rah isn't following his programing. Many games have glitches like characters walking through walls or falling into the sky, but that's not what they're facing here. It appears a giant dark green troll named Troth has gained sentience. DysanSoft's president wants answers, but the employees just don't have answers.
Michael J. Sullivan takes on a highly philosophical idea in a familiar technological format in The Game. Troth is eerily aware of the world he lives in and he's asking the big questions of where did he come from, what happens when he dies, and why is the world like this. Troth's creator Jeri Blainey recently asked the same questions herself when her father died and wonders how could Troth be this way.
I've seen many stories like The Game that attempts to answer the unknowable parts of life and I find them all interesting in their own way. They are thought provoking, but in the end they only leave me with more questions. The Game was certainly an unexpected short story in the Unbound collection.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence
Firestone is a young tribal man who just passed his manhood trial. Unfortunately he has anger in him which he unleashes on a member of his tribe over something trivial and is sent to face the king. Nothing from that point on goes as he once expected.
A Good Name is likely a story I could appreciate more if I got into the Broken Empire series. I tried reading the first book before and wasn't a fan so perhaps it's time to give it another try. The writing in the short story is solid yet unspectacular.
3 out of 5 stars
The Farmboy Prince by Brian Staveley
The Farmboy Prince is one of those short stories that's easy to appreciate without being familiar with the main story or world the story exists in. Peasants are peasants and these peasants knew their place. A bit vulgar, but when the POV character is rough around the edges it only makes sense that his vocabulary matches.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Madwalls by Rachel Caine
I liked the writing style of Madwalls, but the story made absolutely no sense to me.
3 out of 5 stars
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher
Jury Duty is a Harry Dresden Law and Order episode. An ex-con gone straight is being set up to go to jail because of supernatural interests and Dresden can't just let that happen. This was a pretty good short story even with the fact that I've barely read any of the Dresden books. Short stories like this one make me feel like I should give the main series another try.
3.5 out of 5 stars
December 30, 2021
Ok, that was unsettling...
Merged review:
Bloody delightful!
Small Kindnesses features the meeting of Javre and Shev, two of my favourite Abercrombie characters and I NEED MORE.
Merged review:
Bloody delightful!
Small Kindnesses features the meeting of Javre and Shev, two of my favourite Abercrombie characters and I NEED MORE.
December 10, 2016
Almost everyone else seems to have adored this anthology. So I'm afraid that I'm going to be in the minority here.
Only one story ("Jury Duty" by Jim Butcher, which involved preventing an innocent man from going to prison and saving a child's life) really pleased me. That story I would give 4.5 stars.
Everything else, with the exception of one other story, involved the heroes trying to accomplish something and failing, losing (or, in some cases, failing to gain) power, freedom, sanity, their world, their lives, and/or hope in the process. The one exception to this pattern was by the editor of the anthology, and I wince to report that it featured a villain protagonist who corrupted people, gave an abused child the means to commit suicide or murder, tortured a priest and left him to bleed to death, destroyed the soul of a churchwarden by forcing a damned spirit into the churchwarden's body, and handed Excalibur over to the resulting revenant so that it could murder an innocent and then start destroying the world. The villain protagonist was all too successful. I kept reading in the hopes that someone would defeat him, but no one did.
I have never read such an infuriatingly nihilistic collection. I could not escape the feeling that the theme of the anthology was the futility of trying to accomplish anything good in this world, with a side message of "If you even try, you're going to get screwed." I have been battling depression lately, and this did not make matters any better. I am deeply, deeply sorry that I read it.
If I had known that that this anthology focused almost exclusively on the themes futility and failure, I would have avoided it altogether. This book obviously works for many people. It did not work for me.
Only one story ("Jury Duty" by Jim Butcher, which involved preventing an innocent man from going to prison and saving a child's life) really pleased me. That story I would give 4.5 stars.
Everything else, with the exception of one other story, involved the heroes trying to accomplish something and failing, losing (or, in some cases, failing to gain) power, freedom, sanity, their world, their lives, and/or hope in the process. The one exception to this pattern was by the editor of the anthology, and I wince to report that it featured a villain protagonist who corrupted people, gave an abused child the means to commit suicide or murder, tortured a priest and left him to bleed to death, destroyed the soul of a churchwarden by forcing a damned spirit into the churchwarden's body, and handed Excalibur over to the resulting revenant so that it could murder an innocent and then start destroying the world. The villain protagonist was all too successful. I kept reading in the hopes that someone would defeat him, but no one did.
I have never read such an infuriatingly nihilistic collection. I could not escape the feeling that the theme of the anthology was the futility of trying to accomplish anything good in this world, with a side message of "If you even try, you're going to get screwed." I have been battling depression lately, and this did not make matters any better. I am deeply, deeply sorry that I read it.
If I had known that that this anthology focused almost exclusively on the themes futility and failure, I would have avoided it altogether. This book obviously works for many people. It did not work for me.
December 28, 2016
“The world conspires to take everything from us in the end.”
Like most anthologies the junk outweighs the jewels, but in this case the good stories are very good: worth the price of the whole collection. I’ll ignore the garbage and review the gems. If there’s a theme to this collection, other than raising money for authors with medical bills, is that these are stories about story.
“To cling to common wisdom, no matter the evidence right in front of one’s nose, was an affliction as old as love.”
By far the best story in the set is “The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan. If you read no other, read this one. It’s the best take on “Dial ‘F’ for Frankenstein” I’ve seen in decades.
“Ignore it the way all rational men ignore all irrational things.”
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher is great if you like Dresden Files, which I do.
“No man’s an island. Not even the ones that think they are. Especially not them.”
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson started so bad, I almost quit. But it got better--much better.
Nice cover art.
“Stories brought relief, comfort, and hope.”
Like most anthologies the junk outweighs the jewels, but in this case the good stories are very good: worth the price of the whole collection. I’ll ignore the garbage and review the gems. If there’s a theme to this collection, other than raising money for authors with medical bills, is that these are stories about story.
“To cling to common wisdom, no matter the evidence right in front of one’s nose, was an affliction as old as love.”
By far the best story in the set is “The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan. If you read no other, read this one. It’s the best take on “Dial ‘F’ for Frankenstein” I’ve seen in decades.
“Ignore it the way all rational men ignore all irrational things.”
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher is great if you like Dresden Files, which I do.
“No man’s an island. Not even the ones that think they are. Especially not them.”
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson started so bad, I almost quit. But it got better--much better.
Nice cover art.
“Stories brought relief, comfort, and hope.”
December 30, 2015
An assemblage of short stories liberated from the imaginations of great story tellers
Perhaps it s a product of the busy age we live in that short story anthologies have become more appealing to my taste than before. Bite sized fiction for a world driven by sound-bites, and there are plenty of bites of different kinds in this riveting collection which Shawn Speakman has edited.
Some of the authors I already knew and had read, others are names glimpsed on social media. Some of the stories have roots in the authors' main works though still read well as stand alone stories, others are tales told in isolation, their backstory fashioned at the convergence of each reader's and author's maginations. The anthology is inevitably an eclectic mix, but still entertaining in its own right and a powerful taster of different authors' styles and approaches.
In some ways it is like those trios of deserts offered in the best restaurants these days, a mix of different but complementary taste sensations that leave you hugering for more. Just as a festive season taster can lead to bigger things and a damaging expansion in the waisline, so too this anthology might cause an explosion in my already daunting TBR pile.
But - to the stories themselves - and a story by story sequence of mini-reviews
Madwalls - by Rachel Caine.
Beautifully written, the transition from the normal world of a teenager into some dark secret, an accident of birth landing her in the midst of an ancient covenant handed down from generation to generation on which the fate of the world rests, the world and one captive. Surreal, hypnotic, like its central theme, the reader like the protagonist is drawn into a world that lingers in the mind, or is it the mind that lingers in the world?
Stories are Gods - by Peter Orullian.
A story that believes in the power of argument, or perhaps an argument that believes in the power of stories. A hero who is physically weak, but mentally strong fuelled by a powerful love and a tragic schism to take to a debating floor in a world where academic philosopy has suddenly become dangerous. Themes from a wider well-built world (The Vault of Heaven I infer) bleed into this story though, like its protagonist, the story stands well enough on its own two feet.
River and Echo - by John Marco.
If you have seen Will Smith's "I am Legend" or the film "Silent Running" you may see the same similes that I did. A lone survivor and his unusual companion, living ghosts in the detritus of a plague ridden city. There is a traditional fantasy feel to it - rather than sci-fi, a city with walls, lit and heated by fires, defended with arrows. Though with a slight steampunk feel. The story is sustained by the wonderfully well-drawn poignant relationship between River and Echo.
A dichotomy of Paradigms - by Mary Robinette Kowal
With this story the anthology lurches into a far future of interstellar piracy and technological innovation that enables artists to pursue their craft with the same vibrant immediacy of a war photographer. Patrick the brush wielding protagonist reminded me of a pen scribbling character W.W.Beauchamp in the Clint Eastwood film "Unforgiven" - the journalist hack turned biographer chasing after a gunslinger to document his life. Only Patrick finds that painting the pirate queen poses more of a challenge to his conscience and his craft than he expected.
Son of Crimea - by Jason M Hough
John Crimson is a policeman perched on the cusp of the age of science and reason - a time when method replaced madness, when passionate crime would yield to patient investigative technique. And into his world steps the disturbing Malena Penar, intoxicating and bewitching. In a journey that spans half the world she challenges his faith in the rational, his dismissal of superstition but in the end I found it hard to tell who won!
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks
The story is a bridge into the magical world of Landover where lawyer turned King Ben Holiday finds himself presiding like a cross between Judge Judy and Solomon over a gnomish dispute. Problems beget problems in a progeny of biblical proportions and in the end it is management, rather than leadership which must resolve the crises that competing incompetencies have created.
The Way into Oblivion by Harry Connolly.
When the centre of an empire has suddenly fallen to an unknown power, that is not so much an opportunity as a threat to those previously subjugated peoples who might be tempted to flex the muscles of their newfound independence. Song, sister to the leader of the Holvos people, finds more dangers lurk beside a crocodile infested river than within it. When all choices are difficult and all options are unpalatable, she must decide what motherhood means to her.
Uncharming by Delilah S Dawson
The writing is delicious, a tasty heady morsel as the daimon Monsieur Charmant frequents the darkest corners of an alternate Paris and London in an obsession to utterly possess a poor desparate soul who had already sold him the best part of herself. The story draws on a well built world of Dawson's other works but gives what I assume to be a smalller character his moment to preen his awful nature in technicolour limelight. I liked this line especially Money had been important to him once. Now it was power and possession, the tang of owing that hit the air everytime a client gave more than they really had.
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence.
This is another work where a supporting player from Prince of Thorns (and the short story Select Mode) has an opportunity to be fleshed out in more detail. Jorg had his band of brothers and "the Nuban" - never given an identifier beyond that - was one of my favourites. In this short story we find what brought him from the village of his birth to a place at Jorg's side in Ancrath. It begins with pride, the pride in a name won through hardship, a name that should not bow when it was not merited. But sometimes it is not enough to be right, and the consequences of pride cast long shadows.
All in a Night's Work by David Anthony.
In an action packed adventure Ash - a prince's faithful bodyguard finds a night off is anything but quiet. Deadly demons stalk the palace of an alternative Egypt and our young hero sets off in a pursuit of the assassin as single minded as it is foolish. The only assistance to be had comes from a beetle with a broken antenna and as Ash realises partway through the chase "..you can't think of everything when you're dangling a hundred feet in the air, holding on to the scrawny legs of a faulty beetle." The action is as relentless as the opening sequence of a James Bond movie, and the hero scarcely less resourceful than 007 himself.
Seven Tongues by Tim Marquitz
A grim tale with a grim hero illuminated by some startling pose from the very first line onwards- The clouds gnawed at the moon, devouring it in slow steady bites. Gryl is an unusual killer - a Prodigy - who escaped enslavement and sells his formidable powers, though still constrained by some sense of a just cause, of a distinction between the guilty and the innocent. When such a man goes in pursuit of a slaver who has been trading in and abusing children the outcome is unlikely to be pretty. However, it is the jobs that seem easiest at first, that are likely to end most messily and by the end of this gripping piece Gryl has certainly painted the desert red.
Fiber by Seanan McGuire.
This was outrageously entertaining. My eldest daughter has resolutely resisted the lure of the fantasy genre but also enjoys cheerleading as a base with the Cambridge Cougars, so a story that throws a carload of squabbling cheerleaders into a dark fantasy/horrow blend should be the kind that would fire her interest. It's a bit like the way "Dawn of the Dead" combined zombie apocalypse with fantasy shopping to become one of my wife's favourite films. Speaking of which, this riveting short story also features a reformed zombie amongst its kick-ass, kick-head, kick everything leading females. "...thus proving the old adage that you should never forget to wear a cup to a cheerleader fight. No matter what kind of junk you're packing in your pants, a good boot to the groin is going to put you down if you don't have protection."
The Diamond Queen - by Anthony Ryan
This is story that reaches skywards with its epic scope. The opening battle of tens of thousands, is a bloody victory won that would make Nirnaeth Arnoediad look like a minor skirmish (allow me a little hyperbole here). The warrior general Sharrow-met flies into combat astride her blackwing like a Nazgul Lord and none dare come between her and her prey. But the spoils of victory prove elusive and Sharrow-met's past stubbornly intrudes on the present. The Voice that is is her master, commands, controls and rewards but Sharrow-met finds mysteries it cannot answer as she strives to complete her subjugation of the last city on the continent.
And when the dust has settled and silence has fallen, I am left feeling I have finished a novel, rather than a short story.
The Farmboy Prince - by Brian Staveley
There is a distinctive voice in this first person point of view tale, the unnamed narrrator coarsely dismissive of both noble and ignoble visitors to his home town which aspires - at its best - to be a shit-hole. The noble are reviled as they sit "holding one of Nick's filthy tankards as though he'd filled it up with some pox-victim's phlegm instead of ale, which, considering Nick's ale, was about right." while the ignoble are warned "if you go for your sword in Two Streams, you'd better be ready to drop some motherfuckers"
In short, in this short story, the lives of the people in Two Streams - like the people themselves are short and ugly. Throw into the mix a traditional tale of hidden parentage, dodgy fake names, and a looming national crisis, and it becomes clear that something needs to be done. What is less clear, is exactly what that something is, and who's going to do it but Staveley manages to raise a smile and surprise in the process.
Heart's Desire - by Kat Richardson
The style is hauntingly strange, like a letter to an absent lover. The narrator sits entwined in the twisted ghosts of fairy stories of old, atop a tower tall enough to have held Rapunzel. There is a wall of thorns such as entombed sleeping beauty. There are helpful talking animals though their purpose and manner is a long way from the timely home helps that assisted Snow White.
Something is awry in this fairy tale world, a story too full of desparation and shadow to lift the reader's sense of forebdoing, but the twist when it comes, still cuts to the heart.
The Game - by Michael J. Sullivan
Those of us brought up on the SIMS and World of Warcraft will love the inventiveness of this tale. My second daughter, not the most skilled SIIMS player, used to get genuinely upset when - by some accident in playing the first versiion of SIMS - she managed to set her SIMS on fire and watched them reduced to a pile of ash and then an urn. My eldest, slightly more clinically observant, used to experiment with different ways of killing them off - for example putting them in a pool and then removing the ladder so they could not get out and would eventuallly die of exhaustion.
In the Game Sullivan plays with the idea of games and the characters that populate them as well as the poeple that play them. It is cleverly done, so I cannot - in all spoiler-free safety - say much more than that Jeri Blainey, Project Lead for the Realms of Rah - MMPORG is about to have a very bad day.
The Ethical Heresy - by Sam Sykes
Dreadaeleon is an apprentice wizard with more to worry about than his mouthful of a name. Even as they hunt down heretic mages, wielding ice, fire and lightning, Dreadaeleon - in the grip of adolescence - is obssessed with his cooler, taller, more gifted fellow apprentice Cresta. In the midst of death and destruction and the disdain of their grim tutor Vemire, Dread vainly tries to draw some approval from his crush. The prose captures his failures well as Dread tells himself Well done, old man. She dressed you down like a six-copper prostitute, and you simply stood there and took it.
But even apprentices can find danger in this well crafted piece, the backstory of politics and magic system injected seamlessly into the writing - like the fine marbelling of fat within the lean of a high quality steak that gives the whole its flavour. Humour and pathos mix perfectly as Dread finds himself thinking
At that moment what he was going to do seemed to fall along the lines of "die horribly, possibly while crying"
Small Kindnesses - by Joe Abercromie
The story spins around three women and the men who underestimate them. There is Shev the young but retired thief turned smoke house hostess, Carcolf the alluring blond siren from Shev's past still flinging temptation in her way, and there is the unconscious redhead. Though - as facebook told me only this morning - "It takes a special kind of stupid to piss of a redhead and expect calm"
Shev is the central sympathetic character, given to small kindnesses, to protecting others from their own foolishness, from striving to escape the trap of being the best thief in Westport. Maybe there was some stubborn stone in her, like the stone in a date, that refused to let all the shit that had been done to her make her into shit.
Shev, has her share of earthy passions but tries not to let these cloud her thinking too much.
She tore her eyes away as her mind came knocking like an unwelcome visitor. When you live in life's gutter, a cerain caution has to be your watchword.
But in a grippingly related day that grows increasingly turbulent, our charming but diminutive heroine discovers that fate neither forgets, nor forgives a small kindness.
The Rat - by Mazarkis Williams
A boy, Emil, awaits his great-grandpa coming to stay, hoping for an insight into the past. In this well written tale a backstory of epic grandeur is distilled down to a child's eye view of a simple hut and four people sharing an evening warmed, inflamed even, by fires of history. The title at first seems misleading, the eponymous rodent and its feline huntress little more than shadows on the fringes of the lyrical prose. But by the end the story had put me in mind of the sad fate of the crew of USS Indianapolis, torpedoed in 1945 and left for days floating in shark infested waters, their numbers steadily and inevitably diminished until they were spotted and rescued by chance. A horror like that would etch deep into an old man's memory and so it is with great-grandpa curmudgeonly and distrustful when awake, restless and fearful asleep.
And for Emil the excitement of the new, not just great grandpa but his road companion the musician "young enough to hold his shoulders straight, but he carried snow in his hair." quickly gives way to questions he dare not ask, answers he does not want.
The Siege of Tilpur - by Brian McClellan
I had heard of the powdermage series, but this was my first excursion into the world of magic and musketry that McClellan has created. It is a tale of warfare, of a desert seige, of prejdice, class and incompetence. Sergeant Tamas and his squad, serving the artistocratic General Seske are in the classic mold of the infantry lions led by officer donkeys as they bid to take the fortress that has never fallen. It also has shades of the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell, the period feel (if not the generalship) more suited to the Napoleonic era than the first world war.
It is visceral action, but with very human heroes. For a moment I saw a hint of Blackadder goes Forth as Tamas explains his cunning plan to a disbelieving general clad in a silk dressing gown (perhaps one of General Melchett's cast offs?). As with most cunning plans, things do not run exactly smoothly, but then that is what makes the story so entertaining.
Mr Island - by Kristen Britain
A charmingly atmospheric tale of what happens when a strange traveller is welcomed to a small east coast community, all told with a true 19th century period feel by a narrator known only as Mrs Grindle. If Jane Austen and Jules Verne had been inspired by the story of Grace Darling to collaborate this might be the tale they came up with. Of propriety and love, science and shipwreck, mystery and loss.
As the layers of the story are peeled back, and truths are raised - in some cases from the sea bed - several themes enjoy a brief flash of illumination, as though from the sweep of a lighthouse beam. Women's emancipation, commercial advantage, luddite impulses, all flare in this skilful depiction of small town life exposed to new influences. But Mr Island and the woman whose kindness captures his heart form the spine to the story and prove that - no matter how small the space in which you stand - there is no limit to the direction in which you can look.
Jury Duty - by Jim Butcher
There have been many great courtroom dramas since Henry Fonda first swung a jury in "Twelve Angry Men" but when Harrry Dresden - Chicago's wizardly private investigator gets involved in an open and shut case the debate will be won with spells and claws more than words and points of law.
This fresh fast paced story was my first introduction to Harry Dresden and the cynical wit that permeates the writing as Harry first questions "What does justice have to do with the legal system?" and then observes of the judge "This was a woman who had seen a great deal, had been amused by very little of it, and who would not easily be made a fool."
Strings pulled beyond the courtroom threaten to make a mockery of justice, but for a hardboiled kind of guy, Harry has an unusually soft centre; when the lives or happiness of children are at stake... well let's just say you wouldn't want to be at the sharp end of any stake Dresden might be holding.
The Dead's Revenant - by Shawn Speakman
A bit like Delilah Dawson's tale of Monsieur Charmant, Shawn Speakman gives us the point of view of a main story antagonist. For 9000 words we walk with Tathal Ennis as he prepares to bring death and disaster to a sleepy English village. He has a certain amoral charm, an indifference to right or wrong as he draws people in with the spell of his words, or the words of his spell.
There is young Tim Becket "tossing in his sleep, his nightmares darker than the purpling new bruises that mingled with old yellow and green, all delivered by a grandfather who abhorred weakness." Tathal offers him an escape of sorts, not caring whether he takes it or not. There are old sisters and a not so young barmaid who all must yield and give Tathal what he wants lest he takes it anyway.
But Tathal does not dispense death and cruelty for its own sake. There is a darker purpose a deeper quest that he pursues, a destiny sown on a bloody battlefield of long ago. The names Camlann and Myrddin Emrys evoke links to a legend - to the legend - of dark age Britain.
Perhaps it s a product of the busy age we live in that short story anthologies have become more appealing to my taste than before. Bite sized fiction for a world driven by sound-bites, and there are plenty of bites of different kinds in this riveting collection which Shawn Speakman has edited.
Some of the authors I already knew and had read, others are names glimpsed on social media. Some of the stories have roots in the authors' main works though still read well as stand alone stories, others are tales told in isolation, their backstory fashioned at the convergence of each reader's and author's maginations. The anthology is inevitably an eclectic mix, but still entertaining in its own right and a powerful taster of different authors' styles and approaches.
In some ways it is like those trios of deserts offered in the best restaurants these days, a mix of different but complementary taste sensations that leave you hugering for more. Just as a festive season taster can lead to bigger things and a damaging expansion in the waisline, so too this anthology might cause an explosion in my already daunting TBR pile.
But - to the stories themselves - and a story by story sequence of mini-reviews
Madwalls - by Rachel Caine.
Beautifully written, the transition from the normal world of a teenager into some dark secret, an accident of birth landing her in the midst of an ancient covenant handed down from generation to generation on which the fate of the world rests, the world and one captive. Surreal, hypnotic, like its central theme, the reader like the protagonist is drawn into a world that lingers in the mind, or is it the mind that lingers in the world?
Stories are Gods - by Peter Orullian.
A story that believes in the power of argument, or perhaps an argument that believes in the power of stories. A hero who is physically weak, but mentally strong fuelled by a powerful love and a tragic schism to take to a debating floor in a world where academic philosopy has suddenly become dangerous. Themes from a wider well-built world (The Vault of Heaven I infer) bleed into this story though, like its protagonist, the story stands well enough on its own two feet.
River and Echo - by John Marco.
If you have seen Will Smith's "I am Legend" or the film "Silent Running" you may see the same similes that I did. A lone survivor and his unusual companion, living ghosts in the detritus of a plague ridden city. There is a traditional fantasy feel to it - rather than sci-fi, a city with walls, lit and heated by fires, defended with arrows. Though with a slight steampunk feel. The story is sustained by the wonderfully well-drawn poignant relationship between River and Echo.
A dichotomy of Paradigms - by Mary Robinette Kowal
With this story the anthology lurches into a far future of interstellar piracy and technological innovation that enables artists to pursue their craft with the same vibrant immediacy of a war photographer. Patrick the brush wielding protagonist reminded me of a pen scribbling character W.W.Beauchamp in the Clint Eastwood film "Unforgiven" - the journalist hack turned biographer chasing after a gunslinger to document his life. Only Patrick finds that painting the pirate queen poses more of a challenge to his conscience and his craft than he expected.
Son of Crimea - by Jason M Hough
John Crimson is a policeman perched on the cusp of the age of science and reason - a time when method replaced madness, when passionate crime would yield to patient investigative technique. And into his world steps the disturbing Malena Penar, intoxicating and bewitching. In a journey that spans half the world she challenges his faith in the rational, his dismissal of superstition but in the end I found it hard to tell who won!
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks
The story is a bridge into the magical world of Landover where lawyer turned King Ben Holiday finds himself presiding like a cross between Judge Judy and Solomon over a gnomish dispute. Problems beget problems in a progeny of biblical proportions and in the end it is management, rather than leadership which must resolve the crises that competing incompetencies have created.
The Way into Oblivion by Harry Connolly.
When the centre of an empire has suddenly fallen to an unknown power, that is not so much an opportunity as a threat to those previously subjugated peoples who might be tempted to flex the muscles of their newfound independence. Song, sister to the leader of the Holvos people, finds more dangers lurk beside a crocodile infested river than within it. When all choices are difficult and all options are unpalatable, she must decide what motherhood means to her.
Uncharming by Delilah S Dawson
The writing is delicious, a tasty heady morsel as the daimon Monsieur Charmant frequents the darkest corners of an alternate Paris and London in an obsession to utterly possess a poor desparate soul who had already sold him the best part of herself. The story draws on a well built world of Dawson's other works but gives what I assume to be a smalller character his moment to preen his awful nature in technicolour limelight. I liked this line especially Money had been important to him once. Now it was power and possession, the tang of owing that hit the air everytime a client gave more than they really had.
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence.
This is another work where a supporting player from Prince of Thorns (and the short story Select Mode) has an opportunity to be fleshed out in more detail. Jorg had his band of brothers and "the Nuban" - never given an identifier beyond that - was one of my favourites. In this short story we find what brought him from the village of his birth to a place at Jorg's side in Ancrath. It begins with pride, the pride in a name won through hardship, a name that should not bow when it was not merited. But sometimes it is not enough to be right, and the consequences of pride cast long shadows.
All in a Night's Work by David Anthony.
In an action packed adventure Ash - a prince's faithful bodyguard finds a night off is anything but quiet. Deadly demons stalk the palace of an alternative Egypt and our young hero sets off in a pursuit of the assassin as single minded as it is foolish. The only assistance to be had comes from a beetle with a broken antenna and as Ash realises partway through the chase "..you can't think of everything when you're dangling a hundred feet in the air, holding on to the scrawny legs of a faulty beetle." The action is as relentless as the opening sequence of a James Bond movie, and the hero scarcely less resourceful than 007 himself.
Seven Tongues by Tim Marquitz
A grim tale with a grim hero illuminated by some startling pose from the very first line onwards- The clouds gnawed at the moon, devouring it in slow steady bites. Gryl is an unusual killer - a Prodigy - who escaped enslavement and sells his formidable powers, though still constrained by some sense of a just cause, of a distinction between the guilty and the innocent. When such a man goes in pursuit of a slaver who has been trading in and abusing children the outcome is unlikely to be pretty. However, it is the jobs that seem easiest at first, that are likely to end most messily and by the end of this gripping piece Gryl has certainly painted the desert red.
Fiber by Seanan McGuire.
This was outrageously entertaining. My eldest daughter has resolutely resisted the lure of the fantasy genre but also enjoys cheerleading as a base with the Cambridge Cougars, so a story that throws a carload of squabbling cheerleaders into a dark fantasy/horrow blend should be the kind that would fire her interest. It's a bit like the way "Dawn of the Dead" combined zombie apocalypse with fantasy shopping to become one of my wife's favourite films. Speaking of which, this riveting short story also features a reformed zombie amongst its kick-ass, kick-head, kick everything leading females. "...thus proving the old adage that you should never forget to wear a cup to a cheerleader fight. No matter what kind of junk you're packing in your pants, a good boot to the groin is going to put you down if you don't have protection."
The Diamond Queen - by Anthony Ryan
This is story that reaches skywards with its epic scope. The opening battle of tens of thousands, is a bloody victory won that would make Nirnaeth Arnoediad look like a minor skirmish (allow me a little hyperbole here). The warrior general Sharrow-met flies into combat astride her blackwing like a Nazgul Lord and none dare come between her and her prey. But the spoils of victory prove elusive and Sharrow-met's past stubbornly intrudes on the present. The Voice that is is her master, commands, controls and rewards but Sharrow-met finds mysteries it cannot answer as she strives to complete her subjugation of the last city on the continent.
And when the dust has settled and silence has fallen, I am left feeling I have finished a novel, rather than a short story.
The Farmboy Prince - by Brian Staveley
There is a distinctive voice in this first person point of view tale, the unnamed narrrator coarsely dismissive of both noble and ignoble visitors to his home town which aspires - at its best - to be a shit-hole. The noble are reviled as they sit "holding one of Nick's filthy tankards as though he'd filled it up with some pox-victim's phlegm instead of ale, which, considering Nick's ale, was about right." while the ignoble are warned "if you go for your sword in Two Streams, you'd better be ready to drop some motherfuckers"
In short, in this short story, the lives of the people in Two Streams - like the people themselves are short and ugly. Throw into the mix a traditional tale of hidden parentage, dodgy fake names, and a looming national crisis, and it becomes clear that something needs to be done. What is less clear, is exactly what that something is, and who's going to do it but Staveley manages to raise a smile and surprise in the process.
Heart's Desire - by Kat Richardson
The style is hauntingly strange, like a letter to an absent lover. The narrator sits entwined in the twisted ghosts of fairy stories of old, atop a tower tall enough to have held Rapunzel. There is a wall of thorns such as entombed sleeping beauty. There are helpful talking animals though their purpose and manner is a long way from the timely home helps that assisted Snow White.
Something is awry in this fairy tale world, a story too full of desparation and shadow to lift the reader's sense of forebdoing, but the twist when it comes, still cuts to the heart.
The Game - by Michael J. Sullivan
Those of us brought up on the SIMS and World of Warcraft will love the inventiveness of this tale. My second daughter, not the most skilled SIIMS player, used to get genuinely upset when - by some accident in playing the first versiion of SIMS - she managed to set her SIMS on fire and watched them reduced to a pile of ash and then an urn. My eldest, slightly more clinically observant, used to experiment with different ways of killing them off - for example putting them in a pool and then removing the ladder so they could not get out and would eventuallly die of exhaustion.
In the Game Sullivan plays with the idea of games and the characters that populate them as well as the poeple that play them. It is cleverly done, so I cannot - in all spoiler-free safety - say much more than that Jeri Blainey, Project Lead for the Realms of Rah - MMPORG is about to have a very bad day.
The Ethical Heresy - by Sam Sykes
Dreadaeleon is an apprentice wizard with more to worry about than his mouthful of a name. Even as they hunt down heretic mages, wielding ice, fire and lightning, Dreadaeleon - in the grip of adolescence - is obssessed with his cooler, taller, more gifted fellow apprentice Cresta. In the midst of death and destruction and the disdain of their grim tutor Vemire, Dread vainly tries to draw some approval from his crush. The prose captures his failures well as Dread tells himself Well done, old man. She dressed you down like a six-copper prostitute, and you simply stood there and took it.
But even apprentices can find danger in this well crafted piece, the backstory of politics and magic system injected seamlessly into the writing - like the fine marbelling of fat within the lean of a high quality steak that gives the whole its flavour. Humour and pathos mix perfectly as Dread finds himself thinking
At that moment what he was going to do seemed to fall along the lines of "die horribly, possibly while crying"
Small Kindnesses - by Joe Abercromie
The story spins around three women and the men who underestimate them. There is Shev the young but retired thief turned smoke house hostess, Carcolf the alluring blond siren from Shev's past still flinging temptation in her way, and there is the unconscious redhead. Though - as facebook told me only this morning - "It takes a special kind of stupid to piss of a redhead and expect calm"
Shev is the central sympathetic character, given to small kindnesses, to protecting others from their own foolishness, from striving to escape the trap of being the best thief in Westport. Maybe there was some stubborn stone in her, like the stone in a date, that refused to let all the shit that had been done to her make her into shit.
Shev, has her share of earthy passions but tries not to let these cloud her thinking too much.
She tore her eyes away as her mind came knocking like an unwelcome visitor. When you live in life's gutter, a cerain caution has to be your watchword.
But in a grippingly related day that grows increasingly turbulent, our charming but diminutive heroine discovers that fate neither forgets, nor forgives a small kindness.
The Rat - by Mazarkis Williams
A boy, Emil, awaits his great-grandpa coming to stay, hoping for an insight into the past. In this well written tale a backstory of epic grandeur is distilled down to a child's eye view of a simple hut and four people sharing an evening warmed, inflamed even, by fires of history. The title at first seems misleading, the eponymous rodent and its feline huntress little more than shadows on the fringes of the lyrical prose. But by the end the story had put me in mind of the sad fate of the crew of USS Indianapolis, torpedoed in 1945 and left for days floating in shark infested waters, their numbers steadily and inevitably diminished until they were spotted and rescued by chance. A horror like that would etch deep into an old man's memory and so it is with great-grandpa curmudgeonly and distrustful when awake, restless and fearful asleep.
And for Emil the excitement of the new, not just great grandpa but his road companion the musician "young enough to hold his shoulders straight, but he carried snow in his hair." quickly gives way to questions he dare not ask, answers he does not want.
The Siege of Tilpur - by Brian McClellan
I had heard of the powdermage series, but this was my first excursion into the world of magic and musketry that McClellan has created. It is a tale of warfare, of a desert seige, of prejdice, class and incompetence. Sergeant Tamas and his squad, serving the artistocratic General Seske are in the classic mold of the infantry lions led by officer donkeys as they bid to take the fortress that has never fallen. It also has shades of the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell, the period feel (if not the generalship) more suited to the Napoleonic era than the first world war.
It is visceral action, but with very human heroes. For a moment I saw a hint of Blackadder goes Forth as Tamas explains his cunning plan to a disbelieving general clad in a silk dressing gown (perhaps one of General Melchett's cast offs?). As with most cunning plans, things do not run exactly smoothly, but then that is what makes the story so entertaining.
Mr Island - by Kristen Britain
A charmingly atmospheric tale of what happens when a strange traveller is welcomed to a small east coast community, all told with a true 19th century period feel by a narrator known only as Mrs Grindle. If Jane Austen and Jules Verne had been inspired by the story of Grace Darling to collaborate this might be the tale they came up with. Of propriety and love, science and shipwreck, mystery and loss.
As the layers of the story are peeled back, and truths are raised - in some cases from the sea bed - several themes enjoy a brief flash of illumination, as though from the sweep of a lighthouse beam. Women's emancipation, commercial advantage, luddite impulses, all flare in this skilful depiction of small town life exposed to new influences. But Mr Island and the woman whose kindness captures his heart form the spine to the story and prove that - no matter how small the space in which you stand - there is no limit to the direction in which you can look.
Jury Duty - by Jim Butcher
There have been many great courtroom dramas since Henry Fonda first swung a jury in "Twelve Angry Men" but when Harrry Dresden - Chicago's wizardly private investigator gets involved in an open and shut case the debate will be won with spells and claws more than words and points of law.
This fresh fast paced story was my first introduction to Harry Dresden and the cynical wit that permeates the writing as Harry first questions "What does justice have to do with the legal system?" and then observes of the judge "This was a woman who had seen a great deal, had been amused by very little of it, and who would not easily be made a fool."
Strings pulled beyond the courtroom threaten to make a mockery of justice, but for a hardboiled kind of guy, Harry has an unusually soft centre; when the lives or happiness of children are at stake... well let's just say you wouldn't want to be at the sharp end of any stake Dresden might be holding.
The Dead's Revenant - by Shawn Speakman
A bit like Delilah Dawson's tale of Monsieur Charmant, Shawn Speakman gives us the point of view of a main story antagonist. For 9000 words we walk with Tathal Ennis as he prepares to bring death and disaster to a sleepy English village. He has a certain amoral charm, an indifference to right or wrong as he draws people in with the spell of his words, or the words of his spell.
There is young Tim Becket "tossing in his sleep, his nightmares darker than the purpling new bruises that mingled with old yellow and green, all delivered by a grandfather who abhorred weakness." Tathal offers him an escape of sorts, not caring whether he takes it or not. There are old sisters and a not so young barmaid who all must yield and give Tathal what he wants lest he takes it anyway.
But Tathal does not dispense death and cruelty for its own sake. There is a darker purpose a deeper quest that he pursues, a destiny sown on a bloody battlefield of long ago. The names Camlann and Myrddin Emrys evoke links to a legend - to the legend - of dark age Britain.
September 28, 2021
Jury Duty ⭐⭐⭐
March 25, 2018
I struggle to see how a compendium can be given 5 stars, as there is always going to be variability in quality of short stories. I found this a long read, because it is hard to motivate to finish the crappier stories and sometimes hard to motivate beginning a new story in case it isn't very good. And then I'd find a good story and finish it in no time at all.
I'll review the 5-star stories; the whose authors I now want to read:
Stories are Gods, Peter Orullian - 5 stars - The main story focused on a debate between philosophers. The world was really interesting, with a mysterious magic affecting it. Very easy short story to get into, and a really interesting concept.
River and Echo - John Marco - 5 stars - A really sweet story about a child and his robot (yet based in a seeminly medieval world), who were sole survivors of a plague.
An unfortunate influx of Filipians - Terry Brooks - 5 stars - Hilarious characters, especially the gnomes, and a cute story. Reminded me a lot of Pratchett.
Uncharming - Delilah S. Dawson - 5 stars - A really interesting perspective from a dark, rapist, wizard. Interesting world, as well.
Fiber - Sean McGuire - 5 stars - Really enjoyable zombie cheerleader story. Like many of the stories I didn't like, much of the story consisted of a (very Buffy-esque) fight scene, but there was a lot more preamble and the fight wasn't overdrawn. Very good.
The ethical heresy - Sam Sykes - 5 stars - Finally, a good story emerges from the wilderness (the previous 4-5 stories were not good). Followed a small quest rather than a fight scene. Interesting world with politics that I want to delve further into. Main character was funny in his ineptitude. Enjoyed a lot.
Small kindness - Joe Abercrombie - 5 stars - A story of an ex-thief who had to steal once again. I enjoyed the characters, as expected from Abercrombie. The only story to have an LGBTQ character, which I appreciated.
The siege of Tilpur - Brian McClellan - 5 stars - Another battle scene, though somewhat different. The writing style was very easy though and the little I saw of the powder magic makes me want to read more from this world.
Jury duty - Jim Butcher - 5 stars - Whilst I'm not a fan of werewolf/vampire stuff, this kept my attention and the addition of wizards helped. A (presumably quite powerful) wizard is on a mortal jury for a murder, and he decides to investigate for himself. Kept me interested from early on.
Less interesting stories
Madwalls - Rachel Caine - 3 stars
A dichotomy of paradigms - Mary Robinette Kowal - 4 stars - Quirky (sci-fi space pirate painting), and I liked it, but too short for 5 stars.
Son of Crimea - Jason m. HOUGH - 3 stars
The way into oblivion - Harry Connolly - 2 stars
A good name - Mark Lawrence - 3 stars
All in a night's work - David Anthony Durham - 4 stars
Seven times - Tim Marquitz - 2 stars
The hall of the diamond queen - Anthony Ryan - 1 star
The farmboy Prince - Brian Staveley - 3 stars
Heart's desire - Kat Richardson - 0 stars
The game - Michael J. Sullivan - 1 star
The rat - Mazarkis Williams - 3 stars
Mr Island - Kristen Britain - 4 stars
The dead's revenant - Shawn Speakman - 3 stars
I'll review the 5-star stories; the whose authors I now want to read:
Stories are Gods, Peter Orullian - 5 stars - The main story focused on a debate between philosophers. The world was really interesting, with a mysterious magic affecting it. Very easy short story to get into, and a really interesting concept.
River and Echo - John Marco - 5 stars - A really sweet story about a child and his robot (yet based in a seeminly medieval world), who were sole survivors of a plague.
An unfortunate influx of Filipians - Terry Brooks - 5 stars - Hilarious characters, especially the gnomes, and a cute story. Reminded me a lot of Pratchett.
Uncharming - Delilah S. Dawson - 5 stars - A really interesting perspective from a dark, rapist, wizard. Interesting world, as well.
Fiber - Sean McGuire - 5 stars - Really enjoyable zombie cheerleader story. Like many of the stories I didn't like, much of the story consisted of a (very Buffy-esque) fight scene, but there was a lot more preamble and the fight wasn't overdrawn. Very good.
The ethical heresy - Sam Sykes - 5 stars - Finally, a good story emerges from the wilderness (the previous 4-5 stories were not good). Followed a small quest rather than a fight scene. Interesting world with politics that I want to delve further into. Main character was funny in his ineptitude. Enjoyed a lot.
Small kindness - Joe Abercrombie - 5 stars - A story of an ex-thief who had to steal once again. I enjoyed the characters, as expected from Abercrombie. The only story to have an LGBTQ character, which I appreciated.
The siege of Tilpur - Brian McClellan - 5 stars - Another battle scene, though somewhat different. The writing style was very easy though and the little I saw of the powder magic makes me want to read more from this world.
Jury duty - Jim Butcher - 5 stars - Whilst I'm not a fan of werewolf/vampire stuff, this kept my attention and the addition of wizards helped. A (presumably quite powerful) wizard is on a mortal jury for a murder, and he decides to investigate for himself. Kept me interested from early on.
Less interesting stories
Madwalls - Rachel Caine - 3 stars
A dichotomy of paradigms - Mary Robinette Kowal - 4 stars - Quirky (sci-fi space pirate painting), and I liked it, but too short for 5 stars.
Son of Crimea - Jason m. HOUGH - 3 stars
The way into oblivion - Harry Connolly - 2 stars
A good name - Mark Lawrence - 3 stars
All in a night's work - David Anthony Durham - 4 stars
Seven times - Tim Marquitz - 2 stars
The hall of the diamond queen - Anthony Ryan - 1 star
The farmboy Prince - Brian Staveley - 3 stars
Heart's desire - Kat Richardson - 0 stars
The game - Michael J. Sullivan - 1 star
The rat - Mazarkis Williams - 3 stars
Mr Island - Kristen Britain - 4 stars
The dead's revenant - Shawn Speakman - 3 stars
November 8, 2017
Here's a run-down of my experiences with this book:
“Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
I usually prefer familiar settings and characters and for that reason short stories aren't my cup of tea. In this case, however, I knew about 3 minutes into this story that I would like it. It sucks you in quickly and stays engaging and intriguing through the very end. A true original!
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
This is apparently part of a pre-existing universe. Nothing in the story pulled me in or interested me in finding out about the larger universe the story takes place in. Sure, the idea of these powerful colleges of academics and the world of semi-omnipotent beings that manipulate a philosopher into working for their interests SOUNDS interesting on the surface. In practice, the story just wasn't interesting to me.
“River and Echo” by John Marco
First off, let me say this is another typical example of a post-apocalyptic story and I HATE those, so this story really did nothing for me. That said it WAS certainly well written and the two main characters are both well-developed. The story isn't particularly new, though, it's very typical to other post-apocalyptic stories I've been forced to read. The story does make a deeply thoughtful message about our feelings of immortality, both as individuals and as a people, and also about the futility of all we ultimately do. I will not be re-reading this one.
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
This story was particularly entertaining and new to me! We meet a hack of an artist making a living by taking work from criminals and notorious pirates, essentially playing publicist to them via his paintings of them. When, on one of these jobs, he suddenly finds an old teacher of his about to become a victim of his latest client he suddenly finds himself in a situation that inspires true art to come out of him.
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
This long story about a London detective during the time periods when India was still under British rule was captivating and interesting, even though the ending left me ambivalent about whether I would call the story "good" or not. It's a mystery but not in the typical Sherlock Holmes style. What's really unclear to me in the aftermath of reading it is just WHY Elena led him on that goose chase to begin with. If *I* was going to do what she was doing I would, without exception, do everything possible NOT to draw any attention to myself!
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
This was a LONG one, but also one of the most fun to read. In fact, despite my love of fantasy and Sci-Fi I've NEVER read any of Terry Brooks' works! Now that I've read this I really want to read more about the series. This story is a lighthearted and entertaining story of a long-suffering ruler ("manager") of a kingdom called Landover. In this tale he's forced to deal with a clown-like race of gnomes obliviously starting problems that endanger his kingdom and force him to temper his patience and his diplomacy in order to resolve the whole debacle.
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
As with Terry Brooks, I've never read any of Harry Connolly's works including the series that this story is based on. The story did a good job of bringing a newbie like me along for the ride but it was also a harsh story of pain, grief and loss. I wasn't in the mood for that kind of tale. I have no complaint about the skill Mr. Connolly showed in the writing of this story but it doesn't leave me wanting to read any more the series, unfortunately.
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
Yet another story that, while intriguing and well written, did nothing to interest me in the larger world the story comes from. This story tells the tale of an evil and skilled alchemist and how he destroys the life of a young woman (not a human woman, incidentally) that is already down on her luck and now has "unwelcome attention from evil alchemist" to add to her list of woes.
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
This one was definitely worth the read! Once again I have no idea about the wider world this story takes place in, but the story itself engaged me and interested me. It's a story we know far too often from real life but somehow rather rarely from literature or TV/movies: the story of a young man with a lot of anger and aggression who hasn't grown up enough to properly channel it. This story tells the tale of how that maturation happens. I don't know if the wider world Mr. Lawrence writes in really would interest me, but I certainly don't regret the purchase of this book for this story.
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
This is definitely one of my favorites in the whole anthology! I'm familiar with the idea of "Steampunk" but "Solarpunk" was new to me! The story takes place in a fantastic version of ancient Egypt where the magic provided by the "merging of the Sun and the God Re" powers abilities and devices that shouldn't exist in this world. The story is action-packed and tells of how one of the royal prince's bodyguards defeats a would-be-assassin. The twist comes in when the sorcerer making the attempt indicates that it never was the prince he really intended to kill to begin with. The story also features an endearing super-sized beetle (the bug, not the car, of course) that acts as impromptu mount to the bodyguard during his pursuit and becomes a friend by the end of the tale. I certainly hope Mr. Durham writes more stories in this universe. I'll snap them up in a second!
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
The story of a eunuch assassin named "Girl" that pursues and punishes criminals like the kidnapper/slaver he goes up against in this story. The entire story I was so jarred and distracted by the protagonists contrary name I had a hard time keeping with the plot itself. It was certainly well written but in the end I found myself questioning what the point of the whole story was. Maybe if I knew more about the wider world Mr. Marquitz is writing of this would be more relevant to me.
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
This one is both funny and entertaining. It's a story of a troupe of supernaturally-savvy cheerleaders (one has recently been a zombie, in fact, so they have plenty of "hands-on" experience) that have a chance encounter with the supernatural while on travel to a cheerleading gig. The whole experience is owed to one of the girl's health-conscious decisions to embrace high-fiber, probiotic yogurt as the solution to life's happiness, hence the title. I certainly want to read more stories of this crew after finishing this one far quicker than I would have preferred.
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
This is a story from the point of view of the side of evil, specifically a high-ranking lieutenant of the evil conqueror that vanquishes a kingdom of light. For that reason its certainly a novel story line and its written to keep the reader engaged and interested. Still, beyond that novelty of set up I was glad I read it but not interested enough to want more of the story or main character. What was given here was satisfying enough.
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
This was a fun read! I only wish it had been a bit longer but maybe it would have lessened the impact of the story if it was. This short and to-the-point story is an anti-fairy-tale. Told from the POV of a typical dirty and hard-worn teenager in a farmland in the days before modern plumbing and hygiene standard, the narrator tells us about "The Farmboy Prince" in his village and what came of him.
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
This unusual story has a giant eagle, an owl and a bat being manipulated by a sorcerer for the purposes of bringing a hero-soldier to him for a confrontation. The entire story is dripping with an almost romantic linking between the enemy sorcerer and the hero. It's like a perverse love story twisted out of the classic fairy-tale scenario.
Actually, something about the way the last several pages were written reminds me of the interactions between Star Wars characters, for some reason...
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
This is another short story that made buying the book entirely worth the money. Anyone like me that likes MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or EverQuest will find a lot familiar in this story but I bet this story will be just as consuming for a non-gamer, since even they are well aware of what we are doing when we pursue the ideal of "AI": creating the potential for life in computers by attempting to allow computers (or programs) to think. I won't spoil the awesome ending of this one. I'll just repeat that this story is entirely worth the cost of the entire anthology.
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
This story can resonate with all of us to some extent. It focuses on two teenager students gifted with magical abilities being trained in their use by a hard, strict teacher. These teens, like so many of us remember being, are trying their best to impress those around them, especially of the opposite sex, and are trying to seem cool, adult and completely put together at a time in their lives that they know next to nothing, especially when it comes to "being put together".
A major theme of the story is the dawning of knowledge and the end of innocence. The narration feels genuine as a point-of-view of a teenage boy and the other characters and events are also powerfully real, despite the fantasy setting. I would definitely read this one again. To boot, I wonder if Mr. Sykes will write more in this universe as I'm intensely curious to know what happens after the story ends.
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
Advertised as the 'origins story' of a pair of characters the author uses in other short stories, this one tells of a (former, not-former) lady-thief that now owns a smokehouse by trade. She finds an injured warrior woman half-in-and-out of the door of the smokehouse one morning, and her kindness is lending this stranger her bed ends up saving her life when scoundrels and bullies intent on making her use her retired skills for their benefit almost leads to her murder. The story starts slow but speeds up quick and was a lot of fun to listen to!
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
This story was enjoyable to read and meaningful as well. It's from the point of view of a young boy. In that way that all of us remember doing at some point in our childhood, he observes the words and interactions of his adopted mother (grandmother), her father (his great grandfather) and a mysterious stranger that helped the great grandfather out on his way to their house. As the "outside" observer, the boy learns much he didn't know or previously understand about his great grandfather's history, his dead father's identity and his OWN identity as well. The way in which all of this is revealed as a dawning in an innocent mind is what really allows this story leave to leave an impression on the reader.
“The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
This story tells of a commoner man that has struggled his way to the rank of Sergeant in the army who is determined to earn a higher commission, which he can only do by valor in battle, thanks to his lack of aristocracy. To add to the story, the Sergeant is also a "powder mage", a natural telekinetic/pyrokinetic. With a handful of his most loyal and trusted men he plans to take the tower of Tilpur, something that the army has tried and failed to achieve numerous times. The story was well done but just isn't the kind of thing that interests me much. The ending, however, was COMPLETELY worth it. The Sergeant sees that a granted title would be less meaningful than what he actually achieved: the fact that every single soldier in his army, all of them living BECAUSE of his actions, would remember who he was and what he had done.
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
I had a hard time giving this one its fair due, since I was so impatient to get to Jim Butcher's short story. Still, this one was a GREAT story. It takes place in coastal Maine in the times when sailing ships were the way in which all merchant shipping over any real distance was conducted. The story is told from the point of view of a matronly woman: wife but not mother, as she watches the people of her small town become transformed with the arrival of a stranger that shipwrecked near the town's lighthouse one night. "Mr. Island", as he's named, learns English quickly and comes from a land no one (not even us, the readers) have ever heard of. He spends the entire story working toward finding a way home but in the process the things he teaches the townspeople change their lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. This story is a love story as well, with a young, permanently disabled woman finding love with Mr. Island, who doesn't seem to care about her disabled hand any more than she cares about his unusual physical appearance.
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
Finally! The story I was waiting for! I'm a lifelong fan of the Dresden Files and it seems like this plot has just been waiting to come out almost since book 1! Sticking wizard Harry Dresden in compulsory jury duty is a golden opportunity for the author to tell us a story of Harry's usual bad luck and his constant need to meddle when mysteries and/or wrongdoing come up. The story apparently takes place after the most recent novel ends ("Skin Game"). Harry and old friend Billy Borden try to resolve whether or not the man on trial is truly innocent or not. Circumstantial evidence certainly isn't in the ex-con-on-trial's side, but Harry's instincts and familiarity with the supernatural drive him to investigate whether the defender really is "not guilt" as he claims.
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
“Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
I usually prefer familiar settings and characters and for that reason short stories aren't my cup of tea. In this case, however, I knew about 3 minutes into this story that I would like it. It sucks you in quickly and stays engaging and intriguing through the very end. A true original!
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
This is apparently part of a pre-existing universe. Nothing in the story pulled me in or interested me in finding out about the larger universe the story takes place in. Sure, the idea of these powerful colleges of academics and the world of semi-omnipotent beings that manipulate a philosopher into working for their interests SOUNDS interesting on the surface. In practice, the story just wasn't interesting to me.
“River and Echo” by John Marco
First off, let me say this is another typical example of a post-apocalyptic story and I HATE those, so this story really did nothing for me. That said it WAS certainly well written and the two main characters are both well-developed. The story isn't particularly new, though, it's very typical to other post-apocalyptic stories I've been forced to read. The story does make a deeply thoughtful message about our feelings of immortality, both as individuals and as a people, and also about the futility of all we ultimately do. I will not be re-reading this one.
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
This story was particularly entertaining and new to me! We meet a hack of an artist making a living by taking work from criminals and notorious pirates, essentially playing publicist to them via his paintings of them. When, on one of these jobs, he suddenly finds an old teacher of his about to become a victim of his latest client he suddenly finds himself in a situation that inspires true art to come out of him.
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
This long story about a London detective during the time periods when India was still under British rule was captivating and interesting, even though the ending left me ambivalent about whether I would call the story "good" or not. It's a mystery but not in the typical Sherlock Holmes style. What's really unclear to me in the aftermath of reading it is just WHY Elena led him on that goose chase to begin with. If *I* was going to do what she was doing I would, without exception, do everything possible NOT to draw any attention to myself!
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
This was a LONG one, but also one of the most fun to read. In fact, despite my love of fantasy and Sci-Fi I've NEVER read any of Terry Brooks' works! Now that I've read this I really want to read more about the series. This story is a lighthearted and entertaining story of a long-suffering ruler ("manager") of a kingdom called Landover. In this tale he's forced to deal with a clown-like race of gnomes obliviously starting problems that endanger his kingdom and force him to temper his patience and his diplomacy in order to resolve the whole debacle.
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
As with Terry Brooks, I've never read any of Harry Connolly's works including the series that this story is based on. The story did a good job of bringing a newbie like me along for the ride but it was also a harsh story of pain, grief and loss. I wasn't in the mood for that kind of tale. I have no complaint about the skill Mr. Connolly showed in the writing of this story but it doesn't leave me wanting to read any more the series, unfortunately.
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
Yet another story that, while intriguing and well written, did nothing to interest me in the larger world the story comes from. This story tells the tale of an evil and skilled alchemist and how he destroys the life of a young woman (not a human woman, incidentally) that is already down on her luck and now has "unwelcome attention from evil alchemist" to add to her list of woes.
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
This one was definitely worth the read! Once again I have no idea about the wider world this story takes place in, but the story itself engaged me and interested me. It's a story we know far too often from real life but somehow rather rarely from literature or TV/movies: the story of a young man with a lot of anger and aggression who hasn't grown up enough to properly channel it. This story tells the tale of how that maturation happens. I don't know if the wider world Mr. Lawrence writes in really would interest me, but I certainly don't regret the purchase of this book for this story.
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
This is definitely one of my favorites in the whole anthology! I'm familiar with the idea of "Steampunk" but "Solarpunk" was new to me! The story takes place in a fantastic version of ancient Egypt where the magic provided by the "merging of the Sun and the God Re" powers abilities and devices that shouldn't exist in this world. The story is action-packed and tells of how one of the royal prince's bodyguards defeats a would-be-assassin. The twist comes in when the sorcerer making the attempt indicates that it never was the prince he really intended to kill to begin with. The story also features an endearing super-sized beetle (the bug, not the car, of course) that acts as impromptu mount to the bodyguard during his pursuit and becomes a friend by the end of the tale. I certainly hope Mr. Durham writes more stories in this universe. I'll snap them up in a second!
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
The story of a eunuch assassin named "Girl" that pursues and punishes criminals like the kidnapper/slaver he goes up against in this story. The entire story I was so jarred and distracted by the protagonists contrary name I had a hard time keeping with the plot itself. It was certainly well written but in the end I found myself questioning what the point of the whole story was. Maybe if I knew more about the wider world Mr. Marquitz is writing of this would be more relevant to me.
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
This one is both funny and entertaining. It's a story of a troupe of supernaturally-savvy cheerleaders (one has recently been a zombie, in fact, so they have plenty of "hands-on" experience) that have a chance encounter with the supernatural while on travel to a cheerleading gig. The whole experience is owed to one of the girl's health-conscious decisions to embrace high-fiber, probiotic yogurt as the solution to life's happiness, hence the title. I certainly want to read more stories of this crew after finishing this one far quicker than I would have preferred.
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
This is a story from the point of view of the side of evil, specifically a high-ranking lieutenant of the evil conqueror that vanquishes a kingdom of light. For that reason its certainly a novel story line and its written to keep the reader engaged and interested. Still, beyond that novelty of set up I was glad I read it but not interested enough to want more of the story or main character. What was given here was satisfying enough.
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
This was a fun read! I only wish it had been a bit longer but maybe it would have lessened the impact of the story if it was. This short and to-the-point story is an anti-fairy-tale. Told from the POV of a typical dirty and hard-worn teenager in a farmland in the days before modern plumbing and hygiene standard, the narrator tells us about "The Farmboy Prince" in his village and what came of him.
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
This unusual story has a giant eagle, an owl and a bat being manipulated by a sorcerer for the purposes of bringing a hero-soldier to him for a confrontation. The entire story is dripping with an almost romantic linking between the enemy sorcerer and the hero. It's like a perverse love story twisted out of the classic fairy-tale scenario.
Actually, something about the way the last several pages were written reminds me of the interactions between Star Wars characters, for some reason...
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
This is another short story that made buying the book entirely worth the money. Anyone like me that likes MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or EverQuest will find a lot familiar in this story but I bet this story will be just as consuming for a non-gamer, since even they are well aware of what we are doing when we pursue the ideal of "AI": creating the potential for life in computers by attempting to allow computers (or programs) to think. I won't spoil the awesome ending of this one. I'll just repeat that this story is entirely worth the cost of the entire anthology.
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
This story can resonate with all of us to some extent. It focuses on two teenager students gifted with magical abilities being trained in their use by a hard, strict teacher. These teens, like so many of us remember being, are trying their best to impress those around them, especially of the opposite sex, and are trying to seem cool, adult and completely put together at a time in their lives that they know next to nothing, especially when it comes to "being put together".
A major theme of the story is the dawning of knowledge and the end of innocence. The narration feels genuine as a point-of-view of a teenage boy and the other characters and events are also powerfully real, despite the fantasy setting. I would definitely read this one again. To boot, I wonder if Mr. Sykes will write more in this universe as I'm intensely curious to know what happens after the story ends.
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
Advertised as the 'origins story' of a pair of characters the author uses in other short stories, this one tells of a (former, not-former) lady-thief that now owns a smokehouse by trade. She finds an injured warrior woman half-in-and-out of the door of the smokehouse one morning, and her kindness is lending this stranger her bed ends up saving her life when scoundrels and bullies intent on making her use her retired skills for their benefit almost leads to her murder. The story starts slow but speeds up quick and was a lot of fun to listen to!
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
This story was enjoyable to read and meaningful as well. It's from the point of view of a young boy. In that way that all of us remember doing at some point in our childhood, he observes the words and interactions of his adopted mother (grandmother), her father (his great grandfather) and a mysterious stranger that helped the great grandfather out on his way to their house. As the "outside" observer, the boy learns much he didn't know or previously understand about his great grandfather's history, his dead father's identity and his OWN identity as well. The way in which all of this is revealed as a dawning in an innocent mind is what really allows this story leave to leave an impression on the reader.
“The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
This story tells of a commoner man that has struggled his way to the rank of Sergeant in the army who is determined to earn a higher commission, which he can only do by valor in battle, thanks to his lack of aristocracy. To add to the story, the Sergeant is also a "powder mage", a natural telekinetic/pyrokinetic. With a handful of his most loyal and trusted men he plans to take the tower of Tilpur, something that the army has tried and failed to achieve numerous times. The story was well done but just isn't the kind of thing that interests me much. The ending, however, was COMPLETELY worth it. The Sergeant sees that a granted title would be less meaningful than what he actually achieved: the fact that every single soldier in his army, all of them living BECAUSE of his actions, would remember who he was and what he had done.
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
I had a hard time giving this one its fair due, since I was so impatient to get to Jim Butcher's short story. Still, this one was a GREAT story. It takes place in coastal Maine in the times when sailing ships were the way in which all merchant shipping over any real distance was conducted. The story is told from the point of view of a matronly woman: wife but not mother, as she watches the people of her small town become transformed with the arrival of a stranger that shipwrecked near the town's lighthouse one night. "Mr. Island", as he's named, learns English quickly and comes from a land no one (not even us, the readers) have ever heard of. He spends the entire story working toward finding a way home but in the process the things he teaches the townspeople change their lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. This story is a love story as well, with a young, permanently disabled woman finding love with Mr. Island, who doesn't seem to care about her disabled hand any more than she cares about his unusual physical appearance.
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
Finally! The story I was waiting for! I'm a lifelong fan of the Dresden Files and it seems like this plot has just been waiting to come out almost since book 1! Sticking wizard Harry Dresden in compulsory jury duty is a golden opportunity for the author to tell us a story of Harry's usual bad luck and his constant need to meddle when mysteries and/or wrongdoing come up. The story apparently takes place after the most recent novel ends ("Skin Game"). Harry and old friend Billy Borden try to resolve whether or not the man on trial is truly innocent or not. Circumstantial evidence certainly isn't in the ex-con-on-trial's side, but Harry's instincts and familiarity with the supernatural drive him to investigate whether the defender really is "not guilt" as he claims.
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
Want to read
April 10, 2022I want to read this in its entirety but for now have read just, All in a Night's Work by David Anthony Durham, a short story set in a solarpunk Egyptian universe which continues in his middle grade novel debut, The Shadow Prince. An excellent beginning combining elements of The Prince of Egypt, Aladdin, Harryhausen's Sinbad/Clash of the Titans/Jason and the Argonauts films, and Indiana Jones. Think Percy Jackson in a historical fiction setting of Egypt with a touch of Disney charm. 5 stars!
The Shadow Prince
The Shadow Prince
December 31, 2015
When I reviewed Unfettered, which is the first volume of this series of short stories, I think I mentioned that I came across this book from an entry in the blogs of David Anthony Durham and Jason Hough. Both are authors whose novels I have enjoyed a great deal, and both have a story in this particular volume.
One of the problems with anthologies like Rogues or Crucified Dreams is that the stories are all of the same bent. After a while they tend to blur together and I can't remember what distinguishes one story from the next. The two collections edited by Shawn Speakman are not like that because no two stories are going to be alike.
I found this collection to be head and shoulders above the previous.
Madwalls by Rachel Caine – I am not familiar with this author. This story was a very strange. It was an interesting take on plugging the hole in the dike with one's finger.
Stories are Gods by Peter Orullian – This story started with a scene that strained my suspension of belief beyond what it could bear, so that soured the rest of it for me.
River and Echo by John Marco – A poignant tale. I was left wanting to know what happened next.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms by Mark Robinette Kowal – Very outside her usual norm, this story was an interesting look at vanity.
Son of Crimea by Jason Hough – I do not want to spoil this one for you. This story is a prelude to the events of his new novel Zero World, though a prelude by 250-ish years. Excellent story.
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks – Set in the world of Landover, this was an amusing tale. I doubt the lesson was learned, but cannot criticize the participants being so slow of learning from my own mistakes.
The Way Into Oblivion by Harry Connolly – This has the look and feel of a zombie / werewolf / vampire story, but it isn't. The author's novel, The Way Into Chaos has been sitting on my kindle for a while. I think it is time I read it.
Uncharming by Delilah S. Dawson – A cautionary tale with a delightfully brutal resolution. Be careful what you wish for.
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence – I've enjoyed the Broken Empire stories, but this one tops the list of those I've read by far.
All in a Night's Work by David Anthony Durham – I liked this story. It is not set in the world of Acacia, but is set in an alternate version of Egypt. I found it to be a hilarious, rollicking adventure. I'd like another story about Babbel, please.
Seven Tongues by Tim Marquitz – This is the second story story I've read by this author featuring Gryl, a character from an upcoming novel. I've really enjoyed both of the stories and am looking forward to reading the novel. The story has a Guardians of the Flame feel to it, but is more meaty.
Fiber by Seanan McGuire – A super-human cheerleader squad has a real life horror movie adventure. Yeah, just let that sink in for a minute.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen by Anthony Ryan – I thought this story was a bit heavy handed and over played the plot. However, I really liked it. Anthony Ryan knows how to spin a tale, and the ending of the story was perfect.
The Farmboy Prince by Brian Staveley – This story did not go at all as I expected. I thought it was going to be a poke at a familiar fantasy trope, and it started out that way. It did not end that way at all.
Heart's Desire by Kat Richardson – I’m not entirely sure what I just read. A bit too esoteric for me, I think. All I can say is be careful what you wish for.
The Game by Michael J. Sullivan – This is a very interesting story. What would happen if an NPC in a MMORPG became self-aware?
The Ethical Heresy by Sam Sykes – An interesting look at the search for knowledge and the price for acquiring it.
Small Kindnesses by Joe Abercrombie – Everything I've read by this author has been enjoyable. This story has a fantasy-western feel and is well executed.
The Rat by Mazarkis Williams – I think this is my first exposure to this writer. I liked the story, it had a dark, ominous feel.
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan – This is a story of heroic fantasy set in McClellan's powder mage world. A fun read.
Mr. Island by Kristen Britain – This was a very interesting story. It is set in 1870 and has an alien, a shipping master, and a love story all wrapped up in one individual's efforts to return home.
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher – Harry Dresden gets chosen for jury duty in an open and shut case. Or is it?
The Dead's Revenant by Shawn Speakman – A complex tale of revenge.
One of the problems with anthologies like Rogues or Crucified Dreams is that the stories are all of the same bent. After a while they tend to blur together and I can't remember what distinguishes one story from the next. The two collections edited by Shawn Speakman are not like that because no two stories are going to be alike.
I found this collection to be head and shoulders above the previous.
Madwalls by Rachel Caine – I am not familiar with this author. This story was a very strange. It was an interesting take on plugging the hole in the dike with one's finger.
Stories are Gods by Peter Orullian – This story started with a scene that strained my suspension of belief beyond what it could bear, so that soured the rest of it for me.
River and Echo by John Marco – A poignant tale. I was left wanting to know what happened next.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms by Mark Robinette Kowal – Very outside her usual norm, this story was an interesting look at vanity.
Son of Crimea by Jason Hough – I do not want to spoil this one for you. This story is a prelude to the events of his new novel Zero World, though a prelude by 250-ish years. Excellent story.
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks – Set in the world of Landover, this was an amusing tale. I doubt the lesson was learned, but cannot criticize the participants being so slow of learning from my own mistakes.
The Way Into Oblivion by Harry Connolly – This has the look and feel of a zombie / werewolf / vampire story, but it isn't. The author's novel, The Way Into Chaos has been sitting on my kindle for a while. I think it is time I read it.
Uncharming by Delilah S. Dawson – A cautionary tale with a delightfully brutal resolution. Be careful what you wish for.
A Good Name by Mark Lawrence – I've enjoyed the Broken Empire stories, but this one tops the list of those I've read by far.
All in a Night's Work by David Anthony Durham – I liked this story. It is not set in the world of Acacia, but is set in an alternate version of Egypt. I found it to be a hilarious, rollicking adventure. I'd like another story about Babbel, please.
Seven Tongues by Tim Marquitz – This is the second story story I've read by this author featuring Gryl, a character from an upcoming novel. I've really enjoyed both of the stories and am looking forward to reading the novel. The story has a Guardians of the Flame feel to it, but is more meaty.
Fiber by Seanan McGuire – A super-human cheerleader squad has a real life horror movie adventure. Yeah, just let that sink in for a minute.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen by Anthony Ryan – I thought this story was a bit heavy handed and over played the plot. However, I really liked it. Anthony Ryan knows how to spin a tale, and the ending of the story was perfect.
The Farmboy Prince by Brian Staveley – This story did not go at all as I expected. I thought it was going to be a poke at a familiar fantasy trope, and it started out that way. It did not end that way at all.
Heart's Desire by Kat Richardson – I’m not entirely sure what I just read. A bit too esoteric for me, I think. All I can say is be careful what you wish for.
The Game by Michael J. Sullivan – This is a very interesting story. What would happen if an NPC in a MMORPG became self-aware?
The Ethical Heresy by Sam Sykes – An interesting look at the search for knowledge and the price for acquiring it.
Small Kindnesses by Joe Abercrombie – Everything I've read by this author has been enjoyable. This story has a fantasy-western feel and is well executed.
The Rat by Mazarkis Williams – I think this is my first exposure to this writer. I liked the story, it had a dark, ominous feel.
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan – This is a story of heroic fantasy set in McClellan's powder mage world. A fun read.
Mr. Island by Kristen Britain – This was a very interesting story. It is set in 1870 and has an alien, a shipping master, and a love story all wrapped up in one individual's efforts to return home.
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher – Harry Dresden gets chosen for jury duty in an open and shut case. Or is it?
The Dead's Revenant by Shawn Speakman – A complex tale of revenge.
August 23, 2016
This was an amazing collection of short stories, each of them kept me engaged and entertained. Listening to this as an audiobook, I didn't get the opportunity to just bounce from story-to-story and am I glad of that. I was "forced" to listen to stories I might have otherwise just skipped.
I won't take the time to review each story, that has been done many times already, but I will say that I LOVED the following:
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan - I've been very hesitant to jump into the Powder Mage world, but I think, based on this story I'll be reading it shortly.
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher - It's Harry Dresden, really that should be enough of a reason, but just in case... Mr. Butcher's storytelling is fantastic as always, and I loved the introduction to why Harry is "real" in the books.
River and Echo by John Marco
Take the time and read everything in this book, it will open your options to new authors, I know it did for me!
I won't take the time to review each story, that has been done many times already, but I will say that I LOVED the following:
The Siege of Tilpur by Brian McClellan - I've been very hesitant to jump into the Powder Mage world, but I think, based on this story I'll be reading it shortly.
Jury Duty by Jim Butcher - It's Harry Dresden, really that should be enough of a reason, but just in case... Mr. Butcher's storytelling is fantastic as always, and I loved the introduction to why Harry is "real" in the books.
River and Echo by John Marco
Take the time and read everything in this book, it will open your options to new authors, I know it did for me!
May 12, 2022
'Small Kindnesses' (First Law World #0.3) by Joe Abercrombie.
Hands-in-Pockets shoved his hands down further still. ‘You ain’t even got a weapon,’ he snarled.
But Javre only smiled. ‘My friend, I am the weapon.’
Rating: 4.0/5.
Review:
This short story takes place about two years before the events of 'The First Law' and is set in the region of Westport. When Shev first encounters a bruised and battered red-haired woman, I assumed the story was going to revolve around the badass Shylo Vitari. I felt a bit let down when the woman was revealed to be a new character. But that disappointment was short-lived. Javre is a complete badass and is hinted to be one of the first holders of the Father of Swords (or something similar). We also get a glimpse of Severard before he joined the Inquisition.
This was a highly entertaining short story filled with some strong and interesting female characters. Here's to hoping that we get to see more of Shev and Javre!
Hands-in-Pockets shoved his hands down further still. ‘You ain’t even got a weapon,’ he snarled.
But Javre only smiled. ‘My friend, I am the weapon.’
Rating: 4.0/5.
Review:
This short story takes place about two years before the events of 'The First Law' and is set in the region of Westport. When Shev first encounters a bruised and battered red-haired woman, I assumed the story was going to revolve around the badass Shylo Vitari. I felt a bit let down when the woman was revealed to be a new character. But that disappointment was short-lived. Javre is a complete badass and is hinted to be one of the first holders of the Father of Swords (or something similar). We also get a glimpse of Severard before he joined the Inquisition.
This was a highly entertaining short story filled with some strong and interesting female characters. Here's to hoping that we get to see more of Shev and Javre!
December 13, 2017
NOTE: Only read "Jury Duty" by Jim Butcher.
Another short story in the Dresden Files. This one shows that magic is so much a part of everyday life for Harry, that it even plays a role when summoned for Jury Duty. The story is simple: Harry gets called to serve, the trial has some inconsistency, he decides to investigate, finds that supernatural elements are involved (this case: White Court), and the case gets dismissed. Simple and straightforward. Very good read nonetheless.
Recommend.
Another short story in the Dresden Files. This one shows that magic is so much a part of everyday life for Harry, that it even plays a role when summoned for Jury Duty. The story is simple: Harry gets called to serve, the trial has some inconsistency, he decides to investigate, finds that supernatural elements are involved (this case: White Court), and the case gets dismissed. Simple and straightforward. Very good read nonetheless.
Recommend.
March 3, 2016
Much like Blackguards this anthology hit the right note for me, with a wide variety of stories by a huge amount of very talented authors. There wasn't a story I didn't like amongst the lot really, the one thing I love about anthologies is finding a new author or authors on the basis of reading small amounts of work by them. Also when my minds is distracted or wondering only having to think from one story to the next as opposed to a whole plotline is excellent.
In short I highly recommend this anthology, you're a big fan of fantasy writing? Then get yourself a copy I guarantee you'll like at least 60% of the stories within if not more.
In short I highly recommend this anthology, you're a big fan of fantasy writing? Then get yourself a copy I guarantee you'll like at least 60% of the stories within if not more.
September 8, 2017
As with most anthologies, I liked some, didn't like others, pretty average about the rest. This one was more depressing than I'd like, but I know that's a selling point for many people. I just think I'm done with nihilism in my fantasy, at least for a goodly while.
The writing caliber of the stories is excellent, though. So while many just weren't my thing, it's a great anthology to see if you like the style of certain very popular writers. That's a great bonus for this package.
The writing caliber of the stories is excellent, though. So while many just weren't my thing, it's a great anthology to see if you like the style of certain very popular writers. That's a great bonus for this package.
August 18, 2019
When an NPC from a popular and advanced MMORPG seems to gain sentience, things become complicated. Technology gaining sentience has been done before, but the setting here is unique as well as the questions of how we define existence. Cool story.
March 24, 2016
The only story I read was "Jury Duty" by Jim Butcher and it had his trademark dry wit. The supernatural elements blended in well with the rest of the story. Harry Dresden to the rescue (again)!!! A fun read.
December 21, 2016
Got it for Jim Butcher;
As said, got it for Jim Butcher. Rest was ok; readable; maybe a handful I enjoyed. Some stories weren't to my taste but that is expected in anthologies. One story stood out in the 'want to murder the supposed protagonist' sense but just that one.
As said, got it for Jim Butcher. Rest was ok; readable; maybe a handful I enjoyed. Some stories weren't to my taste but that is expected in anthologies. One story stood out in the 'want to murder the supposed protagonist' sense but just that one.
December 1, 2015
Short Stories are great. not committed to any stretch and can move on. Lots of great ones in here.
September 12, 2016
I thought this was pretty neat. I liked some more than others, but I thought the variety was great, and I was introduced to some authors I'd like to read more of. Worth the read!
July 18, 2022
I have tried not to give any spoilers and to just write about the stories in a general sense. If I have failed in that endeavor I apologize.
Unbound
3.27 rating
Two of the stories were unappealing to me, so the entire book's average was lowered. However, there are many more great stories to cause the book to warrant the higher rating of 4 stars.
Madwalls
Rachel Caine
4 stars
Samarjit (Sammy) Cole is 16 and about to learn some of what being a watcher entails. Her father, Chatar Singh is the watcher for that region now. He brings her to a place called "The Citadel" (not to be confused with the college of the same name). It is here that she meets a man who is held captive with only walls and the chalk with which he scribbles nonstop. What follows is a sort of weird romance.
Stories Are Gods
Peter Orullian
3 stars
Confusing in parts, but still good. Anna awakens after 8 years in a coma. She has been catatonic ever since her rescue from slavers. Her husband, Lour has been by her side waiting for this day. He is an albino who suffers from brittle-bone disease. Needless to say he is both mocked and shunned by the populace. Alas his happiness is short-lived as Anna falls back into a coma after only a few short minutes. Lour is visited by a being called a Velle. It is the reason Anna woke up for those few minutes. Lour is a philosopher who, despite his physical difficulties, is still an accomplished orator. The Velle want Lour to argue a point for them. In return Lour will have Anna back. It is an argument he would have made anyway, but why does the Velle want it made?
River and Echo
John Marco
4 stars
River is a nine year old who is the only survivor after everyone else in his village has died from a plague. His only companion is a humanton named Echo. Together they man the gates of the village using humantons they have scavenged in order to make it appear there is an army protecting the village. Day after day they survive together.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms
Mary Robinette Kowal
3 stars
Patrick is a painter who has been hired by Captain Dauntless to paint her. Patrick's specialty is painting a subject while they are moving. Captain Dauntless is a pirate and she hopes his painting will instill fear. The best part of the story to me was when they encounter his old art instructor, Lila Kirkland.
Son of Crimea
Jason M. Hough
3 Stars
In 1835 John Crimson of Scotland Yard is on his way back to London when he comes upon a woman, Malena Penar stranded on the road by her brother. John takes her to London and during the trip becomes enthralled by her. After a week of seeing Malena his boss at Scotland Yard, Henry Goddard invites them both to join him and him wife Annette for dinner. The talk during dinner quickly moves to Henry's upcoming trip to India to meet with W.H. Sleeman who has made a name for himself fighting a group of Indian criminals known as the Thuggees. It read like a mystery novel until the last few pages, and then it "lost the plot" as the Brits say.
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians
Terry Brooks
4 stars
I haven't read the series "The Magic Kingdom of Landover" which these characters are from. Indeed I didn't even know about it until reading the short story. Ben Holiday is the king of Landover. All he wanted was to sleep in, but some gnomes had other ideas. Filip and Sot are "G’Home Gnomes". This type of gnome is loathed throughout the land for various reasons. As I said I haven't read the series to know if the other types of gnome are like this, but these two are not the sharpest. It would seem that Filip has had his pet stolen. From Ben's wife Willow we learn that it was in fact NOT his pet, but rather Shoopdiesel's. He is another G’Home Gnomes. He is mute, but can communicate with Willow through sign. What follows is a delightful mess.
The Way into Oblivion
Harry Connolly
2 stars
Interesting start, then it sucked. Alinder with her children, Shoaw and Shawa, are on a journey with a troop of soldiers when they come upon an outpost where all have been killed, the bodies mutilated. At first they believe it to be the work of an enemy force. Instead they soon see the creatures responsible and Alinder sends her children fleeing. The use of English words with no regard for their actual meaning was distracting.
Uncharming
Delilah S. Dawson
1.5 stars
I am reading this anthology again and instead of just a numerical rating and a singled sentence I am trying to give a short synopsis so I can remember what the story was about. This one I recall having enough revulsion that after a few pages I knew I didn't wish to subject myself to it again, so the synopsis is incomplete. Monsieur Charmant is a horrible person who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. When a woman walks in to his shop to sell him her tail he becomes obsessed with her.
A Good Name
Mark Lawrence
3 stars
Three days earlier Firestone had finished his trial and received his "true name" of Harrac. Upon returning to his village he takes umbrage at still being treated as a child. After fighting with one of the men there he is ordered by his father to go see the king. At the gates to the palace he meets a Viking who befriends him. I enjoyed the story, but wanted a different ending.
All in a Night's Work
David Anthony Durham
4.5 stars
Ash is the prince's bodyguard and double, his "shadow". Since the prince is away Ash believes it will be a peaceful time. Just pretend to be the prince and do everything he would have been doing. A nice bath and then sleeping in the prince's bed was quite nice-until someone tried to kill him! Being quick on his feet enables him to thwart the attack, but now he has to find the one who is ultimately responsible, an evil magician he got a quick look of. With the help of a beetle named Babbel he will hunt the magician to the ends of Egypt if necessary. The author's story in the first Unfettered book was my favorite in that anthology. This one is also enjoyable.
Seven Tongues
Tim Marquitz
4 stars
Gryl, a former slave, has tracked a caravan led by Althun Rathe. He is an evil slaver who preys upon children. Gryl earned his freedom by being very good at what he does. Rathe really shouldn't have used children. Now he will learn just how good Gryl was.
Fiber
Seanan McGuire
4 stars
A group of cheerleaders are driving back from an away game when one has to use the restroom quite badly. It seems she has taken a liking to yogurt, the kind with extra FIBER. The cheerleaders are an interesting bunch. One is a FORMER zombie. She is still getting used to being alive again. The one with the yogurt has the ability to make people do anything she says-something that she is trying her best not to use. When a sign for a gas station with facilities appears her need for a toilet is greater than her not wanting to abuse her power, so the girls stop at a very questionable store. For something that sounds so sophomoric it was actually highly entertaining and funny.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen
Anthony Ryan
2.5 stars
A queen is overseeing a battle. The king leading the opposing army looks familiar, but she doesn't know why. The king appears to know her as well. Unfortunately he is dead by the third page. There is a lot of savagery. I believe the queen is insane. I rated the story 4 stars upon the first reading, however this time I cannot say it warrants that. It is supposed to be a thirty minute read, but it has been two days and I haven't finished it because it is not holding my interest. I remember liking a character that appears towards the end. It should not be a struggle to get to that point.
The Farmboy Prince
Brian Staveley
1.5 stars
Since I rated it so low to first time and the first few pages didn't draw me in on this reading I cannot give a synopsis.
Heart’s Desire
Kat Richardson
2.5 stars
Maybe it is because the story is located so near to it, but it is reminding me of “The Diamond Queen”. Different authors though. This time a female is using her powers to enthrall animals, even those who are dead, to do her will. She wants a man to come to her and the animals are making sure that happens.
The Game
Michael J. Sullivan
4 stars
Jeri Blainey, a computer game designer finds one of her characters has become sentient. The story ends very jarringly. It is as if the author forgot they hadn't finished writing, but sent in the draft anyway.
The Ethical Heresy
Sam Sykes
3 stars
The story begins with Dreadaeleon and Cesta standing by to remove the bodies of the heretics burned to death. Taken from their parents at a young age they are apprentices with Dreadaeleon being a year behind Cesta. Dreadaeleon is emotionally much younger than Cesta and spends his time mentally talking to himself instead of paying attention to their instructor, Lector Vemire. The two are students learning to control their magic, or Venarie as the story calls it. When the apprentices are tasked with searching for a heretic who has eluded capture Cesta makes it known that she believes Dreadaeleon is nothing more than a bumbling child which dashes Dreadaeleon’s hopes of ever being with her. Once they find the heretic, Lathrim, he gives them much to think about.
Small Kindnesses
Joe Abercrombie
4.5 stars
Shev, “The Best Thief in Westport” is retired and all she wants to do is run her little shop, but life is never simple. First there is the unconscious woman blocking her doorway. The woman has suffered a horrible beating. Together with her only employee, Severard they are able to drag the woman into Shev's office and onto a cot. Then an ex-girlfriend, Carcolf arrives and tries to cajole Shev into doing a job. No sooner was she able to get rid of Carcolf then the son of the local mob boss shows up. This time she doesn't have a choice. She must come out of retirement to do what he wants. The last quarter of the story is great. Meeting Javre is truly the best part.
The Rat
Mazarkis Williams
3 stars
The title doesn't really match and the story abruptly ends. Emil lives with his grandmother, Nana May. Emil's father, Alain has died and he is waiting for his great-grandfather to come. He was never met him since the man hated his grandson Alain because Alain was a wizard. The great-grandfather (the character wasn’t given a proper name!) had fought in a war against wizard’s years ago. While on the way the great-grandfather met up with Horace. We are not told what Horace did for the great-grandfather that would have made the man invite a perfect stranger along with him to his daughter’s house. Horace is polite and charming. When it comes out that he is a wizard the great-grandfather is infuriated. I found some allegories to the hatred left over from WWII. The old man allowed his hatred and fear to destroy his family.
The Siege of Tilpur
Brian McClellan
3 stars
A war story, so it is not my cup of tea. In a war era with canons, muskets, and bayonets plus some sorcery thrown in Tilpur is the name of the fort Sgt. Tamas and his men have been ordered to take. Tamas is a commoner and worse still a powder mage-both of which are looked down upon in this society. His only hope of making officer is to get over the walls and prove his merit. Disgusted after the order to retreat yet again comes down he comes up with an idea that has merit IF the general will allow it.
Mr. Island
Kristen Britain
3.5 stars
In Maine 1869 the town's lighthouse keeper saw an odd vessel sinking. Hurrying to save anyone aboard he rescues a man who is not human. The local doctor gives him the name Joseph Island. The townsfolk are all curious about the new resident. One, Lydia seems to be smitten. Having been injured at work and left with a malformed hand which she keeps covered she feels a kinship with Joseph since he also looks different. What follows is a story of seeing others by the actions and not their looks.
Jury Duty
Jim Butcher
4 stars
Harry has rejoined civilization. He wishes he hadn't since almost immediately he gets a jury summons. What's worse is he's actually picked to be on the jury. The defendant, Hamilton Luther is representing himself. Although the case against Hamilton is airtight Harry has his doubts and begins to suspect that something from his side of the tracks has happened. It looks like he has a new case.
The Dead’s Revenant
Shawn Speakman
3.5 stars
Tathal Ennis has come to South Cadbury in search of a sword. His ability to see possibilities aids him in his task. He sees when all will die. Everyone dies eventually. The fact that he causes many of those deaths is immaterial. What is important is finding the sword. This is a side story of sorts of a bad guy from the Annwn stories. Once Shawn writes the next story I am hoping this short will be more enlightening.
Unbound
3.27 rating
Two of the stories were unappealing to me, so the entire book's average was lowered. However, there are many more great stories to cause the book to warrant the higher rating of 4 stars.
Madwalls
Rachel Caine
4 stars
Samarjit (Sammy) Cole is 16 and about to learn some of what being a watcher entails. Her father, Chatar Singh is the watcher for that region now. He brings her to a place called "The Citadel" (not to be confused with the college of the same name). It is here that she meets a man who is held captive with only walls and the chalk with which he scribbles nonstop. What follows is a sort of weird romance.
Stories Are Gods
Peter Orullian
3 stars
Confusing in parts, but still good. Anna awakens after 8 years in a coma. She has been catatonic ever since her rescue from slavers. Her husband, Lour has been by her side waiting for this day. He is an albino who suffers from brittle-bone disease. Needless to say he is both mocked and shunned by the populace. Alas his happiness is short-lived as Anna falls back into a coma after only a few short minutes. Lour is visited by a being called a Velle. It is the reason Anna woke up for those few minutes. Lour is a philosopher who, despite his physical difficulties, is still an accomplished orator. The Velle want Lour to argue a point for them. In return Lour will have Anna back. It is an argument he would have made anyway, but why does the Velle want it made?
River and Echo
John Marco
4 stars
River is a nine year old who is the only survivor after everyone else in his village has died from a plague. His only companion is a humanton named Echo. Together they man the gates of the village using humantons they have scavenged in order to make it appear there is an army protecting the village. Day after day they survive together.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms
Mary Robinette Kowal
3 stars
Patrick is a painter who has been hired by Captain Dauntless to paint her. Patrick's specialty is painting a subject while they are moving. Captain Dauntless is a pirate and she hopes his painting will instill fear. The best part of the story to me was when they encounter his old art instructor, Lila Kirkland.
Son of Crimea
Jason M. Hough
3 Stars
In 1835 John Crimson of Scotland Yard is on his way back to London when he comes upon a woman, Malena Penar stranded on the road by her brother. John takes her to London and during the trip becomes enthralled by her. After a week of seeing Malena his boss at Scotland Yard, Henry Goddard invites them both to join him and him wife Annette for dinner. The talk during dinner quickly moves to Henry's upcoming trip to India to meet with W.H. Sleeman who has made a name for himself fighting a group of Indian criminals known as the Thuggees. It read like a mystery novel until the last few pages, and then it "lost the plot" as the Brits say.
An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians
Terry Brooks
4 stars
I haven't read the series "The Magic Kingdom of Landover" which these characters are from. Indeed I didn't even know about it until reading the short story. Ben Holiday is the king of Landover. All he wanted was to sleep in, but some gnomes had other ideas. Filip and Sot are "G’Home Gnomes". This type of gnome is loathed throughout the land for various reasons. As I said I haven't read the series to know if the other types of gnome are like this, but these two are not the sharpest. It would seem that Filip has had his pet stolen. From Ben's wife Willow we learn that it was in fact NOT his pet, but rather Shoopdiesel's. He is another G’Home Gnomes. He is mute, but can communicate with Willow through sign. What follows is a delightful mess.
The Way into Oblivion
Harry Connolly
2 stars
Interesting start, then it sucked. Alinder with her children, Shoaw and Shawa, are on a journey with a troop of soldiers when they come upon an outpost where all have been killed, the bodies mutilated. At first they believe it to be the work of an enemy force. Instead they soon see the creatures responsible and Alinder sends her children fleeing. The use of English words with no regard for their actual meaning was distracting.
Uncharming
Delilah S. Dawson
1.5 stars
I am reading this anthology again and instead of just a numerical rating and a singled sentence I am trying to give a short synopsis so I can remember what the story was about. This one I recall having enough revulsion that after a few pages I knew I didn't wish to subject myself to it again, so the synopsis is incomplete. Monsieur Charmant is a horrible person who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. When a woman walks in to his shop to sell him her tail he becomes obsessed with her.
A Good Name
Mark Lawrence
3 stars
Three days earlier Firestone had finished his trial and received his "true name" of Harrac. Upon returning to his village he takes umbrage at still being treated as a child. After fighting with one of the men there he is ordered by his father to go see the king. At the gates to the palace he meets a Viking who befriends him. I enjoyed the story, but wanted a different ending.
All in a Night's Work
David Anthony Durham
4.5 stars
Ash is the prince's bodyguard and double, his "shadow". Since the prince is away Ash believes it will be a peaceful time. Just pretend to be the prince and do everything he would have been doing. A nice bath and then sleeping in the prince's bed was quite nice-until someone tried to kill him! Being quick on his feet enables him to thwart the attack, but now he has to find the one who is ultimately responsible, an evil magician he got a quick look of. With the help of a beetle named Babbel he will hunt the magician to the ends of Egypt if necessary. The author's story in the first Unfettered book was my favorite in that anthology. This one is also enjoyable.
Seven Tongues
Tim Marquitz
4 stars
Gryl, a former slave, has tracked a caravan led by Althun Rathe. He is an evil slaver who preys upon children. Gryl earned his freedom by being very good at what he does. Rathe really shouldn't have used children. Now he will learn just how good Gryl was.
Fiber
Seanan McGuire
4 stars
A group of cheerleaders are driving back from an away game when one has to use the restroom quite badly. It seems she has taken a liking to yogurt, the kind with extra FIBER. The cheerleaders are an interesting bunch. One is a FORMER zombie. She is still getting used to being alive again. The one with the yogurt has the ability to make people do anything she says-something that she is trying her best not to use. When a sign for a gas station with facilities appears her need for a toilet is greater than her not wanting to abuse her power, so the girls stop at a very questionable store. For something that sounds so sophomoric it was actually highly entertaining and funny.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen
Anthony Ryan
2.5 stars
A queen is overseeing a battle. The king leading the opposing army looks familiar, but she doesn't know why. The king appears to know her as well. Unfortunately he is dead by the third page. There is a lot of savagery. I believe the queen is insane. I rated the story 4 stars upon the first reading, however this time I cannot say it warrants that. It is supposed to be a thirty minute read, but it has been two days and I haven't finished it because it is not holding my interest. I remember liking a character that appears towards the end. It should not be a struggle to get to that point.
The Farmboy Prince
Brian Staveley
1.5 stars
Since I rated it so low to first time and the first few pages didn't draw me in on this reading I cannot give a synopsis.
Heart’s Desire
Kat Richardson
2.5 stars
Maybe it is because the story is located so near to it, but it is reminding me of “The Diamond Queen”. Different authors though. This time a female is using her powers to enthrall animals, even those who are dead, to do her will. She wants a man to come to her and the animals are making sure that happens.
The Game
Michael J. Sullivan
4 stars
Jeri Blainey, a computer game designer finds one of her characters has become sentient. The story ends very jarringly. It is as if the author forgot they hadn't finished writing, but sent in the draft anyway.
The Ethical Heresy
Sam Sykes
3 stars
The story begins with Dreadaeleon and Cesta standing by to remove the bodies of the heretics burned to death. Taken from their parents at a young age they are apprentices with Dreadaeleon being a year behind Cesta. Dreadaeleon is emotionally much younger than Cesta and spends his time mentally talking to himself instead of paying attention to their instructor, Lector Vemire. The two are students learning to control their magic, or Venarie as the story calls it. When the apprentices are tasked with searching for a heretic who has eluded capture Cesta makes it known that she believes Dreadaeleon is nothing more than a bumbling child which dashes Dreadaeleon’s hopes of ever being with her. Once they find the heretic, Lathrim, he gives them much to think about.
Small Kindnesses
Joe Abercrombie
4.5 stars
Shev, “The Best Thief in Westport” is retired and all she wants to do is run her little shop, but life is never simple. First there is the unconscious woman blocking her doorway. The woman has suffered a horrible beating. Together with her only employee, Severard they are able to drag the woman into Shev's office and onto a cot. Then an ex-girlfriend, Carcolf arrives and tries to cajole Shev into doing a job. No sooner was she able to get rid of Carcolf then the son of the local mob boss shows up. This time she doesn't have a choice. She must come out of retirement to do what he wants. The last quarter of the story is great. Meeting Javre is truly the best part.
The Rat
Mazarkis Williams
3 stars
The title doesn't really match and the story abruptly ends. Emil lives with his grandmother, Nana May. Emil's father, Alain has died and he is waiting for his great-grandfather to come. He was never met him since the man hated his grandson Alain because Alain was a wizard. The great-grandfather (the character wasn’t given a proper name!) had fought in a war against wizard’s years ago. While on the way the great-grandfather met up with Horace. We are not told what Horace did for the great-grandfather that would have made the man invite a perfect stranger along with him to his daughter’s house. Horace is polite and charming. When it comes out that he is a wizard the great-grandfather is infuriated. I found some allegories to the hatred left over from WWII. The old man allowed his hatred and fear to destroy his family.
The Siege of Tilpur
Brian McClellan
3 stars
A war story, so it is not my cup of tea. In a war era with canons, muskets, and bayonets plus some sorcery thrown in Tilpur is the name of the fort Sgt. Tamas and his men have been ordered to take. Tamas is a commoner and worse still a powder mage-both of which are looked down upon in this society. His only hope of making officer is to get over the walls and prove his merit. Disgusted after the order to retreat yet again comes down he comes up with an idea that has merit IF the general will allow it.
Mr. Island
Kristen Britain
3.5 stars
In Maine 1869 the town's lighthouse keeper saw an odd vessel sinking. Hurrying to save anyone aboard he rescues a man who is not human. The local doctor gives him the name Joseph Island. The townsfolk are all curious about the new resident. One, Lydia seems to be smitten. Having been injured at work and left with a malformed hand which she keeps covered she feels a kinship with Joseph since he also looks different. What follows is a story of seeing others by the actions and not their looks.
Jury Duty
Jim Butcher
4 stars
Harry has rejoined civilization. He wishes he hadn't since almost immediately he gets a jury summons. What's worse is he's actually picked to be on the jury. The defendant, Hamilton Luther is representing himself. Although the case against Hamilton is airtight Harry has his doubts and begins to suspect that something from his side of the tracks has happened. It looks like he has a new case.
The Dead’s Revenant
Shawn Speakman
3.5 stars
Tathal Ennis has come to South Cadbury in search of a sword. His ability to see possibilities aids him in his task. He sees when all will die. Everyone dies eventually. The fact that he causes many of those deaths is immaterial. What is important is finding the sword. This is a side story of sorts of a bad guy from the Annwn stories. Once Shawn writes the next story I am hoping this short will be more enlightening.
December 19, 2023
So as with Unfettered before this there were stories that were good and there were stories that were not so good. That’s to be expected with anthologies with very few exceptions (I’m looking at you Stephen King). Instead of giving thoughts about each story, I’ll pick out some good and some bad.
The good: The Farmboy Prince, The Game, Small Kindnesses, The Siege of Tilpur, A Dichotomy of Paradigms
The bad: Uncharming, Fiber, The Way into Oblivion, The Hall of The Diamond Queen
I’ll try to make these spoiler free so sorry for potential vagueness.
Good ones:
The Farmboy Prince: Normally my rule for short stories is that either we have to learn a lesson/grow as a person or the character does. If it doesn’t fulfill either of those needs then it’s a waste of my time. The Farmboy Prince was an exception. It was just plain fun. And funny. A quick read, it did a good job of bringing old fantasy stories to mind and pointing out just how silly some of the concepts are. Very fun.
The Game: Aside from an over-the-top bit of dialogue at the beginning the overall execution and premise was very enjoyable. Enough that I felt compelled to talk about it to several coworkers after finishing it. The concept isn’t a new one, but the presentation of it in the short story format worked well.
Small Kindnesses: An origin story, the characters were given just enough life to engage and just little enough for me to look for further stories. The gender choices at this point seem like an obvious choice, but given the political climate we’re in why not take advantage of it when you know readers are going to seek it out.
The Siege of Tilpur: I liked that the ending wasn’t the hero getting everything he’d been wanting. That’s boring. I wished the magic system had a little more detail, but there was enough that I wasn’t filled with disbelief.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms: As someone who majored in the arts in college, this one in particular spoke to me. There’s a lot to be said about nonsense critique and forcing conjecture and opinions on something when it’s really not necessary or appropriate.
Bad ones:
Uncharming: Okay, so this was the story I had the most beef with. It’s basically a quasi-rape fetish story. I finished it and nearly wanted to stop reading the entire collection. I wonder if Shawn felt like he couldn’t say “no” after asking for a story to be donated and then read what was given to him. I get that the story is to show how the characters in the main series can to be connected, but in the short format we were given it allows for no connection to the protagonist (if you can even call him that) and it for sure makes me never want to read anything by the author. At all. Ever.
Fiber: This one had a fun idea but just missed the mark. It could be due to the fact that I listened to the stories on audiobook and there was something lost or added that wasn’t intended, but the whole thing felt flat. Just a dull story.
The Way into Oblivion: The story itself was engaging and I wanted to know how everything would resolve. Then the resolution happened and I was like, “dafuq?”. Did the protagonist just lose all reason and gratitude and any kind of positive adjective that could be used to describe her? Yup. Looks like. A very unsatisfying ending to an otherwise engaging story.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen: My only real beef with this was that the story gave away the twist right at the beginning. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to figure it out. But I did. And so every little detail and hint afterwards just seemed like my intelligence was being questioned. Sometimes we’re supposed to know before the protagonist knows, sometimes we’re supposed to know at the same time. This felt like the latter and so the protagonist’s path of knowledge gain was just not entertaining.
So all in all I liked the collection. I don’t feel like I wasted my life in reading it and am glad I found the few stories I really did like.
PS: Shawn, you read my last review and given your comment I feel compelled to say something about your story since that’s what got your attention last time. The thumbs down part: the married bar maid the wizard casually seduced. Unless he used magic on her (which would equate to rape so it’s a good thing he didn’t) that fact that she so willingly slept with him even though married does an injustice toward the character of women in general. If she had a compelling reason to then that’s another thing altogether. But we were never shown that and so that whole bit (which only added a little bit to the character and could have been shown other ways) was off-putting. The thumbs up part: As with the last story I read of yours I really like the integration of lore into your world. Often times it can feel forced but I haven’t felt that yet with your stuff so kudos to that.
The good: The Farmboy Prince, The Game, Small Kindnesses, The Siege of Tilpur, A Dichotomy of Paradigms
The bad: Uncharming, Fiber, The Way into Oblivion, The Hall of The Diamond Queen
I’ll try to make these spoiler free so sorry for potential vagueness.
Good ones:
The Farmboy Prince: Normally my rule for short stories is that either we have to learn a lesson/grow as a person or the character does. If it doesn’t fulfill either of those needs then it’s a waste of my time. The Farmboy Prince was an exception. It was just plain fun. And funny. A quick read, it did a good job of bringing old fantasy stories to mind and pointing out just how silly some of the concepts are. Very fun.
The Game: Aside from an over-the-top bit of dialogue at the beginning the overall execution and premise was very enjoyable. Enough that I felt compelled to talk about it to several coworkers after finishing it. The concept isn’t a new one, but the presentation of it in the short story format worked well.
Small Kindnesses: An origin story, the characters were given just enough life to engage and just little enough for me to look for further stories. The gender choices at this point seem like an obvious choice, but given the political climate we’re in why not take advantage of it when you know readers are going to seek it out.
The Siege of Tilpur: I liked that the ending wasn’t the hero getting everything he’d been wanting. That’s boring. I wished the magic system had a little more detail, but there was enough that I wasn’t filled with disbelief.
A Dichotomy of Paradigms: As someone who majored in the arts in college, this one in particular spoke to me. There’s a lot to be said about nonsense critique and forcing conjecture and opinions on something when it’s really not necessary or appropriate.
Bad ones:
Uncharming: Okay, so this was the story I had the most beef with. It’s basically a quasi-rape fetish story. I finished it and nearly wanted to stop reading the entire collection. I wonder if Shawn felt like he couldn’t say “no” after asking for a story to be donated and then read what was given to him. I get that the story is to show how the characters in the main series can to be connected, but in the short format we were given it allows for no connection to the protagonist (if you can even call him that) and it for sure makes me never want to read anything by the author. At all. Ever.
Fiber: This one had a fun idea but just missed the mark. It could be due to the fact that I listened to the stories on audiobook and there was something lost or added that wasn’t intended, but the whole thing felt flat. Just a dull story.
The Way into Oblivion: The story itself was engaging and I wanted to know how everything would resolve. Then the resolution happened and I was like, “dafuq?”. Did the protagonist just lose all reason and gratitude and any kind of positive adjective that could be used to describe her? Yup. Looks like. A very unsatisfying ending to an otherwise engaging story.
The Hall of the Diamond Queen: My only real beef with this was that the story gave away the twist right at the beginning. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to figure it out. But I did. And so every little detail and hint afterwards just seemed like my intelligence was being questioned. Sometimes we’re supposed to know before the protagonist knows, sometimes we’re supposed to know at the same time. This felt like the latter and so the protagonist’s path of knowledge gain was just not entertaining.
So all in all I liked the collection. I don’t feel like I wasted my life in reading it and am glad I found the few stories I really did like.
PS: Shawn, you read my last review and given your comment I feel compelled to say something about your story since that’s what got your attention last time. The thumbs down part: the married bar maid the wizard casually seduced. Unless he used magic on her (which would equate to rape so it’s a good thing he didn’t) that fact that she so willingly slept with him even though married does an injustice toward the character of women in general. If she had a compelling reason to then that’s another thing altogether. But we were never shown that and so that whole bit (which only added a little bit to the character and could have been shown other ways) was off-putting. The thumbs up part: As with the last story I read of yours I really like the integration of lore into your world. Often times it can feel forced but I haven’t felt that yet with your stuff so kudos to that.
Read
October 13, 2022These notes are more for me to remember which stories I liked and did not like, and not intended as a full review.
“Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
I think this is a stand-alone story, and the choice of ending confused me, but I would consider reading more in this world or by this author.
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
I really, really wanted to be drawn into this story about an albino philosopher being manipulated by dark forces, but I just couldn't. It felt too much like a courtroom and I couldn't suspend my disbelief with so much convenient timing.
“River and Echo” by John Marco
A post-apocalyptic story about a boy and his robot. Very touching.
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
This story was basically only one scene, but it was so interesting. A painter painting a space pirate during a hostage situation.
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
A Victorian-era detective from Scotland yard. Interesting enough, but the pieces just didn't add up for me at the end. There was a trail of breadcrumbs left deliberately and then all of the sudden the person who left them is surprised and confused to see the detective follow the trail?
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
I've never read anything by Terry Brooks, and I found this to be WAY too silly for my tastes. If you like following shenanigans of chaotic stupid gnomes, go for it.
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
Honestly, this story was so forgettable I had to look up the opening to remember it. I didn't enjoy it while reading it, and I'll never come back to it. Since a full-length novel by this author didn't work for me, I'll probably skip in the future.
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
One of my favorites. Set from the point of view of an evil alchemist trying to destroy and possess a young woman, the narrative makes it intriguing without letting you sympathize with the villain at all. In a good way.
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
I've read stories by this author before and was disappointed, so I skipped this one.
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
Anything based on Egyptian mythology is going to interest me right away, and I loved the magic system. I would definitely consider reading more, even though the story itself was very basic.
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
An assassin named Gyrl attempts his trade. The villain was way too over the top for me, and even though things happened and weren't explained I still enjoyed it enough.
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
Since this story was introduced as a horror, I skipped this one.
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
The ending was a bit abrupt for me, but I found this to be another "villain" pov that was still enjoyable.
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
This was WAY too short and pointlessly cynical for me. Since I've read a full length novel by this author and had a lot of problems with it, I'll probably skip in the future.
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
A sorcerer convinces an eagle to bring the chosen hero to him. Sadly, it couldn't capture me. Maybe the narration was too much.
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
A favorite of the collection for sure. A project lead in an MMORPG finds that one of the nonplayer characters (NPCs) in her game may have a more sophisticated AI than intended.
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
I skipped this one, too.
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
I actually read this as a part of Sharp Ends last year, so I was familiar with the story of a thief and a warrior. Love them to pieces.
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
I liked it, but it was also obvious what was happening. I'm not sure what the point of it was.
��The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
I read the first book in the Powder Mage series and hated it, so a prequel to the series does not interest me. Skipped.
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
A fantastic and touching story. Another Victorian-eske era, this time with maybe an alien. Would love a different setting from the same author.
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
I read this story already as part of the already published anthology by Jim Butcher, and of course it's fantastic. Some great lines in it, as always.
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
This one...okay, this one made me mad, and I feel terrible for it. You have another centuries-old evil sorcerer pov, which is fine, but everything about it made me cringe. The dialogue seemed a level of edgelord wish-fulfillment that I was not ready for, and the character met no resistance to his quest. At the end he gets what he wants exactly as he wanted it at no cost to himself. Also stupid sexism for no reason.
“Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
I think this is a stand-alone story, and the choice of ending confused me, but I would consider reading more in this world or by this author.
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
I really, really wanted to be drawn into this story about an albino philosopher being manipulated by dark forces, but I just couldn't. It felt too much like a courtroom and I couldn't suspend my disbelief with so much convenient timing.
“River and Echo” by John Marco
A post-apocalyptic story about a boy and his robot. Very touching.
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
This story was basically only one scene, but it was so interesting. A painter painting a space pirate during a hostage situation.
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
A Victorian-era detective from Scotland yard. Interesting enough, but the pieces just didn't add up for me at the end. There was a trail of breadcrumbs left deliberately and then all of the sudden the person who left them is surprised and confused to see the detective follow the trail?
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
I've never read anything by Terry Brooks, and I found this to be WAY too silly for my tastes. If you like following shenanigans of chaotic stupid gnomes, go for it.
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
Honestly, this story was so forgettable I had to look up the opening to remember it. I didn't enjoy it while reading it, and I'll never come back to it. Since a full-length novel by this author didn't work for me, I'll probably skip in the future.
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
One of my favorites. Set from the point of view of an evil alchemist trying to destroy and possess a young woman, the narrative makes it intriguing without letting you sympathize with the villain at all. In a good way.
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
I've read stories by this author before and was disappointed, so I skipped this one.
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
Anything based on Egyptian mythology is going to interest me right away, and I loved the magic system. I would definitely consider reading more, even though the story itself was very basic.
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
An assassin named Gyrl attempts his trade. The villain was way too over the top for me, and even though things happened and weren't explained I still enjoyed it enough.
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
Since this story was introduced as a horror, I skipped this one.
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
The ending was a bit abrupt for me, but I found this to be another "villain" pov that was still enjoyable.
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
This was WAY too short and pointlessly cynical for me. Since I've read a full length novel by this author and had a lot of problems with it, I'll probably skip in the future.
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
A sorcerer convinces an eagle to bring the chosen hero to him. Sadly, it couldn't capture me. Maybe the narration was too much.
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
A favorite of the collection for sure. A project lead in an MMORPG finds that one of the nonplayer characters (NPCs) in her game may have a more sophisticated AI than intended.
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
I skipped this one, too.
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
I actually read this as a part of Sharp Ends last year, so I was familiar with the story of a thief and a warrior. Love them to pieces.
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
I liked it, but it was also obvious what was happening. I'm not sure what the point of it was.
��The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
I read the first book in the Powder Mage series and hated it, so a prequel to the series does not interest me. Skipped.
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
A fantastic and touching story. Another Victorian-eske era, this time with maybe an alien. Would love a different setting from the same author.
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
I read this story already as part of the already published anthology by Jim Butcher, and of course it's fantastic. Some great lines in it, as always.
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
This one...okay, this one made me mad, and I feel terrible for it. You have another centuries-old evil sorcerer pov, which is fine, but everything about it made me cringe. The dialogue seemed a level of edgelord wish-fulfillment that I was not ready for, and the character met no resistance to his quest. At the end he gets what he wants exactly as he wanted it at no cost to himself. Also stupid sexism for no reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2022
A great collection! 4/5
Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
Kind of a weird story. Not a great reader. 2/5
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
A thought-provoking story and well-written. 4/5
“River and Echo” by John Marco
You fall in love with these two characters. 5/5
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
These clever characters made me smile. 4/5
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
Like a really good Twilight Zone episode. I loved it! Gotta look for this author. 5/5
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
A silly story. And I never much liked the Landover novels anyway. Meh minus. 2/5
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
Interesting but strangely out of context. Maybe you have to be familiar with the other books. 3/5
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
Compelling and a bit horrifying, as it was meant to be. 5/5
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
A sort of coming of age story. As is always important to me, I really liked the characters. 4/5
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
A very enjoyable kid/young adult story that had me engrossed and entertained. He was thinking about writing a whole novel and series. He did! I’m definitely going to read it. 5/5
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
Stories about assassins always intrigue me and this one was no exception. 4/5
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
I grew out of potty humor when I was 15. 2/5
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
Ryan is a good writer. 4/5
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
Dripping with cynicism. 2/5
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
A glimpse into madness and much chewing of the scenery. 3/5
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
There are sone eye-rolling moments but its well-written and I t actually asks sone important questions we should all ponder. 4/5
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
Sweet, yet powerful. 5/5
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
Compelling characters but they think as much about sex as they do about anything else. 4/5
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
Just ok but I’m not sure where the story was heading. 2/5
“The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
I enjoyed the Powder Mage books very much. I think I might have enjoyed this story even more. 5/5
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
Loved this one! 5/5
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden does jury duty. Very entertaining! 5/5
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
Kept me in rapt attention but :-(. 2/5
Madwalls” by Rachel Caine
Kind of a weird story. Not a great reader. 2/5
“Stories Are Gods” by Peter Orullian
A thought-provoking story and well-written. 4/5
“River and Echo” by John Marco
You fall in love with these two characters. 5/5
“A Dichotomy of Paradigms” by Mary Robinette Kowal
These clever characters made me smile. 4/5
“Son of Crimea” by Jason M. Hough
Like a really good Twilight Zone episode. I loved it! Gotta look for this author. 5/5
“An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians” by Terry Brooks
A silly story. And I never much liked the Landover novels anyway. Meh minus. 2/5
“The Way into Oblivion” by Harry Connolly
Interesting but strangely out of context. Maybe you have to be familiar with the other books. 3/5
“Uncharming” by Delilah S. Dawson
Compelling and a bit horrifying, as it was meant to be. 5/5
“A Good Name” by Mark Lawrence
A sort of coming of age story. As is always important to me, I really liked the characters. 4/5
“All in a Night’s Work” by David Anthony Durham
A very enjoyable kid/young adult story that had me engrossed and entertained. He was thinking about writing a whole novel and series. He did! I’m definitely going to read it. 5/5
“Seven Tongues” by Tim Marquitz
Stories about assassins always intrigue me and this one was no exception. 4/5
“Fiber” by Seanan McGuire
I grew out of potty humor when I was 15. 2/5
“The Hall of the Diamond Queen” by Anthony Ryan
Ryan is a good writer. 4/5
“The Farmboy Prince” by Brian Staveley
Dripping with cynicism. 2/5
“Heart’s Desire” by Kat Richardson
A glimpse into madness and much chewing of the scenery. 3/5
“The Game” by Michael J. Sullivan
There are sone eye-rolling moments but its well-written and I t actually asks sone important questions we should all ponder. 4/5
“The Ethical Heresy” by Sam Sykes.
Sweet, yet powerful. 5/5
“Small Kindnesses” by Joe Abercrombie
Compelling characters but they think as much about sex as they do about anything else. 4/5
“The Rat” by Mazarkis Williams
Just ok but I’m not sure where the story was heading. 2/5
“The Siege of Tilpur” by Brian McClellan
I enjoyed the Powder Mage books very much. I think I might have enjoyed this story even more. 5/5
“Mr. Island” by Kristen Britain
Loved this one! 5/5
“Jury Duty” by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden does jury duty. Very entertaining! 5/5
“The Dead’s Revenant” by Shawn Speakman
Kept me in rapt attention but :-(. 2/5
November 10, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
This was a wonderful anthology with short stories by 23 different fantasy authors! Every story had a brief introduction by the author describing their inspiration. I DNF‘d 6 of the stories due to personal preference and won’t include them in my rating.
I enjoyed many of the stories immensely and would especially recommend the following:
1.„The Ethical Heresy“ by Sam Sykes
2.„ An Unfortunate Influx Of Filipians“ by Terry Brooks
3.„The Hall Of The Diamond Queen“ by Anthony Ryan
4.„The Farmboy Prince“ by Brian Staveley
5.„The Game“ by Michael J. Sullivan
Here is a full list of my ratings:
4/5 ⭐️ „Madwalls“ by Rachel Caine
DNF/5 ⭐️ „ Stories Are Gods“ by Peter Orullian
4.5/5 ⭐️ „River and Echo“ by John Marco
4/5 ⭐️ „A Dichotomy Of Paradigms“ by Mary Robinette Kowal
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Son Of Crimea“ by Jason M. Hough
5/5 ⭐️ „ An Unfortunate Influx Of Filipians“ by Terry Brooks
DNF/5 ⭐️ „The Way Into Oblivion“ by Harry Connolly
3/5 ⭐️ „Uncharming“ by Delilah S. Dawson
3.5/5 ⭐️ „A Good Name“ by Mark Lawrence
4.5/5 ⭐️ „All In A Night‘s Work“ by David Anthony Durham
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Seven Tongues“ by Tim Marquitz
4.5 /5 ⭐️ „Fiber“ by Seanan McGuire
5/5 ⭐️ „The Hall Of The Diamond Queen“ by Anthony Ryan
5/5 ⭐️ „The Farmboy Prince“ by Brian Staveley
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Heart‘s Desire“ by Kat Richardson
5/5 ⭐️ „The Game“ by Michael J. Sullivan
5/5 ⭐️ „The Ethical Heresy“ by Sam Sykes
4.5/5 ⭐️ „Small Kindnesses“ by Joe Abercrombie
4.5/5 ⭐️ „The Rat“ by Mazarkis Williams
DNF/5 ⭐️ „The Siege Of Tilpur“ by Brian McClellan
3/5 ⭐️ „Mr. Island“ by Kristen Britain
4.5/5 ⭐️ „Jury Duty“ by Jum Butcher
3.5/5 ⭐️ „The Dead Revenant“ by Shawn Speakman
This was a wonderful anthology with short stories by 23 different fantasy authors! Every story had a brief introduction by the author describing their inspiration. I DNF‘d 6 of the stories due to personal preference and won’t include them in my rating.
I enjoyed many of the stories immensely and would especially recommend the following:
1.„The Ethical Heresy“ by Sam Sykes
2.„ An Unfortunate Influx Of Filipians“ by Terry Brooks
3.„The Hall Of The Diamond Queen“ by Anthony Ryan
4.„The Farmboy Prince“ by Brian Staveley
5.„The Game“ by Michael J. Sullivan
Here is a full list of my ratings:
4/5 ⭐️ „Madwalls“ by Rachel Caine
DNF/5 ⭐️ „ Stories Are Gods“ by Peter Orullian
4.5/5 ⭐️ „River and Echo“ by John Marco
4/5 ⭐️ „A Dichotomy Of Paradigms“ by Mary Robinette Kowal
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Son Of Crimea“ by Jason M. Hough
5/5 ⭐️ „ An Unfortunate Influx Of Filipians“ by Terry Brooks
DNF/5 ⭐️ „The Way Into Oblivion“ by Harry Connolly
3/5 ⭐️ „Uncharming“ by Delilah S. Dawson
3.5/5 ⭐️ „A Good Name“ by Mark Lawrence
4.5/5 ⭐️ „All In A Night‘s Work“ by David Anthony Durham
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Seven Tongues“ by Tim Marquitz
4.5 /5 ⭐️ „Fiber“ by Seanan McGuire
5/5 ⭐️ „The Hall Of The Diamond Queen“ by Anthony Ryan
5/5 ⭐️ „The Farmboy Prince“ by Brian Staveley
DNF/5 ⭐️ „Heart‘s Desire“ by Kat Richardson
5/5 ⭐️ „The Game“ by Michael J. Sullivan
5/5 ⭐️ „The Ethical Heresy“ by Sam Sykes
4.5/5 ⭐️ „Small Kindnesses“ by Joe Abercrombie
4.5/5 ⭐️ „The Rat“ by Mazarkis Williams
DNF/5 ⭐️ „The Siege Of Tilpur“ by Brian McClellan
3/5 ⭐️ „Mr. Island“ by Kristen Britain
4.5/5 ⭐️ „Jury Duty“ by Jum Butcher
3.5/5 ⭐️ „The Dead Revenant“ by Shawn Speakman
February 17, 2020
An intriguing collection by quite a well respected set of fantasy and sci-fi authors. If nothing else the cause that this collection supports is worth some attention (helping pay for medical care for authors).
As with any collection there will always be some variability in the quality of the stories but there were no true stinkers in here - I found them all to be worth a read even if some were more engaging than others. The stand outs for me were generally the ones that took place in worlds I was already familiar with - it is challenging to do proper world building in a short story format! Some stories did give me an interesting short insight to worlds I want to explore - eg Brian Mclellans Powder Mage which has been bumped up my tbr as a result.
All in all an excellent collection that I can highly recommend!
As with any collection there will always be some variability in the quality of the stories but there were no true stinkers in here - I found them all to be worth a read even if some were more engaging than others. The stand outs for me were generally the ones that took place in worlds I was already familiar with - it is challenging to do proper world building in a short story format! Some stories did give me an interesting short insight to worlds I want to explore - eg Brian Mclellans Powder Mage which has been bumped up my tbr as a result.
All in all an excellent collection that I can highly recommend!
October 13, 2020
I love these compilations of many stories to introduce you to an author you might not have heard of. The story Filter was fantastic! Haven't read anything similar so going to see if it's a series with the same characters. Made me chuckle. The last story by Shawn Speakman was great as well. Will be looking into more of his work. Jim Butcher is amazing of course and it was nice to see Harry again. I read all 3 of The Unfettered books of short stories by Shawn Speakman so the only criticism I have for this book is it doesn't give a prelude to the stories from the authors or whether there is a connection to other books written by them. Fantastic book and make sure you read The Unfettered books as well. Thanks for the ride!
November 19, 2022
Collected in Sharp Ends and Unbound. Shevedieh, owner of a tavern, does a small kindness by taking in an unconscious, beaten stranger from the street and putting her to bed. Carcolf visits, trying to get her to go back to her bad ways, but she refuses. It is to no avail as she is subsequently blackmailed into stealing something again. This story served as my introduction to the Javre, the Lioness of Hoskopp.
Hands-in-Pockets shoved his hands down further still. "You ain't even got a weapon," he snarled.
But Javre only smiled. "My friend, I am the weapon."
I have yet to read the rest of the series (going in chronological order) but already I am fascinated by Javre's personality, abilities and her dead-pan delivery, things like "Did you hear that?" She raised her red brows. "Time for you to pray"
That was so similar to "What happened to Buzzsaw?", answer "He had to Split" that it gave me immediate Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Running Man" one liner vibes. An extremely entertaining short story, and already I'm a fan of Javre. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Merged review:
Short story for Unbound set after Skin Game.
Harry endures Jury Duty and the he's selected for has supernatural overtones. So being the Hero he is, he cannot help but meddle. Great story with a smattering of very recognizable pop songs, more factions involved than initially thought and Harry leveling one of the best threats I've heard in Dresden files. Let's just say at the end, I was thoroughly satisfied.
"You know who I am. You know what I can do. Let her go."
She rolled her eyes and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. "Why should I?"
"Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back."
Merged review:
Collected in Road Brothers, Road Brothers and Unbound, this short story set in Mark Lawrence's The Broken Empire Series is the Nubian's origin story.
The scars of his name still stung about his neck and shoulders. The sun beat upon him as it had always beaten, as it would continue to beat until the day came at last for the tribe to put his bones in the caves beside those of his ancestors.
Following his coming of age, pride and temper cause him to be sent to the King and there he meets Snaga, the father of Snorri ver Snagason from The Red Queen's War Series. Snaga recognizes him as a kindred spirit and they forge a father / son type relationship, that shapes the Nubian's life and later leads him to recognize that Jorg is the same, thus sealing their companionship.
Merged review:
Collected in Brief Cases, this short story for Unbound is set after Skin Game. Harry endures Jury Duty and the case he is selected for has supernatural overtones. So being the Hero he is, he cannot help but meddle. Great story with a smattering of very recognizable pop songs, more factions involved than initially thought and Harry leveling one of the best threats I've read/heard in Dresden files.
"You know who I am. You know what I can do. Let her go."
She rolled her eyes and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. "Why should I?"
"Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back."
Welp, the moral of the story is don't mess with Dresden. Let's just say at the end, I was thoroughly satisfied.
Hands-in-Pockets shoved his hands down further still. "You ain't even got a weapon," he snarled.
But Javre only smiled. "My friend, I am the weapon."
I have yet to read the rest of the series (going in chronological order) but already I am fascinated by Javre's personality, abilities and her dead-pan delivery, things like "Did you hear that?" She raised her red brows. "Time for you to pray"
That was so similar to "What happened to Buzzsaw?", answer "He had to Split" that it gave me immediate Arnold Schwarzenegger "The Running Man" one liner vibes. An extremely entertaining short story, and already I'm a fan of Javre. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Merged review:
Short story for Unbound set after Skin Game.
Harry endures Jury Duty and the he's selected for has supernatural overtones. So being the Hero he is, he cannot help but meddle. Great story with a smattering of very recognizable pop songs, more factions involved than initially thought and Harry leveling one of the best threats I've heard in Dresden files. Let's just say at the end, I was thoroughly satisfied.
"You know who I am. You know what I can do. Let her go."
She rolled her eyes and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. "Why should I?"
"Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back."
Merged review:
Collected in Road Brothers, Road Brothers and Unbound, this short story set in Mark Lawrence's The Broken Empire Series is the Nubian's origin story.
The scars of his name still stung about his neck and shoulders. The sun beat upon him as it had always beaten, as it would continue to beat until the day came at last for the tribe to put his bones in the caves beside those of his ancestors.
Following his coming of age, pride and temper cause him to be sent to the King and there he meets Snaga, the father of Snorri ver Snagason from The Red Queen's War Series. Snaga recognizes him as a kindred spirit and they forge a father / son type relationship, that shapes the Nubian's life and later leads him to recognize that Jorg is the same, thus sealing their companionship.
Merged review:
Collected in Brief Cases, this short story for Unbound is set after Skin Game. Harry endures Jury Duty and the case he is selected for has supernatural overtones. So being the Hero he is, he cannot help but meddle. Great story with a smattering of very recognizable pop songs, more factions involved than initially thought and Harry leveling one of the best threats I've read/heard in Dresden files.
"You know who I am. You know what I can do. Let her go."
She rolled her eyes and spun a finger through fine, straight black hair. "Why should I?"
"Because you know what happened the last time some vampires abducted a little girl and I decided to take her back."
Welp, the moral of the story is don't mess with Dresden. Let's just say at the end, I was thoroughly satisfied.
March 7, 2023
I like these collections from Shawn because, 1) they benefit a good cause as they work as a way to fund their Unfettered counterparts. 2)They are filled with stories by authors I actually recognize the names of and some that are new to me. and 3) The stories are for the most part really good. I find a lot of collections to be very hit and miss, so to have a book where almost all the stories are around 30 pages, and all the stories are enjoyable is a rarity to be enjoyed.
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