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allygrove's review
4.0
Something for everyone
This was a well compiled anthology. I enjoyed all the stories. Some were whimsical, some were sweet, so were dark but all of them were fantastic. I enjoy these anthologies for introducing me to new authors and I was not disappointed.
This was a well compiled anthology. I enjoyed all the stories. Some were whimsical, some were sweet, so were dark but all of them were fantastic. I enjoy these anthologies for introducing me to new authors and I was not disappointed.
abigcoffeedragon's review
4.0
Mostly good
I will admit that I was surprised at how many enjoyable stories are in this collection. A few bored me, but the variety just means that there will be something for everyone.
I will admit that I was surprised at how many enjoyable stories are in this collection. A few bored me, but the variety just means that there will be something for everyone.
carina_shephard's review
5.0
Read in 2020
If you read just one story in the entire book: read Skin Deep.
Content Warning: Although most of the Fellowship of Fantasy stories are generally clean, be aware that there is violence/swearing/etc in The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill and The Nether Lands.
More thorough review to come when I reread.
If you read just one story in the entire book: read Skin Deep.
Content Warning: Although most of the Fellowship of Fantasy stories are generally clean, be aware that there is violence/swearing/etc in The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill and The Nether Lands.
More thorough review to come when I reread.
secre's review
4.0
Another day, another anthology and another good one. These are all tales of magic and creatures and there’s a good selection to cover all the bases here. There is a huge diversity in age appropriateness as well, with many being suitable for the young adult market but a few being very gruesome indeed. As with all anthologies, there were some tales I enjoyed more than others, but very few real flops.
Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates by A. R. Silverberry; 4/5 stars. A unique tale to start this anthology and I really liked the voices and the characters here. There were some unexpected twists and turns and it's a tale of friendship, of trust and of strange magical creatures.
Snapdragon by Lea Doue; 3.5/5 stars. Another tale with a strong narrative voice and I really enjoyed the fantastical elements described here; a girl with a skin of thorns, her sister with a touch that can kill. It was a little more simplistic and I saw the ending coming a mile off, but I enjoyed it nontheless.
The Golden City Captives by Julie C. Gilbert; 2.5/5 stars. To my mind one of the weaker of the tales, and I suspect that it was written as a taster of a main universe rather than as a short story in and of it's own right. A lot depended on the action scenes and a prophecy that doesn't get a mention until it's thrown in to save the day. High fantasy often doesn't work well in shorts, and that's certainly what I found here.
Seekers by Intisar Khanani; 4/5 stars. One of the shorter stories in the collection, but also one of the most powerful. This is beautifully written and the author really captures the voice of a small girl, seeking with her mother until finally her mother finds something that causes her to leave. I'd have loved a little more detail here as it is one of the shortest stories, but what you get is beautiful and haunting.
Mystery of Asgina Lake by Caren Rich; 3/5 stars. An interesting tale which has a strong narrative behind it, but it didn't quite catch me in the way some of the other tales did.
Skin Deep by Morgan Smith; 4/5 stars. A strong adaptation of a Scandinavian folk tale here and the author captures all the magic and wonder of the fantastical, but also the fear and the uncertainty. I enjoyed this one a lot, it didn't go quite where I had anticipated.
The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill by David Millican; 4/5 stars. An unusual writing style and one that really caught my attention. I liked how the entire narrative was played out through journal entries and how well this post-apocalyptic world was built in so few words.
Priscilla, The Magnificent, Flying Giant Squid by L. Palmer; 3.5 stars. Great fun, but probably one that needed to be fleshed out a little bit more. There are some great scenes here though and the author has a fantastic imagination.
An Adventurer's Heart by Nicole Zoltack; 2.5/5 stars. Whilst well written, there was no real strong narrative to pull this tale together and so it ends up feeling disjointed and out of place. I could see it being a chapter in the wider scope of an epic fantasy tale of revenge, but it didn't quite work for me as a standalone short.
Destiny's Flight by Frank B. Lake; 2/5 stars. An interesting enough narrative, but the more preachy tone of the religious aspects irritated me more than they interested me. I'd be fascinated to see various religions woven into a full fantasy novel, but this relied on the power of God almost as an insta-magic which turned me off immensely.
The Kappa by Leila Rose Foreman; 2/5 stars. Another really short little tale which doesn't really explain what power the little kitten has and what relation it has to the Kappa. Cute enough and I found the child's voice engaging, but there just wasn't enough depth here to draw me in.
Celebration by Arthur Daigle; 4.5/5 stars. Hah! I actually really, really enjoyed this one, which was a relief after three that didn't click with me a row. I loved how the entire tale was from the perspective of the goblins and the clever way their personalities were brought to life. Funny, yet also strangely moving and that's an immediate win in my book.
The Nether Lands by David Millican; 4/5 stars. Another fascinating tale and one that didn't seem like it should have been a small part of a larger whole. I loved the world building here
Talori and the Shark by Jessica L. Elliott; 3/5 stars. I enjoyed this but it seemed strangely lacking, as though there was much more background that I should have known and didn't. The magic was used as a 'it fixes things because it's magic', rather than having any particularly logic or reason behind it as well. It was sweet and I liked the mermaids, but it felt a little thin.
Reviving the Sword by Kandi J. Wyatt; 2/5 stars. Beautiful writing but minimal actual narrative and that's a huge negative for me, particularly with shorts where I need them to stand on their own two feet. I'd be interested in reading some of the authors longer works, but this felt more like an opening chapter to a novel than a stand alone short story.
Mothers' Night Out by D. G. Driver; 4.5/5 stars. Far more gory than the preceding tales, this had me hooked from beginning to end but was possibly out of place in this collection. I probably shouldn't have rated it so highly in that case, but in honesty this is too brilliant not to rate highly. Definitely adult and fairly gruesome content though. There is a real sense of tension and of menace here... despite the entire thing being set in a nursery.
The Mage and the Spotted Wyvern by Craig J. Prince, Jr; 3.5/5 stars. A fairly basic sword and sorcery style short that’s well written but didn’t quite grab me.
The Very Last Dragon by Katy Hath Jones; 3.5/5 stars. A fun little tale that reminded me of the quaint old Arthurian tales. I could imagine this being a bedtime story for young children.
The Adventures of Zero: The Quest for Wormsroot by Vincent Trigili; 4/5 stars. Another fun tale that I really enjoyed. I found the world building excellent and fell in love with the characters. I felt there was some missing elements towards the end though and there were questions left unresolved. But were cats!!
Ishka's Garden by Bokerah Brumley; 2.5/5 stars. This had some wonderful writing but felt unfinished, as though it were a chapter in an existing longer tale rather than a lone standing short. I found it more frustrating than enjoyable as it didn’t explain any of the world building.
Absolutely True Facts about the Pacific Tree Octopus by H.L. Burke; 4/5 stars. A cute little tale full of whimsy and innocent. I finished the collection on a smile.
Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates by A. R. Silverberry; 4/5 stars. A unique tale to start this anthology and I really liked the voices and the characters here. There were some unexpected twists and turns and it's a tale of friendship, of trust and of strange magical creatures.
Snapdragon by Lea Doue; 3.5/5 stars. Another tale with a strong narrative voice and I really enjoyed the fantastical elements described here; a girl with a skin of thorns, her sister with a touch that can kill. It was a little more simplistic and I saw the ending coming a mile off, but I enjoyed it nontheless.
The Golden City Captives by Julie C. Gilbert; 2.5/5 stars. To my mind one of the weaker of the tales, and I suspect that it was written as a taster of a main universe rather than as a short story in and of it's own right. A lot depended on the action scenes and a prophecy that doesn't get a mention until it's thrown in to save the day. High fantasy often doesn't work well in shorts, and that's certainly what I found here.
Seekers by Intisar Khanani; 4/5 stars. One of the shorter stories in the collection, but also one of the most powerful. This is beautifully written and the author really captures the voice of a small girl, seeking with her mother until finally her mother finds something that causes her to leave. I'd have loved a little more detail here as it is one of the shortest stories, but what you get is beautiful and haunting.
Mystery of Asgina Lake by Caren Rich; 3/5 stars. An interesting tale which has a strong narrative behind it, but it didn't quite catch me in the way some of the other tales did.
Skin Deep by Morgan Smith; 4/5 stars. A strong adaptation of a Scandinavian folk tale here and the author captures all the magic and wonder of the fantastical, but also the fear and the uncertainty. I enjoyed this one a lot, it didn't go quite where I had anticipated.
The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill by David Millican; 4/5 stars. An unusual writing style and one that really caught my attention. I liked how the entire narrative was played out through journal entries and how well this post-apocalyptic world was built in so few words.
Priscilla, The Magnificent, Flying Giant Squid by L. Palmer; 3.5 stars. Great fun, but probably one that needed to be fleshed out a little bit more. There are some great scenes here though and the author has a fantastic imagination.
An Adventurer's Heart by Nicole Zoltack; 2.5/5 stars. Whilst well written, there was no real strong narrative to pull this tale together and so it ends up feeling disjointed and out of place. I could see it being a chapter in the wider scope of an epic fantasy tale of revenge, but it didn't quite work for me as a standalone short.
Destiny's Flight by Frank B. Lake; 2/5 stars. An interesting enough narrative, but the more preachy tone of the religious aspects irritated me more than they interested me. I'd be fascinated to see various religions woven into a full fantasy novel, but this relied on the power of God almost as an insta-magic which turned me off immensely.
The Kappa by Leila Rose Foreman; 2/5 stars. Another really short little tale which doesn't really explain what power the little kitten has and what relation it has to the Kappa. Cute enough and I found the child's voice engaging, but there just wasn't enough depth here to draw me in.
Celebration by Arthur Daigle; 4.5/5 stars. Hah! I actually really, really enjoyed this one, which was a relief after three that didn't click with me a row. I loved how the entire tale was from the perspective of the goblins and the clever way their personalities were brought to life. Funny, yet also strangely moving and that's an immediate win in my book.
The Nether Lands by David Millican; 4/5 stars. Another fascinating tale and one that didn't seem like it should have been a small part of a larger whole. I loved the world building here
Talori and the Shark by Jessica L. Elliott; 3/5 stars. I enjoyed this but it seemed strangely lacking, as though there was much more background that I should have known and didn't. The magic was used as a 'it fixes things because it's magic', rather than having any particularly logic or reason behind it as well. It was sweet and I liked the mermaids, but it felt a little thin.
Reviving the Sword by Kandi J. Wyatt; 2/5 stars. Beautiful writing but minimal actual narrative and that's a huge negative for me, particularly with shorts where I need them to stand on their own two feet. I'd be interested in reading some of the authors longer works, but this felt more like an opening chapter to a novel than a stand alone short story.
Mothers' Night Out by D. G. Driver; 4.5/5 stars. Far more gory than the preceding tales, this had me hooked from beginning to end but was possibly out of place in this collection. I probably shouldn't have rated it so highly in that case, but in honesty this is too brilliant not to rate highly. Definitely adult and fairly gruesome content though. There is a real sense of tension and of menace here... despite the entire thing being set in a nursery.
The Mage and the Spotted Wyvern by Craig J. Prince, Jr; 3.5/5 stars. A fairly basic sword and sorcery style short that’s well written but didn’t quite grab me.
The Very Last Dragon by Katy Hath Jones; 3.5/5 stars. A fun little tale that reminded me of the quaint old Arthurian tales. I could imagine this being a bedtime story for young children.
The Adventures of Zero: The Quest for Wormsroot by Vincent Trigili; 4/5 stars. Another fun tale that I really enjoyed. I found the world building excellent and fell in love with the characters. I felt there was some missing elements towards the end though and there were questions left unresolved. But were cats!!
Ishka's Garden by Bokerah Brumley; 2.5/5 stars. This had some wonderful writing but felt unfinished, as though it were a chapter in an existing longer tale rather than a lone standing short. I found it more frustrating than enjoyable as it didn’t explain any of the world building.
Absolutely True Facts about the Pacific Tree Octopus by H.L. Burke; 4/5 stars. A cute little tale full of whimsy and innocent. I finished the collection on a smile.
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