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thistlechaser's review
4.0
In a way, this book bugged me. Chronology is a collection of short stories with the theme of "time". Stories about time travel? Nope. Stories set in the past/future? Nope. To be included in this book, the story had to be set in a period of time. If your story cannot meet that bar, I'd be curious to see it!
So these stories had no central theme at all. Some were set in the past, some future, some in the current RL world, some in a fantasy world. With the exception of one author (Piers Anthony), every author in this book was a Curiosity Quills (publisher) author. So this book felt more like an advertisement for the publisher and its authors than anything else.
I reviewed each of the individual stories on my main review blog.
Part one: http://thistle-chaser.livejournal.com/1556598.html
Part two: http://thistle-chaser.livejournal.com/1557557.html
Total stories liked in whole book: 10
Total stories disliked in whole book: 14
So these stories had no central theme at all. Some were set in the past, some future, some in the current RL world, some in a fantasy world. With the exception of one author (Piers Anthony), every author in this book was a Curiosity Quills (publisher) author. So this book felt more like an advertisement for the publisher and its authors than anything else.
I reviewed each of the individual stories on my main review blog.
Part one: http://thistle-chaser.livejournal.com/1556598.html
Part two: http://thistle-chaser.livejournal.com/1557557.html
Total stories liked in whole book: 10
Total stories disliked in whole book: 14
aly36's review
5.0
This book is a great collection of fantasy fiction. I enjoyed these different stories. It was a little bit of everything in this collection. WOW! So many stories to talk about. I think you should check this book out for yourself. I don't want to give too much away. Great book! * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
storieswithsoul's review
4.0
This is a collection of short stories. Some are very good, some great, and some absolutely amazing. I liked almost all the stories but my favorite are Wind-Up Hearts, by Stan Swanson & Yours Until the Ink Dries, by Jordan Elizabeth.
ally_camel's review
2.0
I picked up Curiosity Quills thinking it was a collection of science fiction stories only. Unfortunately, I forgot that short stories, in my experience, are often meant to disturb the reader. Add to that, the collection included horror and fantasy, sometimes mixing all three together in one and you have another strange, disturbing collection. If you like that sort of thing, this book is amazing. If you don't, probably find something else.
"Wind-Up Hearts" (Stan Swanson) is an exception. A delightfully sweet story about two people who have traded their flawed, fleshy hearts for artificial, clock-like ones. They meet after their surgeries and begin a ritual of eating lunch together once week before winding up their hearts together. On this particular day, they reminisce about previous meetings over the past many decades: their first meeting, the gifts he tries to give her, the gifts she successfully gives him, the first time she let him wind up her heart. He always makes sure she remembers her key because she forgot it once.... 70 years earlier. She's rejected every proposal he's made even though there's no one else for either of them. And today will be his last chance to ask...
If you are a fan of horror, try "Inmate #85298" (Andrew J. Rausch). It's short but grusome. The condemned inmate can't die, but that won't keep his warden from trying. It's too much of an embarrassment to keep failing.
Or try "Strange Flesh" (Katie Young). It's the ultimate in cruelty to animals... or perhaps a new form of cannibalism?
Steampunk "Flight of the Pegasus" features a fight between a man healed by steam and a giant robot centipede. The ending suggests Darin Kennedy may have more to come.
Ditto with Andrew Buckley's "Whitechapel" (i.e. stay tuned for more). Jack the Ripper had a very good reason for killing those prostitutes. They were demons. Demons in diguise and without his actions the world would be the worse for it. I'm not so much a fan of Jack but the horse! A genius horse with Sherlock-like observation skills and the arrogance to match! That would keep me reading. Or perhaps the cultured bartender who owned the roughest bar in town but really wanted to be a musician. Pay your bill or he'll claim an arm instead.
These are only a few of what you'll find in Curiousity Quills.
"Wind-Up Hearts" (Stan Swanson) is an exception. A delightfully sweet story about two people who have traded their flawed, fleshy hearts for artificial, clock-like ones. They meet after their surgeries and begin a ritual of eating lunch together once week before winding up their hearts together. On this particular day, they reminisce about previous meetings over the past many decades: their first meeting, the gifts he tries to give her, the gifts she successfully gives him, the first time she let him wind up her heart. He always makes sure she remembers her key because she forgot it once.... 70 years earlier. She's rejected every proposal he's made even though there's no one else for either of them. And today will be his last chance to ask...
If you are a fan of horror, try "Inmate #85298" (Andrew J. Rausch). It's short but grusome. The condemned inmate can't die, but that won't keep his warden from trying. It's too much of an embarrassment to keep failing.
Or try "Strange Flesh" (Katie Young). It's the ultimate in cruelty to animals... or perhaps a new form of cannibalism?
Steampunk "Flight of the Pegasus" features a fight between a man healed by steam and a giant robot centipede. The ending suggests Darin Kennedy may have more to come.
Ditto with Andrew Buckley's "Whitechapel" (i.e. stay tuned for more). Jack the Ripper had a very good reason for killing those prostitutes. They were demons. Demons in diguise and without his actions the world would be the worse for it. I'm not so much a fan of Jack but the horse! A genius horse with Sherlock-like observation skills and the arrogance to match! That would keep me reading. Or perhaps the cultured bartender who owned the roughest bar in town but really wanted to be a musician. Pay your bill or he'll claim an arm instead.
These are only a few of what you'll find in Curiousity Quills.
loram's review
3.0
This is a collection of 25 stories that span a broad range of time. The authors are meant to be well known, though I only recognize a couple of names, like Piers Anthony.
The first story, Draconic King by James Wymore, is a well written Fantasy tale of the dragonslayer kind (with some differences), others include a story of a succubus spirit of a volcano, a weird story of an encounter with a ready meal and others covering a wide spectrum from Fantasy to Victorians.
The common factor holding them together is that the authors are all established names with credits behind them. This shows in the quality of writing in the stories. Recommended for those who enjoy a well written short story.
The first story, Draconic King by James Wymore, is a well written Fantasy tale of the dragonslayer kind (with some differences), others include a story of a succubus spirit of a volcano, a weird story of an encounter with a ready meal and others covering a wide spectrum from Fantasy to Victorians.
The common factor holding them together is that the authors are all established names with credits behind them. This shows in the quality of writing in the stories. Recommended for those who enjoy a well written short story.
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