abigcoffeedragon's review

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4.0

Good collection

This is one of the better collection of stories that I have read. Not all of them are great, but there were more hits than misses here.

banjax451's review

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3.0

3.5 stars. A few exceptional stories, a few decent stories, a couple of meh entries and one or two that I didn't care for. Still, a fun read and recommended for wuxia and/or western fans.

rachaeladair's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ababoglo's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent short story collection! Every one of the stories is worthy attention. Nicely done!!

Very well executed 'shared world' created by multiple authors to bring to life an unusual but fascinating setting of weird west meets wuxia meets steampunk.

Very strongly recommended for the fans of Sanderson's new Mistborn cycle and if you enjoyed novels by John Hornor Jacobs.

thiefofcamorr's review against another edition

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5.0

"He Built The Wall To Knock It Down" by Scott Lynch - 5/5 stars. Wonderful as always - opening lines were perfect Lynch and everyone's name was unexpected yet suitable. Good to see the female just walk away, too.

"In Stillness, Music" by Aaron Rosenberg - 4/5 stars. Really quite lovely, different to most things out there. It's always good to see a baddie who's sensible instead of so ruthless it's stupid.

"Riding The Thunderbird" by Chuck Wendig - No rating, as I had no idea why what happened, happened, or the point of the story.

"Purity of Purpose" by Gareth-Michael Skarka - 4/5 stars. Really quite awesome. So short and yet it conveyed feeling and intent, and it's always good to see experience trumping overall - so many times you see someone so young beating someone with experience, without enough reason why.

"Paper Lotus" by Tessa Gratton - 2/5 stars. Not my thing. I'm all for violence and sacrifice, but this didn't resonate with me, sadly. Needed more build-up for me to want to care.

"In the Name of the Empire" by Eddy Webb - 4/5 stars. Easy to visualise, entertaining and enjoyable all 'round.

"Errant Eagles" by Will Hindmarch - No rating, as I wasn't able to read through the fight scene (which was step, by step, by step) and beyond.

"Railroad Spikes" by Ari Marmell - 3/5 stars. Confusing start, but otherwise good and entertaining.

"The Fury Pact" by Matt Forbeck - 4/5 stars. Short, snappy, sad and believable.

"Seven Holes" by T.S. Luikart - 4/5 stars. Very good, well written, would have liked to see more.

"Local Legend" by Jason L. Blair - 4/5 stars. Entertaining and a good ending.

"Crippled Avengers" by Dave Gross - 3/5 Pretty decent.


Overall: An anthology based in the same world! It was excellent to see how they could tie in together - mentions of Twin Eagle Security mentioned in more than one story.
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