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benlundns's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book yet again, just as enjoyable as the last 2 in the series. The great thing about these compilations is that they have a mix of authors I already know and love as well as authors that are new to me, and I might not have found them to read individual stories by them by chance. There were stories that I liked more than others, but there was no story that I hated. They are also so perfectly sized that you can read one in the 30 minutes you have free between whatever else is happening in your day.
tabithapayton's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Goodreads for sending me this book as part of the Firstreads program.
Overall I gave this short story collection a 3 star rating as some stories were great, some stories were confusing and some stories I marked to read later as the authors noted they would be confusing if the previous works had not yet been read.
I loved Shawn and Naomi's stories and thought they were so interesting but was not in love with some of the others. Still a great rating for me even though I'm not a huge fan of short stories!
Overall I gave this short story collection a 3 star rating as some stories were great, some stories were confusing and some stories I marked to read later as the authors noted they would be confusing if the previous works had not yet been read.
I loved Shawn and Naomi's stories and thought they were so interesting but was not in love with some of the others. Still a great rating for me even though I'm not a huge fan of short stories!
heathersbike's review against another edition
I really dislike that Goodreads doesn't have a specific category for DNF. This is a HUGE tome of a book and I had it the entire quarantine and it is finally due and I haven't finished it. But GRs options are:
Leave as "currently reading"
Remove it from my list entirely or
Mark it as "read" even though I'm barely a third of the way through.
Stupid.
So I've marked it "read" and my own DNF category and off we go.
I liked some of these but some were a real slog. And some authors just can't seem to make a stand alone short story that you can follow along without having read their other works. I got it because it had a Seanan McGuire story and of course that was fabulous. Sidekick by Carrie Vaughn was also fun. Anyway, back to the library it goes.
Leave as "currently reading"
Remove it from my list entirely or
Mark it as "read" even though I'm barely a third of the way through.
Stupid.
So I've marked it "read" and my own DNF category and off we go.
I liked some of these but some were a real slog. And some authors just can't seem to make a stand alone short story that you can follow along without having read their other works. I got it because it had a Seanan McGuire story and of course that was fabulous. Sidekick by Carrie Vaughn was also fun. Anyway, back to the library it goes.
jessicafee86's review against another edition
4.0
Great mix of stories and I discovered a lot of interesting authors that I haven't heard of before.
My favorite story was Fire in the Ways by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Perrin started out as one of my favorite characters in the Wheel of Time novels and I always felt like he could've been so much more. In this short story I finally got to see him at his best, leading a carefully selected group of people through one of the scariest places in existence.
There were a lot of other good stories as well, all the big names are here. Novik, Terry Brooks, Tad Williams and many more. We even get to jump into the world of classic Dune for a chapter. One of these days I'll have to check out the other Unfettered collections as well. I've never read a short story collection before where I enjoyed most of the stories, usually, I like a few and move on. But I could easily see myself re-reading quite a few of these in the future.
My favorite story was Fire in the Ways by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Perrin started out as one of my favorite characters in the Wheel of Time novels and I always felt like he could've been so much more. In this short story I finally got to see him at his best, leading a carefully selected group of people through one of the scariest places in existence.
There were a lot of other good stories as well, all the big names are here. Novik, Terry Brooks, Tad Williams and many more. We even get to jump into the world of classic Dune for a chapter. One of these days I'll have to check out the other Unfettered collections as well. I've never read a short story collection before where I enjoyed most of the stories, usually, I like a few and move on. But I could easily see myself re-reading quite a few of these in the future.
durdool's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
vaderbird's review against another edition
3.0
NEW WHEEL OF TIME SHORT STORY!
Problem with anthologies, I am not as invested with all the stories.
I do recommend you read it, maybe find a new author, and there was some amazing stories. A standout unexpected to me was the story Sidekick!
Did I mention a new WoT story!
Problem with anthologies, I am not as invested with all the stories.
I do recommend you read it, maybe find a new author, and there was some amazing stories. A standout unexpected to me was the story Sidekick!
Did I mention a new WoT story!
booksam's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent anthology! Standouts for me were Terry Brooks, David Anthony Durham, Seanan McGuire, John Gwynne, Deborah A Wolf, Anna Stephens, Cat Rambo, Ken Scholes, Megan Lindholm, Scott Sigler, and Jason Denzel***** My Favorite One!!!
ortiga's review against another edition
SECOND CHANCES
So far I've only read this excellent ghost story from one of my favourite writers, Megan Lindholm - aka Robin Hobb. I love how she juxtaposes the down-to-earth with supernatural elements and brilliant bits of subtle characterisation. And the behind the scenes look at reality TV is a lot of fun. I always know I'm in safe hands with Robin. Would happily listen to her narrate paint drying. And then I'd buy the book.
Quotes:
'I just wanted to go home, take a very hot bath and find a nature documentary and fall asleep to hyenas eating gazelles. Something natural and restful.'
'She didn't talk much, but she listened. She really listened. She asked me what music I was playing in my headphones, and I told her. And the next week, she got me a Mötley Crüe T-shirt.'
https://www.tor.com/2019/02/11/read-s...
So far I've only read this excellent ghost story from one of my favourite writers, Megan Lindholm - aka Robin Hobb. I love how she juxtaposes the down-to-earth with supernatural elements and brilliant bits of subtle characterisation. And the behind the scenes look at reality TV is a lot of fun. I always know I'm in safe hands with Robin. Would happily listen to her narrate paint drying. And then I'd buy the book.
Quotes:
'I just wanted to go home, take a very hot bath and find a nature documentary and fall asleep to hyenas eating gazelles. Something natural and restful.'
'She didn't talk much, but she listened. She really listened. She asked me what music I was playing in my headphones, and I told her. And the next week, she got me a Mötley Crüe T-shirt.'
https://www.tor.com/2019/02/11/read-s...
wealhtheow's review against another edition
2.0
A collection of short stories, some far too long, and far too many dependent on the reader already knowing and caring about an existing series.
"The Heart Box"--Callie Bates. After his family dies in a car accident, a man removes his heart and becomes an emotionless immortal. Eventually a single mother and her child move in next door and he decides to reclaim his heart and live again. Fine but did nothing for me.
"Everybody Said It Would Hurt"--Lev Grossman. A section cut out from the 3rd book in the Magicians trilogy. I don't know these characters or what various clues mean (Quentin's watch?) so a good amount of this passed me by. Still, I liked Plum and her magical experiments, and I bet fans of the Magicians will be thrilled to read this.
"A Thousand Years"--Mark Lawrence. Vikingsin a post-apocalyptic Earth go on a troll hunt. Along the way, clever but weak Olaf proves his worth, while Snorri realizes he has to be a father to his son. Well enough written that I intend to seek out the larger series this relates to.
"Among a Throng of Bilious Octogenarians"--Delilah S. Dawson. Thirteen pages of "Barthur" (a cutesey version of Arthur) trying to get the Elders' blessing for his quest and them mishearing him. Thirteen pages of this.
"Blood of the Sardaukar"--Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson. A clunkily written short story about a Sardaukar colonel who has I think one line in Dune.
"Allanon's Quest"--Terry Brooks. A prequel short story to [b: The Sword of Shannara|15575|The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)|Terry Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470063017l/15575._SY75_.jpg|877015]. As boring and by-the-numbers generic fantasy as the rest of the series it comes from.
"Kneeling Before Jupiter"--David Anthony Durham. Roman nobles get turned into vampires when they reach adulthood. Tedious because the main character doesn't understand what's going on but the reader immediately does, but still has to come along for the multitude of pages it takes him to figure it out.
"Stripes in the Sunset"--Seanan McGuire. Extinct species start being born to existing animal species. Meanwhile, human children stop being born. McGuire is always good for a cool concept, and this story is just long enough to deliver on it without overstaying its welcome.
"All That Glitters"--Marc Turner. Two thieves try to get off an island with a flask of dragon's blood. A fun slice of adventure.
"The Heir Apparent"--John Gwynne. Prequel short story about a character from The Faithful and the Fallen, a series I have not read. Rhin is competent and merciless, which I appreciate.
"Dancing on the Edge"--Deborah A Wolf. Prequel short story about a character from The Dragon's Legacy, another series I have not read. Yaela and her sister are slaves in a pitiless desert. They do whatever they need to do to survive, but at last only one of them can escape. I liked the writing and really liked that the only ways to survive daylight in their location are to live underground or to dance a cloak of shadows upon oneself. I'm intrigued!
"Prologue: Second Book of the Evertide"--Todd Lockwood. Short story from another fantasy series I have not read. Two guys and their dragons fight to the death. I don't know why and I didn't know the characters, so I had no feelings whatsoever about the fight or who won. Adding a bit of personality to the characters, or explanation for why it mattered whether Qorru or Magha won, could've made this story interesting to people who haven't already read [b: The Summer Dragon|26068046|The Summer Dragon (The Evertide, #1)|Todd Lockwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543313732l/26068046._SY75_.jpg|46003777].
"Thasha's Cure for Cabin Fever"--Robert V.S. Redick. A short story set in yet another fantasy series I have not read. Written in a convoluted way such that it's hard to tell which dialog or actions belong to which characters.
"How Not to Invade a Country"--Anna Stephens. A short story set in yet another fantasy series I have not read, but this one actually provides characterization and context, plus a nice amount of wry humor in the narrative voice. Crys has been demoted and given a crappy posting in a boring area--luckily or unluckily enough, his commander makes enough foolish choices that he's forced into some heroics. This story made me want to read more by Stephens.
"The Paper Man"--Peter Orullian. A would-be writer is visited by a tiny man made out of paper, and slowly realizes the price he must pay for good writing. I dunno, the idea is fine but this just felt like it took a while to get anywhere. I think I'm just too disinterested in ~being a writer~ to care about this story.
"Merchants Have Maxims"--Cat Rambo. Short story set in a fantasy series I have not read. I got bored and didn't finish this.
"Of Anchor Chains and Slow Refrains and Light Long Lost in Darkness"--Ken Scholes. Prequel set in a fantasy series I have not read. Childhood friends King Rudolfo and Gregoric have a pirate adventure and prove their loyalty to each other yet again.
"Second Chances"--Megan Lindholm. A crew member on a reality show is sensitive to ghosts, which helps when the latest house the cast is going to rehab turns out to be haunted. I liked this (not least because it wasn't yet another short story set in a medieval pseudo-European fantasy series).
"The Hidden"--Tad Williams. Excerpt from a fantasy series I haven't read. Some creepy imagery!
"Throwdown"--Scott Sigler. Set in a sort of Western post-apocalyptic setting. Didn't care for it.
"Sidekick"--Carrie Vaughn. A secretary wakes up in a hospital after an accident she doesn't remember. The hospital staff seem weirdly focused on asking her questions about her boss. Great fun!
"Hawkeye"--Patrick Swenson. An investigator who can talk to hawks is tasked with finding out what happened to a priceless gem. Contains way too many infodumps and the last 6 pages are just the main character tediously explaining the mystery (which is both very simple and overly complicated--the twist that the queen is an Exchanger instead of a Changer is a good one, but the endless Exchanges that are recounted are completely unnecessary to both plot and reader).
"The Spectral Sword"--Ramon Terrell. A short story set in another fantasy series I haven't read. A man gets a magic sword. Didn't hold my interest.
"Gold Light"--Anna Smith Spark. Short story in another fantasy series I haven't read. Creepy but beautiful, a bit like Tanith Lee. A princess watches her brother the king talk to a dragon, and realizes what she must do.
"The Stone Golem of Qual'Jom"--Jason Denzel. A stone golem lives for eons. I liked its point of view, particularly in the first half when it's figuring out its earthly form.
"A Fire Within the Ways"--Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. A cut novella (it's 70 pages) from the final book in the Wheel of Time series. I stopped caring about this series years ago and skipped this entirely.
"Seven"--Naomi Novik. GodDAMN this was a good story. A potter's wife takes up pottery to make ends meet, and is so good she's given the honor of working with bone clay--clay so pure and white that all yearn to work with it, but that inevitably kills those who do so. Reminded me of LeGuin, a bit, in the pairing of imagination and grounded characters who have to worry about feeding their children.
"The Fire-Risen Ash"--Shawn Speakman. Overcomplicated fantasy.
"The Heart Box"--Callie Bates. After his family dies in a car accident, a man removes his heart and becomes an emotionless immortal. Eventually a single mother and her child move in next door and he decides to reclaim his heart and live again. Fine but did nothing for me.
"Everybody Said It Would Hurt"--Lev Grossman. A section cut out from the 3rd book in the Magicians trilogy. I don't know these characters or what various clues mean (Quentin's watch?) so a good amount of this passed me by. Still, I liked Plum and her magical experiments, and I bet fans of the Magicians will be thrilled to read this.
"A Thousand Years"--Mark Lawrence. Vikings
"Among a Throng of Bilious Octogenarians"--Delilah S. Dawson. Thirteen pages of "Barthur" (a cutesey version of Arthur) trying to get the Elders' blessing for his quest and them mishearing him. Thirteen pages of this.
"Blood of the Sardaukar"--Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson. A clunkily written short story about a Sardaukar colonel who has I think one line in Dune.
"Allanon's Quest"--Terry Brooks. A prequel short story to [b: The Sword of Shannara|15575|The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)|Terry Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470063017l/15575._SY75_.jpg|877015]. As boring and by-the-numbers generic fantasy as the rest of the series it comes from.
"Kneeling Before Jupiter"--David Anthony Durham. Roman nobles get turned into vampires when they reach adulthood. Tedious because the main character doesn't understand what's going on but the reader immediately does, but still has to come along for the multitude of pages it takes him to figure it out.
"Stripes in the Sunset"--Seanan McGuire. Extinct species start being born to existing animal species. Meanwhile, human children stop being born. McGuire is always good for a cool concept, and this story is just long enough to deliver on it without overstaying its welcome.
"All That Glitters"--Marc Turner. Two thieves try to get off an island with a flask of dragon's blood. A fun slice of adventure.
"The Heir Apparent"--John Gwynne. Prequel short story about a character from The Faithful and the Fallen, a series I have not read. Rhin is competent and merciless, which I appreciate.
"Dancing on the Edge"--Deborah A Wolf. Prequel short story about a character from The Dragon's Legacy, another series I have not read. Yaela and her sister are slaves in a pitiless desert. They do whatever they need to do to survive, but at last only one of them can escape. I liked the writing and really liked that the only ways to survive daylight in their location are to live underground or to dance a cloak of shadows upon oneself. I'm intrigued!
"Prologue: Second Book of the Evertide"--Todd Lockwood. Short story from another fantasy series I have not read. Two guys and their dragons fight to the death. I don't know why and I didn't know the characters, so I had no feelings whatsoever about the fight or who won. Adding a bit of personality to the characters, or explanation for why it mattered whether Qorru or Magha won, could've made this story interesting to people who haven't already read [b: The Summer Dragon|26068046|The Summer Dragon (The Evertide, #1)|Todd Lockwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543313732l/26068046._SY75_.jpg|46003777].
"Thasha's Cure for Cabin Fever"--Robert V.S. Redick. A short story set in yet another fantasy series I have not read. Written in a convoluted way such that it's hard to tell which dialog or actions belong to which characters.
"How Not to Invade a Country"--Anna Stephens. A short story set in yet another fantasy series I have not read, but this one actually provides characterization and context, plus a nice amount of wry humor in the narrative voice. Crys has been demoted and given a crappy posting in a boring area--luckily or unluckily enough, his commander makes enough foolish choices that he's forced into some heroics. This story made me want to read more by Stephens.
"The Paper Man"--Peter Orullian. A would-be writer is visited by a tiny man made out of paper, and slowly realizes the price he must pay for good writing. I dunno, the idea is fine but this just felt like it took a while to get anywhere. I think I'm just too disinterested in ~being a writer~ to care about this story.
"Merchants Have Maxims"--Cat Rambo. Short story set in a fantasy series I have not read. I got bored and didn't finish this.
"Of Anchor Chains and Slow Refrains and Light Long Lost in Darkness"--Ken Scholes. Prequel set in a fantasy series I have not read. Childhood friends King Rudolfo and Gregoric have a pirate adventure and prove their loyalty to each other yet again.
"Second Chances"--Megan Lindholm. A crew member on a reality show is sensitive to ghosts, which helps when the latest house the cast is going to rehab turns out to be haunted. I liked this (not least because it wasn't yet another short story set in a medieval pseudo-European fantasy series).
"The Hidden"--Tad Williams. Excerpt from a fantasy series I haven't read. Some creepy imagery!
"Throwdown"--Scott Sigler. Set in a sort of Western post-apocalyptic setting. Didn't care for it.
"Sidekick"--Carrie Vaughn. A secretary wakes up in a hospital after an accident she doesn't remember. The hospital staff seem weirdly focused on asking her questions about her boss. Great fun!
"Hawkeye"--Patrick Swenson. An investigator who can talk to hawks is tasked with finding out what happened to a priceless gem. Contains way too many infodumps and the last 6 pages are just the main character tediously explaining the mystery (which is both very simple and overly complicated--the twist that the queen is an Exchanger instead of a Changer is a good one, but the endless Exchanges that are recounted are completely unnecessary to both plot and reader).
"The Spectral Sword"--Ramon Terrell. A short story set in another fantasy series I haven't read. A man gets a magic sword. Didn't hold my interest.
"Gold Light"--Anna Smith Spark. Short story in another fantasy series I haven't read. Creepy but beautiful, a bit like Tanith Lee. A princess watches her brother the king talk to a dragon, and realizes what she must do.
"The Stone Golem of Qual'Jom"--Jason Denzel. A stone golem lives for eons. I liked its point of view, particularly in the first half when it's figuring out its earthly form.
"A Fire Within the Ways"--Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. A cut novella (it's 70 pages) from the final book in the Wheel of Time series. I stopped caring about this series years ago and skipped this entirely.
"Seven"--Naomi Novik. GodDAMN this was a good story. A potter's wife takes up pottery to make ends meet, and is so good she's given the honor of working with bone clay--clay so pure and white that all yearn to work with it, but that inevitably kills those who do so. Reminded me of LeGuin, a bit, in the pairing of imagination and grounded characters who have to worry about feeding their children.
"The Fire-Risen Ash"--Shawn Speakman. Overcomplicated fantasy.
ladyofways's review
3.0
The concept of a for-charity anthology with lots of big names is really cool, but they leaned a bit too heavily on "recognition" factor, in my opinion. Most of these stories are prequels, side stories, or snippets from established series, and since I had either not read or wasn't intensely familiar with most of them, they got to be boring and I frankly skimmed through most of the book. It did make the few standalone stories really pop, though, so those were nice!
Some highlights:
"Stripes in the Sunset", Seanan McGuire - This was the reason I bought the anthology, and McGuire doesn't disappoint in concept. Extinct animals start being born from their closely-related extant cousins, while human children stop being conceived at all; the message is one of the earth taking back from us what we've failed to fully appreciate. I enjoyed the detail of how deeply zookeepers care for their charges, despite the lack of any attempt to explain the story's premise beyond "wouldn't this be interesting".
"All That Glitters", Marc Turner - This one was a fun adventure, and I actually feel like I'd be interested in these characters if they exist in a larger book. (Kind of a rarity in the anthology!)
"Dancing on the Edge", Deborah A Wolf - I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one a lot, even though it got a bit impenetrable at times. The character is also really thoroughly written, so I can absolutely see how this is the beginning to her story. Not sure whether the actual series is about her, but probably worth looking up.
"How Not to Invade a Country", Anna Stephens - This one was funny, and didn't depend on knowing the world so it was entertaining on its own.
"Merchants Have Maxims", Cat Rambo - It was hard to get into this one, but I ended up liking the narrative voice by the end. I don't know that it would interest me enough to look into the series it's from, but the worldbuilding is all solid and the plot was well-constructed, so maybe!
"Second Chances", Megan Lindholm - Probably my favorite in the anthology, not least because it was the most unique and vivid. (Plus I'd just spent a weekend visiting my grandmother who watches HGTV 24/7, and Lindholm has the tone down *perfectly*). I enjoyed her take on the ghost, and on the regular person who just wants to do her job but ends up learning something important.
"Sidekick", Carrie Vaughn - This one was cute, if a little densely written. I enjoyed that it's an "origin story" of the sidekick rather than of the hero.
There were probably other good ones I happened to skim over, and several not-good ones I'm choosing not to get into (*cough*Allanon*cough*). In the end, though, I don't know that the anthology was worth the small-press price I paid, even though it is for charity.
Some highlights:
"Stripes in the Sunset", Seanan McGuire - This was the reason I bought the anthology, and McGuire doesn't disappoint in concept. Extinct animals start being born from their closely-related extant cousins, while human children stop being conceived at all; the message is one of the earth taking back from us what we've failed to fully appreciate. I enjoyed the detail of how deeply zookeepers care for their charges, despite the lack of any attempt to explain the story's premise beyond "wouldn't this be interesting".
"All That Glitters", Marc Turner - This one was a fun adventure, and I actually feel like I'd be interested in these characters if they exist in a larger book. (Kind of a rarity in the anthology!)
"Dancing on the Edge", Deborah A Wolf - I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one a lot, even though it got a bit impenetrable at times. The character is also really thoroughly written, so I can absolutely see how this is the beginning to her story. Not sure whether the actual series is about her, but probably worth looking up.
"How Not to Invade a Country", Anna Stephens - This one was funny, and didn't depend on knowing the world so it was entertaining on its own.
"Merchants Have Maxims", Cat Rambo - It was hard to get into this one, but I ended up liking the narrative voice by the end. I don't know that it would interest me enough to look into the series it's from, but the worldbuilding is all solid and the plot was well-constructed, so maybe!
"Second Chances", Megan Lindholm - Probably my favorite in the anthology, not least because it was the most unique and vivid. (Plus I'd just spent a weekend visiting my grandmother who watches HGTV 24/7, and Lindholm has the tone down *perfectly*). I enjoyed her take on the ghost, and on the regular person who just wants to do her job but ends up learning something important.
"Sidekick", Carrie Vaughn - This one was cute, if a little densely written. I enjoyed that it's an "origin story" of the sidekick rather than of the hero.
There were probably other good ones I happened to skim over, and several not-good ones I'm choosing not to get into (*cough*Allanon*cough*). In the end, though, I don't know that the anthology was worth the small-press price I paid, even though it is for charity.
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