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luna_rondo's review against another edition
2.0
Garth Nix can write, but I don't enjoy all his stories unfortunately.
delightsofdecay's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have liked this book more if it wasn't _so written for young men. Lots of non interesting female characters. Though that seemed to be an issue more at the beginning of the book vs the end. I enjoyed the production of the audiobook - fun voice actors. Wouldn't really recommend unless you really wanted to read the novella (which was a fun read).
lwhite0889's review against another edition
4.0
I particularly liked To Hold The Bridge, Handful of Ashes, Holly and Iron, and The Curious Case.
alexandria_in_wonderland's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
kyandesu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Please Note: This collection of short stories contains what would be considered in Canada a derogatory term for Native/Indigenous peoples. I understand this term may be used in America more commonly, which is the perspective Garth Nix is writing from in the aforementioned story. It is not my place to say whether this is an appropriate use or not; however, it is worth mentioning, as readers may not be expecting it.
Writing: 4.5⭐️/5
Garth Nix is a good, sometimes even great, writer. And, he is very adept at crafting short stories in strange, fantasy/sci-fi worlds that still make sense. His technical control of the English language is awesome, and I always look forward to reading his stories – even if they aren’t what I was initially expecting.
Characters: 4⭐️/5
While not all the characters felt fully real and developed, many of the stories contained great characters who were interesting, complex, and real in a vibrant way.
Plot: 4.5⭐️/5
Apart from one story that stood out as particularly drab regarding plot, most of the short stories had interesting plots that held my attention for their whole run. In fact, my reading experience of each story generally went from a bit of confusion involving the new world I was thrust into, to instant intrigue on what was going to happen next, and, finally, a compelling ending that felt good and finished, without it wrapping everything up too tightly.
World(s) 5⭐️/5
Listen, this is where Garth Nix gets my strongest praise. It’s one thing to invite a reader into a world when you have 200-500 pages to invest in worldbuilding. It’s a whole other endeavour to create vast, interesting, and believable fantasy/sci-fi worlds within 40 pages or fewer. The fact that Nix managed to do this in every short story blows my mind. While some worlds were more complex than others, each felt real and I have to give it to Nix for making that possible.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of The Old Kingdom
- Fans of Garth Nix
- Fans of truly interesting fantasy/sci-fi worlds and short stories.
Content Warnings?
Gaslighting, Emotional Abuse, Murder, Death, Death of Parent, Animal Death, Animal Cruelty,
Post-Reading Rating: 4⭐️/5
I was slightly disappointed that only one of the many short stories featured in this collection took place in the Old Kingdom universe. While the other stories were still greatly enjoyable, this definitely affected my overall opinion.
Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Sexism, Death of parent, and Misogyny
brittany_n_henke's review against another edition
4.0
DNF. I was mostly just interested in the Old Kingdom novella, so I read that part!
rumaysa1234's review against another edition
4.0
A very sweet short story that reminded me of the other books I loved when I was younger.
22wolflovers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
droar's review against another edition
4.0
This book contains a novella featuring the Old Kingdom & 19 unrelated short stories. I absolutely loved the novella, but honestly I'm going to love any and all Old Kingdom I can get. Unlike Nix's last novella this story features all new characters and a new area of the Kingdom. The stories are sorted by type (Coming-of-age, Combat & struggle, Lighthearted, and Science Fiction) and were a mostly positive mixed bag. Hellboy & Sherlock Holmes' magically inclined cousin both make appearances. There is also a companion story to Shade's Children in the science fiction portion.