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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Pretty good mix of stories
Really liked the Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs entries in this. Other authors I will be checking out based on their writing in this book are: naomi novik, delia sherman, pat cadigan, melissa marr, elizabeth bear, lucius shephard.
With such a wide array of authors you are bound to find stories you love and stories you won't. Sadly I think there were far more stories that I didn't like than I did so for me this was a very mixed bag tending towards the bad side. I tend to generally like anthologies and I'm always up for anything that Ellen Datlow put together but this book just fell pretty flat for me.
I only read some of the stories in this collection and the ones I read, I loved. Jim Butcher's story is a new one (not in Side Jobs). I also enjoyed the Patricia Briggs story, the Elizabeth Bear story and the Melissa Marr story.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
I have such troubles with anthologies. What brilliance-to-dud ratio should one use as the benchmark average? If I'm working on parity in that regard, is my standard too high?
This anthology had a couple outstanding stories, a few good ones and some meh and dud ones.
How the Pooka Came to New York City by Delia Sherman: 4, heartwarming
Curses by Jim Butcher: 3, good almost a 4
On the Slide by Richard Bowes: 3, good
The Duke of Riverside: 2, OK
Priced to Sell by Naomi Novik: 2, OK
The Projected Girl by Lavie Tidhar: 4, great; almost a 5
Noble Rot by Holly Black: 3, good
Picking up the Pieces by Pat Cadigan: 2, OK
Underbridge by Peter S. Beagle: 3, only good, where some of Beagles are among my favorites
The Bricks of Gelecek by Matthew Kressel: 1, couldn't finish it
Guns for the Dead by Melissa Marr: 2, OK
King Pole, Gallows Pole, Bottle Tree by Elizabeth Bear: 4, quite good and a great way to finish the book
This anthology had a couple outstanding stories, a few good ones and some meh and dud ones.
How the Pooka Came to New York City by Delia Sherman: 4, heartwarming
Curses by Jim Butcher: 3, good almost a 4
On the Slide by Richard Bowes: 3, good
The Duke of Riverside: 2, OK
Priced to Sell by Naomi Novik: 2, OK
The Projected Girl by Lavie Tidhar: 4, great; almost a 5
Noble Rot by Holly Black: 3, good
Picking up the Pieces by Pat Cadigan: 2, OK
Underbridge by Peter S. Beagle: 3, only good, where some of Beagles are among my favorites
The Bricks of Gelecek by Matthew Kressel: 1, couldn't finish it
Guns for the Dead by Melissa Marr: 2, OK
King Pole, Gallows Pole, Bottle Tree by Elizabeth Bear: 4, quite good and a great way to finish the book
I read this primarily for the Jim Butcher story. I'm not much of a baseball fan but I do enjoy a good Harry Dresden story.
I had read a few of the stories in this collection previously but hadn’t read the book cover to cover before. Several of the stories are set in established universe but certainly not all. One of the stories I enjoyed the most was Naomi Novik’s slice of life of real estate agents in NYC handling clients with extra needs. The Bear story also reminded me that I need to finish the Promethean Age stories. A good collection with something for everyone. Not every story worked for me, but it might for you.