Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by ljcarey011
Urban Enemies by Joseph Nassise
4.0
A large collection of stories, although I understand some of them are already available to readers. I felt like the strongest stories stepped out of their protagonist's world and into the antagonist's, although a few just felt like extensions of the series which I often didn't enjoy (this may be because I don't read most of these authors, however my favorite was by my #1 author and she did an excellent job building her character without bringing in her series regulars, one of my least favorite was from a series I love, but it felt like it was really about the protagonist and I was unimpressed.)
A few stories were dnf for me. Reel Life by Steven Savile was too much. A battered woman, a stolen baby, a truly repugnant character who didn't show evidence of dying within a page - I'm here for a light look at adversaries, not to follow around a disgusting man whose first little character monologue mentions rape. I don't fucking think so.
Unexpected Choices, a Horngate Witches story, just bored me. I think this is one of the stories where if you know the series/world building you may be all in, but personally this one did a good job of confirming my feeling that antagonist's stand alone stories are best left outside of the main story line.
Make it Snappy, a Jane Yellowrock story ended up a skip, but I've never liked the dialogue or word use in the series, so I wasn't too surprised when the story plot broke under the painful attempt at pithy patter.
Chase the Fire, a Lawson Vampire story, just stretched endlessly and I moved on out of boredom.
For the good!
Hounded, from the Cainsville series, was a good look at a truly bad guy. Not a series I read, but till easy to follow.
Nigsu Ga Tesgu, from the Ustari Cycle is a standout favorite. Excellent world building, timing, characters. Fun all the way around.
Sixty-six Seconds, the Harmony Black series, does an excellent job of setting up the world, maintaining pace through a variety of bad guys, and keeping up the fun until the last page.
The Difference Because Deceit and Delusion, a prequel to Black Magic Outlaw, was a fun, fast-paced read that introduced a host of interesting character types.
Balance, an InCryptid story, was really fun. I do read this series and the look at one particular Cryptid, the cuckoo, was great. I really enjoyed the shaping of the species in the work. Seanan always manages fascinating characters and beasties, well worth reading.
Everywhere, A Pitchfork County story, was pitch perfect on pace, characterization, and world. The end was predictable based on the good story set up, but you weren't there for that. You were there to watch the inevitable fall out. Excellent, a series I might pick up despite a reveal of some of my least favorite tropes.
A few stories were dnf for me. Reel Life by Steven Savile was too much. A battered woman, a stolen baby, a truly repugnant character who didn't show evidence of dying within a page - I'm here for a light look at adversaries, not to follow around a disgusting man whose first little character monologue mentions rape. I don't fucking think so.
Unexpected Choices, a Horngate Witches story, just bored me. I think this is one of the stories where if you know the series/world building you may be all in, but personally this one did a good job of confirming my feeling that antagonist's stand alone stories are best left outside of the main story line.
Make it Snappy, a Jane Yellowrock story ended up a skip, but I've never liked the dialogue or word use in the series, so I wasn't too surprised when the story plot broke under the painful attempt at pithy patter.
Chase the Fire, a Lawson Vampire story, just stretched endlessly and I moved on out of boredom.
For the good!
Hounded, from the Cainsville series, was a good look at a truly bad guy. Not a series I read, but till easy to follow.
Nigsu Ga Tesgu, from the Ustari Cycle is a standout favorite. Excellent world building, timing, characters. Fun all the way around.
Sixty-six Seconds, the Harmony Black series, does an excellent job of setting up the world, maintaining pace through a variety of bad guys, and keeping up the fun until the last page.
The Difference Because Deceit and Delusion, a prequel to Black Magic Outlaw, was a fun, fast-paced read that introduced a host of interesting character types.
Balance, an InCryptid story, was really fun. I do read this series and the look at one particular Cryptid, the cuckoo, was great. I really enjoyed the shaping of the species in the work. Seanan always manages fascinating characters and beasties, well worth reading.
Everywhere, A Pitchfork County story, was pitch perfect on pace, characterization, and world. The end was predictable based on the good story set up, but you weren't there for that. You were there to watch the inevitable fall out. Excellent, a series I might pick up despite a reveal of some of my least favorite tropes.