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A review by tctippens
Art of War by Petros Triantafyllou
4.0
Instead of writing a single review for the anthology or writing a short review of all 40 stories, I’ll leave you with my thoughts on my ten favorites from the anthology:
Sacred Semantics by Nicholas Eames
If I could take everything I loved about Kings of the Wyld and distill it into a single short story, this would be it. The world is unapologetically over-the-top in all the best ways. There’s a massive civil war going on between different factions who worship a spider goddess over how many legs she has: six or eight.
The Fox and the Bowman by Sebastian de Castell
Thomas swears revenge on the knight that took his family’s land. He climbs a hill, takes aim with his longbow, and….meets a wizard. The wizard offers to help him take revenge on the knight, and Thomas accepts.
This was simply excellent. The author makes great use of a couple tricks that really drew me in and complemented the story.
The Hero of Aral Pass by Mark Lawrence
I adored the Red Queen’s War trilogy, and this brings back the lovable, cowardly rouge Jalan Kendeth. Years after the events of the main series, Jalan decides to tell the true story of what actually happened at Aral Pass. As expected, the truth of the matter is far more interesting (and hilarious) than the story the rest of the Broken Empire knows.
The Undying Lands by Michael R. Fletcher
In the Undying Lands, widespread necromantic power has put an end to the finality of death. Every that dies continues living as an undead. This story is a bit of dark comedy following a woman who is condemned to fight in a gladiatorial arena for “accidentally” stabbing a man.
Why does this matter in a world where death is not the end? Well, the losers of the arena fights have their heads stacked on shelves throughout the arena as grotesque decorations. Those who fare particularly poorly in the arena get to spend an eternity decorating the walls of the community shitters.
This War of Ours by Timandra Whitecastle
Something about this story was incredibly compelling. A girl is on the run with her family, and their survival depends on utter silence. There’s a lot more going on in the world, but the author slowly reveals the mysteries surrounding the setting.
The prose kept things moving quickly and there was an air of mystery throughout the story as the author slowly revealed more about the world. In a short span of words, there was a complete story, full character arc, and a world that I would happily read a full-length novel about.
Misplaced Heroism by Andrew Rowe
It’s rare to find a short story that places fun above all else. This was a ton of fun.
The story begins with our hero being summoned through a magical ritual to help defend a fantasy realm from an army of demons. However, he’s just some random college kid.
The story doesn’t take itself too seriously. My favorite quote:
The Waving of the Flag by Thomas R. Gaskin
Usually, I can tell whether I’ll like a story from the start. I was a bit on the fence about the beginning of this story, but it just kept getting better.
Toris eagerly signed up for war, jumping at the chance for fame and glory. War was not quite what Toris expected.
The story picks up after years of battle, showing Toris as an experienced warrior. It then skips around in time, showing us the day Toris learned about the war, the day he signed up, the day he got his first taste of battle. Between each of these scenes, we get another picture of what is going on in the present.
Dear Menelaus by Laura M. Hughes
Helen of Troy is known as the face that launched a thousand ships, launching the infamous Trojan War. This story is from her perspective, written as a letter to her husband, Menelaus. She mocks him for his attitudes about war and martial approach to life.
This was a quick, fun read that offered a different perspective on Helen of Troy.
Violet by Mazarkis Williams
Violet is a lovely self-contained story that managed to make me feel as if I’d read a full-length novel. I don’t mean to say that it stretched on too long, or even that it was any longer than the other stories, but it just felt complete.
The story follows a young woman named Violet as she pursues a magician across the land. She thinks he’s stolen something from her, something to do with her very essence, and will not rest until she confronts him. Along the way, we get to see glimpses of what sounds like a truly fascinating world.
Exhibition by Ben Galley
This was probably one of the most interesting stories in the entire anthology. It follows a painter who must pass their final test by painting something that captures the art of war. The story makes use of some ideas that I’ve never seen outside of science fiction and pulls it off brilliantly.
Sacred Semantics by Nicholas Eames
If I could take everything I loved about Kings of the Wyld and distill it into a single short story, this would be it. The world is unapologetically over-the-top in all the best ways. There’s a massive civil war going on between different factions who worship a spider goddess over how many legs she has: six or eight.
The Fox and the Bowman by Sebastian de Castell
Thomas swears revenge on the knight that took his family’s land. He climbs a hill, takes aim with his longbow, and….meets a wizard. The wizard offers to help him take revenge on the knight, and Thomas accepts.
This was simply excellent. The author makes great use of a couple tricks that really drew me in and complemented the story.
The Hero of Aral Pass by Mark Lawrence
I adored the Red Queen’s War trilogy, and this brings back the lovable, cowardly rouge Jalan Kendeth. Years after the events of the main series, Jalan decides to tell the true story of what actually happened at Aral Pass. As expected, the truth of the matter is far more interesting (and hilarious) than the story the rest of the Broken Empire knows.
The Undying Lands by Michael R. Fletcher
In the Undying Lands, widespread necromantic power has put an end to the finality of death. Every that dies continues living as an undead. This story is a bit of dark comedy following a woman who is condemned to fight in a gladiatorial arena for “accidentally” stabbing a man.
Why does this matter in a world where death is not the end? Well, the losers of the arena fights have their heads stacked on shelves throughout the arena as grotesque decorations. Those who fare particularly poorly in the arena get to spend an eternity decorating the walls of the community shitters.
This War of Ours by Timandra Whitecastle
Something about this story was incredibly compelling. A girl is on the run with her family, and their survival depends on utter silence. There’s a lot more going on in the world, but the author slowly reveals the mysteries surrounding the setting.
The prose kept things moving quickly and there was an air of mystery throughout the story as the author slowly revealed more about the world. In a short span of words, there was a complete story, full character arc, and a world that I would happily read a full-length novel about.
Misplaced Heroism by Andrew Rowe
It’s rare to find a short story that places fun above all else. This was a ton of fun.
The story begins with our hero being summoned through a magical ritual to help defend a fantasy realm from an army of demons. However, he’s just some random college kid.
The story doesn’t take itself too seriously. My favorite quote:
Also, the legendary holy sword was kind of…bent.
They assured me it would still work just fine.
The Waving of the Flag by Thomas R. Gaskin
Usually, I can tell whether I’ll like a story from the start. I was a bit on the fence about the beginning of this story, but it just kept getting better.
Toris eagerly signed up for war, jumping at the chance for fame and glory. War was not quite what Toris expected.
The story picks up after years of battle, showing Toris as an experienced warrior. It then skips around in time, showing us the day Toris learned about the war, the day he signed up, the day he got his first taste of battle. Between each of these scenes, we get another picture of what is going on in the present.
Dear Menelaus by Laura M. Hughes
Helen of Troy is known as the face that launched a thousand ships, launching the infamous Trojan War. This story is from her perspective, written as a letter to her husband, Menelaus. She mocks him for his attitudes about war and martial approach to life.
This was a quick, fun read that offered a different perspective on Helen of Troy.
Violet by Mazarkis Williams
Violet is a lovely self-contained story that managed to make me feel as if I’d read a full-length novel. I don’t mean to say that it stretched on too long, or even that it was any longer than the other stories, but it just felt complete.
The story follows a young woman named Violet as she pursues a magician across the land. She thinks he’s stolen something from her, something to do with her very essence, and will not rest until she confronts him. Along the way, we get to see glimpses of what sounds like a truly fascinating world.
Exhibition by Ben Galley
This was probably one of the most interesting stories in the entire anthology. It follows a painter who must pass their final test by painting something that captures the art of war. The story makes use of some ideas that I’ve never seen outside of science fiction and pulls it off brilliantly.