So what have you been reading?

#69 Feuds by Mercedes Lackey

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:13:25 GMT

Another good collection of stories set in the Valdemar universe with many returning writers. The main theme of the collection is reflected in the title so reading it all in one setting does bang the drum of the theme a bit much. But the Lackey story is a Vanyel story that is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet so there was that payoff. Not as many Herald stories but several to deal with Bards.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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#55 Anything With Nothing by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:40:20 GMT

The latest in a long line of anthologies based in and out of Valdemar. Once again several repeat writers have contributed stories and they follow characters they have introduced in previous collections. A great themed anthology for fans and people wanting to try it out without a several book commitment.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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#84 Worlds Long Lost by Christopher Ruocchio (Editor), Sean C.W. Korsgaard (Editor)

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:46:07 GMT

A science fiction anthology that uses lost worlds and alien races long gone and newly found as a basis for the stories. The kickoff story is great and very enjoyable, and I wished for that same feeling with every one of them but as with most anthologies not every story was to my taste. Several play with the Cthulhu mythos and invoke a great feeling of dread in their stories. Overall the stories work well in the framework of the theme and a reader will find something in this collection to their taste and possibly a new writer to read as well.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher

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#80 Shenanigans by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 18:01:38 GMT

Another collection of stories set in Valdemar. There are a few that continue the adventures from previous collections but not as many as previous collections. There are more lighthearted stories in this one that prove the title is the theme to a lot but not all the stories in this year’s crop. A great gift for a fan of the series.

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#56 No Game for Knights by Larry Correia (Editor), Kacey Ezell (Editor)

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 20:49:27 GMT

Noir mystery stories with settings running from a space station to talking animal helpers of a wizard. Some of the stories are set in the author’s story universe while others are all new. Like most themed anthologies there are some stories better than others. Some stories are more noir than others but if you liked their previous anthology then you will like this one as well.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher

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#13 Heroic Hearts by Jim Butcher (Editor), Kerrie L. Hughes (Editor)

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 15:16:05 GMT

I like themed anthologies and they are great for dipping into writers that I’m not familiar with. But lets be honest most people are grabbing this because of either Jim Butcher’s or Patricia Brigg’s story. The Brigg’s story has Asil as the POV and it is the best. Butcher’s story has Toot-Toot as the POV and is good and deals with things after the Battle Ground. The other stories were very enjoyable and only a few were settings I hadn’t read something in or a new to me writer. Fans of urban fantasy will be happy with the collection and will sound off about their favorites in the book.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley

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#71 Boundaries by Mercedes Lackey

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 16:03:22 GMT

The annual anthology of Valdemar stories brings back several writers from the last few years to continue working on storylines they have going in this setting. It was nice to see the continuation of these characters and not have them in peril. The final story is by Mercedes, and it is a standalone story with a Herald in Karse. For the most part the collection is entertaining and if you are happy visiting different settings in the Valdemar universe then you will be happy to read this one.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

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#76 Passages by Mercedes Lackey

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:10:53 GMT

Passages is an anthology of short stories set in Valdemar by various writers. Several of the stories are sequels to stories in previous collections but a reader doesn’t need to have read them to understand what is going on in these stories. Both Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon both have entries in this collection. Misty’s is set during Kerowyn’s early days with her first mercenary company. Larry’s story is less of a story and more of a short anthropological look into Hawkbrother’s customs.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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#29 Noir Fatale by Larry Correia (Editor), Kacey Ezell (Editor)

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:05:43 GMT

I like themed anthologies and I like mysteries, so this was a natural to read. With the idea of the feme fatale in a noir setting as the basis for the stories most but not all of them hit the mark. Some of these are samples of new story universes and those I liked a lot more and hopefully will be able to read more in those settings. If detective mysteries in all sorts of settings work for you then this is fun read that takes the Noir idea and plays with it just fine and dandy.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

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#71 Choices by Mercedes Lackey

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 17:01:54 GMT

The latest in a long line of anthologies set in the world of Valdemar. The nice thing for dedicated readers is there are a few stories in here that follow a set of characters from previous years. The plus is the stories are stand alone and yet if read year after year do build upon one another. The collection makes for a great dip into world to get your fix. Not every story is about heralds and that is for the better since there is so much to this universe that has been build over the years. And the final story is an early days story about Need.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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#90 Robots vs. Fairies by Dominik Parisien, Navah Wolfe

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 16:35:24 GMT

This anthology is a collection of robot and fey stories and the last story in the collection took the title of the anthology to heart and ran with it. I really enjoyed most of the short stories. As with most collections there were always a few that I didn’t like as much but I’m sure that the ones I liked the most will not be other readers favorites. The stories were balanced pretty well between both teams and I don’t think one really came out as a better collection than the other. Several writers I read stuff from for the first time and now I want to give them a read in a larger format.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher Edelweiss

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#74 Pathways by Mercedes Lackey

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 21:57:45 GMT

The latest collection of short fiction set in the Valdemar universe. There are several stories in here from returning contributors that continue the lives of characters they have written about in previous collections. The nice thing is that the reader still isn’t lost if they haven’t read the previous ones, but it is a nice little bit of extra for the dedicated fan. Overall this is a typical collection that covers both Heralds and non-Heralds and things that happen both within the kingdom and without.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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#45 Urban Enemies by Jim Butcher; Kevin Hearne; Seanan McGuire; Kelley Armstrong; Jonathan Maberry

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 16:34:22 GMT

This collection is a set of stories told from the villains of various series. Most are the main antagonists of ongoing series so if you are a fan of the writers collected here you will be in for a treat. Most of the stories are new to the collection. The Jim Butcher story is a reprint from another collection but it fits the theme here perfectly. Several of the stories were set in new to me universes but for the most part gave a good taste of the settings they used. The Seanan McGuire story is an Incryptid one and gives great background on cuckoos and just hammers home why Sarah is so different. But the best surprise in here was the Lilith Saintcrow story about Perry’s origin. I was glad to get another peek into this story universe even if it was a short story.

Overall this is a good collection and there will be plenty of stuff for fans of various universes. And if you want a sample of what makes the bad guy sometimes the more interesting than the hero of the story try this out.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

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