flat_castle's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty mixed bag, took a while to get through b/c some of the stories didn't really interest me. Overall I enjoyed it more than the previous collection, Urban Allies.
fayili's review against another edition
Borrowed for Seanan McGuire story. Do not necessarily recommend.
athenaevarinya's review against another edition
3.0
Read for the Jane Yellowrock novella. The story was a nice glimpse of understanding Leo, however I think there is an error in details since at this point of the timeline Katie is not yet the heir.
mbrown13669's review against another edition
3.0
With any anthology of this type there are bound to be stories you love and stories you don't. I think over all this landed in the middle for me. It wasn't an overwhelming "YAY!" from everyone or a over all "Boo!" I was reminded of a few authors I have meant to read more from and reminded why I didn't care for others. Reading is like that sometimes.
justgeekingby's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic anthology that offers an alternative point of view; the antagonist, the dark side, the people who do go bump in the night. As with any great story, those characters aren't as black and white as they seem and these glimpses into their world and their psyches are absolutely wonderful. As a fan of the Dresden Files, Cainsville and Iron Druid chronicles I adored those stories, but the rest of the anthology, for the most part, (there's always at least one or two stories that never quite resonate with me in an anthology) was absolutely brilliant too. Highly recommended.
sch91086's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this anthology. It was a very fun read and it gave me a chance to check out many authors I had not heard of or read previously. I'm excited to be able to check out some of the full length novels! Plus, there's something refreshing about reading the stories of villains instead of heroes.
Even Hand - Jim Butcher - From the world of Harry Dresden, we follow John Marcone. This was an interesting read. I know that Marcone was supposed to be a villain, but in this short story he played, to a small extent, a hero. I loved the variety of magical and mystical creatures introduced, and I thought Gard's character was fantastic (she's a Norse valkyrie). If she ever gets a spinoff, count me in! Marcone had an awesome variety of weapons at his disposal and that made this one of my favorite short stories in the book. 5 stars
Hounded - Kelley Armstrong - The Cainsville Series - The main character of this story, is Cwn Annwn. He is perhaps, one of the most evil characters in the whole book. Cwn is a member of the Wild Hunt who has been cast out (and had his hound repo-ed) because he's lost his mind. Now he needs another hound. The way he goes about acquiring one... well. It made for an excellent and harrowing story. 4 stars
Nigsu Ga Tesgu - Jeff Somers - An Ustari Cycle Story - This one told the back story of Mika Renar. The world building seemed rather complicated and was difficult to follow at times, but I enjoyed it overall. I give the story itself 3 stars, because it was a little slow, but I give Mika 5 stars because she was pretty awesome.
Sixty Six Seconds - Craig Schaefer - Harmony Black - Sixty Six Seconds follows Fontaine on a demonic bounty hunt. This was another story where the villain might have been mistaken for a hero. I think fans of the Harmony Black series would get more enjoyment from this story than I did. The world building again, seemed complicated and some things were hard to follow. I wasn't sure why the people who were being hunted were being hunted, other than Princes of Hell wanted them. 3 stars
Kiss - Lilith Saintcrow - Jill Kismet series - This is another backstory to what I understand to be the series main villain, Perry. He's undoubtedly evil, but the story fell a little flat for me. I would however, be interested in reading more about Jill Kismet. 3 series
The Naughtiest Cherub - Kevin Hearne - The Iron Druid Chronicles - The Naughtiest Cherub was my favorite story of the book. I'm all for anything Viking or Norse mythology. This story sees Loki going into hell trying to make a deal with the devil (The Naughtiest Cherub) to help him assist or stop him from interfering with Ragnorak (the end of the world). Loki was represented well and I loved the idea that Lucifer only does things that amuse him, and all of his evil stems from his want of amusement. I will definitely be checking out The Iron Druid Chronicles! 5 stars
The Resurrectionist - Caitlin Kittredge - The Hellhound Chronicles - This was another bounty hunter type story. I loved the slow burn of Lee Grey from morally neutral guy with a bad past back into full on villain. 4 stars
Down Where the Darkness Dwells - Joseph Nassise - The Templar Chronicles - This was my second favorite story in the book and it tells the beginning of villain Simon Logan. It had a very Indiana Jones feel to it, with a bunch of wizards (warlocks?) and their apprentices descending into the forgotten temple of a Mayan death god in pursuit of a relic with awesome power. This is another series that I definitely want to check out in the future! 5 stars
Bellum Romanum - Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville series - This story followed Gaius Albinus, a vampire who was once a Roman Centurion whose crimes are far worse than sucking the blood of unwilling victims. A solid vampire story- 4 stars.
Altar Boy - Jonathan Maberry - Joe Ledger series - This story was interesting because the main character (Toys) was a villain with no illusions about his past. He seems to be attempting to find redemption and the story delivers a decent twist. It also takes a small glance at the science vs. religion debate and gives you something to think about. 4 stars
Make it Snappy - Faith Hunter - Jane Yellowrock - Loved the characters in this one (vampire master Leo and his heir Katherine), and I love the description given of the main character from the series (a Cherokee skin walker). It seemed very reminiscent of Jean Claude and the Anita Blake series. Another story that got me interested in the original series. 4 stars
Chase the Fire - Jon F. Merz - Lawson Vampires - I think this was the most forgettable story of the book. I didn't feel like it brought anything new to the vampire table. Please take this with a grain of salt because I've never read any of the novels before and maybe just didn't understand the world building at play. Ava was a delight though. 2 stars
Unexpected Choices - Diana Pharaoh Francis - The Horngate Witches - So this story isn't my typical flavor of paranormal. For some reason I don't find witches and angels as exciting as vampires and werewolves. However, this story follows a witch named Giselle and an angel named Shoftiel after a magical apocalypse, which sounded pretty awesome and definitely left me wanting more. For a short story I also thought Max and Giselle had a lot of chemistry together. 4 stars
Reel Life - Steven Savile - Glass Town - This story follows Seth Lockwood, whom I think, is just a human. He's locked in an alternate world (his own request) by a magician who has now disappeared. Time moves differently in his alternate reality and he and his captive do not age. This story was seriously disturbing and had a huge dose of horror alongside the paranormal. I'm giving it 4 stars for it's effectiveness (it's horrifying). The story itself wasn't my style.
The Difference Between Deceit and Delusion - Domino Finn - Black Magic Outlaw -This story undoubtedly had the coolest villain. A vampire of sorts with metal fangs and hooked blades (for arms? I think?). There is also a djinn (which I rarely see), and the story is interwoven with African and Caribbean folklore, which I enjoyed. The plot itself wasn't incredibly interesting but I'd check out the book for the characters and world building anyway. 4 stars
Balance - Seanan McGuire - InCryptid Universe - Follows an alien creature called a cuckoo, who can alter the minds of humans. I thought it was a unique premise and story. I loved the ending. 4 stars
Everywhere - Sam Witt - Pitchfork County Series - This follows a villain called the Longman. Again, I didn't understand much of the world building which made it tough to follow, but it had an excellent conclusion. 3 stars
Overall the writing was great. Each author brought something new to the table. I'd recommend this book to existing fans of these series, as well as anyone looking for some new Urban Fantasy series to read. They are excellent previews to the world building, writing, and types of magic or characters at play. None of the stories felt too long or dragged on unnecessarily. i will probably check it out again from time to time as I'm looking for new reading material.
Even Hand - Jim Butcher - From the world of Harry Dresden, we follow John Marcone. This was an interesting read. I know that Marcone was supposed to be a villain, but in this short story he played, to a small extent, a hero. I loved the variety of magical and mystical creatures introduced, and I thought Gard's character was fantastic (she's a Norse valkyrie). If she ever gets a spinoff, count me in! Marcone had an awesome variety of weapons at his disposal and that made this one of my favorite short stories in the book. 5 stars
Hounded - Kelley Armstrong - The Cainsville Series - The main character of this story, is Cwn Annwn. He is perhaps, one of the most evil characters in the whole book. Cwn is a member of the Wild Hunt who has been cast out (and had his hound repo-ed) because he's lost his mind. Now he needs another hound. The way he goes about acquiring one... well. It made for an excellent and harrowing story. 4 stars
Nigsu Ga Tesgu - Jeff Somers - An Ustari Cycle Story - This one told the back story of Mika Renar. The world building seemed rather complicated and was difficult to follow at times, but I enjoyed it overall. I give the story itself 3 stars, because it was a little slow, but I give Mika 5 stars because she was pretty awesome.
Sixty Six Seconds - Craig Schaefer - Harmony Black - Sixty Six Seconds follows Fontaine on a demonic bounty hunt. This was another story where the villain might have been mistaken for a hero. I think fans of the Harmony Black series would get more enjoyment from this story than I did. The world building again, seemed complicated and some things were hard to follow. I wasn't sure why the people who were being hunted were being hunted, other than Princes of Hell wanted them. 3 stars
Kiss - Lilith Saintcrow - Jill Kismet series - This is another backstory to what I understand to be the series main villain, Perry. He's undoubtedly evil, but the story fell a little flat for me. I would however, be interested in reading more about Jill Kismet. 3 series
The Naughtiest Cherub - Kevin Hearne - The Iron Druid Chronicles - The Naughtiest Cherub was my favorite story of the book. I'm all for anything Viking or Norse mythology. This story sees Loki going into hell trying to make a deal with the devil (The Naughtiest Cherub) to help him assist or stop him from interfering with Ragnorak (the end of the world). Loki was represented well and I loved the idea that Lucifer only does things that amuse him, and all of his evil stems from his want of amusement. I will definitely be checking out The Iron Druid Chronicles! 5 stars
The Resurrectionist - Caitlin Kittredge - The Hellhound Chronicles - This was another bounty hunter type story. I loved the slow burn of Lee Grey from morally neutral guy with a bad past back into full on villain. 4 stars
Down Where the Darkness Dwells - Joseph Nassise - The Templar Chronicles - This was my second favorite story in the book and it tells the beginning of villain Simon Logan. It had a very Indiana Jones feel to it, with a bunch of wizards (warlocks?) and their apprentices descending into the forgotten temple of a Mayan death god in pursuit of a relic with awesome power. This is another series that I definitely want to check out in the future! 5 stars
Bellum Romanum - Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville series - This story followed Gaius Albinus, a vampire who was once a Roman Centurion whose crimes are far worse than sucking the blood of unwilling victims. A solid vampire story- 4 stars.
Altar Boy - Jonathan Maberry - Joe Ledger series - This story was interesting because the main character (Toys) was a villain with no illusions about his past. He seems to be attempting to find redemption and the story delivers a decent twist. It also takes a small glance at the science vs. religion debate and gives you something to think about. 4 stars
Make it Snappy - Faith Hunter - Jane Yellowrock - Loved the characters in this one (vampire master Leo and his heir Katherine), and I love the description given of the main character from the series (a Cherokee skin walker). It seemed very reminiscent of Jean Claude and the Anita Blake series. Another story that got me interested in the original series. 4 stars
Chase the Fire - Jon F. Merz - Lawson Vampires - I think this was the most forgettable story of the book. I didn't feel like it brought anything new to the vampire table. Please take this with a grain of salt because I've never read any of the novels before and maybe just didn't understand the world building at play. Ava was a delight though. 2 stars
Unexpected Choices - Diana Pharaoh Francis - The Horngate Witches - So this story isn't my typical flavor of paranormal. For some reason I don't find witches and angels as exciting as vampires and werewolves. However, this story follows a witch named Giselle and an angel named Shoftiel after a magical apocalypse, which sounded pretty awesome and definitely left me wanting more. For a short story I also thought Max and Giselle had a lot of chemistry together. 4 stars
Reel Life - Steven Savile - Glass Town - This story follows Seth Lockwood, whom I think, is just a human. He's locked in an alternate world (his own request) by a magician who has now disappeared. Time moves differently in his alternate reality and he and his captive do not age. This story was seriously disturbing and had a huge dose of horror alongside the paranormal. I'm giving it 4 stars for it's effectiveness (it's horrifying). The story itself wasn't my style.
The Difference Between Deceit and Delusion - Domino Finn - Black Magic Outlaw -This story undoubtedly had the coolest villain. A vampire of sorts with metal fangs and hooked blades (for arms? I think?). There is also a djinn (which I rarely see), and the story is interwoven with African and Caribbean folklore, which I enjoyed. The plot itself wasn't incredibly interesting but I'd check out the book for the characters and world building anyway. 4 stars
Balance - Seanan McGuire - InCryptid Universe - Follows an alien creature called a cuckoo, who can alter the minds of humans. I thought it was a unique premise and story. I loved the ending. 4 stars
Everywhere - Sam Witt - Pitchfork County Series - This follows a villain called the Longman. Again, I didn't understand much of the world building which made it tough to follow, but it had an excellent conclusion. 3 stars
Overall the writing was great. Each author brought something new to the table. I'd recommend this book to existing fans of these series, as well as anyone looking for some new Urban Fantasy series to read. They are excellent previews to the world building, writing, and types of magic or characters at play. None of the stories felt too long or dragged on unnecessarily. i will probably check it out again from time to time as I'm looking for new reading material.
stuhlsem's review against another edition
3.0
I thought a few times about reading the series' that each author writes, but then I remembered that villain stories are ALWAYS better!
me511kev's review against another edition
2.0
Like several others have said, there were just too many negative stories. I couldn't really get into the characters from the established series. Even the ones I knew (Dresden and Iron Druid) were 'meh'. Ultimately I gave up on the book.
lakea's review against another edition
The only villain I knew was from Jim Butcher. The rest I had no frame of reference for.
Maybe I’ll look up the rest of the authors and get back to this.
Maybe I’ll look up the rest of the authors and get back to this.