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bear_ridge_tarot's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This anthology is from some of the biggest names in urban fantasy, including Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, and more. I picked the book up for the stories from Butcher, Armstrong, Vaughn, and McGuire. They are some of my favorite authors and I’ve read numerous books from each of them. Some of the other authors I’d never heard of before, but will be going through their backlog next! It’s what makes an anthology so good when I’m in a reading slump - being introduced to short pieces by new authors to get a taste of whether I’ll like them or not without fully committing. This anthology includes stories of ghosts, demons, vampires, angels, gods, and other supernatural elements just waiting to have their side of the story told. My overall impression was favorable. It was a decent mix of new and known authors to me, with enough of a themed thread tying the stories together to make it cohesive. The star review is my overall rating. Each of the stories below got their own rating, as well.
Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors. “Even Hand” was a wickedly delightful story about John Marcone, a human crime lord mixing with the supernatural world. This story has been published before, so was not new to me. What I enjoyed most was that true to Butcher’s full-length Dresden Files novels, the characters - even the bad guys - are fully fleshed out.
4/5
“Hounded” by Kelly Armstrong was somewhat lackluster for me, especially compared to the full-length novels that are part of the Cainsville series. I highly recommend the series for people who enjoy mysteries surrounding otherworldly beings. This glimpse into what goes on in the mind of a corrupted Hunstman was dark. That wasn’t the problem, it was more that I just didn’t like poor dog suffering.
3/5
Jeff Somers is a new-to-me author and one that I will look for more from in the future. His writing of “Nigsu Ga Tesgu” was clean, and interesting, and he used the concept of magick words in a way that I haven’t come across before. When does the apprentice become the master? That is the question this story is asking, and in a way, answering.
4/5
“Sixty-Six Seconds” by Craig Schaefer was an interesting read. The main character Fontaine is on a mission, secret from what he’s being paid to do. I enjoyed the concept of a demonic bounty hunter having to take on an apprentice while tracking down the opposing side's leader. I would have loved this to be slightly longer, even for a novella. There seemed to be too much story that didn’t make it into the novella for it to be a good standalone, and prior knowledge o the series would have made it better.
3/5
I could have liked “Kiss” by Lilith Saintcro, but for it being set in WW2. I nearly always dislike stories that focus on true-life war events. I wanted to like the idea of a demon making an alliance with a demon hunter bloodline in order to “stop the greater evil”. I just couldn’t get past the WW2 background enough to get into the story. It was also another one that would have been a better read if I’d had previous knowledge of the series it came from.
2.5/5
“The Naughties T Cherub” by Kevin Hearne was interesting. It was neither exciting nor dull and so I am willing to give the series it came from a chance. We follow Loki into Hell to speak with Lucifer about the end of the world. This is a piece inbetween two books in the “Iron Druid” series and I plan to pick up the first book.
3.0/5
“The Resurrectionist” by Caitlin Kittredge is another one that I want to read more of the series. It details Lee’s story as a “retired” hunter as he deals with a missing girl, zombies and hellhouds.
3/5
“Down Where the Darkness Dwells” by Joseph Nassise - I skipped it, no rating.
“Bellum Romanum” by Carrie Vaughn
Finally, a story about Roman! I was so looking forward to getting into this guy’s mind. The insanity of his master was an interesting detail, but the fact that he is the cause of a huge “natural” disaster made sense as the origins of his evil organization.
4/5
“Altar Boy” by Jonathan Maberry - I skipped this one. No rating.
“Make it Snappy” by Faith Hunter was another one I had looked forward to, and I was not disappointed. This one is Leo’s story, before Jane Yellowrock comes into his life and changes him for the “better”. I loved the insight into his vampiric organization prior to the series.
4/5
“Chase The Fire” by Jon F. Merz was neither good nor bad. It was the story of two vampires who are simply an evolutionary branch on the human tree and not the typical “dead” vampire with a virus or magic or whatever it is that animates them. That was more interesting to me than the story, but maybe the series would be better.
3/5
“Unexpected Choices” by Diana Pharaoh Francis - Skipped this one. I’m not a big fan of angle stories, I guess. No rating.
“Reel Life” by Steven Savile - Skipped this one. Evil brothers is an overdone trope and this one was too dark for my current tolerance levels. Might be good when I’m in a better place for it it emotionally. No rating.
“The Difference Between Deceit and Delusion” by Domino Finn was so-so. I like a good villain but I don’t care to start stories right out the gate with torture. It starts before the “Black Magic Outlaw” series and tells the story of Tunji Malu who is the cause of all the bad in the series.
3/5
“Balance” by Seanan McGuire was one of the few that I was excited to read. I have read many of her books, and this one written from the POV of a Cuckoo makes it particularly creepy-good. Cuckoos are humanoid creatures with the ability to slip into the minds of people and convince them to do or believe whatever the Cuckoo wants. Perfect for a villian story! I just love everything McGuire writes.
4/5
“Everywhere” by Sam Witt - Didn’t read. No rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
yodamom's review against another edition
3.0
I was only going to listen to two story's Jim Butchers and Faith Hunter. They are two of my favorite authors that I never miss. I ended up listening to the whole thing. I enjoy the little tidbits from the above two authors the rest meh...I didn't know their characters, didn't have any feel for them. So meh
mathematicalcoffee's review against another edition
3.0
Read for the dresden story, but short stories are always fun especially about fantasy villians
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
This one was hard to rate since I was unfamiliar with half the authors, but it was still a great dive into urban fantasy from the point of view of the villains. Many were a mix of anti-heroes and truly sadistic beings, and overall I enjoyed the stories. Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Jonathan Mayberry, and Diana Pharaoh Francis had the best ones in my opinion, but there are definitely stories for all urban fantasy fans, with all kinds of vampires, demons, angels, gods, ghosts, and supernatural elements filling the pages and expanding your imagination. I kind of wish some of the stories were longer and would have enjoyed some of them more with a bit more context, but again, none of these were bad, and Francis in particularly sparked my interest on reading more of her series to see what led her characters to the story's main setting. A great collection of short reads that don't provide any spoilers for new fans looking to expand their urban fantasy library.
charitypink's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, the stories were well written. I think I would have enjoyed them more had I read the novels that the villains came from. Some I have read, like the Jim Butcher series (which is a favorite). I did like the story told from Marcone's point of view. But some of the author's I've never read anything by, so I didn't have any real context for the stories.
beastreader's review against another edition
1.0
I was so excited to read this anthology. While, it has been a while since I have read some of these authors' series, I was happy to see so many of the authors I am familiar with in this anthology. I agree with other readers that the first story Even Hand by Jim Butcher was a let down as it has been produced before. So not a new story. That is kind of the point of an anthology is that readers are exposed to new short stories.
The read the next four stories. They were ok but not one of them except for maybe Sixty-Six Seconds by Craig Schaefer kind of sparked my interest and sort of kept it. In fact, I was disappointed that I did not find the first five stories that great that my interest to read further into this anthology was lost. I might come back to it later and read some of the other stories but for now, I am done. Yet, I will say that I did like the very dark vibes I was getting from the stories. Some stories might just give you nightmares. The view point from the villians' side into of the heroes side was refreshing.
The read the next four stories. They were ok but not one of them except for maybe Sixty-Six Seconds by Craig Schaefer kind of sparked my interest and sort of kept it. In fact, I was disappointed that I did not find the first five stories that great that my interest to read further into this anthology was lost. I might come back to it later and read some of the other stories but for now, I am done. Yet, I will say that I did like the very dark vibes I was getting from the stories. Some stories might just give you nightmares. The view point from the villians' side into of the heroes side was refreshing.
bunrab's review against another edition
3.0
Short stories about the bad-guy characters in various fantasy series, and if one hasn't read a particular series, often the short stories make no sense.
mxdeannaf's review against another edition
3.0
A good villain should be as complex a character as a good hero. This book was a fun read and introduced me to a lot of new stories from different authors. I was originally drawn to this book because I enjoy Seanan McGuire, Jim Butcher, Lilith St Crow, and Kim Armstrong. Most of the others I had not heard of, so it was nice to expand my range a bit. This anthology let me know a little about author's writing styles and worlds. I figured if I read about their antagonists, I would know whether or not I would like to read the main stories.
I enjoyed a number of the stories, especially the ones which showed that the villains were fleshed out characters with their own motivations rather than simply existing in opposition to the hero. Some of the stories introduced me to characters who went so completely against my moral and philosophical grain it made me uncomfortable to read. Others assumed that I would have knowledge of the story they related to and were so convoluted I couldn't easily follow the plot, and some of the origin stories would have made more sense if I knew more about the main story as well.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are either already fans of the contributing authors and looking for a new perspective on their favourite villains and anti-heroes, or to people who want a taste of a story without the emotional commitment to the main character.
Recieved from NetGalley
I enjoyed a number of the stories, especially the ones which showed that the villains were fleshed out characters with their own motivations rather than simply existing in opposition to the hero. Some of the stories introduced me to characters who went so completely against my moral and philosophical grain it made me uncomfortable to read. Others assumed that I would have knowledge of the story they related to and were so convoluted I couldn't easily follow the plot, and some of the origin stories would have made more sense if I knew more about the main story as well.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are either already fans of the contributing authors and looking for a new perspective on their favourite villains and anti-heroes, or to people who want a taste of a story without the emotional commitment to the main character.
Recieved from NetGalley