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rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the title story, many of the others were stories I had read elsewhere before - I wad glad to read Ambrose and the Ancient Spirits of East and West again though.
themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition
2.0
DNF 77% Highly variable. I worked my way through 11 of the short stories and they were a real mixed bag. By way of context I think the author shares a lot in common with writers like Charles Stross in that they have wildly original ideas and then a tendency to over-reach. The story arc fizzles out rather than terminating. The Keys to the Kingdom started with a bang but by the time it got to Superior Saturday I had lost interest. However, I can forgive Garth Nix an awful lot when he can write something like Abhorsen!
Anyway, time to stop rambling. There is one Old Kingdom story that, along with A Handful of Ashes & Infestation, was quite good. The quality of the rest was quite low, and two or three felt like outlines and gave me no encouragement to read further.
Anyway, time to stop rambling. There is one Old Kingdom story that, along with A Handful of Ashes & Infestation, was quite good. The quality of the rest was quite low, and two or three felt like outlines and gave me no encouragement to read further.
emilyrandolph_epstein's review
5.0
Garth Nix is one of my favorite writers. I started reading his books when I was in fifth grade. My greatest wish is that he'd write more adult books since some of his books are middle reader and while I love Nix, now that I'm getting older I have a hard time sympathizing with the lives of some of his younger protagonists. This book of short stories answered that wish at least in part.
The stories vary in genre from high fantasy to sci-fi and all points in between. There are stories for both mature readers and younger readers. Not all of the stories are great, but many of them are wonderfully developed and I found myself wanting to know more, which is, I think what makes a great short story - something that offers you a taste of something greater and leaves you craving more while still being a complete entity in and of itself.
I recommend this book to any fans of the Abhorsen books as the first story is set in the Old Kingdom and definitely satisfied my desire for more stories from that world. But I also recommend this book for anyone who has been wanting to write short stories but just can't quite figure out how to do it. I think Nix sets a good example for how it's done and I felt that these stories really highlighted his craft. I intend to study it further and try to write some short stories of my own based on this example.
The stories vary in genre from high fantasy to sci-fi and all points in between. There are stories for both mature readers and younger readers. Not all of the stories are great, but many of them are wonderfully developed and I found myself wanting to know more, which is, I think what makes a great short story - something that offers you a taste of something greater and leaves you craving more while still being a complete entity in and of itself.
I recommend this book to any fans of the Abhorsen books as the first story is set in the Old Kingdom and definitely satisfied my desire for more stories from that world. But I also recommend this book for anyone who has been wanting to write short stories but just can't quite figure out how to do it. I think Nix sets a good example for how it's done and I felt that these stories really highlighted his craft. I intend to study it further and try to write some short stories of my own based on this example.
cherryboo's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
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goldguardie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It's neat to see what else Garth Nix can do outside of the series I've read already. There were a few stories in here I'd absolutely ready full books about, too.
solanpolarn's review against another edition
4.0
I love The Old Kingdom, though sadly only the title story in this book is set there. The other stories are well-crafted, though some of them are very strange. Mostly the interesting sort of strange, with a heavy dose of scary in various forms.
basbleu_dans_labiblioteque's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I love all of these stories!
Favorites:
To Hold The Bridge
A Handful of Ashes
Holly and Iron
I loved the Robin Hood/King Arthur/Norman Conquest mix of Holly and Iron, and putting the amazing author Joan Aiken as an awesome character in A Handful of Ashes was so cool!
Favorites:
To Hold The Bridge
A Handful of Ashes
Holly and Iron
I loved the Robin Hood/King Arthur/Norman Conquest mix of Holly and Iron, and putting the amazing author Joan Aiken as an awesome character in A Handful of Ashes was so cool!
aimeesbookishlife's review
2.0
I really enjoyed the titular story, about the Greenwash bridge that features prominently in [b:Goldenhand|28594830|Goldenhand (Abhorsen, #5)|Garth Nix|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459724394s/28594830.jpg|42858213], but the other stories were very hit and miss. The first story is also the only one set in the Old Kingdom, so the cover is a little misleading.