norcani's review
4.0
A Sheep Among Wolves - 1/5
Fine Print - 5/5
Land of Milk and Honey - 5/5
You see the trouble I have rating this book. It averages out to 3.6 and somehow it feels wrong to give a 4 to a book that contains one of the worst pieces of fiction I read. But also it also contains some of the best? I hope the print version of these are separate so I can rate them accordingly.
I highly recommend the 2nd and 3rd story they were both excellent and everything I wanted this to be.
my original review for first novella below.
----
First novella was a complete disaster on every level I'm shocked this got approved for the collection. I don't think I read something quite so bad in a while.
-every two sentences there is a thinly veiled psa about mental health, chronic pain, weight, sexuality etc etc inserted very unnaturally. I agree with everything in it technically and generally am weary of people complaining about such topics being shown down their throat but in this case it really was. If this was a YA Issue book that'd be fine but it isn't? I'm not here to be educated about this shit. It wasn't even particularly insightful or new it felt like seeing cold twitter takes inbetween the story. Yes I get it mental health is important. Can we move on.
- and while doing all the above it still managed to fall into classic sexist tropes more at home in a early 2000s teen drama. The most unlikeable characters in this story are beautiful women. In one case the only reason the mc feels disdain for her its that she's hot. In the other case while the chracter is a bully but not in any believable way and the way the story justifies treating her is laughable
-it..completely ignores vtm setting rules. vampires just prancing around during daytime as long as they dont go into the sun? okay. I get the impression this story was written for another setting but the author changed it for this collection. There is nothing tonally or even story wise that ties this to the vtm setting beyond some name drops like saying camarilla once.
-this story had the most obnoxious characters i ever encountered. This is partly because the author uses them to give (unnecessary, unnatural) lessons about mental health but also they're just annoying fucking people who talk in weird unnatural ways. The whole time I was thinking, you guys don't have any friends because you are impossible to converse with.
-the stupid nonsensical twist that makes the whole story laughable if you think about it for two seconds. honestly looking back at some scenes is a comedy and I'm sure this wasn't intended from the start. It was just a twist for twists sake. Nothing in the plot made sense in general and the ending instead of contextualizing it just adds another layer of stupid to it.
-mental health is important <3 unless you're blonde and got big tiddies then well obviously that means you're evil and deserve to die
I think that this is an official part of vtm now is frankly, embarrassing. I hope the other two are better.
Fine Print - 5/5
Land of Milk and Honey - 5/5
You see the trouble I have rating this book. It averages out to 3.6 and somehow it feels wrong to give a 4 to a book that contains one of the worst pieces of fiction I read. But also it also contains some of the best? I hope the print version of these are separate so I can rate them accordingly.
I highly recommend the 2nd and 3rd story they were both excellent and everything I wanted this to be.
my original review for first novella below.
----
First novella was a complete disaster on every level I'm shocked this got approved for the collection. I don't think I read something quite so bad in a while.
-every two sentences there is a thinly veiled psa about mental health, chronic pain, weight, sexuality etc etc inserted very unnaturally. I agree with everything in it technically and generally am weary of people complaining about such topics being shown down their throat but in this case it really was. If this was a YA Issue book that'd be fine but it isn't? I'm not here to be educated about this shit. It wasn't even particularly insightful or new it felt like seeing cold twitter takes inbetween the story. Yes I get it mental health is important. Can we move on.
- and while doing all the above it still managed to fall into classic sexist tropes more at home in a early 2000s teen drama. The most unlikeable characters in this story are beautiful women. In one case the only reason the mc feels disdain for her its that she's hot. In the other case while the chracter is a bully but not in any believable way and the way the story justifies treating her is laughable
-it..completely ignores vtm setting rules. vampires just prancing around during daytime as long as they dont go into the sun? okay. I get the impression this story was written for another setting but the author changed it for this collection. There is nothing tonally or even story wise that ties this to the vtm setting beyond some name drops like saying camarilla once.
-this story had the most obnoxious characters i ever encountered. This is partly because the author uses them to give (unnecessary, unnatural) lessons about mental health but also they're just annoying fucking people who talk in weird unnatural ways. The whole time I was thinking, you guys don't have any friends because you are impossible to converse with.
-the stupid nonsensical twist that makes the whole story laughable if you think about it for two seconds. honestly looking back at some scenes is a comedy and I'm sure this wasn't intended from the start. It was just a twist for twists sake. Nothing in the plot made sense in general and the ending instead of contextualizing it just adds another layer of stupid to it.
-mental health is important <3 unless you're blonde and got big tiddies then well obviously that means you're evil and deserve to die
I think that this is an official part of vtm now is frankly, embarrassing. I hope the other two are better.
raforall's review
4.0
Review in the the April 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?reviewDetail=walk-among-us-compiled-edition-2110195
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-im-reading-april-horror-reviews.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: atmospheric, close narration, new voices for an old trope
Draft Review:
Set within the popular Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game world and originally published as audio only, Walk Among Us brings three exciting, new female horror authors together in one volume. While these novellas are not connected to each other in any way besides their vampire frame, they do all share an oppressive atmosphere and close narration which immediately draw readers into their unsettling worlds. “A Sheep Among Wolves” uses a horror lens to look at depression and grooming, appealing to readers of The Drowning Girl by Kiernan. “Fine Print” takes a detailed look at the consequences of making a dark deal much like the classic King novella “Fair Extensions” [Stephanie-- in Full Dark, No Stars]. And the final story, “The Land of Milk and Honey” contemplates vampire sustainable farming, reminiscent of Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica. Each author has her own style, but all are immersive and terrifying.
Verdict: There is no need to know anything about the RPG in order to enjoy these modern, original, female focused novellas of vampire menace that take the old trope into exciting new directions. Just make sure you have the latest works by these authors in your collections as readers will be clamoring for more upon completion.
Extra notes:
Set in a world of a RPG [role playing game], but you do NOT have to know the world of the game to enjoy this collection of novellas. Originally in Audio only.
Three female horror authors to watch!
Obviously for fans of new tales of vampire menace, but each author has a different storytelling style and the frame of the vampire story is unique. So specific readalikes for each story and its main Frame:
A Sheep Among Wolves: Mental Health/Depressing and Grooming: The Drowning Girl by Kiernan
Fine Print: Consequences of a Dark Deal: "Fair Extensions" by King from FULL DARK NO STARS
The Land of Milk and Honey: Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
I don't expect every reader to like every story equally. But, each will have a reader who LOVES one of the stories and will seek out more by the author. Let patrons know that going in. The stories are not connected for those not aware of the RPG. They do not have to read it cover to cover.
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-im-reading-april-horror-reviews.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: atmospheric, close narration, new voices for an old trope
Draft Review:
Set within the popular Vampire: The Masquerade role playing game world and originally published as audio only, Walk Among Us brings three exciting, new female horror authors together in one volume. While these novellas are not connected to each other in any way besides their vampire frame, they do all share an oppressive atmosphere and close narration which immediately draw readers into their unsettling worlds. “A Sheep Among Wolves” uses a horror lens to look at depression and grooming, appealing to readers of The Drowning Girl by Kiernan. “Fine Print” takes a detailed look at the consequences of making a dark deal much like the classic King novella “Fair Extensions” [Stephanie-- in Full Dark, No Stars]. And the final story, “The Land of Milk and Honey” contemplates vampire sustainable farming, reminiscent of Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica. Each author has her own style, but all are immersive and terrifying.
Verdict: There is no need to know anything about the RPG in order to enjoy these modern, original, female focused novellas of vampire menace that take the old trope into exciting new directions. Just make sure you have the latest works by these authors in your collections as readers will be clamoring for more upon completion.
Extra notes:
Set in a world of a RPG [role playing game], but you do NOT have to know the world of the game to enjoy this collection of novellas. Originally in Audio only.
Three female horror authors to watch!
Obviously for fans of new tales of vampire menace, but each author has a different storytelling style and the frame of the vampire story is unique. So specific readalikes for each story and its main Frame:
A Sheep Among Wolves: Mental Health/Depressing and Grooming: The Drowning Girl by Kiernan
Fine Print: Consequences of a Dark Deal: "Fair Extensions" by King from FULL DARK NO STARS
The Land of Milk and Honey: Tender is the Flesh by Bazterrica
I don't expect every reader to like every story equally. But, each will have a reader who LOVES one of the stories and will seek out more by the author. Let patrons know that going in. The stories are not connected for those not aware of the RPG. They do not have to read it cover to cover.
sargasso_c's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kirstinreviews's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
So I really liked this book. The three short stories were really good, and they kept on improving from one to the next. The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because some were better than others. I found Genevieve Gornichec's to be the weakest of the 3 (which I found surprising, considering one of my favourite books is The Witches Heart). Cassandra Khaw's was an improvement, but the best was Caitlin Starling's. That doesn't mean any of them are not written well! They are all really well written. I just found Gornichec's to be a bit cliché, Khaw's to be a tiny bit confusing with an unlovable protagonist (which again, isn't a bad thing). It's hard to write for a world you didn't make up (as this is based on the world of the TTRPG), so major credit to all three stories. This also introduced me to Starling's work! I will defiantly be picking up some of her other works after reading this one!
apotheosizing's review against another edition
3.5
3* - A Sheep Among Wolves
2* - Fine Print
4.5* - The Land of Milk and Honey
2* - Fine Print
4.5* - The Land of Milk and Honey
talian1201's review
5.0
Great stories. Slow burn at first to build things up, but once they get started the stories are awesome. Would love to read more by these authors in the world of darkness setting.
bookishminna's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was such a wonderful collection of novellas! if you're fond of vampires, you'll absolutely love this book. i loved the taste i got of each author's unique writing style and approach to vampire lore within the world of Vampire the Masquerade (despite knowing little to nothing about it haha). fuller review to come on my blog!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Animal death