A review by tobyyy
Down These Strange Streets by George R.R. Martin
4.0
It's hard for me to really know how to rate a book of short stories. First off, I don't read a whole lot of short story compilations, and second, this book was read over the course of... probably 2 years? although I hate to admit that. (I'm not much of a short story person, and although I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection, it's definitely easier to set aside a compilation of short stories without feeling like you're really interrupting anything, as compared to an actual full-length novel.)
I guess I'll run through the list of short stories/authors and rate them as I go:
1. Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris: 3/5 stars. Interesting enough - I liked Dahlia's character but honestly I'm a little bored now with the Sookie Stackhouse world. :(
2. The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale: 4/5. Again, interesting, and I liked some elements of this story a lot. The inclusion of music, as well as having a black detective involved during a time period where that wouldn't have been very common, were definitely selling points.
3. Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green: 5/5 stars. Any story that starts with a line like this wins:
4. Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor: 4/5 stars. Loved the setting of this story - Babylon somewhere between 92 and 90 B.C. Plus, humor!
5. Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling: I don't really remember this story, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it...? If I'd hated it, I would've remembered that I think. It was rather unremarkable, but I probably enjoyed it because I enjoy Stirling's writing.
6. It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn: 3/5. Again, don't remember a lot but I do remember the ending, which was sweet.
7. The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden: 3/5. I never really understood who "the Lady" was that helped our protagonist; it was clear that he received supernatural help, but the hows and whys were underexplained (IMO).
8. Hellbender - Laurie R. King: 4/5 for creativity, 3/5 for actual enjoyment/clarity of the plot.
9. Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook: 4/5 stars for creativity AND enjoyment! Although there was still a little clarity lacking (or my memory is poor, either way...).
10. No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass: 5/5. Humor, historical cross-overs, religious tie-ins that are interesting/funny/perturbing... win. :)
11. The Difference between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover: 4/5, similar to the previous story but not quite as enjoyable for me.
12. The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle: 5/5. Yay for proper 19th c. gentlewomen working for a Sherlock Holmes-type detective!
13. Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon: 4/5. Interesting, but felt like I was lacking background because I haven't read anything else of Gabaldon's (unless you could 65% or so of the first Outlander book...).
14. Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts: 3/5. I felt like I was missing something in the plot arc, but enjoyed the plot and the setting (ancient Rome).
15. In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs: 5/5. Patricia Briggs wins all the things. I haven't read anything by her that I've disliked yet. :)
16. The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton: 5/5. Goosebumps at the ending!!
~
So overall, I do recommend this, if you enjoy short story collections. There wasn't a single total dud in this collection; I did enjoy every story in some way, even if there were some stories that made me feel like I missed the crux of the mystery/problem being solved. Definitely a cool collection of interesting worlds and characters, though!
I guess I'll run through the list of short stories/authors and rate them as I go:
1. Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris: 3/5 stars. Interesting enough - I liked Dahlia's character but honestly I'm a little bored now with the Sookie Stackhouse world. :(
2. The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale: 4/5. Again, interesting, and I liked some elements of this story a lot. The inclusion of music, as well as having a black detective involved during a time period where that wouldn't have been very common, were definitely selling points.
3. Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green: 5/5 stars. Any story that starts with a line like this wins:
The city of London has a hidden heart; a dark and secret place where gods and monsters go fist-fighting through alleyways, where wonders and marvels are two a penny, where everything and everyone is up for sale, and all your dreams can come true.
4. Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor: 4/5 stars. Loved the setting of this story - Babylon somewhere between 92 and 90 B.C. Plus, humor!
5. Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling: I don't really remember this story, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it...? If I'd hated it, I would've remembered that I think. It was rather unremarkable, but I probably enjoyed it because I enjoy Stirling's writing.
6. It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn: 3/5. Again, don't remember a lot but I do remember the ending, which was sweet.
7. The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden: 3/5. I never really understood who "the Lady" was that helped our protagonist; it was clear that he received supernatural help, but the hows and whys were underexplained (IMO).
8. Hellbender - Laurie R. King: 4/5 for creativity, 3/5 for actual enjoyment/clarity of the plot.
9. Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook: 4/5 stars for creativity AND enjoyment! Although there was still a little clarity lacking (or my memory is poor, either way...).
10. No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass: 5/5. Humor, historical cross-overs, religious tie-ins that are interesting/funny/perturbing... win. :)
11. The Difference between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover: 4/5, similar to the previous story but not quite as enjoyable for me.
12. The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle: 5/5. Yay for proper 19th c. gentlewomen working for a Sherlock Holmes-type detective!
13. Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon: 4/5. Interesting, but felt like I was lacking background because I haven't read anything else of Gabaldon's (unless you could 65% or so of the first Outlander book...).
14. Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts: 3/5. I felt like I was missing something in the plot arc, but enjoyed the plot and the setting (ancient Rome).
15. In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs: 5/5. Patricia Briggs wins all the things. I haven't read anything by her that I've disliked yet. :)
16. The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton: 5/5. Goosebumps at the ending!!
~
So overall, I do recommend this, if you enjoy short story collections. There wasn't a single total dud in this collection; I did enjoy every story in some way, even if there were some stories that made me feel like I missed the crux of the mystery/problem being solved. Definitely a cool collection of interesting worlds and characters, though!