A review by secre
From the Shadows: Villainous Tales of Dark Lords, Despots, and Devils by Jamie Edmundson, J.P. Burnison, D.W. Hawkins, Joe Jackson, Allegra Pescatore, J.T. Williams, Christopher Russell, Aaron Hodges, Jacob Peppers, Bethany Hoeflich, Sarah K.L. Wilson, Angel Haze, J.C. Kang, Eileen Mueller, Zaid Samer Alshattle, Miri C. Golden, Eric T. Knight, J.E. Mueller, Jeff Bacon, Jeffrey L. Kohanek, Rachel Rener, Stacey Trombley
4.0
From the Shadows is a fascinating anthology that stays away from the heroes and instead shines a light on the darker elements of our fantasy stories. From the slightly grey to the definitively villainous, this anthology takes you to the view points that you often don’t see in fantasy works. From the humorous to the intense, there will almost certainly be something for everyone here.
Ghoul Grief by Jacob Peppers; 4/5 stars. A humourous tale of a hero who isn’t quite the hero that everyone thinks. He wasn’t in life and he isn’t in undeath. This was good fun and a good start to the anthology. The humour running throughout it us excellent and I really enjoyed how all of Maximillian's previous exploits had an alterative truth to the public view!
The Precipice of Sin by Rachel Reneer; 4/5 stars. This felt like the back story to a wider narrative and also worked really well. Far more traditional in feel, I liked how much empathy you felt for the villain of the piece here. The juxtaposition between good and evil was cleverly portrayed, along with the age old question of would we know joy without sorrow.
A Dragon’s Guide to Hatching a Rebellion by JC Kang; 5/5 stars. Again, a very different feel to this one with a dragon learning to be human... and hatching a rebellion almost by accident. I really appreciated just how well JC Kang portrays the non-human thought processes of the dragon lead and just how ridiculous some human conventions such as clothing appear to his eyes. This is an unusual little tale... and one with a sting in the tail!
Interview With The Dark Elf by Jamie Edmundson; 4.5/5 stars. Another humour driven tale, but with a distinctly darker edge to it. I’m even more interested in reading the full length works by this author now as this was funny, dark and brilliant. The view from the eyes of the dark elf following the hero around and trying to kill him in various ingenious ways is cleverly done. It was like reading the other side of the typical fantasy novel, where you are kinda rooting for the evil guy!
Let the Dark In by Stacey Trombley; 4/5 stars. Another dark edged tale, focussed on a dark magic and the depths we can sink to when pushed beyond our limits. In fact this is more than dark edged, as the victim becomes the aggressor and the darkness that is overtaking the world steps one foot closer to total victory. Out of the two characters, Malcolm is by far the most fleshed out, whereas Julie seems almost a footnote. Still enjoyable and there is some interesting world building here.
The Sea Witch by Bethany Hoeflich; 5/5 stars. I'd give it more stars if I could. I adored this dark tale on the background to The Little Mermaid. If you ever wondered where Ursula came from, this is the tale for you. It adds a huge amount of depth to the existing faerie tale, making a two dimensional villain into a fully fleshed out character with a tragic history. The author also adds those small, incredibly important details of her own to the tale, making it a truly worthy prequel to a very well known children's tale. I'd happily read a full 100 page novella of this particular retelling, and have picked up the Dreg Trilogy on Kindle Unlimited on the strength of this short. Truly spectacular and one of my absolute favourites of the collection.
A Mad King’s Hymn by J.E.Mueller; 3/5 stars. This was clever, but wasn’t quite to my taste. I just didn’t quite get on with the demonic depictions, but it’s certainly well written. There's some really interesting world building here though and it felt as though a full novel could quite easily rise from the back of it.
This Trap Has A Beating Heart by Sarah K. L. Wilson; 4.5/stars. We’re back in the realms of epic fantasy and it is beautifully written. The power struggles and family strife is brilliantly depicted; I thoroughly fell in love with scene, characters and narrative. I particularly liked the fact that the villain... isn't really a villain here. Yeah, he's definitely morally grey and manipulative as hell, but he's not evil... His father on the other hand... yeah. Evil. I kinda want a short from his perspective now! My Kindle Unlimited shelf is now getting crowded as I discovered that Sting Magic is set in the same universe and I obviously have to read it.
Zen’s Dragon by Eileen Mueller; 3.5/5 stars. Re-reading this, I've bumped it up a half star as it's been a while since I read the other books and so didn't actually remember the scenes I thought were recycled. This is an interesting look at the villain of the authors excellent Riders of Fire series. I particularly liked the scientific aspects that were brought into play as Zens tries to master cloning. Zens isn't a particularly likable villain, even with his tragic history, but the means and methods he has taken to become a villain are fascinating.
Wizardoms: Soul Blade by Jeffrey L. Kohanek; 4/5 stars. The Wizardoms series has been on my to read list for what seems like forever and I really need to get around to it as this glimpse at the world was fascinating. There is a huge amount of depth in not too many words here, and it has really wet my appetite for the main series. The world building was particularly strong, as indeed were the hints at the future. It's intriguing, giving a foretaste of what seems to be a well realised world with strong, three-dimensional characters.
The Binding Day Truce by Allegra Pescatore and J.P. Burnison; 2.5/5 stars. This made a lot more sense having read A Bond of Thread, but I still have to say it doesn't work particularly well as a stand alone short. The full novel gave me some much needed character background and world building that seemed lacking in the short first time round. I would thoroughly recommend this if you have already read the full novel set in the same world, but without that background the dual perspectives were difficult to follow. As these shorts frequently seem to be introductions into the world, I'm going to leave my initial rating. I certainly enjoyed it far more on re-reading, but anyone who hasn't read the full novel will be just as lost as I was first time round, particularly with the character shifting. I will say that I still loved the ambiguity of the ending and it was even more powerful on a second read through.
Sun Touched by Zaid Samer Alshattle; 2.5 stars. Another confusing tale that didn’t quite grab me. There just wasn’t the character depth or world building displayed by some of the precious works, and I suspect it would work better as the opening chapters to a longer work than as a stand alone. It seemed to need far more pages than were possible in an anthology to truly bring the world to life in honesty and I struggled to get a real sense of what the characters were fighting for. This made it difficult to engage with.
Oblivion - Eric T. Knight; 5/5 stars. Simplistic in many ways, but no less brilliant for it. Another stand out favourite of the collection, this really threw me into the tale along with our villain. There are all the hallmarks of an intricate and detailed world hinted at here, and my only complaint is that it was over so soon. In contrast to the last couple of shorts, this really captured the characterisation wonderfully and captured me completely. It's a bite sized slice of life, with no overarching narrative, but it works beautifully.
The Menagerie by Miri C. Golden; 5/5 stars. Where the last story was a bite sized moment in time, this could easily work as a far longer piece. It’s the mark of an excellent author that it also worked so well as a short. This is dark, grimy and absolutely brilliant. I loved the characterisations here, on both sides. I felt the threat of Prisoner Zero from Day's perspective, even as the world was built up in such a way that I knew they were living on a house of cards, ready to topple at any moment. But what I liked most about this is the uncertainty of who the villain really is. Because from Day's perspective, Prisoner Zero is a threat to everything he holds dear... even if what he holds dear is a tottering pile of lies, manipulations and propaganda.
Gravitas: A Tale of the Constella by Christopher Russell; 4/5 stars. Another epic fantasy win here, this is dark as all hell, but brilliantly written. I admit to being slightly confused as to who the actual bad guy is here, but it's all the better for it. There's an ambiguity to this that is really appealing, as the lead character is obviously committing heinous acts, but can the ends sometimes justify the means?!
Birth of Darkness by Aaron Hodges; 3.5/5 stars. When family jealousy combines with a hunger for power, the results get interesting. This has a spooky vibe to it that almost crosses over into horror.
Apples and Shadows: A Tale of Dwemhar by J.T. Williams; 4.5 stars. Another one with horror vibes going for it, but in a far more corruption of innocence fashion. Another stunning tale.
The Trouble With Necromancy by Joe Jackson; 4.5/5 stars. We have what is perhaps the darkest tale here yet and it’s brilliant. Never trust a necromancer.
Ascension to Hell by Jeff Bacon; 3/5 stars. Still on the necromancy, this perhaps tries to bite off more than it can manage in the short format.
Into the Storm by D. W. Hawkins; 3.5 stars. Some interesting world building here, and a delightfully competent villain. I quite enjoyed this, and felt there was some interesting hints at a larger universe.
Bound in Death by Angel Haze; 5/5 stars. And we finish on the darkest of the dark, brilliantly written and darkly stunning. Serial killer meets necromancy and it’s excellent.
So all in all, this is an excellent anthology. There were a handful that I didn’t get on with so well, but the standard was excellent as a whole.
Many thanks to the authors for my free review copy of this title.
Ghoul Grief by Jacob Peppers; 4/5 stars. A humourous tale of a hero who isn’t quite the hero that everyone thinks. He wasn’t in life and he isn’t in undeath. This was good fun and a good start to the anthology. The humour running throughout it us excellent and I really enjoyed how all of Maximillian's previous exploits had an alterative truth to the public view!
The Precipice of Sin by Rachel Reneer; 4/5 stars. This felt like the back story to a wider narrative and also worked really well. Far more traditional in feel, I liked how much empathy you felt for the villain of the piece here. The juxtaposition between good and evil was cleverly portrayed, along with the age old question of would we know joy without sorrow.
A Dragon’s Guide to Hatching a Rebellion by JC Kang; 5/5 stars. Again, a very different feel to this one with a dragon learning to be human... and hatching a rebellion almost by accident. I really appreciated just how well JC Kang portrays the non-human thought processes of the dragon lead and just how ridiculous some human conventions such as clothing appear to his eyes. This is an unusual little tale... and one with a sting in the tail!
Interview With The Dark Elf by Jamie Edmundson; 4.5/5 stars. Another humour driven tale, but with a distinctly darker edge to it. I’m even more interested in reading the full length works by this author now as this was funny, dark and brilliant. The view from the eyes of the dark elf following the hero around and trying to kill him in various ingenious ways is cleverly done. It was like reading the other side of the typical fantasy novel, where you are kinda rooting for the evil guy!
Let the Dark In by Stacey Trombley; 4/5 stars. Another dark edged tale, focussed on a dark magic and the depths we can sink to when pushed beyond our limits. In fact this is more than dark edged, as the victim becomes the aggressor and the darkness that is overtaking the world steps one foot closer to total victory. Out of the two characters, Malcolm is by far the most fleshed out, whereas Julie seems almost a footnote. Still enjoyable and there is some interesting world building here.
The Sea Witch by Bethany Hoeflich; 5/5 stars. I'd give it more stars if I could. I adored this dark tale on the background to The Little Mermaid. If you ever wondered where Ursula came from, this is the tale for you. It adds a huge amount of depth to the existing faerie tale, making a two dimensional villain into a fully fleshed out character with a tragic history. The author also adds those small, incredibly important details of her own to the tale, making it a truly worthy prequel to a very well known children's tale. I'd happily read a full 100 page novella of this particular retelling, and have picked up the Dreg Trilogy on Kindle Unlimited on the strength of this short. Truly spectacular and one of my absolute favourites of the collection.
A Mad King’s Hymn by J.E.Mueller; 3/5 stars. This was clever, but wasn’t quite to my taste. I just didn’t quite get on with the demonic depictions, but it’s certainly well written. There's some really interesting world building here though and it felt as though a full novel could quite easily rise from the back of it.
This Trap Has A Beating Heart by Sarah K. L. Wilson; 4.5/stars. We’re back in the realms of epic fantasy and it is beautifully written. The power struggles and family strife is brilliantly depicted; I thoroughly fell in love with scene, characters and narrative. I particularly liked the fact that the villain... isn't really a villain here. Yeah, he's definitely morally grey and manipulative as hell, but he's not evil... His father on the other hand... yeah. Evil. I kinda want a short from his perspective now! My Kindle Unlimited shelf is now getting crowded as I discovered that Sting Magic is set in the same universe and I obviously have to read it.
Zen’s Dragon by Eileen Mueller; 3.5/5 stars. Re-reading this, I've bumped it up a half star as it's been a while since I read the other books and so didn't actually remember the scenes I thought were recycled. This is an interesting look at the villain of the authors excellent Riders of Fire series. I particularly liked the scientific aspects that were brought into play as Zens tries to master cloning. Zens isn't a particularly likable villain, even with his tragic history, but the means and methods he has taken to become a villain are fascinating.
Wizardoms: Soul Blade by Jeffrey L. Kohanek; 4/5 stars. The Wizardoms series has been on my to read list for what seems like forever and I really need to get around to it as this glimpse at the world was fascinating. There is a huge amount of depth in not too many words here, and it has really wet my appetite for the main series. The world building was particularly strong, as indeed were the hints at the future. It's intriguing, giving a foretaste of what seems to be a well realised world with strong, three-dimensional characters.
The Binding Day Truce by Allegra Pescatore and J.P. Burnison; 2.5/5 stars. This made a lot more sense having read A Bond of Thread, but I still have to say it doesn't work particularly well as a stand alone short. The full novel gave me some much needed character background and world building that seemed lacking in the short first time round. I would thoroughly recommend this if you have already read the full novel set in the same world, but without that background the dual perspectives were difficult to follow. As these shorts frequently seem to be introductions into the world, I'm going to leave my initial rating. I certainly enjoyed it far more on re-reading, but anyone who hasn't read the full novel will be just as lost as I was first time round, particularly with the character shifting. I will say that I still loved the ambiguity of the ending and it was even more powerful on a second read through.
Sun Touched by Zaid Samer Alshattle; 2.5 stars. Another confusing tale that didn’t quite grab me. There just wasn’t the character depth or world building displayed by some of the precious works, and I suspect it would work better as the opening chapters to a longer work than as a stand alone. It seemed to need far more pages than were possible in an anthology to truly bring the world to life in honesty and I struggled to get a real sense of what the characters were fighting for. This made it difficult to engage with.
Oblivion - Eric T. Knight; 5/5 stars. Simplistic in many ways, but no less brilliant for it. Another stand out favourite of the collection, this really threw me into the tale along with our villain. There are all the hallmarks of an intricate and detailed world hinted at here, and my only complaint is that it was over so soon. In contrast to the last couple of shorts, this really captured the characterisation wonderfully and captured me completely. It's a bite sized slice of life, with no overarching narrative, but it works beautifully.
The Menagerie by Miri C. Golden; 5/5 stars. Where the last story was a bite sized moment in time, this could easily work as a far longer piece. It’s the mark of an excellent author that it also worked so well as a short. This is dark, grimy and absolutely brilliant. I loved the characterisations here, on both sides. I felt the threat of Prisoner Zero from Day's perspective, even as the world was built up in such a way that I knew they were living on a house of cards, ready to topple at any moment. But what I liked most about this is the uncertainty of who the villain really is. Because from Day's perspective, Prisoner Zero is a threat to everything he holds dear... even if what he holds dear is a tottering pile of lies, manipulations and propaganda.
Gravitas: A Tale of the Constella by Christopher Russell; 4/5 stars. Another epic fantasy win here, this is dark as all hell, but brilliantly written. I admit to being slightly confused as to who the actual bad guy is here, but it's all the better for it. There's an ambiguity to this that is really appealing, as the lead character is obviously committing heinous acts, but can the ends sometimes justify the means?!
Birth of Darkness by Aaron Hodges; 3.5/5 stars. When family jealousy combines with a hunger for power, the results get interesting. This has a spooky vibe to it that almost crosses over into horror.
Apples and Shadows: A Tale of Dwemhar by J.T. Williams; 4.5 stars. Another one with horror vibes going for it, but in a far more corruption of innocence fashion. Another stunning tale.
The Trouble With Necromancy by Joe Jackson; 4.5/5 stars. We have what is perhaps the darkest tale here yet and it’s brilliant. Never trust a necromancer.
Ascension to Hell by Jeff Bacon; 3/5 stars. Still on the necromancy, this perhaps tries to bite off more than it can manage in the short format.
Into the Storm by D. W. Hawkins; 3.5 stars. Some interesting world building here, and a delightfully competent villain. I quite enjoyed this, and felt there was some interesting hints at a larger universe.
Bound in Death by Angel Haze; 5/5 stars. And we finish on the darkest of the dark, brilliantly written and darkly stunning. Serial killer meets necromancy and it’s excellent.
So all in all, this is an excellent anthology. There were a handful that I didn’t get on with so well, but the standard was excellent as a whole.
Many thanks to the authors for my free review copy of this title.