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Nights of the Round Table and Other Stories of Heroic Fantasy
Explore uncharted territory in this collection of heroic fantasy shorts from Tanya Huff. Annotations provide background and insight on each story. Peppered with Huffs trademark tongue-in-cheek wit and the brilliant, funny, wise, ruthless heroines that have made her famous, this is a collection you wont want to miss. Travel to Camelot in Nights of the Round Table and to ancient Egypt in Succession. Revisit beloved fairytales in All Things Being Relative. Sail the seas in Blood in the Water and Oh Glorious Sight. Also includes What Little Girls Are Made Of, A Womans Work, and Slow Poison.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2011
About the author
Tanya Huff
155 books2,465 followersTanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 26, 2012
A solid collection of short stories. There weren't any that I truly didn't care for, though certainly I liked some more than others. Below are my comments on each story, added as I finished each.
Nights of the Round Table : A quirky, fun perspective on the legend of Camelot and some of its notable figures. Full of plenty laugh out loud lines from the no-nonsense old cleaning woman who makes manages to de-mystify most of the trappings of the legend and bring it all down to earth to the mundane level of scraping unmentionable "stuff" off the bottoms of their chairs. Definitely a recommended read for those that enjoy holding revered legends up to a rather irreverent and humorous light.
What Little Girls Are Made Of : I'm not familiar with the world this story is set in, but such knowledge didn't seem too essential to understand what this story was about basically. A cute story in which many things are glossed over, yet the essential bits of info are still there, with a humorous twist at the end. Quick, fun reading.
Blood In the Water : An interesting story with vivid characters, and just enough details given about the world and situation to make the reader curious to hear more. Something of a pity if this is the only story set in this world that Ms. Huff did, as there seems to be a lot that could be expanded upon for a longer tale or novel.
A Woman's Work : Cute story about an "evil" tyrant queen and how she's obtained and held onto her empire. Full of plenty of humor and wit, with more than a small dose of cynicism thrown into the mix for good measure. An entertaining, light read.
Succession : An intriguing, if somewhat confusing story. While the gist of what's going on isn't hard to grasp, I found that things got a bit too vague regarding the details of what was being done right at the crucial point of the story where the heroine finds a way to let good triumph. I appreciate the tone with which Ms. Huff was telling the story at that point, and admire the way in which she tells us what's happening without *quite* telling us what's happening, but a teensy bit more clarification would have been nice. Still, definitely one of the best stories in the collection.
Oh Glorious Sight : Another great story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The changes in attitudes among the characters is interesting to watch unfold, as the master who seems kind at the beginning shows himself to be just another thoughtless and arrogant nobleman, and the crew that at first rejects young Tam, gradually warms to him and comes to consider him one of their own. A thought provoking tale that hints at much, but leaves most undefined so that the reader can fill in whatever explanations fit best for them.
All Things Being Relative : Fairly similar to "A Woman's Work" in a lot of ways, but with a definitely more sinister feel to it. The queen in this one feels far more like an "evil dictator" than the one in the previous story did. A good story, but I guess I have to say I prefered "A Woman's Work" to this one.
Slow Poison : A clever and insightful tale of what happens in a kingdom after "barbarians" conquer it and take over. The descriptions of the food will most have you salivating, while at the same time you're receiving an entertaining lesson in what all goes into putting lavish meals on a warlord's (or king's) table on a regular basis. Interesting reading, though not, in my opinion, the best story in the bunch here.
Nights of the Round Table : A quirky, fun perspective on the legend of Camelot and some of its notable figures. Full of plenty laugh out loud lines from the no-nonsense old cleaning woman who makes manages to de-mystify most of the trappings of the legend and bring it all down to earth to the mundane level of scraping unmentionable "stuff" off the bottoms of their chairs. Definitely a recommended read for those that enjoy holding revered legends up to a rather irreverent and humorous light.
What Little Girls Are Made Of : I'm not familiar with the world this story is set in, but such knowledge didn't seem too essential to understand what this story was about basically. A cute story in which many things are glossed over, yet the essential bits of info are still there, with a humorous twist at the end. Quick, fun reading.
Blood In the Water : An interesting story with vivid characters, and just enough details given about the world and situation to make the reader curious to hear more. Something of a pity if this is the only story set in this world that Ms. Huff did, as there seems to be a lot that could be expanded upon for a longer tale or novel.
A Woman's Work : Cute story about an "evil" tyrant queen and how she's obtained and held onto her empire. Full of plenty of humor and wit, with more than a small dose of cynicism thrown into the mix for good measure. An entertaining, light read.
Succession : An intriguing, if somewhat confusing story. While the gist of what's going on isn't hard to grasp, I found that things got a bit too vague regarding the details of what was being done right at the crucial point of the story where the heroine finds a way to let good triumph. I appreciate the tone with which Ms. Huff was telling the story at that point, and admire the way in which she tells us what's happening without *quite* telling us what's happening, but a teensy bit more clarification would have been nice. Still, definitely one of the best stories in the collection.
Oh Glorious Sight : Another great story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The changes in attitudes among the characters is interesting to watch unfold, as the master who seems kind at the beginning shows himself to be just another thoughtless and arrogant nobleman, and the crew that at first rejects young Tam, gradually warms to him and comes to consider him one of their own. A thought provoking tale that hints at much, but leaves most undefined so that the reader can fill in whatever explanations fit best for them.
All Things Being Relative : Fairly similar to "A Woman's Work" in a lot of ways, but with a definitely more sinister feel to it. The queen in this one feels far more like an "evil dictator" than the one in the previous story did. A good story, but I guess I have to say I prefered "A Woman's Work" to this one.
Slow Poison : A clever and insightful tale of what happens in a kingdom after "barbarians" conquer it and take over. The descriptions of the food will most have you salivating, while at the same time you're receiving an entertaining lesson in what all goes into putting lavish meals on a warlord's (or king's) table on a regular basis. Interesting reading, though not, in my opinion, the best story in the bunch here.
June 18, 2021
This is a really fun collection of fantasy short stories. They are set all over—from the Round Table (as in the title) to the ocean to relatively "normal" high fantasy settings. They're inspired by Camelot, classic fairy tales, and the Trojan War. And, though I enjoyed some more than others, the collection as a whole was a lot of fun: often funny, sometimes introspective, and a really great example of how a good author can do a lot with a few words.
Favorite stories include "Slow Poison," "A Woman's Work...," and "All Things Being Relative." I think I've read the titular "Nights of the Round Table" somewhere before, and so while I still enjoyed it, it didn't have the same impact it might have if it was new to me.
Favorite stories include "Slow Poison," "A Woman's Work...," and "All Things Being Relative." I think I've read the titular "Nights of the Round Table" somewhere before, and so while I still enjoyed it, it didn't have the same impact it might have if it was new to me.
September 9, 2012
Nights of the Round Table is a fun collection of fantasy stories characterised by gentle humour and strong, non-typical female protagonists. Larger women, middle aged women, lower class women... None of them are helpless: they're resourceful and competent -- and they aren't focused entirely around their children, either, which is very satisfying.
My main criticism is that this collection comes to be a little predictable. The turn of the humour is the same in each, so you begin to see where each one is going. Still very enjoyable, though.
My main criticism is that this collection comes to be a little predictable. The turn of the humour is the same in each, so you begin to see where each one is going. Still very enjoyable, though.
May 8, 2012
With the exception of a weak first story, a solid and enjoyable collection.
July 3, 2019
Enjoyable collections of tales told from unexpected perspective. Two that particularly stood out were "What Little Girls Are Made Of" and "Slow Poison"--possibly revealing my own fondness for the kind of fairy-tale food that is so vividly portrayed here. A good collection to have available for those days when you need hope or endurance or a good story.
October 15, 2017
Story tropes mostly turned on head. Fun and amusing if slight overall.
Nights of the Round Table **
What Little Girls Are Made Of **
Blood in the Water **
A Woman's Work ****
Succession **
Oh Glorious Sight **
All Things Being Relative **
Slow Poison **
Nights of the Round Table **
What Little Girls Are Made Of **
Blood in the Water **
A Woman's Work ****
Succession **
Oh Glorious Sight **
All Things Being Relative **
Slow Poison **
February 21, 2018
A quick and overall enjoyable read.
December 27, 2018
Glad I found this author. I'm enjoying her short stories.
July 11, 2019
An entertaining collection of short stories that all have some unusual or clever twist. Beautifully written.
January 12, 2023
A simply marvelous collection of short stories, mostly of a fairy-tale trope. The final story of the cook who conquers the warlord by taking the long view is just about perfectly written.
Read
December 9, 2023Excelent takes on traditional stories. It wasn't long enough, I wanted more.
June 30, 2025
Depressing.
March 20, 2017
Hurray, it's Huff!
Tanya Huff is one of my favorite authors and this collection of short stories continues to hold high the banner.
Tanya Huff is one of my favorite authors and this collection of short stories continues to hold high the banner.
November 5, 2012
When I was in middle school (probably), my mom took my sister and I to see a movie where a young hero fights a dragon to save a princess. This dragon had demanded a virgin every week (or day or something) or he would destroy the town. After the movie, my mom commented (to my horror) that the whole being-a-virgin thing was easy enough to take care of and why didn't the young women save themselves?
Tanya Huff looks at the world that way - maybe not specifically, but her heroines have a practical and humorous approach to the world, perhaps because they often not hormonal teens but mature (even aged) women. They don't fight the evil in the traditional way - not many swords and battles. Instead, they give it what it wants - literally. A sweet thing to bed; amazing meals all day long. Even her villain heroines are great - evil queens who just get things done.
This collection includes the author's comments about why the story was written - what the 'topic' was supposed to be, why she liked it, etc. Enjoyable and funny as well.
Tanya Huff looks at the world that way - maybe not specifically, but her heroines have a practical and humorous approach to the world, perhaps because they often not hormonal teens but mature (even aged) women. They don't fight the evil in the traditional way - not many swords and battles. Instead, they give it what it wants - literally. A sweet thing to bed; amazing meals all day long. Even her villain heroines are great - evil queens who just get things done.
This collection includes the author's comments about why the story was written - what the 'topic' was supposed to be, why she liked it, etc. Enjoyable and funny as well.
October 5, 2025
"Nights of the Round Table" read in Villains Victorious 6/7/2005
re-read 11/7/2011 & 10/26/2012 & 3/8/2015
"What Little Girls Are Made Of" re-read 11/24/2011 & 10/27/2012 & 3/8/2015
"Blood in the Water" re-read 11/25/2011 & 10/28/2012 & 3/8/2015
"A Woman's Work" re-read 11/26/2011 & 10/29/2012 & 3/9/2015
"Succession" read 3/29/2003 re-read 11/26/2011 & 10/30/2012 & 3/9/2015
"Oh Glorious Sight" [SOB!!!] read 6/4/2001 re-read 11/28/2011 & 10/31/2012 & 3/9/2015
"All Things Being Relative" re-read 11/29/2011 & 11/1/2012 & 7/17/2014 & 3/9/2015
"Slow Poison" re-read 11/30/20101 & 11/2/2012 & 7/18/2014 & 3/9/2015
re-read 6/23/2013 & 3/9/2015
re-read 11/7/2011 & 10/26/2012 & 3/8/2015
"What Little Girls Are Made Of" re-read 11/24/2011 & 10/27/2012 & 3/8/2015
"Blood in the Water" re-read 11/25/2011 & 10/28/2012 & 3/8/2015
"A Woman's Work" re-read 11/26/2011 & 10/29/2012 & 3/9/2015
"Succession" read 3/29/2003 re-read 11/26/2011 & 10/30/2012 & 3/9/2015
"Oh Glorious Sight" [SOB!!!] read 6/4/2001 re-read 11/28/2011 & 10/31/2012 & 3/9/2015
"All Things Being Relative" re-read 11/29/2011 & 11/1/2012 & 7/17/2014 & 3/9/2015
"Slow Poison" re-read 11/30/20101 & 11/2/2012 & 7/18/2014 & 3/9/2015
re-read 6/23/2013 & 3/9/2015
November 1, 2011
A collection of short stories published in collections elsewhere - which I don't generally buy for Just One Tanya Huff Story - so it was great for me to get this e-collection. I hadn't read any of these stories before and I really enjoyed most of them!
Favourites were 'A Woman's Work' and 'Slow Poison'.
Favourites were 'A Woman's Work' and 'Slow Poison'.
May 15, 2012
These short stories were definitely fun to read. I think the final story Slow Poison was my favourite although it made me hungry. This book is full of very strong smart female characters. I liked that most of them were middle-aged or older. Some of them were evil and some were not but it was all fun to read.
January 10, 2012
Collection of Huff's stories that first appeared in various themed story collections. I have about half the story collections so it was nice to reread the stories and enjoy the author's notes regarding the stories. Enjoy at your own risk. Also, the price was right.
April 14, 2014
A collection of stories by Tanya Huff. Her usual snarky, tongue in cheek humour peeks through. I have to admit--my favourite story is the one where the evil villain is--an evil villainess. Still, all the stories held my interest.
July 11, 2012
Tanya Huff has never led me astray; a masterful writer as always.
August 5, 2012
Great collection of stories. My favourite was 'Oh Glorious Sight', of which Tanya Huff, in her forward, says always makes her cry. It made me cry too. Beautiful.
April 3, 2014
I love Tanya's books but this collection of some early stories is mostly a bit dreary. There are 1 or 2 good stories.
July 10, 2014
A good collection.
If you're a fan of Tanya Huff, you definitely want this collection. If you aren't familiar with her work, this is an excellent starting point.
If you're a fan of Tanya Huff, you definitely want this collection. If you aren't familiar with her work, this is an excellent starting point.
September 10, 2016
A short story collection by one of my favorite authors. What's not to love?
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews