Shadowrun: Spells and Chrome

by catalyst-game-labs-helfers-john

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Cyberpunk

Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[M.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A competent selection of entertaining short stories set in the Shadowrun universe.

[Hugo Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Diving in the Dark, by Ilsa Bick, was my favorite in this collection. Not a bad place to start if you are new to the Shadowrun universe.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Shadowrun novels when I was growing up, even though I didn't play the game all that much. Since then, I've played the game on both SNES and tabletops. This anthology is a bit hit or miss (usually the case with anthologies, honestly), but it felt like it was really only written for people who were more familiar with the game since a lot of these stories provide no real context for readers who are unfamiliar with the universe's background.

It's fine, just not something I'll revisit any time soon.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the stories were pretty good, though some were better than others (as is normal with anthologies). I thought most of them were pretty short, though, and that was disappointing (especially for the better stories!).

Also, they really highlight the ubiquity of the wireless matrix, and that is one thing I don't like about 4th edition. It takes up too much of the stories and description, and that's a shame.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag as a lot of anthologies tend to be. Most of the stories at least leaned on the good side though some didn't really feel like Shadowrun. A couple of them felt like the wrong universe completely and threw in words like "Nuyen" or "Rigger" merely for effect. Worth reading just not spectacular.

[M Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies are always fun to read, the variety of writing styles and broad spectrum of subject matters make it entertaining on several levels. A nice intro to the world of Shadowrun for the uninitiated.
Not every story was a winner, but enough were entertaining to make this worth my time to read.