Hex in the City

by Kerrie L. Hughes (Editor), Dean Wesley Smith (Series Editor), Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Series Editor)

Urban fantasy offers a diverse playground for some extremely powerful stories. Professional writer and editor Kerrie L. Hughes pulled some fantastic tales out of fourteen top writers for this fifth installment of Fiction River. Set in urban lands from modern Portland, to a future Detroit, to a wild Washington, D.C., and ending the tour in London, these top writers take the idea of "Hex" and stretch and twist it into stories with a magickal grip on the imagination.

Foreword: Puzzle Pieces by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Introduction: Hexen & Magick by Kerrie L. Hughes
King of The Kingless by Jay Lake
Speechless in Seattle by Lisa Silverthorne
Thy Neighbor by Nancy Holder
Somebody Else’s Problem by Annie Bellet
A Thing Immortal As Itself by Lee Allred
Geriatric Magic by Stephanie Writt
Red As Snow by Seanan McGuire
Music’s Price by Anthea Sharp
The Sound of My Own Voice by Dayle A. Dermatis
The 13th Floor Problem by Dean Wesley Smith
Dead Men Walking by Annie Reed
One Good Deed by Jeanne C. Stein
Fox and Hound by Leah Cutter
The Scottish Play by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Paranormal, Paranormal Urban Fantasy

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2013

About the author

KERRIE L. HUGHES is an artist, writer, editor, and traveler, currently working towards a Master's degree in Community Counseling. She has been editing anthologies since 2005.

Reviews

[Sarah]

I'm not marking the anthology as read or giving it an overall rating until I've read the entire thing so for now I'll just review the individual short stories as I read them.

7th November 2016:
Red as Snow by Seanan McGuire (Incryptid 2.5) - 4 stars
We first met Istas and Ryan in Discount Armageddon but it was in Midnight Blue-Light Special that they really shone so I was glad there are some additional short stories about the two of them. They're quite an odd couple really but they fit really well together and I think it's really great that Seanan McGuire is giving us the chance to learn more about some of the Incryptid characters.

Red as Snow gives us the chance to learn a bit more about Istas's background and waheela customs, let's just say that Ryan isn't exactly welcomed into the family with open arms by her father and brothers. Luckily Istas and Ryan know each other really well and they're a perfect team when they need to be. I'm really looking forward to reading the next two stories about this couple and hopefully we'll get to meet Ryan's family next.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Seanan McGuire Incryptid shorty, Red as Snow.

Since I love Ryan and Istas, this one was a really fun read. Though I have to say, Istas' head is a weird place to be!

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red as snow only

[Nyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up specifically for Red as Snow and decided to read all 14 stories.
Combined Rating: 396 (Rounded to 4)

This has been one of the most entertaining anthologies I have ever read. The fact that it is a magazine series is exciting, and I look forward to reading the other issues!

King of The Kingless by Jay Lake ~ 3 Stars ~ Sad and somber.

Speechless in Seattle by Lisa Silverthorne ~ 5 Stars ~I loved this story, and I wish there were more! What an enjoyable, Cozy fantasy series this would make!

Thy Neighbor by Nancy Holder ~ 5 Stars ~ Nice twist!

Somebody Else's Problem by Annie Bellet ~ 4 Stars ~ Another good story that could make a great novel, if not a whole series.

A Thing Immortal As Itself by Lee Allred ~ 3 Stars ~ The concept is interesting and could make a good series, but the narrator sucked all the life out of the story, making it sound drab and boring.

Geriatric Magic by Stephanie Writt ~ 3.5 Stars ~ Bitter sweet story.

Red As Snow by Seanan McGuire ~ 4.5 Stars ~ This is a bonus story for the InCryptid series. I like Istas & Ryan (a pair of secondary characters), and I hope we get to see more of them.

Music's Price by Anthea Sharp ~ 3 Stars ~ Jermey's initial fear was understandable, but his continued reluctance was not. He acquiesced in the end anyway, so what was the point?

The Sound of My Own Voice by Dayle A. Dermatis ~ 4 Stars ~ Good read. This story could make a riveting novel.

The 13th Floor Problem by Dean Wesley Smith ~ 3.5 Stars ~ A lighthearted concept, this might make a fun middle school / young-adult series.

Dead Men Walking by Annie Reed ~ 4 Stars ~ I agree with the introduction to this story that the concept could make a good series. It has a Dresden Files feel but from the courtroom side of things.

One Good Deed by Jeanne C. Stein ~ 4 Stars ~ This bonus story for the Anna Strong Chronicles series had me curious enough to check out the series; however, the ratings & reviews for the first book, The Becoming, gives me pause.

Fox and Hound by Leah Cutter ~ 4 Stars ~ This was an enjoyable, fable-like, entry. While not quite strong enough for a series in its current form, it could be reworked into one.

The Scottish Play by Kristine Kathryn Rusch ~ 5 Stars ~ This would make a fascinating generational series!

[Brok3n · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet the family

I will begin by explaining what I'm reviewing here. Seanan McGuire has written a lot of short stories in The Incryptid Series. You can find a couple dozen of the older ones listed on the Incryptid Short Stories page on her web site. (Note, she has also published many stories through her Patreon site. They are not listed on the the Incryptid Short Stories page on her website, although many of them are listed in her bibliography.)

The stories are divided into groups, which can be divided into two supergoups: those that occur before Half-Off Ragnarok, and those that occur after. The first supergroup mostly concerns the early backstory of the Healy/Price family in the USA. The post-Half-Off Ragnarok stories are about the present-day (more or less -- 21st century) Prices and cryptids. It is this second group that I'm reviewing here. BE WARNED: spoilers for Half-Off Ragnarok follow.

These are the stories in question:
Verity Price and Dominic De Luca:
The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, free download from McGuire's web site
Snake in the Glass, free download from McGuire's web site
Swamp Bromeliad, free download from McGuire's web site
Waking Up In Vegas, free download from McGuire's web site

Antimony Price:
Blocked, free download from McGuire's web site
Bad Dream Girl, in the Anthology Glitter & Mayhem
Jammed, in the Anthology Games Creatures Play
Survival Horror, in the Anthology Press Start to Play

Sarah Zellaby and Arthur Harrington
IM, free download from McGuire's web site

Istas and Ryan
Red as Snow, in Anthology Hex in the City
Black as Blood, free download from McGuire's web site
White as a Raven's Wing, free download from McGuire's web site


Eliza
Balance, in Anthology Urban Enemies

The Verity and Dominic stories all take place after Half-Off Ragnarok and reflect the state of things as they were left at the end of that book. Half-Off Ragnarok had two main consequences for the future of the Incryptid world: Dominic De Luca is now irrevocably committed to Verity and severed from the Covenant. In fact, the Covenant believes he is dead, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Sarah, who damaged herself modifying the memories of the participants in Half-Off Ragnarok. So, there are the promised spoilers: Verity and Dominic are now a couple (this will come as a surprise to precisely no one), and Sarah has hurt herself badly.

Verity and Dominic are driving from New York to Portland in a rented U-Haul truck so that Dominic can be introduced to Verity's family. They are driving because Verity has a colony of Aeslin mice to transport -- not easily accomplished by air. Also, Verity is taking the scenic route, to introduce Dominic to various folks. The first story in this series, The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, is a crossover, in that it also belongs to McGuire's Ghost Road series -- you meet Rose Marshall, the main character of those books. Some other old friends show up: the Carmichael hotel in Chicago, and the Swamp Bromeliad in Buckley Township, Michigan. This series of stories ends as intended, with Verity introducing Dominic to her family in Portland.

Most of the Antimony stories have no obvious relation to the events of Half-Off Ragnarok. One may suppose they occur before that. If you have read the first three Incryptid novels you have sort-of been introduced to Antimony, because she features heavily in Verity's recollections of growing up, as the annoying little sister who excelled in such Price family staple skills as extreme survival, setting traps, and demolition. Now, introduced to Antimony in person, we see that she has complementary memories of Verity and Alex as the older siblings who her parents (in Antimony's view) always seemed to value more than her. Antimony becomes a roller-derby skater in these stories. A word about the anthologies: I read only one non-McGuire story. Several reviewers of Glitter & Mayhem, mentioned the story about the dancing princesses, so I read that on, too. It was OK. Jammed appeared in Games Creatures Play, which appears to be out of print. I couldn't easily get a copy, so I listened to the audiobook version. Survival Horror is in the Anthology Press Start to Play -- I read none of the other stories. The Antimony stores were a fun intro to Antimony, whom I now look forward to encountering in the novels. They also introduce her cousin Elsinor Harrington, whose father is an incubus, making Elsie a succubus.

That brings us to Antimony's other cousin, Elsie's brother Arthur (Artie). We have actually heard quite a bit about Artie in the novels because he and Sarah are hopelessly in love, and Verity also tends to phone Artie when she needs geek skills. IM is really all about whether Sarah is going to recover.

Istas is a kind of fun character. We met her in the Verity Price novels, where she works as a cocktail waitress at the place where Verity works, and fights at Verity's side. She's a sort of werewolf/werebear (as is her main squeeze Ryan). But what's fun about her is her very direct, uncomplicated way of thinking and speaking.

The final story, Balance, is about a cuckoo who, as far as I know, appears nowhere else in the Incryptid world. I didn't enjoy this story as much as the rest.

In summary, these stories are a good way to meet the Price/Harrington families. I give them four stars, except for Balance, which rates only three.

[Coyora Dokusho · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so good! I love Istas~~~

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories average out to 3.5*, but I'm gonna knock off another half star for the shoddy editing.

I'm just going to start off by saying that I didn't love the authors insistence that a few of the stories were self-inserts or something ("I swear the main character of this story is ACTUALLY the author lololol") or the fact that some of the intros, put right at the beginning of the stories, contained spoilers.

King of the Kingless Plotless and meandering, and without a real point. The story clearly seems written to help the author deal with his own cancer, and that I can understand as something deeply personal and moving, but it does not translate into a compelling story. (2*)

Speechless in Seattle I wanted to like the story. The familiar system is cute and kinda unique (though if one non-full-fledged wizard can break it by accident, may not be very strong), and Brant was an adorable character. But Willa fell flat (she apparently forgot all about the familiars as soon as she saw Brant), half the familiars disappeared, apparently, while the other half apparently physically ran away - some consistency would be nice - and frankly, the writing could use some work (most prominently, the first sentence, though there were others that clearly could have used a bit more editting.) (3*)

Thy Neighbour This was well-written and the plot twist at the end was mostly well set-up and enjoyable. (4*)

Somebody Else's Problem The worldbuilding in this was fantastic. It seemed like the start of a larger story, and one that I would very much like to read some day. (3.5*)

A Thing Immortal As Itself This was mostly enjoabe. I think I would have liked to know a little more about what made Fairchild different than the vampires or what Gransburg was supposed to see that would turn her off the prospect (the feral? When she was surrounded y sane vampires? How is she supposed to remain a senator if she's immortal and vampires are kept hidden from the general public?), but it was nice to see a semi-vampire with teeth, so to speak. (3.5*)

Geriatric Magic This story needed editing in the worst way, to the point where I couldn't focus on the actual story for all the punctuation and grammatical errors. There was the odd dense switch, and a mid-sentence POV switch (first person, to third person, back to first person all within one single sentence). Linking verbs were frequently missing, and there were a ton of sentence fragments in what I can only imagine was a clumsy attempt to show elegance - to a negative effect. The story could have been charming, but Harold's change in perspective seemed fare too sudden. (1.5*)

Red as Snow "Where the permafrost never melted, no matter the season." Does McGuire know what permafrost is? Other than that, this was fun. Istas is a great character - one of my favourites in the main series - and I loved learning more about the waheela. Very charming. (4*)

Music's Price A lot of fairy stories focus on only he good or the bad of fae, but I felt this story did a fantastic job of balancing the two natures. It was very sweet, and I loved Jeremy's relationship with his grandma. (3.5*)

The Sound of My Own Voice I didn't always love the writing style, especially at the beginning, but I really liked this and it left me wanting more. I hope this is a larger series. (3.5*)

The 13th Floor Problem This was part of a larger series, and it didn't entirely work as a standalone story. I wasn't a fan of the hero names (Poker Boy? Really?), and I had way too many questions about... well, everything. (2.5*)

Dead Men Walking This was overall enjoyable. Lots of fun worldbuilding, and I think I'd like to see more set in this world. (3.5*)

One Good Deed I enjoyed this a lot. Its not often you see native men in fiction, let alone as a love interest, and I thought Anna helping the girl learn how to fight for herself instead of doing it for her was a fantastic choice. I've added this series to my List. (4*)

Fox and Hound This was absolutely charming, rich with culture and lore, well-written and descriptive. I felt as though I could see (and smell, and hear) this story. (5*)

The Scottish Play This story was fantastic. It's rich with teatre lore and superstitions, which brought me back to my theatre days. It was well-written and intriguing, with lots of subtle world-building, and was great at the use of show, don't tell; not once was the characters relationship with their mother explained, and yet through the word choice and tone, the author made it clear exactly what kind of relationship it was. This and Fox and Hound were the best stories in the anthology. (5*)

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like anthologies particularly for the exposure to new authors. Published in 2013, only a handful of these authors were familiar to me, and I did find 2-3 new ones to look for. The stories range from "nmm, okay" to really good, from "nothing new" and a bit tedious, to charming, to original&delightful. Several I'd love to see expanded into novels (if they haven't been), with some particularly interesting worldbuilding. Individual stories rated 2-4 stars, leaving an average of 3 for the whole book.

Particular favorites are Seanan McGuire (Red as Snow), first of a triptych of stories about a side character from her Incryptid universe (and the reason I picked up this anthology at this point in time); Anthea Sharp (Music's Price), a charming, classic style fairy story both sad and sweet; and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (The Scottish Play), which is my favorite of the book, largely about the history of the Scottish Play and how that history impacts the present day.

The part of the book I really didn't care for were the bits by the book editor, Kerrie L. Hughes. After the first 2-3, I skipped the intros to the stories and read them after, because while there were no actual spoilers, I found that her reactions about the stories interfered with my enjoyment. And her language was a bit too cute and coy for me, especially the "titles" for each author, like "The Amazon Princess", and "our Merlin" or "Our Benevolent Queen." However, I'll definitely seek out other Fiction River anthologies.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan and Istas short.

When we met these two (book 1) and then got to know them better (book 2), I was intrigued and wanted to know more. I'm really happy that we get some stories from their point of view.

Istas is a fantastic character. Her way of thinking and reacting is different than any character we've met so far. She's incredibly literal and loves violence. After this book I think I can safely say that I understand why.

I hope we get more from Istas soon.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable anthology. It's a good variety of stories, and I read all but one of them. "The Scottish Play" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is worth the price of admission. Trust me.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating for Red as Snow (for now): LOVED this. More Ryan and Istas is always a good thing, and this was phenomenal.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating is for Red as Snow

I really enjoyed a story for a pov that's wasn't a Price/Healey

[Kathryn Baron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red as Snow **

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Red as Snow (InCryptid)" by Seanan McGuire

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've come to the conclusion that I don't really enjoy anthologies as much as I used to. This one was decent, although I mostly came for Red As Snow, as one does, and I enjoyed that story quite a bit.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

An urban fantasy anthology.

King of the Kingless - Jay Lake
Hated this one. Read half and skimmed. About warlocks vs. witches. Chaos vs. order.

Speechless in Seattle - Lisa Silverthorne
Loved this one. I hope it's part of a series. It's about a young magician making a mistake and setting all the familiars free and a librarian who helps him fix that mistake.

Thy Neighbor - Nancy Holder
About a babysitter and a revenge curse that backfires.

Somebody Else's Problem - Annie Bellet
A gritty story about a law enforcement officer and the magic-sniffing rat she's bound to. They save a kid. Interesting premise.

A Thing Immortal as Itself - Lee Allred
A story about a politician's flunkey learning the hard way that vampires are real.

Geriatric Magic - Stephanie Writt
Made a really strong impression on me. It's about a man at the end of his light who's gifted the power to revive dying plants.

Red as Snow - Seanan McGuire
An InCriptid series story. This is the story of Istas and Ryan being kidnapped by Istas' bloodthirsty father and brothers while on a date. Meeting the future inlaws has never been so bloody.

Music's Price - Anthea Sharp
Son of Irish immigrants, a cellist makes a deal with the fair folk.

The Sound of My Own Voice - Dayle Dermatis
Loved this one. I wonder if it's part of a series? It's about a women discovering she's a siren when the men in black come for her and insist she get some training before she hurts people.

The 13th Floor Problem - Dean Wesley Smith
Hated this one - didn't read much. It's about a poker-playing superhero who works with other superheros and gods to protect the world.

Dead Men Walking - Annie Reed
A magical ex-client illegally curses a lawyer in a world where magic is regulated. I liked the world the author built in this story. I wonder if it's a series?

One Good Deed - Jeanne Stein
Clearly part of a series. A vampire and a shape shifter take a honeymoon trip to help a friend with a ghost problem.

Fox and Hound - Leah Cutter
Set in China, about a pedicab driver who wins the account of a tanuki family and changes his fortunes for the better.

The Scottish Play - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Hated this one. Didn't read it.

[Alexandra Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one a while ago and forgot to review it then. I don't think there was a single dud in the bunch, although a few of the writers' styles are not to my tastes. Of course Seanan McGuire's was excellent, but others in the anthology really got to me as well. And MOST of the writers in this batch have gone on to become favorites of mine in general!

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Red as Snow, InCryptid 2.5

3.5 stars

First of all, *chants* Istas, Istas, Istas . . .

Now that that's out of way, the only other thing I have to say is that I really hope--really, really hope--that I was reading too much into what was being insinuated about what Waheela tradition dictated Istas do now that thethinghappened.

O_____O

[Yara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read Seanan McGuire's and Jeanne C Stein's short stories- they were both awesome! One of my fave series was the vampire bounty hunter Anna Strong series and was so bummed when it came to an end. It was great to see her and Frey again :-) As for Seanan's story, it was my first time reading anything from the InCyptic series and it was great! I'll definitely be looking for the books to this series now, it was really entertaining.

[Myndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

*This review is only for the InCryptid portion of the anthology at this time.*

I am so happy to have been able to read a short from some of the Cryptids points of view! I've always enjoyed Istas and her relationship with Ryan, so seeing them on their own without Verity was refreshing. I love seeing how Istas thinks and how well her and Ryan get along regardless of the fact that they are two different species. Congrats to McGuire for surprising and delighting me again!

[Georgene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY interesting collection of 14 fantasy short stories set in Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; London, UK; and various other locations. I thoroughly enjoyed them all.

My only complaint is that the editing of the second story. "Speechless in Seattle" was rather choppy in it's editing and in its presentation. I don't know if that is the fault of the editor, the ebook publisher OR possibly my Kindle App. I bought this ebook as part of a group of ebook bundle on a list my son got me on.

[Erin (PT) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love Ryan and Istas; I hope McGuire continues to write stories about them, because I'd be happy to read an entire novel about them. I enjoyed this one much more than Black as Blood though they were both enjoyable; Red as Snow felt more complete, more rounded. So glad she gets the impulse to write these little glimpses into the Incryptid world.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Istas and Ryan story, cute in places, because, well, they're an interesting couple, to say the least. more of an intro story (like Blocked was for Antimony, than an action-plot story.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any collection, there's going to be stories you enjoy more than others. This one, for me, had more good-to-great stories than poor-to-fair stories. I'm a fan of Seanan McGuire, so seeing her name on the list made me willing to give it a shot, and her story about Istas and Ryan from the InCryptid books is sure to please any of her readers.

[morbidflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories. I have issues with short prose sometimes, because I always want more, but these windows into other worlds were all intriguing. And now I have some more authors to keep an eye on! (I was actually surprised by how many of them I knew already, since I don't consider myself current.)

[Caleb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book for the Seanan McGuire Incrypid short story. That story was good. The rest... left a lot to be desired.

I like what Fiction River is trying to do with these anthologies. I wish they were a little bit pickier about what works they chose to publish.

[Aleksandra]

Read Seanan McGuire 's Red as Snow on November 12th, 2014.

I loved it so much (I adore Istas & Ryan), so my rating: 5 of 5.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, I have only read Seanan's Red as Snow, which I enjoyed a lot.

[L-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Seanan McGuire's Red As Snow

[Sean Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some very nice stories and a bunch of less great ones.