Whodunit? The answer is absolutely spellbinding. In this genre-blending collection of short stories, seven award-winning and bestselling fantasy authors work their signature magic on the puzzle-box plot. Whether unfolding in realities far-flung or deceptively familiar, these mysteries leave an irresistible trail of clues. Curated by John Joseph Adams, New York Times bestselling anthologist.
Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree A peculiar detective takes on a monastic murder mystery in a darkly funny fantasy short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legends and Lattes series.
The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst A book-loving witch finds magic and mystery in a whimsical short story about the transformative power of friendship and community by the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.
The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett An eccentric detective turns to the fantastical to solve a cold case in a short story by the Hugo Award-winning author of The Tainted Cup.
A Labyrinth of Honeybees by Heather Fawcett New rulers meddle with the whims of the old gods in a lush and twisty short story of devotion, intrigue, and murder by the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.
The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch When egos clash during an assemblage of wizards, grandstanding displays of magic become a matter of murder in a witty and suspenseful short story by a New York Times bestselling author.
Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due This spellbinding short story from the award-winning author of The Reformatory reimagines the Wild West through the eyes of a young Black girl with a gift.
The Cairndale Orphan by J. M. Miro A world-weary detective and a mysterious young boy hunt an unspeakable terror in a haunting short story by the internationally bestselling author of Ordinary Monsters.
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust, and Brigands & Breadknives. Audie-winning. Audiobook narrator. Erstwhile game developer. Made Fate, Torchlight & Rebel Galaxy.
Magic & Mystery by John Joseph Adams and various authors is a delightful collection of fantasy mysteries that proves there are few things better than combining magic with a good old-fashioned whodunit.
Each story takes a different approach to the mystery genre, from eccentric detectives and bickering wizards to witches, ghosts, and gods. The collection is wonderfully varied, although some stories worked much better for me than others.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree A wonderfully strange detective investigates a murder at a monastery. Miss Gentle is such a unique protagonist, and I really enjoyed the setting, humor, and overall story. I would happily read more adventures featuring this character!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst A witch, a book club, a mystery, and cats. Honestly, what more could you want? I loved the lighthearted setup and the focus on books, friendship, and community. The mystery genuinely had me curious about what was going on.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett Anna gets involved in another wonderfully eccentric mystery, this time set around a wedding. I loved the storytelling, the writing, and the unusual setting. Easily one of my favorites in the collection.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Labyrinth of Honeybees by Heather Fawcett A lush tale of new rulers, old gods, devotion, intrigue, and murder. I really liked the setting and the underlying idea, but the way the story was told didn’t quite work for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch This was SO much fun. A gathering of wizards quickly turns into a murder mystery, with plenty of magical showing off and spectacular bickering. I couldn’t stop smiling while listening to this one, and the mystery itself was great too!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due A young Black girl with a supernatural gift faces danger in a magical reimagining of the Wild West. This felt more like magical realism than fantasy to me, and the constant sense of looming doom made it quite an intense read. It was exciting, but also exhausting, and I struggled to see how the story fit the mystery theme of the anthology.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Cairndale Orphan by J. M. Miro A weary detective and a mysterious boy investigate a terrifying supernatural threat in a wonderfully atmospheric wintery London filled with ghosts. The setting and writing reminded me of one of my favorite series, and I was completely hooked by the unique characters and eerie atmosphere. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author!
Overall, Magic & Mystery was a great collection, with several stories that I absolutely loved. So check it out if you like the mix of fantasy and mystery!
I've read all seven stories from this collection, and have some thoughts on each story, as well as some thoughts on the collection overall. The stories are:
'Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk,' by Travis Baldree
This short story felt more young adult, or even middle grade, than it did as one for adults. But, viewed through that lens, it was a charming little modern fairy tale. I did love the character of Miss Gentle, and the explanation of why she wanted the treasures she was after, as her form of payment for solving the mystery. As for the mystery, it was not particularly interesting, although it wasn't really meant to be the reader's focus — which was more focused on the mystery of Miss Gentle herself.
'The Wednesday Witches Book Club,' by Sarah Beth Durst
The premise here — some people read a book and it activates latent witchcraft powers in them, and becomes their grimoire — is super interesting, and the story around it was as fun as it was cute. I did have a minor issue with where it was placed in the Magic & Mystery collection by the editor, however: .
In the acknowledgements after the story, Sarah Beth Durst noted that everyone has "that book," the one "you carry in your heart always." I immediately thought of David Eddings' The Belgariad, the book mostly responsible for my love of fantasy, which of course, immediately made me a bit ashamed, because of the author's sordid personal history. In the next paragraph, Durst thanked the authors that shaped who she is — and listed David Eddings among them. And it was honestly a nice reminder that, while he may have been a rubbish person, his actions can't negate the positive impact his stories had on readers. Of course, this line of thinking is helped by the fact that he is very dead, and his literary estate benefits Reed College instead of any unsavory causes. I struggle more with still living authors, including Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, and JK Rowling, among others (why are so many wonderfully creative people also such terrible humans?).
'The Lion's Tusk,' by Robert Jackson Bennett
The Ana and Din Mysteries are my current favorite fantasy series, so I was delightfully surprised to see an unexpected short story featuring them release. And while Ana and Din only briefly appear as the narrator and audience in the recanting of a centuries-old unsolved mystery — which Ana, naturally, has figured out — that mystery was still a captivating story. Framing it as a tale told to Din by Ana over a long carriage ride only added to the story's charm, as you could so clearly hear her voice in the telling of it. The added background on the historical Empire was also a nice detail for fans of the series.
'A Labyrinth of Honeybees,' by Heather Fawcett
This story read like an old folklore tale, where people's fates were intertwined with the gods, who maintained a worldly presence and regularly interfered in their lives. Like the word labyrinth implies in the title, this story was rather twisty and had a few solid surprises in it for its length. I came away quite impressed by it, and it's make me strongly consider reading other works by Heather Fawcett, who I was not familiar with beforehand.
'The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious,' by Scott Lynch
I absolutely loved the artfully absurdist tone of this story. The entire conceit of a wizard called Shiverick attending a wizarding convention, but then refusing to perform any magic to prove he's a wizard to the other wizards in attendance because he basically thinks it's lazy and gauche — or because he's not actually a wizard — is just too good. The mystery around it, which Shiverick solves in a manner that would make Holmes or Poirot prod, was also quite well executed.
'Battle of the Round House,' by Tananarive Due
Review to come.
'The Cairndale Orphan,' by J.M. Miro
Review to come.
Only two of these stories were part of other series — The Lion's Tusk, and The Cairndale Orphan — and they both worked perfectly well as stand-alones. I was already a fan of the Ana & Din series, and this story was a welcome addition to its lore. The latter author, J.M. Miro, I was not familiar with, but his story has made me want to read the Talents trilogy that it's tied into.
Overall, this was a great collection of short stories, and my only gripe with it involves the order in which the stories were presented, as far as it impacts the flow of the collection as a whole. Personally, I would have led off with 'The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious,' to really set the stage for this collection being about both magic and mystery, and finished the collection with 'Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk,' as a palette cleanser after 'Battle of the Round House' and 'The Cairndale Orphan,' both of which were darker and heavier.
Magic & Mystery is a collection of short stories blending fantasy and mystery. I’ve actually already previously read books by 6 out of the 7 featured fantasy authors (except Tananarive Due) so I was interested in checking it out.
Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree is a largely unremarkable mystery about the death of an unpopular brother in a monestary and the peculiar armored investigator called by the abbot to investigate that had a more interesting investigator than the case itself. 3.5⭐️
The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst is a contemporary cozy fantasy about a book club/coven of witches who are somehow turning into cats with an interesting take on witches and books, but I was not a fan of the characterizations unfortunately. 3.5⭐️
The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett is a short story set in his murder mystery fantasy series Shadow of the Leviathan in which Ana recounts to Din a ancient murders of two noble newlyweds that she has solved that has a distinct voice, a macabre crime, and a clever mystery. 5⭐️
A Labyrinth of Honeybees by Heather Fawcett is a really interesting fantasy about a priestess and a royal inquisitor investigating the deaths of the king’s tax collectors that feels like a set-up to a bigger story that I’d be interested in reading. 4.5⭐️
The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch is a clever sort-of mystery set during a wizard’s conclave involving a wizard who may or may not have magic and a murder that I found to be more style than substance and took too long to get to the point. 3⭐️
Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due is a genuinely harrowing western about a black family of freed slaves fleeing to a frontier homestead as they are pursued by bandits that does not really fit the theme much with little magic and mystery. 4⭐️
The Cairndale Orphan by JM Miro is a historical horror fantasy set in his Talents trilogy following a grieving Scotland Yard detective and a child with a talent who doight his help to find a dark creature that is dark, atmospheric, and intriguing. 4.5⭐️
I was so excited for a magical anthology that several of my favorite authors were in, and I also got to buddy read this one with my friend Maci (@thebrightsidegirl)! I mostly enjoyed the reading experience (buddy reading it) more than the collection itself though lol. There were a couple of really good stories and I also got introduced to some new authors that I want to read more from, but there were a few that I didn’t care for and one that I basically immediately dnf’d because of the writing and audio narrator. The last two stories also felt very different in tone from the rest of the collection and didn’t really fit imo. I did like that each story was connected to the previous one by an element (ex. one story had bugs, so the next story had bugs and then an element from that story would be used by the next author in theirs etc). Overall this was an ok collection, but I had a fun time reading!
Here are the individual story ratings:
Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk: 3 stars The Wednesday Witches Book Club: 3.5 stars The Lion’s Tusk: 4 stars A Labyrinth of Honeybees: 4 stars The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious: dnf Battle of the Round House: 3.5 stars The Cairndale Orphan: 2 stars
A great short story collection of exactly what the title promises: magic and mystery. There's a little of everything: fantasy, historical, and gothic, and almost all of them worked really well for me. As is usually the case with these collections, the audiobooks were excellent! Every narrator did a wonderful job. All the covers are also fantastic; I would buy this if it came out in print in a heartbeat.
Here's my ranking:
🥇 Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due - 5⭐ 🥈 The Wednesday Witches Book Club by Sarah Beth Durst - 5⭐ 🥉 The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett - 5⭐ 🏆 A Labyrinth of Honeybees by Heather Fawcett - 4⭐ 🏆 Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree - 4⭐ The Cairndale Orphan by J.M. Miro - 3⭐ The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious by Scott Lynch - 2⭐
My favorite stories were The Lion’s Tusk by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Cairndale Orphan by J. M. Miro & Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree.
The Lion's Tusk was not what I was expecting. It's told from Ana Dolabra's point of view as she tells a story to Din as they travel to their next assignment. It's as if we're listening to her tell Din the story of a very, very cold case that she solved and we only hear her side of the conversation. So, it was an interesting listen since it was very different than the other Ana & Din mysteries.
I give this 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 stars for the excellent narration.
4.5 the lion’s tusk 3.5 miss gentle and the case of the very flat monk 3.5 a labyrinth of honeybees 3.5 the cairndale orphan 3 battle of the roundhouse 3 the wenesday witches book club 2 the wizard who kept himself suspicious
This last one might be because of personal incompatibility with the va
Missed my usual Ana voice but definitely my favorite of the collection!
Miss Gentle & the Case of the Very Flat Monk - 3/5 The Wednesday Witches Book Club - 4/5 The Lion's Tusk - 4/5 A Labyrinth of Honeybees - 4/5 The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious - 2/5 Battle of the Round House - 2/5 The Cairndale Orphan - 4/5