What do you think?
Rate this book
The Immortals #.5
Out of this World
Love, Supernatural StyleLove is the universal language. And nowhere is this more apparent than in these extraordinary stories from four of today’s hottest authors. From a futuristic cop caught in a crisis of the heart to a smoldering vision of an unusual love triangle, from the hunger for a human touch on an alien planet to a witch’s desperate search for the love of one man, these tales of paranormal romance will transport you to a time and a place you’ve never been before….
Featuring:
New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb—with a new Lieutenant Eve Dallas story: "Interlude in Death." At a police conference off-planet, Lietenant Eve Dallas is forced to forsake duty to take down a rogue ex-cop--and save the name she loves...
New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton—with a new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter tale: "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin." It's been six months since vampire hunter Anita Blake has seen the two men in her life. Now a kidnapping brings them together--closer than a woman, a vampire, and a werewolf have ever been before...
USA Today Bestselling Author Susan Krinard's "Kinsman." Searching the universe for a missing ship, two telepaths lose themselves in each other--mind, body, and soul...
USA Today Bestselling Author Maggie Shayne's "Immortality." On an island in the Caribbean, a man pulls a drowning woman out out of the sea, a centuries-old witch with one last wish to share with him--and one last hope.
Featuring:
New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb—with a new Lieutenant Eve Dallas story: "Interlude in Death." At a police conference off-planet, Lietenant Eve Dallas is forced to forsake duty to take down a rogue ex-cop--and save the name she loves...
New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton—with a new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter tale: "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin." It's been six months since vampire hunter Anita Blake has seen the two men in her life. Now a kidnapping brings them together--closer than a woman, a vampire, and a werewolf have ever been before...
USA Today Bestselling Author Susan Krinard's "Kinsman." Searching the universe for a missing ship, two telepaths lose themselves in each other--mind, body, and soul...
USA Today Bestselling Author Maggie Shayne's "Immortality." On an island in the Caribbean, a man pulls a drowning woman out out of the sea, a centuries-old witch with one last wish to share with him--and one last hope.
357 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
116 people are currently reading
3569 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Robb
177 books35.3k followersJ.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Stolen in Death (St. Martin's Press, February 2026) will be the 62nd entry in the series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
April 13, 2020
Like most readers, I got this book for "Interlude in Death," an enjoyable off-planet novella in the Dallas/Roarke compendium. This had so much potential! Space! I mean, just look at Total Recall to see all the fun ways to do murder off-world! But it was just ok, falling into the common novella hole of introducing things and not exploring them. Rest of the stories were ok to less-than-ok.
-Magic Like Heat Across My Skin: Probably not fair to evaluate this as I haven't read any Anita Blake books and now...might not. I got the gist of the plot, and was into the concept of the Anita-vampire-werewolf triad, but Anita herself was so "I only just realized how awful I was being" that I just can't.
-Kinsman: Such potential in the world-building, but execution hugely lacking and I just didn't like the characters. But it's a missing ship, a family group with exclusive rights to bridge 2 races, and a romance, so the pieces are there.
-Immortality: Ditto from above. I don't want to spend time with the people, but would love to visit the world. A woman is pulled from the sea with a backdrop of magic and mystery, but it still didn't make sense in the end.
-Magic Like Heat Across My Skin: Probably not fair to evaluate this as I haven't read any Anita Blake books and now...might not. I got the gist of the plot, and was into the concept of the Anita-vampire-werewolf triad, but Anita herself was so "I only just realized how awful I was being" that I just can't.
-Kinsman: Such potential in the world-building, but execution hugely lacking and I just didn't like the characters. But it's a missing ship, a family group with exclusive rights to bridge 2 races, and a romance, so the pieces are there.
-Immortality: Ditto from above. I don't want to spend time with the people, but would love to visit the world. A woman is pulled from the sea with a backdrop of magic and mystery, but it still didn't make sense in the end.
May 12, 2012
I bought this book for the Eve Dallas story "Interlude in Death" by J.D. Robb. I stayed for the other three stories in the book: "Kinsman" by Susan Krinard, "Immortality" by Maggie Shayne, and "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" by Laurell K Hamilton whose Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series is also a favorite of mine, and from which series this is but a snippet.
It is always interesting to me to read a short story by an author whose novels I enjoy. All the elements are there, in a tighter weave than usual. It is a mystery how it done for nothing is missing. The stories are concise, well woven, and captivating.
I suppose "Interlude" would be considered Number 13.5 in the In Death Series, if we follow the convention set by "Midnight in Death" which is included in the "Silent Night" anthology but that distinction is not touted as loudly here. Eve and Roarke are on Olympus for a cop convention of all things and, true to form, someone is found dead. Though not on her home turf Eve assists the station police in the investigation. And all's well that ends well, as Mr Shakespeare himself once pointed out. Except for the victims, of course.
I will have to return here to fully evaluate the other three stories. I will figure out where "Magic" fits in the Anita Blake series, then return here and report.
Take my word for it, though. All four stories are worth the read if you enjoy the supernatural. And all four authors are worth further consideration. Note the names, then go forth on a journey of exploration and discovery. You won't be disappointed.
It is always interesting to me to read a short story by an author whose novels I enjoy. All the elements are there, in a tighter weave than usual. It is a mystery how it done for nothing is missing. The stories are concise, well woven, and captivating.
I suppose "Interlude" would be considered Number 13.5 in the In Death Series, if we follow the convention set by "Midnight in Death" which is included in the "Silent Night" anthology but that distinction is not touted as loudly here. Eve and Roarke are on Olympus for a cop convention of all things and, true to form, someone is found dead. Though not on her home turf Eve assists the station police in the investigation. And all's well that ends well, as Mr Shakespeare himself once pointed out. Except for the victims, of course.
I will have to return here to fully evaluate the other three stories. I will figure out where "Magic" fits in the Anita Blake series, then return here and report.
Take my word for it, though. All four stories are worth the read if you enjoy the supernatural. And all four authors are worth further consideration. Note the names, then go forth on a journey of exploration and discovery. You won't be disappointed.
August 27, 2012
Ok, 50/50 hit and miss.
I liked J.D. Robbs Interlude in Death, my first foray into the world of eve dallas. On it's own, 4 stars, would happily read more of this series.
I liked Susan Krinards Kinsmen, though I've read some of her other works in anthologies, i have yet to read an actual novel of hers. Again, 4 stars on it's own and would read more by this author.
I've read some of Maggie Shayne's work in other anthologies, but this one wasn't appealing to me. It was alright and rates 3 stars.
The reason this anthology gets 2 stars... Well it's thanks to Ms Hamilton. A big fan of her work up to Obsidian Butterfly, felt that from Narcissus in Chains it all goes too bizarre. That's 11 years since I last read NiC and I recognised it immediately. Disappointed she couldn't write something original, instead submitting the first few chapters of NiC. At least the other stories are stand alone, without needing understanding if the world they have created. When i scored the whole book it had 2 stars. In this anthology 0 stars. It didn't even fit with the theme. A complete let down!
I liked J.D. Robbs Interlude in Death, my first foray into the world of eve dallas. On it's own, 4 stars, would happily read more of this series.
I liked Susan Krinards Kinsmen, though I've read some of her other works in anthologies, i have yet to read an actual novel of hers. Again, 4 stars on it's own and would read more by this author.
I've read some of Maggie Shayne's work in other anthologies, but this one wasn't appealing to me. It was alright and rates 3 stars.
The reason this anthology gets 2 stars... Well it's thanks to Ms Hamilton. A big fan of her work up to Obsidian Butterfly, felt that from Narcissus in Chains it all goes too bizarre. That's 11 years since I last read NiC and I recognised it immediately. Disappointed she couldn't write something original, instead submitting the first few chapters of NiC. At least the other stories are stand alone, without needing understanding if the world they have created. When i scored the whole book it had 2 stars. In this anthology 0 stars. It didn't even fit with the theme. A complete let down!
October 16, 2012
INTERLUDE IN DEATH by J. D. Robb
It's been a while since I "visited" with Eve and Roarke. With the growing TBR insanity, I haven't got back to my in-progress series as much as I might like. I keep getting distracted by new books.
This time around, Eve is off-planet at a law enforcement symposium and trying not to think about the seminar she is supposed to be giving. It's easy to be distracted when a 50-year veteran and legend of the police force, Douglas Skinner, tries to blackmail her into helping him put Roarke behind bars. Things get more complicated when one of Skinner's aides is bludgeoned to death in a stairwell.
This was a very well executed tale, a tangle of parents and children, prejudices and passions and another glimpse into Eve and Roarke's lives. The resolution was neat, the solution clever and the herring nicely red. A good, short addition to the series.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 16 October 2012]
It's been a while since I "visited" with Eve and Roarke. With the growing TBR insanity, I haven't got back to my in-progress series as much as I might like. I keep getting distracted by new books.
This time around, Eve is off-planet at a law enforcement symposium and trying not to think about the seminar she is supposed to be giving. It's easy to be distracted when a 50-year veteran and legend of the police force, Douglas Skinner, tries to blackmail her into helping him put Roarke behind bars. Things get more complicated when one of Skinner's aides is bludgeoned to death in a stairwell.
This was a very well executed tale, a tangle of parents and children, prejudices and passions and another glimpse into Eve and Roarke's lives. The resolution was neat, the solution clever and the herring nicely red. A good, short addition to the series.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 16 October 2012]
September 7, 2010
I cannot stand it when an anthology includes part of a novel and calls itself a short story. Having been a Laurell K. Hamilton fan at one time, I was looking forward to reading her story, which turned out only to be from one of her novels. At least I figured it out right off so I wasted no time actually reading it. I feel hugely cheated when that stuff happens.
Of the other stories, Kinsmman and Immortality were my favorites for different reasons.
Interlude in Death wasn't bad. I'd give it 3 stars by itself.
Kinsman, would rate 4 stars.
Immortal, I'm torn. Somewhere at 3.5 stars I think.
Magic Like Heat Across My Skin - This wasn't even one of my favorite books. I think I gave the whole book 3 stars. Where it isn't even a short story, but a part of a book, I really want to give it a 1 star.
Of the other stories, Kinsmman and Immortality were my favorites for different reasons.
Interlude in Death wasn't bad. I'd give it 3 stars by itself.
Kinsman, would rate 4 stars.
Immortal, I'm torn. Somewhere at 3.5 stars I think.
Magic Like Heat Across My Skin - This wasn't even one of my favorite books. I think I gave the whole book 3 stars. Where it isn't even a short story, but a part of a book, I really want to give it a 1 star.
February 1, 2018
There's only one good story in this anthology, but it's a really good one. :)
Interlude in Death, Robb - This is a fast paced, fun story of Eve Dallas solving a murder on the interstellar Olympus resort built and owned by her husband. It gives us plenty of Eve, Roarke and Peabody, with some Feeney and Mira thrown in for good measure, and the details we learn about Eve and Roarke's fathers will play out in later books. It's not easy for a novella to have great characters and plot, so the short cut here is that most readers will already know Eve and company, so the character development can be lighter. Still Eve was her typical impatient self and I laughed at her several times, especially her reactions at being forced to give a speech. I also enjoyed Peabody's assertiveness, as usual. Robb really did a great job with plot - there's lots of action and some twists and turns; readers won't see all of them coming. Probably best enjoyed once you already know the series, it also seems to work for a lot of new readers, according to other reviews.
4 very solid stars.
Kinsman, Krinard - This story didn't work for me, but I've never read any of the related books. It just seemed like too much time was taken trying to explain backstory. Let's face it, being told everything rather than shown gets boring, and I thought a lot of the dialogue was artificial as the author tried to bring readers like me up to speed. Also it took a relatively long time for any real action to start. There should have been a better way to begin the story and let me get invested in the MCs before all the background was explained.
2 stars
Immortality, Shayne - Not my kind of story at all, but fans of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier might like it. I just don't care for dark psychological mysteries or those with their roots in paganism. Also, two smaller problems are that I saw the twist coming from the very beginning and this book didn't take place in outer space. The furthest it got from earth was an airplane ride, which didn't seem to fit the theme.
2 stars
Magic like Heat across my Skin, Hamilton - Another story that takes place on earth, St. Louis this time, so perhaps Outer Space wasn't the intended theme of the collection after all. I've not read anything by this author but the story pulled me right in with immediate tension and the author effectively got me invested in the heroine and her problems. I did think the whole almost-sex-in-public was weird, though. I generally skip sex scenes in books. After that there's some BDSM talk and then - wham! The "story" is finished. Nobody gets rescued, nothing gets resolved; it's not what I would call a story at all, just a couple of scenes. It might have been a section pulled from a book. (It is enough, however, to tell me that there's probably a whole lot more sex in the Anita Blake books than I'd want to read.) 1 star
Interlude in Death, Robb - This is a fast paced, fun story of Eve Dallas solving a murder on the interstellar Olympus resort built and owned by her husband. It gives us plenty of Eve, Roarke and Peabody, with some Feeney and Mira thrown in for good measure, and the details we learn about Eve and Roarke's fathers will play out in later books. It's not easy for a novella to have great characters and plot, so the short cut here is that most readers will already know Eve and company, so the character development can be lighter. Still Eve was her typical impatient self and I laughed at her several times, especially her reactions at being forced to give a speech. I also enjoyed Peabody's assertiveness, as usual. Robb really did a great job with plot - there's lots of action and some twists and turns; readers won't see all of them coming. Probably best enjoyed once you already know the series, it also seems to work for a lot of new readers, according to other reviews.
4 very solid stars.
Kinsman, Krinard - This story didn't work for me, but I've never read any of the related books. It just seemed like too much time was taken trying to explain backstory. Let's face it, being told everything rather than shown gets boring, and I thought a lot of the dialogue was artificial as the author tried to bring readers like me up to speed. Also it took a relatively long time for any real action to start. There should have been a better way to begin the story and let me get invested in the MCs before all the background was explained.
2 stars
Immortality, Shayne - Not my kind of story at all, but fans of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier might like it. I just don't care for dark psychological mysteries or those with their roots in paganism. Also, two smaller problems are that I saw the twist coming from the very beginning and this book didn't take place in outer space. The furthest it got from earth was an airplane ride, which didn't seem to fit the theme.
2 stars
Magic like Heat across my Skin, Hamilton - Another story that takes place on earth, St. Louis this time, so perhaps Outer Space wasn't the intended theme of the collection after all. I've not read anything by this author but the story pulled me right in with immediate tension and the author effectively got me invested in the heroine and her problems. I did think the whole almost-sex-in-public was weird, though. I generally skip sex scenes in books. After that there's some BDSM talk and then - wham! The "story" is finished. Nobody gets rescued, nothing gets resolved; it's not what I would call a story at all, just a couple of scenes. It might have been a section pulled from a book. (It is enough, however, to tell me that there's probably a whole lot more sex in the Anita Blake books than I'd want to read.) 1 star
June 21, 2010
Another great anthology of novellas where I thoroughly enjoy all four offerings of "Love, Supernatural Style"!
I chose this compilation specifically to read Maggie Shayne's tale from her Immortal Witches series, and although I enjoyed it, IMO it was the least interesting story of the group.
J.D. Robb's "Interlude in Death" - An In Death series novella centered on NYPSD homicide detective Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke, an intergalactic hotelier/businessman, on the resort planet Olympus in 2059. A guest speaker at The Interplanetary Law and Security Conference, Eve is forced to endure her dislike of space travel and the embarrassment of it being held at one of her husband's luxury hotels. Due to the accusations of a misogynistic police hero, Eve and Roarke become suspects when a murder takes place the first night of the conference. With the assistance of the local Chief of Police Darcia Angelo and Eve's NYPSD team, Eve & Roarke are forced to prove themselves innocent and find the real killer. This was an excellent who-done-it that reminded me a bit like Total Recall.
Susan Krinard's "Kinsman" - Jonas Kane VelArban is a Kinsman, the only humans allowed to interact personally and professionally with the alien race known as shaauri because they have been adopted by them. Usually telepathic, they are descendants and recruits of Eeva Kane (the explorer who brokered peace between humans and shaauri), are the only humans allowed to enter shaauri space and control the trade routes. Because of their privileged & wealthy status, many humans hate them. Jonas has lived exclusively with his shaauri family for the past 7 years following an accident that killed his wife and two members of the ruling family on Persephone, his home planet. Upon arrival, he's greeted by a young woman named Galatéa (Téa) Dianthe, who begs him to help her discover what's become of the missing royal vessel Eurydice on which her brother was serving. Jonas reluctantly agrees to look into the matter after Téa offers to give him children since she is a telepath and Kinsmen frequently accept willing artificial insemination partners in the hopes of birthing telepaths to carry on their lineage. Secrets, lies, and betrayals abound in this thriller that I found to be very compelling. My only wish would be that Krinard would have more stories set in this world.
Maggie Shayne's "Immortality" - This Immortal Witches series novella begins with the betrayal of Puabi, Dark Witch and Ancient Queen of Sumer, by her husband and his lover. After being severely burned in a house fire set to kill her, she manages to throw herself off a cliff into the sea, where she drifts aimlessly as she heals. Eventually she is found floating lifelessly near the Virgin Islands by Matthew Fairchild as he's out in his boat. He is startled by the fact that she strongly resembles his recently deceased wife Gabriella and hauls her onto his boat thinking he will turn the body over to the authorities once the impending storm passes, but she suddenly revives and attempts to stab him with a knife. He manages to gets the knife from her and calm her down, but she passes out again before they reach his island villa. Neither trusts the other, but once she awakens, they start to build a relationship as Matthew helps her recover, tells her about his deceased wife & child, and Puabi confides her life story as well. They quickly forge a bond over the similarity between Poppy's (Matthew's pet name for Puabi) and Gabriella's looks and lives. Matthew & Poppy's idyllic romance is cut short as they soon realize for safety's sake that they must leave the island. Their escape quickly turns deadly, but they manage to make it to the island of Saba. However, their adventure has just begun. I like most of this story, but IMO too much time was spent on the background so that the romance and intrigue portions of the plot felt rushed. It just felt like this was a novel sized story forced to fit as a novella, and I would have rather invested the time in reading the longer version.
Laurell K. Hamilton's "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin - Conversely, Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novella is brilliantly balanced with just right amounts of background, romance, and intrigue for a fast-paced, action-packed adventure. I have yet to read any of the series novels, but this novella has made me want to move them up on my "to read" list. Anita is avoiding having to deal with decisions concerning her vampire lover Jean-Claude and her werewolf lover Richard, when circumstances surrounding members of the wereleopard pack that Anita inherited after killing their leader, force her to rely on both men. Two members of the pack are being held hostage by another shapeshifter group in an S&M club. Reluctantly, Anita calls Jean-Claude to help her reach the club owner as a means of ending the trouble, but Narcissus, the owner, has a strict non-involvement in shapeshifter politics policy, so Anita agrees to let Jean-Claude bring in some of his people to help. Unbeknown to Anita, his "people" consist of Richard and his second-in-command Asher, a necromancer. The disadvantage of reading a story set in the middle of a series is not having a clue about some parts – for me, this involved the ritual performed by these three to fix holes in their auras prior to handling the wereleopard situation. It made sense from the brief description included, but not knowing the full back story on the why was a bit frustrating. Otherwise, the pacing was perfect, the characters engaging and the plot compelling. It did exactly what an anthology story is designed to do … make me want to read all of the books in the series.
I chose this compilation specifically to read Maggie Shayne's tale from her Immortal Witches series, and although I enjoyed it, IMO it was the least interesting story of the group.
J.D. Robb's "Interlude in Death" - An In Death series novella centered on NYPSD homicide detective Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke, an intergalactic hotelier/businessman, on the resort planet Olympus in 2059. A guest speaker at The Interplanetary Law and Security Conference, Eve is forced to endure her dislike of space travel and the embarrassment of it being held at one of her husband's luxury hotels. Due to the accusations of a misogynistic police hero, Eve and Roarke become suspects when a murder takes place the first night of the conference. With the assistance of the local Chief of Police Darcia Angelo and Eve's NYPSD team, Eve & Roarke are forced to prove themselves innocent and find the real killer. This was an excellent who-done-it that reminded me a bit like Total Recall.
Susan Krinard's "Kinsman" - Jonas Kane VelArban is a Kinsman, the only humans allowed to interact personally and professionally with the alien race known as shaauri because they have been adopted by them. Usually telepathic, they are descendants and recruits of Eeva Kane (the explorer who brokered peace between humans and shaauri), are the only humans allowed to enter shaauri space and control the trade routes. Because of their privileged & wealthy status, many humans hate them. Jonas has lived exclusively with his shaauri family for the past 7 years following an accident that killed his wife and two members of the ruling family on Persephone, his home planet. Upon arrival, he's greeted by a young woman named Galatéa (Téa) Dianthe, who begs him to help her discover what's become of the missing royal vessel Eurydice on which her brother was serving. Jonas reluctantly agrees to look into the matter after Téa offers to give him children since she is a telepath and Kinsmen frequently accept willing artificial insemination partners in the hopes of birthing telepaths to carry on their lineage. Secrets, lies, and betrayals abound in this thriller that I found to be very compelling. My only wish would be that Krinard would have more stories set in this world.
Maggie Shayne's "Immortality" - This Immortal Witches series novella begins with the betrayal of Puabi, Dark Witch and Ancient Queen of Sumer, by her husband and his lover. After being severely burned in a house fire set to kill her, she manages to throw herself off a cliff into the sea, where she drifts aimlessly as she heals. Eventually she is found floating lifelessly near the Virgin Islands by Matthew Fairchild as he's out in his boat. He is startled by the fact that she strongly resembles his recently deceased wife Gabriella and hauls her onto his boat thinking he will turn the body over to the authorities once the impending storm passes, but she suddenly revives and attempts to stab him with a knife. He manages to gets the knife from her and calm her down, but she passes out again before they reach his island villa. Neither trusts the other, but once she awakens, they start to build a relationship as Matthew helps her recover, tells her about his deceased wife & child, and Puabi confides her life story as well. They quickly forge a bond over the similarity between Poppy's (Matthew's pet name for Puabi) and Gabriella's looks and lives. Matthew & Poppy's idyllic romance is cut short as they soon realize for safety's sake that they must leave the island. Their escape quickly turns deadly, but they manage to make it to the island of Saba. However, their adventure has just begun. I like most of this story, but IMO too much time was spent on the background so that the romance and intrigue portions of the plot felt rushed. It just felt like this was a novel sized story forced to fit as a novella, and I would have rather invested the time in reading the longer version.
Laurell K. Hamilton's "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin - Conversely, Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novella is brilliantly balanced with just right amounts of background, romance, and intrigue for a fast-paced, action-packed adventure. I have yet to read any of the series novels, but this novella has made me want to move them up on my "to read" list. Anita is avoiding having to deal with decisions concerning her vampire lover Jean-Claude and her werewolf lover Richard, when circumstances surrounding members of the wereleopard pack that Anita inherited after killing their leader, force her to rely on both men. Two members of the pack are being held hostage by another shapeshifter group in an S&M club. Reluctantly, Anita calls Jean-Claude to help her reach the club owner as a means of ending the trouble, but Narcissus, the owner, has a strict non-involvement in shapeshifter politics policy, so Anita agrees to let Jean-Claude bring in some of his people to help. Unbeknown to Anita, his "people" consist of Richard and his second-in-command Asher, a necromancer. The disadvantage of reading a story set in the middle of a series is not having a clue about some parts – for me, this involved the ritual performed by these three to fix holes in their auras prior to handling the wereleopard situation. It made sense from the brief description included, but not knowing the full back story on the why was a bit frustrating. Otherwise, the pacing was perfect, the characters engaging and the plot compelling. It did exactly what an anthology story is designed to do … make me want to read all of the books in the series.
March 8, 2013
This book consists of four novellas. Interlude in Death by J.D. Robb. Kinsman by Susan Krinard. Immortality by Maggie Shayne. Magic Like Heat Across My Skin by Laurell K. Hamilton.
A futuristic adventure thriller. A sci fi space romp. An Urban Fantasy. And Paranormal Romance.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas has been forced to attend the Interplanetary Law Enforcement and Security Conference off planet on the Olympus Resort and she is none to happy about it. A chauvanistic retired police commander has a vendetta against Roarke. “Fathers. The case is lousy with them.” Classic In Death. Really good.
Telepathic Kinsman Jonas wants to find out what really caused the death of his wife. A girl approaches him and asks for his help. Her brother's ship the Eurydice never returned from its trade run to the Nine Worlds. This human ship entered shaauri space without a Kinsman on board. There was a war with humans and the shaauri because human beings minsunderstood the aliens. Kinsman communicate and live with the shaauri. Kori is a telepath too and promises to produce and give Jonas a telepath child if he will help her. This story is pure sci fi and I would be interested in reading more by this author.
Matthew finds a half drowned woman, he rescues her and takes her home. She says her name is Puabi and that she is a Sumerian queen. Puabi looks exactly like Matthew's dead wife. I didn't like this story as well as I liked the first two novellas.
It has been a long time since I have read an Anita Blake book. I used to like her series a lot in the beginning and then I lost interest. This story is from the time frame when I liked Anita Blake. When she only had Richard and Jean Claude to worry about. When things were simpler. This novella sampler comes from Narcissus in Chains. I did like that book.
Four really good novellas. The Maggie Shayne one was my least favorite of the four.
February 25, 2016
I gave this book a C+ on my personal book rating scale. What can I say about this book. Well, I think it suffers from what other anthologies suffer from...too little pages not enough story.
The JD Robb story was about 90 pages long. I felt the story was good and complete. Perhaps it is because I have read so many other Eve and Roarke books that the lack of background on the characters was ok with me.
Kinsman by Susan Krinard was perhaps the weakest of the stories. at 87 pages the story introduces several alien species, different planets and a whole new galaxy and I just felt that there was not enough background to allow the reader to stay connected with all the different species and what their capabilities were. I have noticed that there is a full novel on the Kinsmen..I might try it to see if Krinard's world makes more sense.
Maggie Shayne's story was not bad but it did leave some unanswered questions.
Laurell K Hamilton....what can I say about her other then when you get to put a short story in an anthology it should be an actual short story and not two chapters or so from an upcoming book.
The JD Robb story was about 90 pages long. I felt the story was good and complete. Perhaps it is because I have read so many other Eve and Roarke books that the lack of background on the characters was ok with me.
Kinsman by Susan Krinard was perhaps the weakest of the stories. at 87 pages the story introduces several alien species, different planets and a whole new galaxy and I just felt that there was not enough background to allow the reader to stay connected with all the different species and what their capabilities were. I have noticed that there is a full novel on the Kinsmen..I might try it to see if Krinard's world makes more sense.
Maggie Shayne's story was not bad but it did leave some unanswered questions.
Laurell K Hamilton....what can I say about her other then when you get to put a short story in an anthology it should be an actual short story and not two chapters or so from an upcoming book.
October 21, 2007
Out of this World - G+
Robb, J.D., Laurell K. Hamilton, Maggie Shayne, and more - Anthology
Robb's "Interlude in Death," featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas, kicks off the collection and is the strongest of the four entries. The story's suspense is as well drawn as the romance, and readers won't have to be familiar with Robb's In Death series (Betrayal in Death, etc.) to enjoy this futuristic thriller. In contrast, "Kinsman," Krinard's (Touch of the Wolf) tale of two telepaths who try to prevent an interspecies war, falls victim to its own exposition and draws to a conclusion that is steamy but familiar. The remaining two stories are more traditionally paranormal. Shayne's "Immortality" features Puabi, a Dark Witch of Sumer who is reincarnated to right an ancient wrong, and Hamilton's "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" finds Vampire Hunter Anita Blake in an S/M club with her two lovers, a Master Vampire and a werewolf king.
3 out of 4 stories are very good.
Robb, J.D., Laurell K. Hamilton, Maggie Shayne, and more - Anthology
Robb's "Interlude in Death," featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas, kicks off the collection and is the strongest of the four entries. The story's suspense is as well drawn as the romance, and readers won't have to be familiar with Robb's In Death series (Betrayal in Death, etc.) to enjoy this futuristic thriller. In contrast, "Kinsman," Krinard's (Touch of the Wolf) tale of two telepaths who try to prevent an interspecies war, falls victim to its own exposition and draws to a conclusion that is steamy but familiar. The remaining two stories are more traditionally paranormal. Shayne's "Immortality" features Puabi, a Dark Witch of Sumer who is reincarnated to right an ancient wrong, and Hamilton's "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" finds Vampire Hunter Anita Blake in an S/M club with her two lovers, a Master Vampire and a werewolf king.
3 out of 4 stories are very good.
April 1, 2010
Thank God I only got this book for the JD Robb story or I would have been sorely disappointed. I like romance, I'm iffy on sci-fi and romantic sci-fi? Pass. Well, for the most part.
Anyway, the only reason this book didn't get one star or lower (is that even possible on here?) was that I enjoyed "Interlude in Death" so much. Eve Dallas is off-planet at one of Roarke's resorts to give a talk at a cop convention. While there, she meets a fifty-year cop who was a veteran of the Urban Wars and a certified hero. But he doesn't like Eve. Oh no, he knew Roarke's father and thinks that Roarke is cut from the same cloth and dragging Eve down with him. When the hero's bodyguard is murdered, it looks like a frame up pointed squarely at Eve who had had words with the man earlier. Of course, Even and Roarke come through okay in the end and I'm a happy camper.
Anyway, the only reason this book didn't get one star or lower (is that even possible on here?) was that I enjoyed "Interlude in Death" so much. Eve Dallas is off-planet at one of Roarke's resorts to give a talk at a cop convention. While there, she meets a fifty-year cop who was a veteran of the Urban Wars and a certified hero. But he doesn't like Eve. Oh no, he knew Roarke's father and thinks that Roarke is cut from the same cloth and dragging Eve down with him. When the hero's bodyguard is murdered, it looks like a frame up pointed squarely at Eve who had had words with the man earlier. Of course, Even and Roarke come through okay in the end and I'm a happy camper.
November 14, 2009
Finally got around to reading this book that came out in 2001! It contains four storiesabout love, supernatural style by four different authors. I liked "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" by Laurell K. Hamilton so much that I re-read "Narcissus in Chains" (as this story was basically the beginning of that book, which I enjoyed even more this time!). "Immortality" by Maggie Shayne was very enjoyable. It makes me want to see if she wrote a novel set in this world. [I also enjoy her vampire "Wings in the Night" books.:] "Kinsman" by Susan Krinard and "Interlude in Death" by J.D. Robb were also very good - romance & a bit of mystery/intrigue.
September 12, 2010
I've read and enjoyed all four authors featured in this book, so what's not to like when you can enjoy them all together? If you are new to any of these authors, this is a great way to sample them without having to purchase books by all of them to see if you like them.
My only problem with this book was the last story- by Laurell K. Hamilton. This story takes place in between two books that I have not read yet. I am almost there in the series, but not quite. So I knew the characters and most of what was going on, but I was still a little lost on some parts. For the most part, I knew what was happening the whole time, though. So it was still an enjoyable story.
My only problem with this book was the last story- by Laurell K. Hamilton. This story takes place in between two books that I have not read yet. I am almost there in the series, but not quite. So I knew the characters and most of what was going on, but I was still a little lost on some parts. For the most part, I knew what was happening the whole time, though. So it was still an enjoyable story.
December 4, 2009
Originally bought just for Robb's Eve Dallas story but the rest of the stories were pretty good too. Although I'm not much of a short story person, this does give you a taste of other authors that you may not have read.
January 5, 2011
This was the very first thing that I ever read from Laurell K Hamilton. I read the book because I'm a huge Nora Roberts/JD Robb fan. I really loved it but then it was put up in the attic with the other books. It wasn't till years later that I really started to get into the Anita Blake series.
April 21, 2011
Still updating my old reads. Ugh, what a tedious task. I read this many years ago for All About Romance. The review is archived HERE .
September 29, 2009
I got this out of the library, but quickly found that the story in here by Laurell K Hamilton was an excerpt from NIC
May 21, 2012
I only read the first Eve Dallas story, but I really liked it. I think this one could have been fleshed out into a full novel. I wasn't ready for it to wrap up yet.
December 23, 2021
I read this book a long time ago, and just noticed that I didn't do a review. I think this was the first J.D. Robb book I read, and apparently it stuck. Good stuff.
Robb/Roberts provides her standard excellence in the in Death series. However, it is the kind of book that needs to have multiple reads to get all the nuances. Oddly, I had not read the other short stories in the book. My problem with the story is that it is presented as an adventure to rescue two wereleopards and all of the necessary facts are detailed about the wereleopards at issue. While we seem to move in that direction, the story suddenly takes a tangent regarding some unexplained point from the series the book is a part of. When that small subplot is supposedly resolved, by the character exclaiming that the mystery will never be resolved, the story ends. Robb and, I presume, Shayne are writing stories that are part of a series. However, their stories can be read as stand-alone stories that have a clear, understandable beginning and a fully resolved endpoint. That more action may happen is clearly intimated, but we get to the end of the story that was initially presented.
Out of this world is an amazing book and it holds you in until the end and it still is holding on in my head because it is a really great book and everyone who love weird love story should read this book because it will keep you on your toes the whole time and make you wish you were in the story yourself so if you believe in love at all you will pick up this book and won't put it down until you are done with it so take it from me keep reading cause it will keep in your own little world for a little while until life gets in the way and I hope that you like what I wrote cause it is the truth. I give this book a five star rating it is really good.
Robb/Roberts provides her standard excellence in the in Death series. However, it is the kind of book that needs to have multiple reads to get all the nuances. Oddly, I had not read the other short stories in the book. My problem with the story is that it is presented as an adventure to rescue two wereleopards and all of the necessary facts are detailed about the wereleopards at issue. While we seem to move in that direction, the story suddenly takes a tangent regarding some unexplained point from the series the book is a part of. When that small subplot is supposedly resolved, by the character exclaiming that the mystery will never be resolved, the story ends. Robb and, I presume, Shayne are writing stories that are part of a series. However, their stories can be read as stand-alone stories that have a clear, understandable beginning and a fully resolved endpoint. That more action may happen is clearly intimated, but we get to the end of the story that was initially presented.
Out of this world is an amazing book and it holds you in until the end and it still is holding on in my head because it is a really great book and everyone who love weird love story should read this book because it will keep you on your toes the whole time and make you wish you were in the story yourself so if you believe in love at all you will pick up this book and won't put it down until you are done with it so take it from me keep reading cause it will keep in your own little world for a little while until life gets in the way and I hope that you like what I wrote cause it is the truth. I give this book a five star rating it is really good.
November 29, 2020
Short stories.
JD Robb: Solid story, but totally unexplored space theme - it’s set off-planet, but absolutely nothing happens that requires or explores that setting which is a little bit of a letdown.
Susan Krinard: Lots of world building, kind of overpowered the plot. Not bad.
Maggie Shayne: No idea why they brought in the concept of 4,000 years passing, they don’t use it at all. A dark witch falls in the sea and is rescued by a man in a boat. But she hasn’t been in the sea 4,000 years, she’s been living in the US wreaking havoc as a dark witch... with no attempts to integrate witchcraft into our world... it was all a bit weird.
Laurell K Hamilton: So bizarre, reading this. It’s the first few chapters of her novel Narcissus in Chains. Which has no connection, not even a tentative one, to the Out of this World theme. From memory Narcissus was the book where her Anita Blake story transitioned into pure porn, written just after her divorce. Presumably she couldn’t write the story she’d intended for the anthology, and they stuck this in to fulfil the contract.
JD Robb: Solid story, but totally unexplored space theme - it’s set off-planet, but absolutely nothing happens that requires or explores that setting which is a little bit of a letdown.
Susan Krinard: Lots of world building, kind of overpowered the plot. Not bad.
Maggie Shayne: No idea why they brought in the concept of 4,000 years passing, they don’t use it at all. A dark witch falls in the sea and is rescued by a man in a boat. But she hasn’t been in the sea 4,000 years, she’s been living in the US wreaking havoc as a dark witch... with no attempts to integrate witchcraft into our world... it was all a bit weird.
Laurell K Hamilton: So bizarre, reading this. It’s the first few chapters of her novel Narcissus in Chains. Which has no connection, not even a tentative one, to the Out of this World theme. From memory Narcissus was the book where her Anita Blake story transitioned into pure porn, written just after her divorce. Presumably she couldn’t write the story she’d intended for the anthology, and they stuck this in to fulfil the contract.
July 10, 2017
Another oldie but goodie. I know I read it when it first came out, but I had to pick it up again when I came across it.
Interlude in Death is a story about one of Eve Dallas's rare off planet trips to one of Roarke's facilities for a police convention. Of course there is a murder, but this time Roarke and Eve are implicated. With Roarke's head of security taking lead, they manage to get to the bottom of it before the Interplanetary forces have to be called in.
Kinsman by Susan Krinard was an interesting world to be dropped into, with humans, telepaths and aliens.
Immortality by Maggie Shane was another good one.
Magic Like Heat by Hamilton was an excerpt from Narcissus in Chains. If you are into the series, then it is a satisfying bite.
Interlude in Death is a story about one of Eve Dallas's rare off planet trips to one of Roarke's facilities for a police convention. Of course there is a murder, but this time Roarke and Eve are implicated. With Roarke's head of security taking lead, they manage to get to the bottom of it before the Interplanetary forces have to be called in.
Kinsman by Susan Krinard was an interesting world to be dropped into, with humans, telepaths and aliens.
Immortality by Maggie Shane was another good one.
Magic Like Heat by Hamilton was an excerpt from Narcissus in Chains. If you are into the series, then it is a satisfying bite.
October 10, 2023
This is an excellent introduction to the writing of the various authors. I had already read Narcissus in Chains, which is the book that the Laurell K Hamilton novella is taken from but it was long enough since I had read it that I still enjoyed reading it. I had never read any of the JD Robb series so I wasn’t even aware that they were set in the near future. I very well might have to read all 20+ of them now, since I quite enjoy the style shown by Eve Dallas! The Kinsman story is a good mix of Sci-Fi and fantasy so I plan to see what else Susan Krinard has written. The Maggie Shayne story started out with a different flavor than it ended with & was a good read.
June 15, 2017
Four really good supernatural stories by four great authors. Nora Roberts and Laurell K. Hamilton are two authors whom I love. The short stories features two well known characters, Eve Dallas and Anita Blake are great. I also enjoyed the shorts by Susan Krinard and Maggie Shayne (whose cowboy books I also enjoy). A Good Read!
Read
September 14, 2017RE: Susan Krinard's "Kinsman. I've never read anything by this author before but I did enjoy this short story.
RE: Maggie Shayne's "Immortality. Again I've never read by this author before but I did enjoy this short story. It was so gripping I had to finish it in one sitting. I'm sorry it wasn't a long novel. I sure would have enjoyed a longer drawn out story. Just Fantastic
RE: Maggie Shayne's "Immortality. Again I've never read by this author before but I did enjoy this short story. It was so gripping I had to finish it in one sitting. I'm sorry it wasn't a long novel. I sure would have enjoyed a longer drawn out story. Just Fantastic
April 19, 2023
I enjoyed all but the last story by Laurel Hamilton. It was poorly written and confusing. It seems you had to read between the lines, but there was too much space between the lines to make any connections. The SM sex was distasteful and trashy. Felt like I was reading pornography, and I wondered why this story was included in the anthology. Ugh!
December 11, 2023
I'm going with 4 stars. I got this for the JD Robb novella which came in the collection from the library. Very good! I also enjoyed the Kinsman story. I found the Immortality story bizarre but intriguing. I didn't finish the last novella with vampires and werewolves and similar. It's just not my bag.
February 18, 2017
I mostly just liked the kinsman novella I found that to be the most interesting. I liked the last story except it seems like it's not a novella but the beginning of a book that just gets cut off... annoying. Overall OK read.
October 4, 2018
ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT presentation - downloaded from my public library, I enjoyed stories by authors I already knew, and read, but also was introduced to J.D. Robb, who I am now reading. This book was very exciting, I highly recommend it.
November 6, 2018
These anthologies are always fun! Some are better than others, but they are good reads for sure. What's really nice - you get a great story - readable in a short time - when you only have a bit of time to read. This particular group were super!!
August 15, 2023
Here be Vampires... Oh My!! And more..
A nice collection of short stories by some of todays top authors!! Many different versions of the paranormal world & its inhabitants. I recommend this book if you would like to explore these authors for the 1st time
A nice collection of short stories by some of todays top authors!! Many different versions of the paranormal world & its inhabitants. I recommend this book if you would like to explore these authors for the 1st time
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews