Modern Magic

by Aimee Easterling, Marilyn Peake, D.N. Erikson

Fantasy Bridge is thrilled to present this Urban Fantasy Anthology from bestselling authors and newly emerging writers. These stories transport you to versions of Earth like you've never seen before. Places where dragons roam the streets and where magic is as common as cell phones. The exciting stories in MODERN MAGIC will thrill, inspire, and keep you up all night wishing you too were a magician.

"First Blood" by Aimee Easterling
"Trinket" by Anthea Sharp
"Silver Tempest " by D.N. Erikson
"Science Fiction" by Frank J. Fleming
"Wraith Wolf" by Jonathan Moeller
"Flashback Siren" by James Hunter
"Wicked Witch" by L.C. Hibbett
"Sorceress Found" by Lisa Blackwood
"Shade and the Den of Lost Souls" by Marilyn Peake
"Three Words" by Nathan Hystad
"Wings of Hope" by Pippa DaCosta
"The Dancing Dead" by Robert Jeschonek
"Knight of the Changeling" by Russell Newquist.

Genres: Fantasy

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2018

About the author

Aimee Easterling is a USA Today Bestselling author writing on the boundary between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She specializes in spunky shifters and invites you to dive into her werewolf world in the Wolf Rampant trilogy, the spinoff Bloodling serial, and her new Alpha Underground series.

Studying biology and working as a naturalist have both informed Aimee's writing, but she's quite willing to let reality slide in favor of a good story. When not writing, she loves to read and always keeps books by Robin McKinley, Patricia Briggs, and Elizabeth Peters on her shelf. You can learn more at www.aimeeeasterling.com.

Reviews

[Pippa DaCosta]

A super collection of some fantastic authors at the top of their genres today. Go read it.

(Oh, and I'm in it, but don't let that put you off ;) )

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice collection of urban fantasy short stories and novellas tied into larger series. Some I liked more than others, but all of the stories I've read so far (more than half) have been pretty well written and a good introduction to interesting worlds. Some stood on their own better than others ("Wraith Wolf" by Jonathan Moeller felt a bit awkward to me without any prior familiarity with these characters or the Cloak Games world, though I liked the characters and was charmed by the ending), but all are complete stories, not just excerpts. Some of these stories have been available elsewhere, but most were new to me, and I think this is a very worthwhile collection.

I appreciated the inclusion of light, humorous stories since sometimes these collections can get a bit dark. I was delighted with Aimee Easterling's "First Blood," a fun introduction to her werewolf stories. Frank J. Fleming's "Science Fiction" added a bit of levity to modern scientific controversies.

Some of the stories were quite violent and contained a lot of foul language, but surprisingly, these were also some of my favorite stories. D.N. Erikson's "Silver Tempest" introduced me to supernatural bounty hunter Ruby Callaway, who I intend to read more of. James A. Hunter's "Flashback Siren" was a truly horrifying fantasy set during the Vietnam War. Much darker than my usual preferred fare, but I found the story compelling and I will be reading more of his Yancy Lazarus series.

I highly recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys urban fantasy short stories and would like to discover some interesting new series. As a nice bonus, it looks like most of these authors offer free books if you want to subscribe to their newsletters.

I received a free ARC from one of the authors and volunteered to review it. The version I reviewed was neatly formatted with a very nice table of contents but contained a few typos or minor proofreading mistakes in a few of the stories. The problems I noticed may have been corrected in the final version, but if not, there were not so many of them that they should bother most readers.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did read every single story in this collection, and I am very impressed. I have read about a third of the authors before, heard of about half of the others, and there were a couple I had never heard of. I should mention at this point I don’t like to review each story individually as I think a set should be reviewed as a set in my opinion. I found all the writing to be interesting and good, and I was entertained from start to finish. I do admit that there were a couple stories that didn’t interest me too much only because of the setting of the story not because of the writing; I did read those, too. However, I did find them written well enough that I’m going to seek those authors out for other types of stories that do fit better with what I like because I was impressed. That is one of the reasons I like sets like this: I find new authors to read…although, I need more books like I need a hole in the head. LOL! Give this set a try especially if you’re looking for new authors to read. You won’t regret it! Highly recommend! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHOOT!!! WHOOT!!!
Hey guys. Its finally here. One awesome collection of your soon to be favorite reads from so many great authors. You really have to check these out. If you're looking for fast paced, action packed, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, pulse racing, nailbiting reads that will keep you captivated from the first story to last word. This is one set that guarantees to excite as well as hold your interest with such riveting tales to keep you on a razors edge. Great job guys bringing us these bad boys in one place for our convenience. Thanks for sharing.

[Celeste Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great collection of short stories into one great book. It has lots of nods to other urban fantasy series. If you enjoy urban fantasy books, this is a must have for your collection. I found so old favorites, and discovered some new authors with series I wasn't aware of that I can now sink my teeth into! I highly recommend this book. The writing is wonderful and the stories are fascinating and fun!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

all the stories are worth the time to read

I read them all and REALLY liked some(I went to Amazon and purchased sequels) and some just weren't to my taste ,dancing zombie virus?? but I read it it was good but not for me several stories are very involved with character build up and others with story content! all very good guarantee you will love at least one and like five others great anthology!

[Faith Schmal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a sampling of books

There were a few books I really enjoyed in this set. There were a few that were ok. And then there was a couple that it seemed to take me a while to trudge though. Overall, I do enjoy sets like this that offer you many different authors and stories, it's how I've found some of my favorite series in fact. There wasn't one story in this anthology I completely skipped though and I see that as a win.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading some stories by familiar and new authors. I liked First Blood by Aimee Easterling as I know the characters from her wolf shifter series. I laughed through Frank Fleming's "Science Fiction." I have already lined up other books to read from several of the authors.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. My review is voluntary.

[Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is full of very interesting short stories. Some are creepy, one very embarrassed big bad wolf who found out his daughter is growing up, and one that will make you never look at science the same way again. One of the authors, Aimee Easterling, I know and have read many stories from. The others I don't know, but will read more of. I think you will love this group too.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories by various authors. There's a little bit of everything in this! I've read other works by some of the authors, and some are in here that I never read before, but I'm going to check out their other books now. I liked each and every one of the stories, some I absolutely loved! It is definitely worth checking out.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection of short stories. Most are about 20-30 pages with a few longer ones thrown in. It also contains a wide variety of subjects from shifters to ghosts and magical beings. You can read some short stories from some familiar authors and sample some new to you authors at the same time. Perfect for reading in between doing other things.

[Malissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as anthologies go

I enjoyed a few of these short stories and wouldn't mind reading more based on what I did read and then others were lacking, were tedious, or were lacking in some fashion. All in all I will give it an average rating. Nothing truly spectacular and nothing terrible.

[Thea Hutcheson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tasty Urban Fantasy Smorgasbord

This anthology ranged widely. I was drawn to it because of the Anthea Sharp story, but enjoyed several others. Science Fiction was whimsical and amusing. I liked Flashback Siren, but I like much of James Hunter's work. Robert Jeshonek's story was creepy but satisfying. Good value for the money and a nice intro to new authors. Well worth the modest cost.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a series of short stories about magic. My favorite so far is the one by Marilyn Peake. It's really good. A five star short read. All of the stories are pretty good. This one is a must read.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good collection of stories from a range of authors. I'd already read a couple of the stories but didn't know most of the authors. I liked that the stories varied on theme and length. Some stories are serious, some are light and some are funny. Enjoy yourself

[Kathy Brenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great collection of stories. Each one a glimpse into the world created by each author and each one drawing you in so that you long to hear more.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasing

I enjoyed most of the tales in this anthology. Good writing. Short stories are tricky to make whole. I would read several of these authors given the opportunity

[Audrey Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked a lot of the stories, a few seemed predictable and a few surprised me. Nice beginning of a collection.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of interesting and entertaining stories.

Some of my favorite authors, and a lot of newly discovered favorites. Hopefully you'll enjoy the stories and perhaps find a few new authors. My old favorite, Anthea Sharp, wrote 'Trinket: A Feyland Tale'. Newly discovered authors I especially liked: D.N. Erikson, Nathan Hystad and Pippa DaCosta.