Divinity

by Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Beth W. Patterson, Cindar Harrell

Stories of Gods and Goddesses have enthralled us all for millennia.While some are benevolent, others are not - but all are divine.
Featuring stories by 19 authors.
Beth W. Patterson | Cindar Harrell | Andrea L. Staum | Umair Mirxa | Elizabeth Montague | Rennie St. James | Zoey Xolton | Joshua D. Taylor | Isabella Hunter | Sam M. Phillips | Stacey Jaine McIntosh | Matthew M. Montelione | Archit R. Joshi | Vonnie Winslow Crist | Gabriella Balcom | Christie-Lee Louis | A.S. Charly | Lionel Ray Green | V. Mylynne Smith

Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2019

About the author

Stacey Jaine McIntosh is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author who hails from Perth, Western Australia where she resides with her husband and their four children.

While her heart has always belonged to writing, she once toyed with being a Cartographer and subsequently holds a Diploma in Spatial Information Services.

When not with her family or writing she enjoys reading, photography, genealogy, history, Arthurian myths and witchcraft.

Reviews

[Beckett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology was a real struggle to get through because of all the editing errors. It's a shame because there are some gems in here (more on those later), but man, these short stories almost all needed some TLC from a good editor. There was one that actually shifted from third-person limited POV to first-person POV halfway through the first page. It took me a while to understand what had happened. There are tons of typos, along with more significant errors, like half-finished sentences that have been accidentally copy/pasted from other parts of the text.

There are some winners in here though. I've read a few short stories by Zoey Xolton before; I think that "Ephemeral Beauty" is one of the best works she's ever written. I even got a little weepy at the end when Tetsuya said goodbye to his beloved cherry blossom tree. (The entries that were the most successful, in my opinion, were the ones that leaned into magical realism.) Joshua D. Taylor's "The Goddess of the North Sea" is a fun little Indiana Jones-style romp through an archaeological dig on a desert world. And I was shocked by how invested I became in Christie-Lee Louis' "Underworld's Collide." I really wanted to see Anubis' troops crush the opposition, and I don't even like battle scenes! V. Mylynne Smith's "Melinoe's Curse" was also a complete joy to read: a domestic disagreement in the Ancient Greek Underworld, packed full of witty banter and relatable situations. (I really enjoyed seeing the different takes on Hades in "Underworld's Collide" and "Melinoe's Curse"!)

The real stand-out was Elizabeth Montague's "Come to Me." This short story was absolutely beautiful from start-to-finish. I felt like I was right there beside Colm during his journey up the mountain, and the idea of being compelled against your will to complete a perilous hike in the darkness was terrifying. (I've completed nighttime ascents before, and they are not for the faint of heart!) Even though this story has an HFN ending, I really enjoyed its chilling and suspenseful tone.

I would read another anthology by Iron Faerie Publishing, but please spend more time editing the next one for grammar, spelling, POV shifts, and logical inconsistencies.

[Charles Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love mythology, and I love being exposed to gods and goddesses from different cultures. So I was glad to read this anthology series. This well-written and edited book features short stories from over a dozen independent authors, from Zoey Xolton and Joshua Taylor to Vonnie Winslow Crist and Stacey Jaine McIntosh. Each successful takes gods from various sources like Greek, Irish, and Japanese mythology, and has their own spin on it by adding something new while being faithful to the original myths. In my opinion, they all succeed with good characters and visual descriptions. I enjoyed myself, and I even learned a few new gods (like Hypnos, the God of Sleep and Amaterasu, the Queen of Heaven), which is a big plus for me. I liked all the stories, but my personal favorite is Dead Sand.

I do have one complaint, and that is some of the stories are so short that either they felt like short cliff notes (like Son of Night) or didn't meet its full potential (like The Waters of Fate). They are still good rand well done, but I was left wanting more.

Is it worth a buy and read? Absolutely! So pick it up right away!

[Marianne Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re into anthologies and mythic gods and goddesses, this anthology has a good mix of stories with different and unique twists and takes. As with every anthology, there’s always a few favorites, and then a couple that are ‘meh’. Many of the stories are thought provoking and intriguing with messages and reminders of love, honor, dignity, and morals. Though it always amazes me how authors can tell a story with so few words, all deserve credit for their effort. If I were to pick a few favorites, they would be (in the order they’re presented in the book): IONIAN MODE; ARISTEAUS; MELINOE’S CURSE.