Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories

by J. F. Posthumus (Editor), J.F. Posthumus, Cedar Sanderson

Chickens Land on Mars... But what happens when authors have too much free time on their hands? A challenge...Craft a story featuring our favorite feathered raptors: the CHICKEN. B'gawk!

Twenty authors deliver in some unexpected ways and live to crow about it. From chickens in space to cozy murder mystery farm yards to schools of magickal thought...guardian angels, chicken shifters, aliens, and feathered matchmakers. Maybe even a non-fiction adventure or two... and more! These amazing chickens come from the minds of twenty cooped-up authors on the edge of cracking...
Contents:
* Foreword (Cracked) • essay by Bokerah Brumley
* Martian Chicken Man / short fiction by Bokerah Brumley
* Frozen Chiken Master / short fiction by L. Jagi Lamplighter
* Spacer Williams' Chicken / short fiction by Joshua M. Young
* A Chicken for Miss Cuthbert / short story by Grace Bridges
* Things with Wings / short fiction by Jane Lebak
* Stray Thoughts / short fiction by John M. Olsen
* Inspection Report / short fiction by Clair W. Kiernan
* Field Trip Chicken / short fiction by Bokerah Brumley
* The Chicken of Doom / short fiction by J. F. Posthumus
* Clucking in the Dark / short fiction by J Trevor Robinson
* The Great Chicken Escape / short fiction by Cedar Sanderson
* Chickening Out / short fiction by Margo Bond Collins
* Motherclucker / short fiction by Karina Fabian
* It Clucked / short fiction by Amber Draeger
* Pūkeko: The Blue Swamp Hen / short fiction by Grace Bridges
* A Few Good Hens / short fiction by J. D. Beckwith
* Home Improvements / short fiction by Karina Fabian
* Barn Wars / short fiction by Richard Paolinelli
* Chicken Dance / short fiction by Denton Salle
* Free Range / short fiction by Abigail Falanga
* Korion the Unclean / short fiction by J. A. Campanile
* The Great Chicken Escapade / short fiction by David Millican
* Chicken Magic / short fiction by Bokerah Brumley

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Genres: Short Stories

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2020

Reviews

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short stories in this collection are all a hoot. They run from dystopian to Mars homesteading to big city coops, and all are residences for some extraordinary people and quite a few chickens, with most breeds of both covered very well. If you need a laugh through these troubling pandemic days, check out Bokerah Brumley, and the world of Cracked.

Reviewed on September 9, 2020, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available to review on B&N, Kobo, or GooglePlay.

[Emilie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read and am reviewing one story in this anthology: Chickening Out, by Margo Bond Collins. It is a short story about shifters (yes, chicken shifters!) with humor and romance.

This story is adorable and sweet, and it made me laugh. What more could you want? Just a hint of sexy, too? You got it! A short, but complete, story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chickening Out-Margo Bond Collins. Very entertaining. This had me from the first couple of pages. It is so hilarious. Very short but satisfying, fast paced with instant chemistry. Love it and wish there was more. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Chickening Out by Margo Bond Collins. It was a quick read about Tori who is a social worker that gets attacked by a were chicken and then ends up meeting Niall who is a werewolf. It's an usual pairing, but it some how works. I volunteered to read this book via Booksprout.

[Annie Lima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the most unusual anthologies I've ever read! I really enjoyed the journey through these pages, adventuring with chickens of all kinds (heroes, villains, and everything in between). It did frustrate me that a few of the "stories" were more like scenes or excerpts, without a complete plot or resolution. A few others contained profanity or sexual references (nothing explicit), so this definitely isn't a book for kids. Others had not been carefully edited, and I cringed at the errors in grammar and punctuation. But most of the stories were well written and fun. Why not take a look?

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a collection! The authors may have gone a little stir-crazy during the Covid-19 shutdowns, but apparently that only spurred on their wacky creativity. I never realized that chickens could be used as characters in so many different ways! I laughed and snickered and cracked up through my reading of this entire anthology - I just could not put it down! Thanks, authors, for a wonderfully fresh and funny break in my day!

[Lori Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will start out laughing in this story. The characters were realistic and charming, so much fun to read this one. The story keeps your attention and you will find yourself laughing and smiling throughout the story. Had never read this author before, but now will find other stories she has written.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shayay · Rating 5 out of 5]

*So far, this review is only for Margo Bond Collins’ story Chickening Out*

Fun, cute short shifter story! Such a sweet connection between Tori and Niall. Tori gets attacked by a crazy chicken, but things are looking up when she meets her hot new neighbor, Niall. Niall is a wolf shifter and recognizes Tori as his mate, but both are in for some surprises. Enjoyable short that I wished was longer!

[Andrea Barth-Leidinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chickening out

I actually had to stop reading after the first chapter because of my laughing fit.
This short story did make my day! If you have twenty minutes to spare I do highly recommend to take your e-reader and devour it, especially on a shitty Friday

I received a ARC copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read a bad book from this author yet and this book is no exception! The great plot and character development kept me so engaged throughout the entire book that I had a very hard time putting this book down until the very last page was turned!

[Westveil Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary review copy of Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories in exchange for an honest review as part of my participation in the blog tour for this title with Silver Dagger Book Tours. Thank you to the editor (or publicist?) and Silver Dagger for this opportunity! This did not influence my review; my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories is a collection of wonderfully humorous and absurd short stories that all have just one thing in common: chickens. Yes, chickens! The stories in this book are spread across the genres, from murder mystery to science fiction adventure, and range in setting all over Earth and beyond. It's a hoot! (Sorry, wrong bird.)

I particularly enjoyed the murder mystery "A Murder Most Fowl" by Dawn Witzke, wherein a rooster named Monsieur Le Coq and young rooster chick Gamin attempt to figure out how their Le porteur de lumiere rooster Rex met his untimely end. (Because it most certainly wasn't Chien.)

This collection is great for chicken lovers and fans of comedy alike, and I would recommend it to all the readers in my life.

--
I read this title for a blog tour! To read the rest of the post and gain easy access to the rest of the tour, visit: https://www.westveilpublishing.com/?p...

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for three main reasons. First the concept really intrigued me. And I also picked this up because I am a big fan of two of the contributors. I have read and reviewed several works by both Karina Fabian and Jane Lebak. And finally, I love anthologies because I usually find an author or two to add to my reading list. The anthology did not disappoint. The description of the book is:

“Chickens Land on Mars...
But what happens when authors have too much free time on their hands?
A challenge. Craft a story featuring our favorite feathered raptors: the CHICKEN. B'gawk! Twenty authors deliver in some unexpected ways and live to crow about it. From chickens in space to cozy murder mystery farm yards to schools of magickal thought... Includes guardian angels, chicken shifters, aliens, and feathered matchmakers, Maybe even a non-fiction adventure or two... and more! These amazing chickens come from the minds of twenty cooped-up authors on the edge of cracking... Read CRACKED: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories.”

The twenty contributors are:

J. F. Posthumus
Cedar Sanderson
J Trevor Robinson
Richard Paolinelli
Jane Lebak
J. D. Beckwith
Grace Bridges
Denton Salle
Margo Bond Collins
J. A Campanile
Amber Draeger
Karina Fabian
Abigail Falanga
Clair W. Kiernan
L. Jagi Lamplighter
David Millican
John M. Olsen
Dawn Witzke
Joshua M. Young
Bokerah Brumley

I checked and other than the two contributors I was aware of I do not believe I have read anything from the 18 other authors. But this was a great collection of stories. To be honest when I read an anthology, I expect a few duds, but all the eggs in the basket were viable, and several have inspired me to look further into the works of the authors. The editor, Bokerah Brumley contributed three stories and book ends the collection. Both Grace Bridges and Karina Fabian have two contributions.

And the 24 stories are:

Martian Chicken Man
Frozen Chicken Master
Spacer Williams’ Chicken
A Murder Most Fowl
A Chicken for Miss Cuthbert
Things with Wings
Stray Thoughts
Inspection Report
Field Trip Chicken
The Chicken of Doom
Clucking in the Dark
The Great Chicken Escape
Chickening Out
Motherclucker
It Clucked
PŪKEKO: The Blue Swamp Hen
A Few Good Hens
Home Improvements
Barn Wars
Chicken Dance A
Free Range
Korion the Unclean
The Great Chicken Escapade
Chicken Magic

Some of these stories are more series than others. And some tie to other works. Both of Fabian’s offerings tie to different series she has written. And Lebak’s links to her Archangel series. A few of the stories are more of a hard science fiction. One almost Aliens like. A few made me laugh out loud. And all entertained. I was very surprised by the story of a chicken shifter, and her soul mate. It really made me smile. And the Field Trip Chicken. And chicken’s going up ladders in low gravity will surprise you. And I would love to see L. Jagi Lamplight’s Frozen Chicken Master expanded into a full-length story. I want to know what happens with the young man in the story next.

After each story is an author’s biography. And an overview of their other works and links to their sites (for most of them). Everything you need to pursue a few or many of the authors who pique your interest.

A fantastic collection of stories. And who would have guessed Chickens for September of 2020, but this collection pulls it off. A great collection of stories to amuse, entertain and maybe even frighten. So, crack the cover and give this anthology a try. There are some wonderful tails, I mean tales.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More. And reviews from some of the contributors, with more to follow soon.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tori Lansing a very pretty young social worker who had one last stop, to check on a farm family. While she attempted to get to the house, she was viciously attacked by a chicken. Her ankles left scratched and bloody. Besides that, she did not get to inspect the living conditions of her charge. She unhappily lets her boss know what happened and he insisted that she go out there again on Monday morning.

Once home, she found that a gorgeous, tall, well-built man moving in next door. His name was Niall Filllan, and he's a wolf shapeshifter sent to find a rogue wolf shapeshifter. Niall turned toward her and he found her looks amazing. She has long red hair and green eyes. His inner wolf perked up and told him "MINE". He started up a conversation and was able to gather her scent. The scent is of vanilla ice-cream. She had the fragrance of home. MINE his wolf proclaimed again. Niall realized that he just met his fated-mate. The one woman in the world meant for him alone. Tori accepted Niall's offer of a date for the next night.

That night Tori rolled over in bed, shaking out her feathers. WAIT, WHAT?? She opened her mouth and SQUAWK. She felt a stretching and turned on the nightstand light. All appears to be quite normal. As she reached to turn the light off again, she noticed a single white feather floating down.

Obviously, this is purely a short fun read that borders on the ridiculous. I loved it! HEA included

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty authors bring us crazy stories ranging in subject matter from chickens in space to cozy murder mystery farm yards to schools of magical thought, including guardian angels, chicken shifters, aliens, and feathered matchmakers. These chicken tales come from the minds of twenty “cooped-up authors on the edge of cracking”, so you know it’s going to be quite a romp in the henhouse! Let yourself be caught up in the laughter and enjoy!

In “Chickening Out: A Shifters United Short Story” by Margo Bond Collins, we have a short but fun story where a social worker, Tori Lansing, gets attacked by a crazed chicken when she is trying to carry out the assignment her boss gave her at a farm house. Despite battling the chicken to the front door, she didn’t get to finish her assignment.

But the whole day wasn’t a loss after all! Meeting her sexy new neighbor, Niall Filllan, could be a good thing. Niall is actually a wolf shifter! But fortunately, Niall recognizes Tori is his mate. Will he explain to her what their future could be like together? Is she ready to know the truth? Can a chicken and a wolf shifter find love and a HEA!

I cannot attest to the sanity of the 20 [crazy] authors, but I can tell you that you’ll have plenty of fun with this set. Grab your copy and see how many of them can make you laugh!

[Anna Ostberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chickening out - Margo Bond Collins
by Anna O

Great Fun, easy read, chicken shifter PNR with a HEA. One of the Eggsellent Chicken Stories.

Spoiler alert!
New to the town Walton Springs. Wolf Shifter, Niall is moving in when his neighbour arrives home. His wolf immediately lays claim to the lovely red head. She had a slight limp he noted, and some blood on her ankle. A fated mate he never expected to find. Best Friday Ever.

Tori Lansing works for Child Protection Services. In the course of her duties Tori was attacked by a chicken when she visited a farm. Chickenzilla attacked her ankle, drawing blood and driving her off the farm before she could make contact. Home to clean up. Try again Monday. Worst Friday Ever.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for "Chickening Out" a short story by Margo Bond Collins included in the Cracked anthology, a collection of stories by various authors focused on encounters with chickens. This story is a cute, sexy, and funny story with a social worker being attacked by a crazed chicken, resulting in very strange side effects. She comes home to find a new, sexy neighbor who is very interested in her, turning the worst day into the best day. I loved their meet-cute, and Niall's internal reflections were very entertaining. I would love to read more of their story to see how it develops and what the heck was wrong with that crazy chicken. The story has shifters, instant attraction, and fated mates, but it's just a taste, so no sex.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ronel Olver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for Chickening Out: A Shifters United Short Story by Margo Bond Collins

Short, fun and very entertaining story, I started enjoying myself from page 1. Tori as social worker is out on a farm when she is attached by a chicken and she is sure she is having the worst day ever, until she gets home and meets her new neighbor Niall, best day ever. The chemistry between Nial and Tori is instant and scorching and while very short the author still manages to convey the passion, feelings and emotions. I would have loved to an epilogue and a reckoning with attack chicken, but it was still a great fun read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty authors collaborated on this collection of speculative fiction short stories revolving around chickens. It might not make sense unless you consider that the idea was conceived during quarantine. It still might not make any sense, but again, quarantine. Short fiction has been a good fit for my reading mood this year, small bites when something longer might not hold my concentration. I enjoy short story collections in general because they can serve as an introduction to authors whose work I have not read before. If you are a speculative fiction fan looking for something fun and light (or maybe weird), this could be a collection you would enjoy. I know I will be looking up other works by some of the authors.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is for Chickening Out by Margo Bond Collins, one of the stories in this collection.
Tori works at the Child Protective Services, and has a weird day at work where she is attacked by a chicken, when she was going to do an inspection. Niall has recently moved to a new apartment, which happens to next door to Tori, and naturally he bumps into her. His wolf wants to claim her the moment they shake hands. Can he win her over? I enjoyed this short romantic shifter story, Niall is protective and wants to help Tori.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Soppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review only pertains to the story Chickening Out contained in this anthology, I will be reading the whole book at a later date.

A hilarious short story

Tori, a social worker with Child Protective Services, meets her new neighbor Niall, enforcer for his wolf pack, after the worst work day ever. As the story progresses an instant connection is felt, they agree to a dinner date, and a surprise reveal could force them apart. Margo Bond Collins Chickening Out is a hilarious short story about a wolf finding his mate in an unexpected way.

I received a free copy of the book from the author via Booksprout. I had the opportunity to review or not.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a NON-SPOILER REVIEW of Chickening Out: A Shifters United Short Story by Margo Bond Collins. This story is an introduction to her new Shifters United world. This is a really quick read (20 minutes or so) that packs a punch! Tori and Niall's story is just a taste of yummy fun and funny circumstances that part part of the Margo Bond Collins arsenal. I definitely wanted more of this story... who was that crazy chicken!?! A great introduction to the stories to come!

This honest and voluntary review was made possible by reading a copy through Booksprout.

[Sarah Milnthorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for Chickening Out: A Shifters United Short Story By Margo Bond Collins, only

This really is a super cute quick shifter story. Tori get attacked by a chicken not realising it’s a werechicken (no I’ve thought about a werechicken before either). She goes home only to meet her new neighbour Niall, he takes one look and one sniff of Tori and knows she is his mate. What follows is a sweet story of a werechicken and a werewolf.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I've only read one story so far, I absolutely loved how Chickening Out, by Margo Bond Collins just grabbed hold of my attention. I had never thought of chicken shifters and this story really gave me a good taste of this idea when an unexpected change impacted a gal's life. I also loved how the 'wolf' next door wanted to help her out ;) They had fab chemistry while navigating shocks and the steam flowing between them. It was all good fun and now I'm going to dive into the other fowl stories in this set and see how they surprise, shock and entertain me ;P

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Margo Bond Collins I've read so I had no idea what to expect from her writing style, her worldbuilding, or her character interactions. 'Chickening Out' is a short, easy read that had me baffled, truthfully. Because this novella is quick to read, I can't really tell you what happens without giving everything away but there are several loose ends for this plot to run wild in. Honestly, this is the first storyline of this nature I've read so I'm reserving judgment until I read the next book and see where this goes. That’s the best I have for right now.

[Susana Duarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chickening Out (A Shifters United Short Story) by Margo Bond Collins:
Really short story and so odd and unexpected that turns out to be quite funny.
The moto is chicken shifters. Have you ever heard of it? I haven't, so this is definitely something new.
Now mix a new chicken shifter and an old wolf one, as true mates - instant cool story.
I wished it was a bit longer and I would love to know what was the thing with the original chicken shifter that begins all the mess.
I think this is the beginning of a detective new serie, so maybe I will...
______________________________________

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for Chickening Out by Margo Bond Collins.

I had a lot of fun with this fated mates short story about a seemingly mismatched pair of shifters. It’s the start of Shifter’s United and I look forward to reading more in the series. I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

After reading this I downloaded the whole anthology because I enjoyed it so much.

[Wanda Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the story Chickening Out by Margo Bond Collins. I have to say that this story made me laugh. I have been attacked by chickens. They can be mean little snots. The weekend starts out rough with the chicken attack, but by the end of the weekend, let's just say that it was a VERY GOOD weekend. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is for Chickened Out by Margo Bond Collins
Chuckled a lot with the misadventure of the social worker. From the descriptions and narrations, I imagined the chicken and it made me laugh more. The author’s fertile imagination put on paper an absurd situation that intrigued me. How I would like to read about the chicken in the shifter's pack! Amusing, entertaining, short but with romance and a HEA. Voluntarily reviewed this story that I liked and received free from Booksprout.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read “Chickened Out” by Margo Bond Collins.
On an assignment for Child Protective Services to do a home visit at a farm, Tori is attacked and scratched by a chicken. Returning home to clean up Tori meets her new neighbor, Niall moving in. Loved the interaction between these two characters. Especially when Tori realizes she has been turned into a chicken shifter.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only reviewing “Chickening Out” by Margo Bond Collins. This was a completely new type of shapeshifter theme for me. I have never read a book about chicken shifters before. It was fun but I felt it was way too short I wanted to find out more about Tori and Niall and how these totally different shifter forms worked together. Perhaps this premise can be utilised in later books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.