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Spells of the City
Venture into Spells of the City , where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge…Harry the Book will be happy to place your bets in a spellbinding alternative New York…a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when he’s forced to live by his creator’s rules…and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Jean Rabe
221 books157 followersWhen I am not writing, I toss tennis balls to my cadre of dogs. My house is filled with books and dogs, you can smell both when you walk in the front door. It's a good smell.
I have 36 published novels and am currently writing in the mystery genre. My latest mystery, The Dead of Winter, was a finalist for the Claymore Award and is the first in the Piper Blackwell series.
I live in a tiny town in the middle of Illinois that has a Dollar General, a pizza place with exceedingly slow service, a veterinarian (good thing, eh?), and train tracks...lots of train tracks.
I have 36 published novels and am currently writing in the mystery genre. My latest mystery, The Dead of Winter, was a finalist for the Claymore Award and is the first in the Piper Blackwell series.
I live in a tiny town in the middle of Illinois that has a Dollar General, a pizza place with exceedingly slow service, a veterinarian (good thing, eh?), and train tracks...lots of train tracks.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 6, 2010
Mostly excellent stories in this anthology- well-written, and usually with nice twists.
January 25, 2012
Spells of the City
Edited by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg
This anthology contains 18 stories of magic set in major cities of various types, from NYC and Chicago, to Nekropolis, a city in another dimension. They range in tone from dark and serious, to light and funny. I thought a couple of stories stood out, those written by Tim Waggoner (the Nekropolis story) for some light-hearted detective fun, Bradley P. Beaulieu’s and Linda P. Baker’s from the serious and/or darker side, and Robert Wenzlaff’s for its ability to just make you smile. The rest were good, too, although I had a few minor issues with a couple of the stories. Here are the individual thoughts on each:
Trollbridge by Timothy Zahn: The opening story focuses on, not surprisingly, a troll who works the toll booth at the George Washington Bridge in NYC. He loves his bridge, so when it’s threatened by terrorism, he sets out to stop it and find out who’s behind it. A fun opening to ease us into the anthology.
Snatch as Snatch Can: A Harry the Book Story by Mike Resnick: I’ve read another anthology or two with a Harry the Book story in it, some better than others. This one is mediocre, with a mobster claiming that Harry rigged a beauty contest and demanding his money back. His attempts to force Harry to give it up are mildly amusing. But as I said, there have been better Harry the Book stories.
Psycho Danny and the Video Man by Margaret S. Lundock: I really enjoyed this story, where Psycho Danny uses his magic to win at the races. A mild use of magic, but it lets Danny live a decent life and he isn’t hurting anyone. But the Video Man thinks differently. The way the Video Man communicates with Danny was great, and the confrontation dramatic. My only complaint would be that I thought the ending (literally the last paragraph) should have been slightly different. It didn’t feel quite right; close, but quite there yet.
The Devil Within by Michael A. Stackpole: I liked the main character—a detective with “talent” who is kicked off the force because of that talent—and the setup of the world here, as well as the setup of the magic. And I really liked the story . . . until the final scene where it ended rather abruptly and, more annoying, the explanation for why and how the evil-doer operated was given as a couple paragraphs of infodump.
Wee-Kin Warrior by Marc Tassin: In this story, the faeries have conscripted a down-on-his-luck gamer to help them fight their wars. The gamer hates his job fighting the other faerie creatures, wandering the real world with sword at the ready and skateboard padding as armor, until he gets a job with REAL danger. A fun story.
Falls the Shadow by Judi Rohrig: The monsters under the bed are real. The main character in this story knows it and flees to the city, works night shifts, and sleeps in a bathtub in order to escape them. She thinks she can never get rid of them . . . until she meets someone else who knows how to use their talents to fight them. An OK story. I thought it was unbalanced, with too much build-up (interesting build-up though) and not enough time spent on the end.
We Burgled It, Sure We Did by Mickey Zucker Reichert: A fun little story with Little People robbing banks . . . but only taking the gold coins. Captain Stoltzfus (who I believe is a recurring character in some of Mickey’s short stories) gets the case and gets more than he bargained for when it takes a slightly magical turn . . . or was that magically delicious turn?
London on the Brink of Never by Steven Savile: I had a hard time getting into this story, set in London with an emphasis on the fog . . . or at least a version of London. I never connected with the main character, which may be just a personal thing. The story never resolved for me. A few interesting elements in this London, a few cool ideas, all of which only made me want more of an explanation or more story.
Rose by Jackie Cassada: A little dog magic here, with a main character who has a knack for finding lost dogs. In her current search, she finds not just the dog she’s looking for, but a pit bull on the brink of death after an organized dog fight. But there’s more to the dog fight than meets the eye, and with the help of a few friends—both dog and human—she confronts the man behind a growing evil. A nice story, although I thought the confrontation/ending was rather quick and the evil needed to be developed more.
An Excess of Joy by C.J. Henderson: Interdimensional evil threatens the entire world in this story, set in New York City and centered on one man who recognizes the danger and finds the only way to combat it, with the help of a whole slew of entertainers. Not a new idea, but good and well written.
Stannis by Anton Strout: This is more of an “origin story” for how a living gargoyle came to be, Stannis being said gargoyle. He’s been left alone on the roof after his creator died, restricted by the rules imposed on him. Thankfully, one of his creator’s ancestors has run across the journal explaining how he was made. The story really feels like a setup for something bigger to come later on.
Faerie Dome by Dean Leggett: This one’s set in Chicago and features a man who’s protecting the family legacy, the faeirie dome hidden downtown. He, and the two women that work for him, are attempting to research the fae and their powers, especially any artifacts that might be related to the fae. But when they get their hands on a crystal skull, the story takes an unexpected dark twist. Hard to say anything else without ruining it, but I certainly didn’t see it coming.
Disarmed and Dangerous by Tim Waggoner: The city in this story isn’t on earth, which is a unique twist. Instead, all of the strange creatures of legend have fled Earth and set up their own city called Nekropolis, with its own rules and government. The main character, a detective, chased one of its denizens through a portal and unfortunately became a zombie on the far side. No point in returning home, so he’s now a private eye in Nekropolis, hired for various jobs. In this story, he’s approached by a demon to help rescue her lover, taken by local mobsters for a gambling debt. It’s more than it seems, of course. A nice quirky story, with a practical use for the zombie-ness of the main character.
Good Morning Heartache by Bradley P. Beaulieu: Slight shift in style here from the light-hearted feel of the last story to something more serious. We’re in NYC in this one, with a mother whose son, learning to play the trumpet, is also flirting with a darker crowd—a gang, drugs, etc. She’s afraid for her son, but then someone much more menacing appears on the scene with a strange metal box in hand . . . and seemingly the power to make her son’s mediocre musical talent into an extraordinary skill. Rather than exciting her, it terrifies her, and she needs to find a way to extricate her son from the man’s grasp. A good story, well-written and interesting.
’Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas . . . by Robert Wenzlaff: Back to light-hearted here, with Santa Clause taking a short break to visit Thor, the bartender of a bar in NYC, in retirement from his godhood days. Santa’s exhausted from the extent of the belief in him and all it demands and needs a vacation. He isn’t really expecting Thor to help, but just perhaps . . . A nice little story with a few touches that will make you smile.
Eli’s Coming by Linda P. Baker: The main character in this one is Lida, a fortune teller whose real passion is sculpting. On this day in the market she’s approached by a silver-gray man who instantly captures her attention. Most of the story is about Lida discovering exactly who he is, and who she is and what she’s capable of as well, but I can’t reveal that without ruining the story. A good story with a much darker twist than I was expecting.
Helvik’s Deal by Vicki Steger: This one’s set in a fading steel industry town, centered on the local bar and its bartender, Lucy. Her life is ho-hum until one of her regular patrons pays his bar tab one night with a deck of old cards. Then things begin to happen to her—she wins a local radio station’s contest, for starters. But there’s a price to pay for everything good that happens, as Lucy finds out. I thought the story was fine, but it developed rather fast, to the point where some conclusions were too rushed.
Second Choices by Brian M. Thomsen: The last story in the anthology is about Vicki, a lonely woman who feels that she was dealt a mediocre life and wouldn’t mind a second chance where she could make second choices, be more daring and risky. On her last paid visit to her therapist, the therapist gives her that chance in the form of a diary. All she has to do is go back to a day in high school and write the journal with the choices she’d make now, with knowledge of how things turned out, instead of the choices she made back then. But of course Vicki finds that even second choices might not lead to the best of possible futures. A good solid story to end the anthology on.
Edited by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg
This anthology contains 18 stories of magic set in major cities of various types, from NYC and Chicago, to Nekropolis, a city in another dimension. They range in tone from dark and serious, to light and funny. I thought a couple of stories stood out, those written by Tim Waggoner (the Nekropolis story) for some light-hearted detective fun, Bradley P. Beaulieu’s and Linda P. Baker’s from the serious and/or darker side, and Robert Wenzlaff’s for its ability to just make you smile. The rest were good, too, although I had a few minor issues with a couple of the stories. Here are the individual thoughts on each:
Trollbridge by Timothy Zahn: The opening story focuses on, not surprisingly, a troll who works the toll booth at the George Washington Bridge in NYC. He loves his bridge, so when it’s threatened by terrorism, he sets out to stop it and find out who’s behind it. A fun opening to ease us into the anthology.
Snatch as Snatch Can: A Harry the Book Story by Mike Resnick: I’ve read another anthology or two with a Harry the Book story in it, some better than others. This one is mediocre, with a mobster claiming that Harry rigged a beauty contest and demanding his money back. His attempts to force Harry to give it up are mildly amusing. But as I said, there have been better Harry the Book stories.
Psycho Danny and the Video Man by Margaret S. Lundock: I really enjoyed this story, where Psycho Danny uses his magic to win at the races. A mild use of magic, but it lets Danny live a decent life and he isn’t hurting anyone. But the Video Man thinks differently. The way the Video Man communicates with Danny was great, and the confrontation dramatic. My only complaint would be that I thought the ending (literally the last paragraph) should have been slightly different. It didn’t feel quite right; close, but quite there yet.
The Devil Within by Michael A. Stackpole: I liked the main character—a detective with “talent” who is kicked off the force because of that talent—and the setup of the world here, as well as the setup of the magic. And I really liked the story . . . until the final scene where it ended rather abruptly and, more annoying, the explanation for why and how the evil-doer operated was given as a couple paragraphs of infodump.
Wee-Kin Warrior by Marc Tassin: In this story, the faeries have conscripted a down-on-his-luck gamer to help them fight their wars. The gamer hates his job fighting the other faerie creatures, wandering the real world with sword at the ready and skateboard padding as armor, until he gets a job with REAL danger. A fun story.
Falls the Shadow by Judi Rohrig: The monsters under the bed are real. The main character in this story knows it and flees to the city, works night shifts, and sleeps in a bathtub in order to escape them. She thinks she can never get rid of them . . . until she meets someone else who knows how to use their talents to fight them. An OK story. I thought it was unbalanced, with too much build-up (interesting build-up though) and not enough time spent on the end.
We Burgled It, Sure We Did by Mickey Zucker Reichert: A fun little story with Little People robbing banks . . . but only taking the gold coins. Captain Stoltzfus (who I believe is a recurring character in some of Mickey’s short stories) gets the case and gets more than he bargained for when it takes a slightly magical turn . . . or was that magically delicious turn?
London on the Brink of Never by Steven Savile: I had a hard time getting into this story, set in London with an emphasis on the fog . . . or at least a version of London. I never connected with the main character, which may be just a personal thing. The story never resolved for me. A few interesting elements in this London, a few cool ideas, all of which only made me want more of an explanation or more story.
Rose by Jackie Cassada: A little dog magic here, with a main character who has a knack for finding lost dogs. In her current search, she finds not just the dog she’s looking for, but a pit bull on the brink of death after an organized dog fight. But there’s more to the dog fight than meets the eye, and with the help of a few friends—both dog and human—she confronts the man behind a growing evil. A nice story, although I thought the confrontation/ending was rather quick and the evil needed to be developed more.
An Excess of Joy by C.J. Henderson: Interdimensional evil threatens the entire world in this story, set in New York City and centered on one man who recognizes the danger and finds the only way to combat it, with the help of a whole slew of entertainers. Not a new idea, but good and well written.
Stannis by Anton Strout: This is more of an “origin story” for how a living gargoyle came to be, Stannis being said gargoyle. He’s been left alone on the roof after his creator died, restricted by the rules imposed on him. Thankfully, one of his creator’s ancestors has run across the journal explaining how he was made. The story really feels like a setup for something bigger to come later on.
Faerie Dome by Dean Leggett: This one’s set in Chicago and features a man who’s protecting the family legacy, the faeirie dome hidden downtown. He, and the two women that work for him, are attempting to research the fae and their powers, especially any artifacts that might be related to the fae. But when they get their hands on a crystal skull, the story takes an unexpected dark twist. Hard to say anything else without ruining it, but I certainly didn’t see it coming.
Disarmed and Dangerous by Tim Waggoner: The city in this story isn’t on earth, which is a unique twist. Instead, all of the strange creatures of legend have fled Earth and set up their own city called Nekropolis, with its own rules and government. The main character, a detective, chased one of its denizens through a portal and unfortunately became a zombie on the far side. No point in returning home, so he’s now a private eye in Nekropolis, hired for various jobs. In this story, he’s approached by a demon to help rescue her lover, taken by local mobsters for a gambling debt. It’s more than it seems, of course. A nice quirky story, with a practical use for the zombie-ness of the main character.
Good Morning Heartache by Bradley P. Beaulieu: Slight shift in style here from the light-hearted feel of the last story to something more serious. We’re in NYC in this one, with a mother whose son, learning to play the trumpet, is also flirting with a darker crowd—a gang, drugs, etc. She’s afraid for her son, but then someone much more menacing appears on the scene with a strange metal box in hand . . . and seemingly the power to make her son’s mediocre musical talent into an extraordinary skill. Rather than exciting her, it terrifies her, and she needs to find a way to extricate her son from the man’s grasp. A good story, well-written and interesting.
’Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas . . . by Robert Wenzlaff: Back to light-hearted here, with Santa Clause taking a short break to visit Thor, the bartender of a bar in NYC, in retirement from his godhood days. Santa’s exhausted from the extent of the belief in him and all it demands and needs a vacation. He isn’t really expecting Thor to help, but just perhaps . . . A nice little story with a few touches that will make you smile.
Eli’s Coming by Linda P. Baker: The main character in this one is Lida, a fortune teller whose real passion is sculpting. On this day in the market she’s approached by a silver-gray man who instantly captures her attention. Most of the story is about Lida discovering exactly who he is, and who she is and what she’s capable of as well, but I can’t reveal that without ruining the story. A good story with a much darker twist than I was expecting.
Helvik’s Deal by Vicki Steger: This one’s set in a fading steel industry town, centered on the local bar and its bartender, Lucy. Her life is ho-hum until one of her regular patrons pays his bar tab one night with a deck of old cards. Then things begin to happen to her—she wins a local radio station’s contest, for starters. But there’s a price to pay for everything good that happens, as Lucy finds out. I thought the story was fine, but it developed rather fast, to the point where some conclusions were too rushed.
Second Choices by Brian M. Thomsen: The last story in the anthology is about Vicki, a lonely woman who feels that she was dealt a mediocre life and wouldn’t mind a second chance where she could make second choices, be more daring and risky. On her last paid visit to her therapist, the therapist gives her that chance in the form of a diary. All she has to do is go back to a day in high school and write the journal with the choices she’d make now, with knowledge of how things turned out, instead of the choices she made back then. But of course Vicki finds that even second choices might not lead to the best of possible futures. A good solid story to end the anthology on.
July 10, 2011
I wanted so desperately to like this anthology. The concept sounded fascinating, and I liked most of the authors whose names I recognized, so I went into this with high hopes.
I suspect I completely misunderstood the aim of this book, as I was expecting something like Kate Griffin's awesome Matthew Swift series, or Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series, wherein the magic is intrinsic to the city. Instead, the city is simply a backdrop in most of the stories, with the source of magic being from something else entirely.
Some of the stories were enjoyable regardless, which is natural in an anthology, as are weaker entries.
From hereon, there be spoilers.
Trollbridge - This is one of the few that seemed to come closest to my expectation, even if the city was a victim rather than magic itself. Kersh himself wasn't a particularly interesting narrator, but the adaptation of old-world troll stories was intriguing. I'm still not quite sure I grasp the gnome's motivations, though; they just don't parse for me.
Snatch as Snatch Can - The city barely factors in here, other than providing an environment for bookies. I rather enjoyed this story regardless, though it was more for the writing style and dry humor than the plot, which wasn't much.
Psycho Danny and the Video Man - I found this story to be wholly unappealing. Psycho Danny wasn't an engaging protagonist and I found the ending to be absolutely absurd. I also am not buying the Video Man as a villain who got what he deserved, rather than an enforcer put down while trying to stop a criminal.
The Devil Within - I'm not at all sure how this ties into the anthology theme, but I think I liked it anyway. I'm a bit conflicted with it, as I tend to be wary of religion vs. magic stories; they tend toward faith bashing. Without delving too deeply into that, though, it was a fun read, with the proper people getting their comeuppance.
Wee-Kin Warrior - I didn't dislike this one quite as much as Psycho Danny and the Video Man, but I still wasn't impressed. Cocky!Everyman suddenly becomes an elite warrior against evil? Boring. I didn't really find anything here to distinguish this story from other stories I've read in the same vein. It doesn't help that the protagonist comes off as a teenaged jerk, either.
Falls the Shadow - Again, not sure how this meets the anthology theme, but I enjoyed it. The ending seems a bit divorced from the beginning, but it was an enjoyable read anyway, and strangely touching.
We Burgled It, Sure We Did - Still not sure of the tie-in to the anthology theme, but there's something to be said for any story that features bank-robbing leprechauns. The ending was a bit weak, but everything up to that point was a lot of fun.
London on the Brink of Never - This seems to encapsulate the anthology theme best of all, as the city has a direct effect on all aspects of the story. That being said, this is perhaps one of the most depressing stories in the book. Well-crafted, but not one I could enjoy because of that.
Rose - Another one I'm not sure on as to the tie-in. The central concept--dog- and cock-fighting as animal sacrifices--was interesting, but the story seemed a bit disjointed, with some elements not explored in the depths they needed to be for full comprehension. (Digby, for example, confuses me. What's his purpose, really?)
An Excess of Joy - I have to give this story one thing: it's convinced me not to buy the author's Brooklyn Knight series, which I'd been waffling on. The central concept of unfettered joy defeating a world-devouring evil is definitely interesting, but the writing and the protagonist are so clumsy as to be almost embarrassing. (The author should not be allowed to write dialogue in dialects. Ever. "Get yo asses ready to drum, yo muthas--it be ten seconds from curtain." Really?)
Stannis - Apparently this ties in because only large cities have gargoyles, or something. This was an interesting read until the protagonist pitched herself off of the roof; I rolled my eyes and stopped taking it seriously at that point.
Faerie Dome - The most interesting part of this story for me was the author's note, wherein it was indicated that the author lives in 'the small town of Sussex', Wisconsin. I grew up in Sussex and, while it's not a large city, it's hardly 'small town'. Bah. I found the story itself to be confused and confusing, with a shift in the perception of the protagonist that was so sudden as to be jarring. The backstory is too vague, and the whole 'digging up jars of dead girls' thing at the end struck me as unnecessary.
Disarmed and Dangerous - This is one of my favorites of the anthology and has bumped Nekropolis (by this author) higher on my to-read list. It's a bit too much tell-not-show occasionally, but overall it's quick and fun. The protagonist is an interesting take on zombies, which doesn't hurt.
Good Morning Heartache - I'm still not entirely sure how the antagonist went about possessing the protagonist's son, but it doesn't really matter in the end. This was a sad, touching story with a surprisingly uplifting ending. I rather enjoyed it.
'Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas... - So Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar and says... No, really. Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar. It's so ludicrous that I couldn't even begin to suspend my disbelief; right up to the end, I was rolling my eyes. It was interesting to see the interpretation of people's perceptions and how they affect mythical figures, but, seriously. Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar? Can't get past that.
Eli's Coming - There were so many things in this story that bothered me, but I still enjoyed it... right up until the ending. The ending struck me as silly and gratuitous. (Okay, the whole 'blood of the bone' thing struck me as silly long before the ending, but the ending squared it.)
Helvik's Deal - This is another one where I'm not certain as to the link to the anthology theme. It's about an alchemist's cards and how they're played; the city is a backdrop, at best. That being said, I still rather enjoyed this story, even if it was rather predictable.
Second Choices - A writer's second chance at an interesting life turns her into a prostitute. No, really. The lead-up was long and transparent, so by the time the reveal came it was anticlimactic. As the final story in the anthology, it was an end on a rather weak note.
Overall, I suppose I could recommend this book to die-hard fantasy fans who don't mind having to sift through muck to find pearls, but I can't recommend it to a general audience or someone new to the genre. There's stronger anthologies out there.
I suspect I completely misunderstood the aim of this book, as I was expecting something like Kate Griffin's awesome Matthew Swift series, or Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series, wherein the magic is intrinsic to the city. Instead, the city is simply a backdrop in most of the stories, with the source of magic being from something else entirely.
Some of the stories were enjoyable regardless, which is natural in an anthology, as are weaker entries.
From hereon, there be spoilers.
Trollbridge - This is one of the few that seemed to come closest to my expectation, even if the city was a victim rather than magic itself. Kersh himself wasn't a particularly interesting narrator, but the adaptation of old-world troll stories was intriguing. I'm still not quite sure I grasp the gnome's motivations, though; they just don't parse for me.
Snatch as Snatch Can - The city barely factors in here, other than providing an environment for bookies. I rather enjoyed this story regardless, though it was more for the writing style and dry humor than the plot, which wasn't much.
Psycho Danny and the Video Man - I found this story to be wholly unappealing. Psycho Danny wasn't an engaging protagonist and I found the ending to be absolutely absurd. I also am not buying the Video Man as a villain who got what he deserved, rather than an enforcer put down while trying to stop a criminal.
The Devil Within - I'm not at all sure how this ties into the anthology theme, but I think I liked it anyway. I'm a bit conflicted with it, as I tend to be wary of religion vs. magic stories; they tend toward faith bashing. Without delving too deeply into that, though, it was a fun read, with the proper people getting their comeuppance.
Wee-Kin Warrior - I didn't dislike this one quite as much as Psycho Danny and the Video Man, but I still wasn't impressed. Cocky!Everyman suddenly becomes an elite warrior against evil? Boring. I didn't really find anything here to distinguish this story from other stories I've read in the same vein. It doesn't help that the protagonist comes off as a teenaged jerk, either.
Falls the Shadow - Again, not sure how this meets the anthology theme, but I enjoyed it. The ending seems a bit divorced from the beginning, but it was an enjoyable read anyway, and strangely touching.
We Burgled It, Sure We Did - Still not sure of the tie-in to the anthology theme, but there's something to be said for any story that features bank-robbing leprechauns. The ending was a bit weak, but everything up to that point was a lot of fun.
London on the Brink of Never - This seems to encapsulate the anthology theme best of all, as the city has a direct effect on all aspects of the story. That being said, this is perhaps one of the most depressing stories in the book. Well-crafted, but not one I could enjoy because of that.
Rose - Another one I'm not sure on as to the tie-in. The central concept--dog- and cock-fighting as animal sacrifices--was interesting, but the story seemed a bit disjointed, with some elements not explored in the depths they needed to be for full comprehension. (Digby, for example, confuses me. What's his purpose, really?)
An Excess of Joy - I have to give this story one thing: it's convinced me not to buy the author's Brooklyn Knight series, which I'd been waffling on. The central concept of unfettered joy defeating a world-devouring evil is definitely interesting, but the writing and the protagonist are so clumsy as to be almost embarrassing. (The author should not be allowed to write dialogue in dialects. Ever. "Get yo asses ready to drum, yo muthas--it be ten seconds from curtain." Really?)
Stannis - Apparently this ties in because only large cities have gargoyles, or something. This was an interesting read until the protagonist pitched herself off of the roof; I rolled my eyes and stopped taking it seriously at that point.
Faerie Dome - The most interesting part of this story for me was the author's note, wherein it was indicated that the author lives in 'the small town of Sussex', Wisconsin. I grew up in Sussex and, while it's not a large city, it's hardly 'small town'. Bah. I found the story itself to be confused and confusing, with a shift in the perception of the protagonist that was so sudden as to be jarring. The backstory is too vague, and the whole 'digging up jars of dead girls' thing at the end struck me as unnecessary.
Disarmed and Dangerous - This is one of my favorites of the anthology and has bumped Nekropolis (by this author) higher on my to-read list. It's a bit too much tell-not-show occasionally, but overall it's quick and fun. The protagonist is an interesting take on zombies, which doesn't hurt.
Good Morning Heartache - I'm still not entirely sure how the antagonist went about possessing the protagonist's son, but it doesn't really matter in the end. This was a sad, touching story with a surprisingly uplifting ending. I rather enjoyed it.
'Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas... - So Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar and says... No, really. Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar. It's so ludicrous that I couldn't even begin to suspend my disbelief; right up to the end, I was rolling my eyes. It was interesting to see the interpretation of people's perceptions and how they affect mythical figures, but, seriously. Santa Claus walks into Thor's bar? Can't get past that.
Eli's Coming - There were so many things in this story that bothered me, but I still enjoyed it... right up until the ending. The ending struck me as silly and gratuitous. (Okay, the whole 'blood of the bone' thing struck me as silly long before the ending, but the ending squared it.)
Helvik's Deal - This is another one where I'm not certain as to the link to the anthology theme. It's about an alchemist's cards and how they're played; the city is a backdrop, at best. That being said, I still rather enjoyed this story, even if it was rather predictable.
Second Choices - A writer's second chance at an interesting life turns her into a prostitute. No, really. The lead-up was long and transparent, so by the time the reveal came it was anticlimactic. As the final story in the anthology, it was an end on a rather weak note.
Overall, I suppose I could recommend this book to die-hard fantasy fans who don't mind having to sift through muck to find pearls, but I can't recommend it to a general audience or someone new to the genre. There's stronger anthologies out there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2016
In Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire, the character of Blanche Dubois says, “I don’t want realism. I want magic!”–a quote that aptly describes this collection of tales related by their relationship to their cities. Many of the exploits and adventures within the stories could have mundane explanations. Maybe the mother really did kill her daughter in Michael A Stackpole’s “The Devil Within,” or maybe the character was imagining the sounds coming from beneath her bed in Judi Rohrig’s ”Falls the Shadow.” But who wants to read about that when there could be something truly extraordinary about the circumstances?
Admittedly, not all the stories were to my liking, but on the other hand I found several new authors I wanted to try out. There were also returning favorites from whom I was delighted to read more. As seems usual for anthologies, there were so-so stories and then there were more intriguing stories. Of the thirteen stories contained, eight of them were interesting, but not attention-grabbing, while the five I enjoyed the most held a little something extra.
“The Devil Within” by Michael A. Stackpole: This is a story set within the universe he created for his character Trick Molloy, who’s pulling time as a private investigator for this story. Stackpole gives new meaning to the phrase “religious fervor.” I was pleasantly surprised by Trick’s cynicism; there’s nothing I like more than a character who’s an unrepentant cynic. Stackpole does a good job of laying the foundation for the world without bogging the story down with too much exposition. I found it intriguing that for a person to tap into their magical ability, they had to have a “trip”–a catalyst, really.
“Falls the Shadow” by Judi Rohrig: This is my first experience with this writer, though she appears to have several stories in anthologies waiting on my TBR pile, so I’ll have to read those, as well. This is the classic case of things that go bump in the night but with a twist on what those critters are. I freely admit I don’t understand this story completely; parts of the action jumbled themselves together, and the explanations were confusing, but the idea of it intrigued me and kept me reading. I would definitely love to see the idea expanded into a novel, or given a few more stories to flesh it out a bit.
“We Burgled It, We Sure Did” by Mickey Zucker Reichart: Leprechauns! This is a story about what happens when people believe a little too much in some of the old tales. Following the Leprechauns’ speech pattern is a little mind-bending, but the resolution to their problem makes a whole lot more sense than you’d believe from the premise alone.
“Disarmed and Dangerous” by Tim Waggoner: This is a short story featuring Waggoner’s zombie PI, Matthew Richter. I love the Matthew Richter books (Nekropolis and Dead Streets, both from Angry Robot Books), but even for someone without prior knowledge, Waggoner sets forth the background details well. Humor, a little bit of horror, and action abound, and it was also nice to see Matthew’s friendship with Papa Chatha deepen.
“‘Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas” by Robert Wenzlaff: Santa walks into Thor’s bar, and the two of them share stories about what it’s like having mythologies that keep changing on a mortal’s whim. Poor Santa is sick of the commercialism of the holiday ruining his life and just wants a vacation. Meanwhile Thor, who’s had his own share of publicity problems, comes up with a solution. This was a short, amusing, and intriguing piece full of incidents such as what happened to Odin and how he got his eye back.
In the end, the anthology stood out for one reason to me–each story captured some of the magic and uniqueness that can only be found if you live in a city. Amid the constant lights, streams of traffic, and seeming sleeplessness, a city holds a powerful magnetism for ordinary and paranormal folks alike. This collection spotlighted the best of those feelings.
Admittedly, not all the stories were to my liking, but on the other hand I found several new authors I wanted to try out. There were also returning favorites from whom I was delighted to read more. As seems usual for anthologies, there were so-so stories and then there were more intriguing stories. Of the thirteen stories contained, eight of them were interesting, but not attention-grabbing, while the five I enjoyed the most held a little something extra.
“The Devil Within” by Michael A. Stackpole: This is a story set within the universe he created for his character Trick Molloy, who’s pulling time as a private investigator for this story. Stackpole gives new meaning to the phrase “religious fervor.” I was pleasantly surprised by Trick’s cynicism; there’s nothing I like more than a character who’s an unrepentant cynic. Stackpole does a good job of laying the foundation for the world without bogging the story down with too much exposition. I found it intriguing that for a person to tap into their magical ability, they had to have a “trip”–a catalyst, really.
“Falls the Shadow” by Judi Rohrig: This is my first experience with this writer, though she appears to have several stories in anthologies waiting on my TBR pile, so I’ll have to read those, as well. This is the classic case of things that go bump in the night but with a twist on what those critters are. I freely admit I don’t understand this story completely; parts of the action jumbled themselves together, and the explanations were confusing, but the idea of it intrigued me and kept me reading. I would definitely love to see the idea expanded into a novel, or given a few more stories to flesh it out a bit.
“We Burgled It, We Sure Did” by Mickey Zucker Reichart: Leprechauns! This is a story about what happens when people believe a little too much in some of the old tales. Following the Leprechauns’ speech pattern is a little mind-bending, but the resolution to their problem makes a whole lot more sense than you’d believe from the premise alone.
“Disarmed and Dangerous” by Tim Waggoner: This is a short story featuring Waggoner’s zombie PI, Matthew Richter. I love the Matthew Richter books (Nekropolis and Dead Streets, both from Angry Robot Books), but even for someone without prior knowledge, Waggoner sets forth the background details well. Humor, a little bit of horror, and action abound, and it was also nice to see Matthew’s friendship with Papa Chatha deepen.
“‘Twas the Happy Hour After Christmas” by Robert Wenzlaff: Santa walks into Thor’s bar, and the two of them share stories about what it’s like having mythologies that keep changing on a mortal’s whim. Poor Santa is sick of the commercialism of the holiday ruining his life and just wants a vacation. Meanwhile Thor, who’s had his own share of publicity problems, comes up with a solution. This was a short, amusing, and intriguing piece full of incidents such as what happened to Odin and how he got his eye back.
In the end, the anthology stood out for one reason to me–each story captured some of the magic and uniqueness that can only be found if you live in a city. Amid the constant lights, streams of traffic, and seeming sleeplessness, a city holds a powerful magnetism for ordinary and paranormal folks alike. This collection spotlighted the best of those feelings.
January 31, 2012
The thing I like about anthologies is finding new authors. Didn't find anything new or noteable for me. I enjoyed only around 1/2 of these stories which is less than usual for me.
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