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Up to the Challenge
Meet Mongrel as she protects an injured “dog” from those seeking to kill him in Mongrel. Fly through space with Sergeant Harris on a mission to defuse a bomb in Godzilla Warfare. Discover why fencing phenom Ava’s new and famous coach keeps wooden swords in his equipment closet in Sword Point. Follow Gwen, an exiled Fae princess, as she searches for her missing sister in Lost & Found, INC.
411 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2022
21 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Maria V. Snyder
75 books17.4k followersWhen Maria V. Snyder was younger, she aspired to be a storm chaser in the American Midwest so she attended Pennsylvania State University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. Much to her chagrin, forecasting the weather wasn’t in her skill set so she spent a number of years as an environmental meteorologist, which is not exciting...at all. Bored at work and needing a creative outlet, she started writing fantasy and science fiction stories. Over twenty four novels and two short story collections later, Maria’s learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a dozen awards, and has earned her Masters of Arts degree in Writing from Seton Hill University, where she is now a faculty member.
Her favorite color is red. She loves dogs, but is allergic, instead she has a big black tom cat named…Kitty (apparently naming cats isn’t in her skill set either). Maria also has a husband and two children who are an inspiration for her writing when they aren't being a distraction. Note: She mentions her cat before her family.
When she's not writing she's either playing pickleball, traveling, or taking pictures. Being a writer, though is a ton of fun. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study marital arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and attend Astronomy Camp and call it research? Maria will be the first one to tell you it's not working as a meteorologist.
Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.
Her favorite color is red. She loves dogs, but is allergic, instead she has a big black tom cat named…Kitty (apparently naming cats isn’t in her skill set either). Maria also has a husband and two children who are an inspiration for her writing when they aren't being a distraction. Note: She mentions her cat before her family.
When she's not writing she's either playing pickleball, traveling, or taking pictures. Being a writer, though is a ton of fun. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study marital arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and attend Astronomy Camp and call it research? Maria will be the first one to tell you it's not working as a meteorologist.
Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 3, 2022
Finally! This collection has been on my writing "to-do" list for years! There are 16 of my fantasy and science fiction short stories in this collection. Two are new, but the others have been published in various themed anthologies over the last fourteen years. I titled the book, "Up to the Challenge" because, when I was invited to submit a short story for a themed anthology, I consider each story a challenge. I'd never wrote about vampires and werewolves and ghosts and military SF before, so they tested my creative abilities. And ended up being lots of fun to write.
The collection has a Dear Reader letter and an introduction for each story. The intro gives some background on how I sparked on the idea and some insight to my writing process. I tried very hard to resist editing them so they could be "time capsules" to my writing and the time period, but I couldn't resist some light edits.
The collection has a Dear Reader letter and an introduction for each story. The intro gives some background on how I sparked on the idea and some insight to my writing process. I tried very hard to resist editing them so they could be "time capsules" to my writing and the time period, but I couldn't resist some light edits.
May 12, 2022
Absolutely Amazing book!! I loved everyone of your short stories, you are an amazing author! Please continue writing so we can fall in love with your other books!!
May 3, 2022
Are you up to the challenge? Maria V. Snyder certainly is. This collection of short stories is filled with fascinating and exciting tales from across genres. Hands down, my favorite stories are “Mongrel” and “Mongrels”. As the name implies, they are connected, but I can’t tell you more without giving away the surprises. Evelyne, from “Capturing Images” has to think outside the box to solve her problem and you’ll never guess what she discoveries. “New Girl” has a bit to learn about making new friends and a bit of a chip on her shoulder. You’ll never believe the ending. “Godzilla Warfare” had a nice twist with Maria’s special brand of snark. Don’t forget to look for “Brand Spanking” New a little further in the book. “Berserker Eyes” also got my attention, as it will yours. There are more great stories, but you’ll have to read them yourself. Enjoy!
April 1, 2023
4.5/5.0
Given my proclivity against anthologies, that rating should mean a whole lot more than one would normally think. But, this book blows all my prejudices against the genre out the door! Each story, no matter how long or short, has a definite arc, conflict, great characters and a surprising amount of depth. Yeah, believe it or not, it has happened!! Short stories can be awesome! And so many in one book with each staying so well written? Well, only a master author could pull that off and Ms. Snyder is definitely one in my book. ;)
All the stories inside this super fun conglomeration are either fantasy or sci-fi in some way. There is such a wide variety of storylines, however, that almost any short story fan will find something to love. I’m now not sure whether to hang my all-hater hat up on anthologies, chock this one up to an amazing anomaly, or decide that - at least once in a while - miracles do happen. :)
(Oh, the 4.5 star? Just me being cranky cause…. Well, they’re still short.)
Given my proclivity against anthologies, that rating should mean a whole lot more than one would normally think. But, this book blows all my prejudices against the genre out the door! Each story, no matter how long or short, has a definite arc, conflict, great characters and a surprising amount of depth. Yeah, believe it or not, it has happened!! Short stories can be awesome! And so many in one book with each staying so well written? Well, only a master author could pull that off and Ms. Snyder is definitely one in my book. ;)
All the stories inside this super fun conglomeration are either fantasy or sci-fi in some way. There is such a wide variety of storylines, however, that almost any short story fan will find something to love. I’m now not sure whether to hang my all-hater hat up on anthologies, chock this one up to an amazing anomaly, or decide that - at least once in a while - miracles do happen. :)
(Oh, the 4.5 star? Just me being cranky cause…. Well, they’re still short.)
April 5, 2022
Characters 5/5--- Plots 5/5--- Writing Style 5/5--- Enjoyment 5/5
I cannot express how happy this made me. I am not a short story kind of reader, for the record, but this collection has made me fall in love with short stories. I couldn't wait for the hard copy to come when it would take four weeks, so I settled for the kindle version. The power behind Maria's writing pulled me into a different universe, with each story taking me on adventures that lasted just a snippet in time, yet still, the stories were so well structured that I didn't crave more from the story. I was left feeling satisfied every single time. The plotlines were steady with playfulness, suspense, mystery and magic. The language is well used with creative flare, easy for younger readers to enjoy but not so childish that adult readers wouldn't enjoy this collection. I can see myself reading these stories again and again, as with all of Maria's writing, I cherished every word. She most definitely was up to the challenge. I cannot express how thankful I am that she has put together this collection. This collection proves why Maria has remained one of my most loved authors from childhood to my mid 20s. A note to Maria if you read this, it must have been your writing that pushed me to fall in love with my partner Jack- black hair and blue eyes- from every expanse of my soul thank you for your writing.
I cannot express how happy this made me. I am not a short story kind of reader, for the record, but this collection has made me fall in love with short stories. I couldn't wait for the hard copy to come when it would take four weeks, so I settled for the kindle version. The power behind Maria's writing pulled me into a different universe, with each story taking me on adventures that lasted just a snippet in time, yet still, the stories were so well structured that I didn't crave more from the story. I was left feeling satisfied every single time. The plotlines were steady with playfulness, suspense, mystery and magic. The language is well used with creative flare, easy for younger readers to enjoy but not so childish that adult readers wouldn't enjoy this collection. I can see myself reading these stories again and again, as with all of Maria's writing, I cherished every word. She most definitely was up to the challenge. I cannot express how thankful I am that she has put together this collection. This collection proves why Maria has remained one of my most loved authors from childhood to my mid 20s. A note to Maria if you read this, it must have been your writing that pushed me to fall in love with my partner Jack- black hair and blue eyes- from every expanse of my soul thank you for your writing.
April 24, 2022
I love everything I’ve read by Maria, and this group of short stories did not disappoint. There are several stories in here that deserve to be turned into full length novels.
May 1, 2022
Loved reading this collection of stories, they were so great! Had a really great time reading them!
April 18, 2022
Having read most of these stories I can not not say it is a favourite of mine. I love the New stories, still want more of Beserker Eyes... come on Maria bigger world please 🙏 😁. It is fantastic to have her stories in one book so when I want a quick read I don't have to read a collection of other author stories to get to the one of hers I want to read. I am a reader that has has to read a book as a whole not just a story oit of it. Maria has a way of writing that makes you love pretty much every character she writes, even the bad guys sometime.
February 9, 2024
Part of me wanted to swallow this down in large gulps like a greedy child, and part of me wanted to savour every story slowly.
Greedy child won. Not my fault.
The stories are such a fun ride, which would be enough. But then there are the explanations of what, how, why each short story was written. So I would finish a story and then read the 'teaser' for the one coming... and decide to read the next one right then.
Is every short story 5 stars? No. The one that springs to mind is Poseidon's Island, based on a TV sitcom I am 'meh' over. The story felt like the sitcom, so it achieved that aim. The story is better, but still.
Then the are the ones in genres I 'don't like': horror, military SF... Only turns out sometimes I do. The Halloween Men creeped me out in all sorts of ways, one of the stories I liked best. The pair of military SF stories - I wish they were a novel.
There is a story with two endings - I like the first one best, but only because the second one didn't resolve (all Fae are like X, the main character is Fae but she's different, just because).
Cursing the Weather is one of the best short stories I've read in - maybe forever.
Gotta say there were quite a few typos in the paperback version I read, and usually that would irritate me into removing a star. But this time I was gulping it down too fast to worry about it,
Greedy child won. Not my fault.
The stories are such a fun ride, which would be enough. But then there are the explanations of what, how, why each short story was written. So I would finish a story and then read the 'teaser' for the one coming... and decide to read the next one right then.
Is every short story 5 stars? No. The one that springs to mind is Poseidon's Island, based on a TV sitcom I am 'meh' over. The story felt like the sitcom, so it achieved that aim. The story is better, but still.
Then the are the ones in genres I 'don't like': horror, military SF... Only turns out sometimes I do. The Halloween Men creeped me out in all sorts of ways, one of the stories I liked best. The pair of military SF stories - I wish they were a novel.
There is a story with two endings - I like the first one best, but only because the second one didn't resolve (all Fae are like X, the main character is Fae but she's different, just because).
Cursing the Weather is one of the best short stories I've read in - maybe forever.
Gotta say there were quite a few typos in the paperback version I read, and usually that would irritate me into removing a star. But this time I was gulping it down too fast to worry about it,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2025
I am not much of a short story or anthology reader. So I divided this up and read a story a day for about two weeks so that I could digest each story on its own. And I loved doing it this way.
As this is a self-published collection, I also love that each story was preceded by a short note to explain the context in which the story was written and connected it to the overall theme of the book which was the “challenge” involved in either writing the story, coming up with the ideas, or even the challenge faced by the MC.
In general, I think some of the stories felt a little too rushed when it came to whatever romance was supposed to occur - just too insta-lovey/attraction for my taste. But the plots themselves were fascinating. And overall I really enjoyed this collection.
A few of my favorites are Capturing Images (I will be thinking of this ending for so long), Berserker Eyes, and Cursing the Weather.
As this is a self-published collection, I also love that each story was preceded by a short note to explain the context in which the story was written and connected it to the overall theme of the book which was the “challenge” involved in either writing the story, coming up with the ideas, or even the challenge faced by the MC.
In general, I think some of the stories felt a little too rushed when it came to whatever romance was supposed to occur - just too insta-lovey/attraction for my taste. But the plots themselves were fascinating. And overall I really enjoyed this collection.
A few of my favorites are Capturing Images (I will be thinking of this ending for so long), Berserker Eyes, and Cursing the Weather.
July 14, 2024
A good range of competent stories, and - unusual in an anthology - I don't recall a weak one among them.
Self-published, apparently; and the proofreader appears to have been MsWord Spellcheck, because most of the many errors were homonyms. (That said, I had to type "proofreader" three times to get it right.)
Some stories trod familiar ground, but added an interesting twist. In stories commissioned by editors, that is the nature of the game.
The nature of the fantasy/SF game, alas, also includes giving the Important Characters gray eyes. This happens way too much here, and making some of them gray-green or whatever feels like saying "I know I shouldn't but I *have* to do the gray thing!"
Still better than the average anthology.
Self-published, apparently; and the proofreader appears to have been MsWord Spellcheck, because most of the many errors were homonyms. (That said, I had to type "proofreader" three times to get it right.)
Some stories trod familiar ground, but added an interesting twist. In stories commissioned by editors, that is the nature of the game.
The nature of the fantasy/SF game, alas, also includes giving the Important Characters gray eyes. This happens way too much here, and making some of them gray-green or whatever feels like saying "I know I shouldn't but I *have* to do the gray thing!"
Still better than the average anthology.
April 6, 2022
I enjoyed many of these short stories. They were very inventive. The scary one was disturbing and the funny one was farcical. A few stories I did not like, and there were others I liked up until their endings, which either left me baffled or wishing things had turned out differently. One or two stories I skimmed just to get them over with.
Every story had multiple obvious spelling and punctuation errors. I tried my best to overlook them, but they were just too distracting for me. I wonder how other authors manage to avoid this problem.
Every story had multiple obvious spelling and punctuation errors. I tried my best to overlook them, but they were just too distracting for me. I wonder how other authors manage to avoid this problem.
April 21, 2023
As with all anthologies, even those written by one author, there are stories that I liked more than others. Most of them I liked very much. I didn't like The Halloween Men because it was horror and (like Snyder herself) I don't like horror stories at all. It was well-written, as expected, but the ending, well, horrified me. The story after that, Poseidon's Island, is a re-imagining of Gilligan's Island and that was a show that I never liked, so even though it was well-written, I didn't like it either! Otherwise, I enjoyed the stories very much, especially Mongrel and Mongrels.
June 29, 2023
Snyder shows her talent across many genres, and makes even vampire and werewolf stories fun.
Overall I enjoyed the series, though two of the space opera stories were so similar, I couldn't finish the 2nd.
My favorite story -- Capturing Images.
What marred an otherwise enjoyable book was the plethora of self-publishing & self-editing mistakes (misspelling, homonyms, wrong tense, etc.) that knocked me right out of the story.
Overall I enjoyed the series, though two of the space opera stories were so similar, I couldn't finish the 2nd.
My favorite story -- Capturing Images.
What marred an otherwise enjoyable book was the plethora of self-publishing & self-editing mistakes (misspelling, homonyms, wrong tense, etc.) that knocked me right out of the story.
September 26, 2022
I loved reading this short story collection for several reasons. I was able to have a Maria story, then read another book, then go back to another Maria story and so on! I think I was purposely making it last as long as I could. Some of these stories definitely have the potential for novel length. Or, if Maria made more short stories, I would buy them too!
January 18, 2024
Absolutely top notch as always. I have enjoyed everything Maria has ever written! ❤️ some stories in this collection appealed to me more than others. I think my favourite was 'The Halloween Men' but I also really enjoyed 'Mongrel(s)' and 'Saki & Other Spirits.' This was also great for getting me back into reading for the new year as I had hit a reading slump! Short bursts! 😊
June 28, 2022
I've ready just about everything that Maria V. Snyder has written, so this book of short stories was a fun bonus. There was a lot of variation, and I loved her explanations of how each story came to be written.
February 8, 2023
Lots of super-cute, fun adventure-packed stories. The Coldest Game was my favorite, being a hockey and Penn State fan, but a lot for these were neat stories with some pretty cool concepts I wish were longer, full-length novels (Hint, hint, Maria!).
June 6, 2022
Book of short stories all authored by Snyder. All of them were entertaining and well written. I enjoyed the little vignettes that prefaced each short story.
July 29, 2022
Loved all of these stories. Maria's writing is just top notch no matter what genre she tries her hand at.
August 1, 2022
Loved this collection of short stories. A couple I would love as full books!
September 30, 2022
I loved each one of these stories. I am so happy that Maria has put something like this together. No matter what she writes, short or long, it is PHENOMENAL!! Definitely worth a read
January 26, 2024
Great anthology.
I loved the short stories. Being a long time fan of the Study and Glass series it was good to read some different genres too.
I loved the short stories. Being a long time fan of the Study and Glass series it was good to read some different genres too.
April 6, 2024
A true master storyteller ,original imaganative and spellbounding in her writings.Chapeau Madame V.Snyder
May 30, 2022
A wonderful collection of short stories, many that also would make great novels! As always, Maria's creative brain has come up with new worlds, obstacles, characters and scenarios that are interesting and alive! Strong female characters.
The horror story was really an intriguing plot and I was genuinely disturbed by the ending which is rare. That's one I'd like to see more of. I did have a least fave story yet it was still a fun read. Definitely still can't decide which ending of the Fae story I liked better - I keep going back and forth since I finished the book. But that's another I'd love to see more of as a novel.
I really enjoyed reading and once again, I am in total post book funk now that I'm finished and had to return to reality. Another installment that kept me satisfied yet as usual wanting more in that good way and why she remains in my top 3 favorite author list. Like all her other books, I will be recommending this one to anyone I see reading.
There were some typos but that's on the editor/proofreaders.
The horror story was really an intriguing plot and I was genuinely disturbed by the ending which is rare. That's one I'd like to see more of. I did have a least fave story yet it was still a fun read. Definitely still can't decide which ending of the Fae story I liked better - I keep going back and forth since I finished the book. But that's another I'd love to see more of as a novel.
I really enjoyed reading and once again, I am in total post book funk now that I'm finished and had to return to reality. Another installment that kept me satisfied yet as usual wanting more in that good way and why she remains in my top 3 favorite author list. Like all her other books, I will be recommending this one to anyone I see reading.
There were some typos but that's on the editor/proofreaders.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews