Powers Of Detection: Stories Of Mystery & Fantasy

Nightside #3.5 - The Nightside, Needless to

by Dana Stabenow (Editor)

This one-of-a-kind collection features stories from some of the biggest names in mystery and fantasy-blending the genres into a unique hybrid where PIs may wear wizard's robes and criminals may really be monsters. Sit in on a modern-day witch's trial, visit the halls of a magical boarding school with murder on the curriculum, spend some time with Sookie Stackhouse, visit London's hidden world of the Nightside, and become spellbound with eight more tales of magical mystery. Contributors include: Michael Armstrong Donna Andrews Anne Bishop Jay Caselberg Mike Doogan Laura Anne Gilman Simon R. Green Charlaine Harris Anne Perry Sharon Shinn Dana Stabenow John Straley

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction

ebook

First published October 4, 2004

About the author

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage and raised on 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I felt like this collection was disappointing but okay; the stories were pretty fluffy, not really satisfying as mysteries and too often reliant on prior familiarity with the authors' work, but moderately entertaining and quick to read. However, as I went along the stories were increasingly dumb.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for the Sookie and Black Jewels story which was ok but some other the others were really weird.

The Price by Anne Bishop
This little story is in the Black Jewel world.
Jaenelle and Daemon are on there honeymoon and Surreal is in the city enjoying her day when three Warlord Prince are killed without any reason.
Prince Rainier comes to meet the three Warlords but finds Surreal in a room splattered with body parts and blood. In blood society murder isn’t punishable.
Surreal and Rainier investigates the murders after a young yellow jewelled Warlord is almost attack.
Love this short story about Surreal and Rainier.
Wish Anne Bishop would do more short story with the other minor characters in the Black Jewels series

Fairy Dust by Charlaine Harris
Sookie is asked by Claudine and Claude to read some people’s minds that they think killed there triplet Claudia.
Nice little short story in the Sookie Stackhouse series

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one at the used bookstore and snapped it up. This collection is a good way to get introduced to the occult detective sub-genre of urban fantasy. It has a nice mix of stories, including a Simon R. Green Nightside story and a Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse story, which actually encouraged me to finally start reading this series. In fact, I like this short story better than the first book in the series Dead Until Dark. Probably because it had some faery elements lacking in the first book.

Additionally there is a tale from Anne Bishop's Black Jewels universe that intrigued me. Although the concepts of her world are very complicated, this short story was written in such a way that I could enjoy it without having read the Black Jewels trilogy. I made a note to pick this series up. Some of the stories weren't as fantastic as I wished, but had elements of fantasy and a strong mystery. I didn't dislike any story in this collection, but the Nightside story was clearly my favorite (no surprise there).

[Olga Godim · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather weak anthology of short stories combining murder mystery and fantasy. The best story was the first one, Cold Spell by Donna Andrews. Andrews is a competent mystery writer, so the quality of her story came as no surprise. But the mediocrity of the other stories, despite some stellar authors’ names included in the collection, was disappointing.

[Choco Con Churros · Rating 2 out of 5]

- "Polvo de hadas": Relato perteneciente a la saga "Sangre fresca" cuya función parece ser la de presentarnos al personaje llamado Claude, un hada gemelo de de Claudine (eran trillizos pero la tercera murió). También nos enteramos de alguna cosuca sobre la naturaleza de las hadas. No llega a las dimensiones de un capítulo. GL Bis (Sangre fresca)

[Nanu · Rating 3 out of 5]

my review is only for Fairy Dust (Sookie Stackhouse #4.1) by Charlaine Harris

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book countless time over the years since its release. It's one of my favorite anthologies: full of stories about murder in fantasy settings. :-)

I'll review each story individually. As of today, September 4, 2015, I've read four stories. My plan is to read the others sometime in the next few days/weeks. Maybe one per night will be workable? ;-)

Cold Spell by Donna Andrews
Read 09/02/2015; ★★★★★ - outstanding/amazing :-)
I think this is my most favorite story in the book. I always end it chuckling. :-) In this story, Master Justinian, the Maestro at Westmarch College (a college for mages!), is called up to the local castle to solve a murder. Unfortunately, he has a cold. Every time he sneezes, his magic does something that his apprentice, young Gwynn, must then correct. One sneeze sets his teacup to floating, another turns the bats into unusual colors (some even striped!), and the final sneeze of the story, which sets me to chuckling, turns himself into a tiny blue goblin. :-)

I really love this story. Master Justinian is stumped by the murder, and while Gwynn was set to working on the castle warding spell, she ends up with the answer to both their problems. :-) I always enjoy reading this story: it's always fun and never gets old. :-)

Lovely by John Straley
Read 09/04/2015; ★★★ - above-average/liked it
I like this story okay, but after reading it countless times I now find myself wondering why it is in this collection. Sure, it's told from the point of view of a raven, but is that enough of a fantasy element to put it in an anthology with mages and vampires and the like? The world Gunk lives in seems to be the world outside my windows: normal, everyday, real life.

But still, it's a pretty good - and nicely gruesome - little story. ;-)

Fairy Dust by Charlaine Harris
Read 08/31/2015; ★★★★ - very good/really liked
This short story is set in the world of CH's Southern Vampire series. Sookie is the primary protagonist, and Claudine wants to hire her for a job. Claudine is a triplet. Her sister, Claudia, died and Claudine and their brother, Claude, want Soookie to help them figure out why and, if applicable, who did it. I love that this is first-person narrated by Sookie, which lets us share in her internal thoughts. She has some fun thoughts that make me smile. :-) This is a really neat story that lets us see a little into the world of the fairies in Sookie's universe. I really like this glimpse into their lives.

The Sorcerer's Assassin by Sharon Shinn
Read 09/03/2015; ★★★★ - very good/really liked
This short is the book's second set at a school for mages, the Norwitch Academy of Magic and Sorcery. The murder in this story was of one of the professors and the pool of suspects is quite small: only five mages have the power...and all five are professors at the Academy and none of them liked their murdered colleague. None of the main characters in this story are particularly likable, so I find it curious that I really like the story. I think it must just be that Sharon Shinn is that good a writer. :-) And the killer is not who you might think it is. That makes this story fun, too. ;-)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Spell by Donna Andrews 6/21/2006
The Nightside, needless to say" by Simon R. Green. Not John Turner, but Larry Oblivion. read 22/2006
Lovely by John Straley 6/25/2006
The Price by Anne Bishop was cool...
Fairy Dust by Charlaine Harris is *why* I bought the book. Sookie Stackhouse! 6/28/2006
The Judgement - Anne Perry 6/29/2006
The Sorcerer's Assassin - Sharon Shinn 7/1/2006
The Boy Who Chased Seagulls - Michael Armstrong 7/3/2006
Palimpsest - Laura Anne Gilman 7/5/2006
The Death of Clickclickwhistle - Mike Doogan 7/6/2006
Cairene Dawn - Jay Caselberg 7/8/2006
Justice is a Two-edged Sword - Dana Stabenow 7/9/2006

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Powers of Detection is an unusual mix. Mystery meets fantasy, with each author blending crime-solving with magic in their own style. While the concept is fantastic, the execution felt uneven for me, and that made the book a slower read than I expected. I often found myself hesitating to pick it up, unsure if the next story would be a hidden gem or something I’d slog through.

That said, there are gems here. Donna Andrews’ “Cold Spell” charmed me right away. With Justinian sniffling through his cold and a mystery that doesn’t even hinge on murder, it had a cozy, almost whimsical vibe that worked beautifully. Charlaine Harris’ “Fairy Dust” was another highlight. It delivered exactly what I came for. It gave us extra details about the fae world, almost like a neat little fact sheet tucked into a mystery. Anne Perry’s “The Judgement” gripped me. I loved how Anaya didn’t even need to speak to prove her innocence, and the ending left me eager to know more. This is the kind of story that could lead me straight into a full series. Michael Armstrong’s “The Boy Who Chased Seagulls” also stood out, with the feel of a genuine coastal folk tale. I only wish the earthy humor (yes, poo references) hadn’t undercut the atmosphere.

Other stories, though, didn’t work as well for me. Some leaned on crudeness (Simon R. Green’s “The Nightshade, Needless to Say”), or confusion (John Straley’s “Lovely” and Laura Anne Gilman’s “Palimpsest”), while others felt weighed down by excessive worldbuilding that seemed better suited to a novel or series than a short piece (Anne Bishop’s “The Price” and Dana Stabenow’s “Justice is a Two-Edged Sword”). I was also disappointed by recurring themes of women undermining women, or characters resorting to gendered slurs. It left a sour taste.

Still, even the weaker entries often had interesting settings, like Sharon Shinn’s “The Sorcerer’s Assassin” or Mike Doogan’s “The Death of Click Click Whistle”, where Carter shone despite aliens I couldn’t quite picture. Jay Caselberg’s “Carine Dawn” was pleasant, though I suspect I’d have gotten more out of it if I knew Egyptian mythology better.

Overall, this anthology contained a blend of engaging, cozy, and intriguing tales alongside stories that felt either shallow, confusing, or weighed down by context I didn’t have. But the high points were worth it, and when this book worked, it reminded me how fun it is to see mystery and magic collide.

If you’re willing to sift through some unevenness, there are some memorable and worthwhile stories here, especially for fans of authors like Donna Andrews, Charlaine Harris, and Anne Perry.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this previously in 2010. Anthology. Average stars is 3.17.

1. Cold Spell - Donna Andrews. A mystery of why magic is failing off-and-on is discovered. It's a cute story. 3 stars

2. The Nightside, Needless to Say- Simon R. Green. I just started the story and read this phrase which is absolutely stupid: "The Nightside, where the sun never shows its face because if it did, someone would probably steal it." If there are more phrases like this, I will stop reading this story. I kept reading and then was given the grossest toilet scene I've ever read (not that I've read a lot of toilet scenes but still.) Too many cliché dialogue. But overall, as much as I complained, the story wasn't that bad. 3 stars.

3. Lovely - John Straley. A little morbid. A crow or raven finds a body that he's about to chow down on and then gets interrupted. So he's going to follow the guy who interrupted him until he leads him to a new body. 3 stars.

4. The Price - Anne Bishop. A witch is brutally killing men and someone needs to stop her. I love this author's "The Others" series. Boy is this different. 3 stars.

5. Fairy Dust - Charlaine Harris. I have read this before I just can't remember when. It's about how Claude got the strip club. 4 star

6. The Judgement - Anne Perry. This seemed like an angel amidst us story. Good. 4 stars.

7. The Sorcerer's Assassin - Sharon Shinn. A bunch of bitter professors try to figure out who is killing them. It was good. 3 stars.

8. The Boy Who Chased Seagulls - Michael Armstrong. A man uses his life story to try to help a boy to change his ways. 3 stars.

9. Palimpsest - Laura Anne Gilman. Story about thieves. 2-1/2 stars.

10. The Death of Clickclickwhistle - Mike Doogan. I did not like the use of serial killer names for expletives. It's giving them too much attention. Didn't really care for this story. 2 stars.

11. Cairene Dawn - Jay Caselberg. A little morbid (not to much detail) story about a man who is missing and then found. 2-1/2 stars

12. Justice is a Two-edged Sword - Dana Stabenow. A really good story of magical justice. Really good. 5 stars

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not very often that one comes across an anthology where out of the dozen stories, only one is a dud. The others were very good, if not absolutely outstanding.
I would be especially trying to get hold of more works penned by Anne Bishop, Sharon Shinn, and Mike Doogan.
Highly recommended.

[Tia Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final Rating: 3 Stars

[shartyrant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice mix of urban fantasy, horror, fantasy and science fiction around a common theme. I can't say I liked EVERY story, but I liked the majority of them which means I am keeping this one!

I originally bought this for the short story, "The Price", by Anne Bishop that features one of my favorite characters from her Black Trilogy, Surreal. This short story is reprinted in the hardcover, THE TANGLED WEB so no need to get this book for the story now. It is one of my favorite stories by Ms. Bishop. A lady who gets vengence with a twist.

I also enjoyed Charlaine Harris's short story "Fairy Dust". I HIGHLY recommend reading it before reading DEFINITELY DEAD as it will shed some light on that story. It wasn't her best work as I think she does better with full novel length, but I enjoyed the twist with the siblings: Claudine and Claude. It worked for me as a short story.


This book also marked my first exposure to Simon R. Green's Nightside work that everyone kept recommending to me. It was different. A little predictable on the mystery and a bit gross at the beginning. Got my interest up to give his other books in the series a try.

Mike Doogan's "The Death of Clickclickwhistle" was okay and the only sci-fi mystery of the lot. Not hard science fiction, but fun in its own way.

This also marked my first time reading a Sharon Shinn story "The Sorcerer's Assassin" . I liked it well enough to try her other stories though going by some reviews by her fans, it is very different from her normal fair.

Laura Anne Gilman's "Palimpsest" was okay. As was the rest. Some made more of an impression than others. There was one I really didn't like. And there was one author,Michael Armstrong's "The Boy Who Chased Seagulls" which was a tad creepy at the end. A good moral lesson though not much of a mystery. I need to check out more of his work.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike some paranormal/urban fantasy where the alleged detective never detects, the lead characters in this short story collection actually do some detection. They might use a spell, or draw on ley lines or the like, but they do use their intelligence to find the evil doer.

The Simon Green Nihgtside short cotninues my trend of liking Green's short stories, but not overly enjoying his novels. With the Nightside tales I wonder if it is because John Taylor isn't much of a protagnosit, and the one off charaters in the shorts work better for me.

Dana Stabenow is better known for her Kate Shugak Alaskan mysteries, but she does not a nice bit of world building and intriduces us to the well paired investigator duo of Crowfoot and Sharyn. This tale worked very well, even though some might consider the justice brutal, but I would argue necessary because of events that had taken place in that world.

If you like Harry Potter Cold Spell and The Sorcerer's Assassin could be to your tatste as both take place at colleges for wizards. Cold Spell features one of the apprentices to a master mage, while Sharon Shinn's The Sorcerer's Assassin features a head mistress who well...think McGonagall but smarter and meaner.

And, for Sookie stackhouse fans she has a short here also.

Stanebow edited oth this collection and a second, Unusual Suspects (which I had read previously) That maintained the theme. I suggest seeking out both, and Suspects includes return appearance by Crowfoot and Sharryn, Gwyn from Cold Spell, and possibly my favorite Nightside story by Simon Green.

[Vanity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairy Dust by Charlaine Harris
The Price by Anne Bishop

[Tiffany Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairy Dust
It seems like this was a collection of books but I just read Fairy Dust but it’s related to the Sookie Stackhouse series DIRECTLY! This wasn’t bad but at the same time it was a real STRETCH, We meet Claudine in the last book Dead to Worse for the first time with Tara. Then later on we find out that she was attracted to Shreveport because of all the supernatural activity and that she’s a fairy that seems to have a powerful pull on vampires. In this short story, she comes to Merlotte’s and asks Sookie for help (which almost always means to use her skills as a human lie detector test). We find out she has a twin brother named Claude, and what’s more they’re triplets. Only their sister Claudette died that night. Claude and Claudette work at a strip club (Hooligans) and there are three suspects (Rita, Barry, and Jeff). Rita is over the club, Barry is one of the performers, and Jeff is the bouncer and an ex-lover of Claude’s). Claude suspects Barry because he never liked Claudette. She embarrassed him on stage, slept with him, walked away, and janked the size of his penis. He suspects Rita because Claudette was going to leave and go to a higher-paying club and possibly take Claud with her (causing Hooligan’s to lose money). He suspects Jeff because Claudette didn’t approve of he and Claude’s relationship. Claudette dies before the start of the second show after turning in the money for the first show to Rita. Rita turns out to be the culprit and they way the find out. Sookie deduces from looking at a Apple Claudine is eating that Rita poised the pouch with lemon juice with Claudette was allergic to (and this and limes being the cause of fairies deaths). Claudine and Claude make Rita sign over the business and then tell her she owes them a hunt and then they give her a head start. If she can evade them for a year she’ll live.

Riiight! Now how in the world do you jump from watching someone ate an APPLE to making a connection to having poisoned someone with LEMON JUICE! Sookie didn’t see in Rita’s head gloating about a job well done and getting Claudette out the way. Neither Claude, Claudine, Jeff, or Barry passed Claudette EATING anything. So how did this conclusion get jumped to. And then Rita could have easily DENIED IT. There was absolutely NO PROOF. Sookie didn’t say (but she should have said) she’d go get the pouch and CHECK IT! Eerily enough I could see Claud and Claudine’s mouth enlarging and eating Rita whole not long after. She probably outran then a good five minutes and that was the end of her. But this wasn’t a bad short story to introduce us to the fairies. It was interesting

Rating: 6 Not bad, but the logic was WAY OFF!

[Sparrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I was very reluctant to read this. It is technically on the list of canon for The Black Jewels books. My choice was to either read the story alone (which really bothered my sense of completion) or read the whole thing. I was not impressed with the reviews, but it seemed so short, I thought I could get it over with quickly.

And I did. But the reviews were right. Most of these stories were really boring. Green's story was the worst: a literal cliched trope. Caselberg's was a legit insult to what most people know about mythology. Stabenow's focused on aspects that seemed to ring to a larger story - and therefore, it became boring quickly since it was supposed to be a short story. I liked Bishop's story - a delicious step back into the world of the Black Jewels. But I think my favourite was Lovely. I loved the idea of a story from the crow's perspective. It was well done and deliciously creepy. Would love to read more like it.

Overall, glad to be done with it. I'll forget most of them. But glad I finished, I guess?

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An even dozen stories of mystery and fantasy from a mixed bag of authors that I know and complete unknowns (to me). Several stories are from established series: Laura Anne Gilman's Retriever series, Simon R. Green's Nightside series, and of course Charlaine Harris's Sookey Stackhouse series. Several stories I didn't much like: Simon R. Green's "The Nightside, Needless to Say," and John Straley's "Lovely," which is told from the point of view of a raven. My favorite story is the first one, Donna Andrews's "Cold Spell," which takes place in a wizard academy; I've read at least one other story with this setting and characters and would like more. I also liked editor Dana Stabenow's "Justice Is a Two-Edged Sword," another story with characters I've seen before and liked: swordswoman Crowfoot and her partner seer Sharryn, who dispense justice in the king's name.
None of the stories make me want to follow up on the authors that are new to me: John Straley, Mike Doogan, and Jay Caselberg.

[Thenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Price on Books On Track by Anne Bishop


RTC

Previous book reviews:
✦ Dreams Made Flesh (The Black Jewels, #5) ~ ★★★★ (07/12/2022)
✦ The Invisible Ring (The Black Jewels, #4) ~ ★★★ (18/08/2021)
✦ Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels #3) ~ ★★★★ (26/09/2011)
✦ Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels #2) ~ ★★★★ (13/08/2011)
✦ Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels #1) ~ ★★★★ (11/08/2011)

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of fantasy stories related (some rather loosely) to crime has, like so many multi-author collections, some stories that are much better than others. Anne Perry's account of a witch on trial for murder is well written and memorable; Armstrong's story-within-a-story is engaging; Doogan's science fiction foray has some interest and a curiously retro 1950's feel to it. The rest of the collection were not especially engaging. I'm not a great fan of fantasy novels because the standard of writing is often uninspiring - with some very notable exceptions, of course. I like the idea of a collection of stories involving murder and fantastical magic - hopefully there will be others in a similar vein.

[Deborah D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 * for this uneven collection of stories.

I stumbled on this collection because I was looking for other works by Dana Stabenow and found one that made me hope there would be more along this line from her! She is a storyteller, which is not as common as I'd like.

I enjoy collections like this because I discover new worlds from new-to-me writers.
And reading the endnotes about the authors I found out that another of my favorites (Donna Andrews) had written a short series that seems interesting. The hard part seems to be finding the 1st book.

And the story in Ann Bishop's gem world engaged my imagination and added to my ever-growing TBR.

At least 3 of the stories in this volume were DNF and that is OK with me.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based only on The Price by Anne Bishop.

With this short we get to see Lady Surreal and Prince Rainier in a different light, on in which they seem to build a friendship of. It sucks what Lady Surreal wandered into, glad that she had help and what she thought happened at the end didn't. It seemed to give her back a bit of peace of mind knowing the awful wasn't real.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only reason it's getting 2 stars and not 1 is that there were a couple of the short stories I liked. Starting this there was only one author in here that I'd read before (only one book, 3 stars) her's was alright but not great. Most of these authors I'll probably avoid in the future.

[Jamies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan 2023: Read "The Price" by Anne Bishop cuz I'm a huge fan of her Black Jewels series. I liked this little story about Surreal's thinking when it comes to the men she killed. It's a nice little inside scoop into male Protocol training as well.
TBD Date: to read Sookie Stackhouse story

[Jayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Read: Fairy Dust - Charlaine Harris

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

glad i went back and read all the stories in this collection. they were very good!!!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

read in A Touch of Dead

[Michael Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again in this collection some good, some so so and few poorer short stories.

[Jillian Perry · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Only read the Sookie Stackhouse story Fairy Dust

[Books_and_lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairy dust by Charlaine Harris