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*spoiler alert*

Quintessential S&S archetype. Bests everything the tower has to offer and when offered the world he refuses to share power with the sorceress when it is already within his power to take.

Troy!

Inviting in something from the outer dark

I knew it would come to this, but…

Unsure how to feel about The Bear and the Nightingale by Bruce Erling Strange. Plenty of action. The protagonists flirt for most of the story—even while fighting the undead. Potential for more from this duo is strong.

I don’t see how the story will end with the time remaining

Things are looking grim

The Eggshell Carver: A Tale of the Inland Sea by Tais Teng was next.

This self-contained story concerns a lowly eggshell carver who becomes obsessed with a rukh eggshell, a khan who is seeking immortality, and a spirit seeking rebirth.

Shamir is no fool. Although, caught under the scrutiny of those more powerful than himself, his options are limited.

Blackshield Manor by Marc Edward Star.

If you love that Lovecraftian touch and the madness that follows, then this story is definitely for you.

For me, stories set in a world or setting in which the protagonist is trapped by society and/or circumstances with no way out, are really a bummer. I feel the pressure. I feel the anxiety of there being absolutely no way out.

Tomb Robbers by Susan Murrie Macdonald is third in this anthology. The story concerns two small time pick-pockets who decide to try their hand at grave robbing. Dismissing all of the stories warning of tomb guardians, the duo throw caution to the wind and find out first hand the veracity of those legends.

I would classify Macdonald’s story as fantasy.

Midwinter by David A. Sutton is very brief. Although, the protagonist is one I am sure everyone has encountered at least once before.

I hung on every word having no clue where the story was heading. Hours after reading it I still feel like it was incomplete. I was caught off guard when the last page appeared. It is a reprint, and its origin publication makes sense.

The first story, Silence for Snakes, by Harry Elliot is an ongoing series within the Undervalley.

Fate or coincidence has consistently placed this trio directly in a mess of dark magic and snake men.

A siege currently hampers their trek west. This unique setting provides a simple solution to ending the siege but this solution is viewed as madness to the denizens of this world.

Another aberration in the audio text

Ooh! A mysterious character/creature!

Trapped by duty—someone sent word he would be coming—now it would be hard to run.

There appears to be an error in the audiobook. A sentence begins, ends abruptly, there is a pregnant pause and then begins again and finishes

Now this could be just a storytelling, but it was an odd place for sense to stop. I do not have the physical book to check.

I am not sure about this one

Great being white wings 😢

This was a surprise.

It brings to mind Barbara Hambly’s Darwath saga and Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. In both creatures inimical to man rule the night.

The third story is The Secret Temple by Jack Mackenzie. This is a Sirtago and Poet story.

The duo are hired to recover a lord’s abducted wife.The more details that come to light, the less things add up.

Cultists that welcome death, a pocket dimension and a god.

When everything becomes clear in the denouement I was left just as unsettled at Poet.

Ghost Wolf by Robert F Lowell is the second story in the book. Much like the first story, Ghost Wolf is essential a dungeon crawl.

A storied warrior with a past that haunts him. An offer to accompany a stranger to recover an item from a tomb.

The resolution was a surprise though, even illuminating. 😆

This story has a more traditional setup and pacing.

The first story is written by someone completely unknown to me. Beneath the Fangs of the Storm-God by Clara Macgauffin is a high-octane, over-blown thrill ride. It certainly started things off with a BANG! Character developement is nil, but who goes to see a film like Crank with Jason Statham for drama?

Into the witch’s stronghold

I am just not seeing where everyone gives such raving reviews for this.

The one underlying lesson to learn from the Drenai series is that letting your army weaken invites hostility from your neighbors. I concur. This point comes up vaguely many times. In this instance the diplomat is having a quiet conversation with the poet.

Oh my God! It all makes sense now. Oh this is gonna be so bloody good