I looked at this book because even though I’ve been struggling with my interest in Anita Blake, I’m trying to get back into her now that I feel the series is starting to move more plot back in, and this has a new Anita story in it. Then I saw there was a new Patricia Briggs story in it, and I snatched it up fast! I can maybe resist one, but not both of them.
When I read the foreword from Laurel K. Hamilton, I was really glad I snatched it up. She writes about how hard it is to get a start in the writing business these days and how she’s hoping this book will become a series that can showcase a mixture of new and old writers and I LOVE that idea. It used to be there were a bunch of sci-fi and fantasy magazines that could help authors get their start but sadly, that’s no longer true.
Anyway once I got it and flipped through the contents I saw a few other authors I recognized, but a lot I didn’t so I really had no expectations about the book except that there were enough reliable authors that I knew I would enjoy a good part of it. Well, I can’t say I loved every story, but I can say I liked every single one. Some I loved and some were just decent entertainment, but I read them all without considering jumping ahead instead of finishing.
I’m not going to go over every story but some highlights for me:
Mr. Positive: The ending was almost predictable but not quite and I won’t say more than that. The characters however were perfect together and I laughed several times. There was a little bit of nerd fantasy fulfillment going on with the author I suspect by the end, but it doesn’t matter it was still good.
No Greater Love: Woof. I mean that literally. There was a lot going on here but I loved it and knowing it was loosely based on a real event in history made it soooo much cooler for me.
Broken Son: This story felt a bit out of place here. Most of this book is fantasy, supernatural or paranormal while this is straight up sci-fi but I found it a really nice change of pace. If there was a full book available about the Broken character, I think I would buy it because it made me very curious.
Heart of Clay: Now this is an author I remember from way back. I’ve read some of his Star Wars books so I was expecting sci-fi here, but they did a switch on me and it’s straight up fantasy. Parts of it dragged a bit mostly because I was confused. I felt like I was reading an excerpt from a larger book and missing some important bits (Maybe it is?)
What I really loved though was the idea of a renfaire that’s really filled with all the magical things that people dress up and pretend to be at renfaires. It was such a clever idea that I really got into that part, and I kinda dig the mixing of horror ‘creatures’ like vampires with fantasy creatures like dragons.
Asil and the Not-Date: Of course, this story is one of the reasons I bought the book so I’m well familiar with the author and she didn’t disappoint. I’ve been fascinated with the character of Asil for a while and I was afraid we wouldn’t see much of him since it felt like his character arc was kind of wrapped up in the last book. I was so excited that he got a short story.
The ending wasn’t what I expected. I really thought it was going to go a whole different way but it was so much better!
In the Dust: A new author (to me at least) and I struggled a bit with this in the beginning but then it started to pick up and when it did it went quick! I binged the whole thing and wanted more when I was done. Funny the author’s first name is Robert because I got a really strong Heinlein juvenile vibe from this and it’s also one of the few sci-fi stories in the book, though you don’t realize it immediately.
Ronin: Ohhhhh It took me a couple pages to realize what I was reading and I outright gasped. The mention of the Tiger should have clued me in, but once I figured it out, I love the idea. So creative! And then the story took a dark turn… in a good way, if that makes sense. It addressed some problems that really need a light on them. So, thank you for this story and how it was presented.
Zombie Dearest: A new Anita Blake story, but not a modern one. We fall back to when Anita was just becoming a marshall and was still doing a lot of animating work. I miss this Anita so much so it was great to have a flashback to the good old days. Definitely worth reading and it’s got me thinking it’s time to do a re-read of the series.
All in all the compilation was a good book with moments of greatness which is really all you can expect when you combine such varied stories and authors. There are stories I would give a 5 and stories I would give a 3 so I'm averaging it to a 4.
Fantastic Hope
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Fun new anthology, dark content with a positive spin!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2020
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)'Fantastic Hope' is a new anthology filled with various sci-fi and fantasy tales that has been edited by authors Laurell K. Hamilton and William McCaskey.I knew I had to read this because it contained a brand new Anita Blake story.. and I'm a huge fan of Jean-Claude and the other great males from the series. Touted as being a collection deigning to focus on the positive sides of life, while still mixing things up with the darker aspects I typically enjoy, I was eager to try it out.At first though, I wasn't sure happy endings were for me. As I slogged my way through the stories at the beginning of the collection, I found myself frequently putting the book aside to do anything. It just made me tired. I was bored, but wanted to persist.. in the hopes they would improve and it did have some great quotes."He had the kind of face you wanted to throw a coffee cup at. Even if you like coffee as much as I do." -('Twilight Falls' by Jonathan Maberry)"My father always used to say you can't beat the stupid from people, but it sure beats listening to their stupidity." -('Broken Son' by Griffin Barber)Just over a third of the way through the book, suddenly that's exactly what happened.'Heart of Clay: A Dan Shamble, Zombie PI Adventure' by Kevin J. Anderson was a wonderful play on some old ideas. A combination of a pseudo-retelling of a classic and a humorous zombie detective novel, it was warm, inspired, and full of humor.Likewise, 'Reprise: A Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter Short Story' by John G. Hartness really warmed me to the collection. It's obvious, I'm sure.. that Harker name most of us recognize, is indeed Dracula related. But what a sweet story, despite the awfulness of the topic within. I really enjoyed the intermingling of demonic/angelic mythos as well.Now, for many years I've been intending to read a Patricia Briggs book and it just hasn't happened. But as luck would have it, there was a short story included by her as well and I couldn't have been happier.'Asil and the Not-Date' had me off balance from the start. It has such a strange, yet interesting opening. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on and it took me a few pages to get my bearings, but her writing is so smooth. Basically, the main character is being set-up on 'dates' with by an anonymous group. All the information is being exchanged only by emails coming from someone marked 'Concerned Friends.At the point where we pick up, he's already two dates down out of five and they have been more than interesting, to say the least. From here though, the next one definitely takes it up a few notches and I absolutely loved the story.Other's included that deserve mention are McCaskey's 'Ronin' - which is a truly unique guardian tale, 'Skjoldmodir' by Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker - a heartwrenching retelling of Beowulf, 'Bonds of Love and Duty' by Monalisa Foster, and of course.. 'Zombie Dearest' by Laurell K. Hamilton, which was unfortunately the last title in the book.. but well worth the wait.After all, I did get to see Jean-Claude and Nicky was there too. I've always been conflicted about the Anita character and the whole center of everyone's universe angle, but the boys and the unique stories drive me to continue reading the series. When it comes down to it, that's a personal preference issue and does nothing to take away from Hamilton's ability as a writer.If you're looking for a good collection of stories that you can easily read in chunks around quarantine home-schooling, with positive endings to brighten your days indoors.. look no further. Give this one a try.
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2020
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