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Shadowed Souls by [Jim Butcher, Kerrie L. Hughes]

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Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Jim Butcher

Shadowed Souls Kindle Edition

by Jim Butcher (Editor), Kerrie L. Hughes (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

373 ratings

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Featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman, this dark and gritty “must-read anthology for UF fans”(RT Book Reviews) proves that nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil...

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s Cold Case, Molly Carpenter—Harry Dresden’s apprentice-turned-Winter Lady—must collect a tribute from a remote Fae colony and discovers that even if you’re a good girl, sometimes you have to be bad...

New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire’s Sleepover finds half-succubus Elsie Harrington kidnapped by a group of desperate teenage boys. Not for anything “weird.” They just need her to rescue a little girl from the boogeyman. No biggie.

In New York Times bestselling Kevin J. Anderson’s Eye of Newt, Zombie P.I. Dan Shamble’s latest client is a panicky lizard missing an eye who thinks someone wants him dead. But the truth is that someone only wants him for a very special dinner...

And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman’s infernally heroic Caliban Leandros takes a trip down memory lane as he deals wih some overdue—and nightmarish—vengeance involving some quite nasty Impossible Monsters.

ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY

Tanya Huff * Kat Richardson * Jim C. Hines * Anton Strout * Lucy A. Snyder * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Erik Scott de Bie *

Print length

350 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Roc
Publication date

November 1, 2016
File size

1169 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files

“Butcher is the dean of contemporary urban fantasy.”—Booklist

“Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.”—Entertainment Weekly

Praise for Seanan McGuire

“The plot is strong, the characterization is terrific, the tragedies hurt...and McGuire's usual beautiful writing and dark humor are present and accounted for. This has become one of my favorite urban fantasy series.”—Fantasy Literature

Praise for Kevin J. Anderson

“Anderson's skill in delivering taut action scenes and creating well-rounded human and alien characters adds depth and variety to a series opener that belongs in most SF collections.”—Library Journal

Praise for Rob Thurman

“Thurman continues to deliver strong tales of dark urban fantasy.”—SFRevu

About the Author

A martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. Jim is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera novels, and the Cinder Spires series, which began with The Aeronaut’s Windlass.

Kerrie L. Hughes has edited thirteen anthologies in addition to Shadowed Souls, including Maiden Matron Crone, Children of Magic, Fellowship Fantastic, and Dimension Next Door.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Cold Case

by Jim Butcher

"You understand what you must do," said Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness.

It wasn't phrased as a question.

I gripped the handrail on the side of the yacht and held on as it whumped and thumped through choppy water on the way toward a bleak shore. "I get it," I told her. "Collect the tribute from the Miksani."

Mab stared at me for a long moment, and that made me uncomfortable. It takes a lot to make that happen. I mean, you should see the stares my mother can give-Charity Carpenter is terrifying. And I got to where I could shake those off like nothing.

"Lady Molly," Mab said. "Regard me."

Not Look at me. Oh no. Not nearly dramatic enough.

I looked up at her.

We weren't around any mortals at the moment, but we were technically moving through the mortal world, among the Aleutians, and Mab was dressed in mortal clothing. The Queen of the Winter Court of the Fey wore white furs and a big, poufy white hat like you might see on a Northern European socialite in an old Bond movie. No mortal alive would have been wearing white heels on the frozen, dripping, bucking deck of the yacht in those seas, in the beginnings of a howling winter storm, but she was Mab. She would take the path of least resistance when practical, but her willingness to tolerate the possible alarm and outrage of the human race extended only so far. She would wear what she felt like wearing. And at the moment, it would seem that she mostly felt like wearing an expression of stern disapproval.

My own clothing, I knew, disappointed her gravely, but I was used to doing that to mother figures. I was dressed in flannel-lined winter jeans and large warm boots, with several layers of sweaters, a heavy bomber jacket, and an old hunter's cap with ear flaps that folded down. Practical, sturdy, and serviceable.

I didn't need them any more than Mab needed the furs, but it seemed like it would be simpler to blend in-to a point, anyway.

"Appearances matter, young lady," Mab said, her voice hard-edged. "First impressions matter."

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression," I said, rolling my eyes.

I might have sounded a bit like this guy I know. Maybe a little.

Mab stared at me for a long second before she gave me a wintry smile. "Wisdom wrapped in witless defiance."

"Witless," I sputtered.

"I am offering you advice," Queen Mab said. "You have been a Queen of Faerie for less than a week. You would be wise to listen."

The yacht began to slow and then slewed to one side, throwing a wave of icy spray toward the rocky shore. It handled too well to be a mortal craft, but out here, where few eyes could see, the Sidhe who piloted her were only so willing to be inconvenienced by seas that would have daunted experienced mortal captains and advanced mortal vessels.

Not mortal, I told myself sternly, in my inner, reasonable voice. Human. Human. Just like me.

"Thanks for that," I said to Mab. "Look, I get it. My predecessor hasn't performed her duties properly for, like, two hundred years. I've got a huge backlog. I've got a lot of work facing me. I understand already."

Mab gave me another long stare before saying, "You do not understand." Then she turned and walked back toward her cabin, the one that was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "But you will." --This text refers to the paperback edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BK0SQF4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roc (November 1, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1169 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #139,578 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #176 in Science Fiction Short Stories
- #324 in Fantasy Anthologies
- #331 in Fantasy Anthologies & Short Stories (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
373 ratings

About the authors

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Kristine Kathryn Rusch
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New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov’s Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award.
Publications from The Chicago Tribune to Booklist have included her Kris Nelscott mystery novels in their top-ten-best mystery novels of the year. The Nelscott books have received nominations for almost every award in the mystery field, including the best novel Edgar Award, and the Shamus Award.
She writes goofy romance novels as award-winner Kristine Grayson.
She also edits. Beginning with work at the innovative publishing company, Pulphouse, followed by her award-winning tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, she took fifteen years off before returning to editing with the original anthology series Fiction River, published by WMG Publishing. She acts as series editor with her husband, writer Dean Wesley Smith.
To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com and sign up for her newsletter. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com, fictionriver.com, pulphousemagazine.com).
See more on the author's page
Jim Butcher
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Jim Butcher read his first fantasy novel when he was seven years old--
the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. By the time he turned eight,
he'd added the rest of the Narnia books, the Prydain Chronicles, every
book about Star Wars he could find, a great many Star Trek novels and
the Lord of the Rings to his count.
So he was pretty much doomed from the start.
Love of fantasy, his personal gateway drug, drew him toward a fairly
eclectic spread of interests: horseback riding (including trick riding,
stunt riding, drill riding, and competitive stunt racing), archery,
martial arts, costuming, music and theater. He played a lot of role-
playing games, a lot of fantasy-based tactical computer games, and
eventually got into live-action roleplay where players beat each other
up with boffer weapons.
So, really, he can fly his nerd flag with pretty much anyone, and
frequently does.
He took up writing to be able to produce fantasy novels with swords and
horses in them, and determinedly wrote terrible fantasy books until,
just to prove a point to his writing teacher, he decided to take every
piece of her advice; fill out outlines and worksheets, and design
stories and characters just the way she'd been telling him to do for
about three years. He was certain that once she saw what hideous art it
produced, she would be proven wrong and repent the error of her ways.
The result was the Dresden Files, which sure showed *her*.
She has not yet admitted her mistake and recanted her philosophy on
writing.
Jim has performed in dramas, musicals, and vocal groups in front of
live audiences of thousands and on TV. He has performed exhibition
riding in multiple arenas, and fallen from running horses a truly
ridiculous number of times. He was once cursed by an Amazon witch
doctor in rural Brazil, has apparently begun writing about himself in
the third person, and is hardly ever sick at sea.
He also writes books occasionally.
Jim stands accused of writing the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera.
He's plead insanity, but the jury is still out on that one. He lives in
Missouri with his wife, romantic suspense and paranormal romance writer
Shannon K. Butcher (who is really pretty and way out of his league),
his son, and a ferocious guard dog.
See more on the author's page

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Volition_accord

Overall this is a good anthology

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2016

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Overall this is a good anthology. Review by story:

1. Cold Case. 5/5
It's a good story even if it does have some continuity snarls. It helps show some of the ways Molly has changed now that she is Winter Lady.

2. Sleepover. 6/5
This story is the surprise MVP for me. I have never read anything my Seanan Mcguire but after reading Sleepover i have ordered a few of her “InCryptid” books. Now to the actual story; it's very well paced with a whole lot of world building hooks which allow the story to seem like it actually inhabits a real setting. The characters are likable and the plot relies more on the characters then on flash or fighting.

3. If Wishes Were. 3/5
The story is a little bit cliche. The main character seems somewhat overpowered to me. i will admit the story did not interest me enough to research if it takes place in a larger setting where the character would be justified to be as powerful as it is. Other than that, the mains love interest is flat, the initial antagonist seems like just an excuse to start the plot. And finally, the main antagonist while being extremely powerful (for reasons, and in a way, that makes way more sense then the main character) it is still defeated without difficulty via deus ex machina.

4. Solus. 3/5
Simple description? Men in Black meets The Dresden Files. Only problem is, it feels like you're following around the B team from either setting. It's a bit wacky mixed with “Magic A is Magic A”.

5. Peacock in Hell. 4/5
This one is a weird one to go into without any prior knowledge. It's like someone took “Bartimaeus Sequence” series of books and gave it a pack of cigarettes to make it more “edgy”. Don't get me wrong it's done well, but it seems like it's trying a bit too hard to by grown up when it's not. Also, maybe placing this story right after the wacky story in the anthology might not have been the best place for it as far as tone is concerned.

6. Eye of newt. 1/5
Nope. I got through 4 pages of cringe and decided this story is not for me.

7. What dwells within 2/5
Who doesn't like a telepathic Ferret as a main character…. Me it turns out. I am guessing this story is part of a larger series but it does a really bad example of getting a new person involved with the setting.

8. Hunter healer 4/5
This story reads like a “day in the limelight” for a background NPC. It has good execution, and when read from the point of view that it's a minor character getting some development the story is good.

9. Baggage. 5/5
This one is good, even if it is ostensibly about superheroes. Sadly it is not part of a larger series instead the author has floated the characters/setting out on a few anthologies and is planning on trying to make it a comic if there is enough interest. It's a bit modern noir mixed with a thriller.

10. Sales. Force. 4/5
This story is good, but if it was a full book it would probably outstay its welcome. The main character is a monster, not in the literal sense but rather she is a psychopathic killer with little regard to normal human characterization. That kind of amoral killer that is sometimes fun to see in limited, Controlled, settings along the lines of “yes, but she’s OUR monster”. That being said there doesn't seem to be much in the terms of control or humanization here.

11. Impossible monsters 5/5
THIS is how you do an amoral psychopathic killer right. This is a monster aimed at other monsters. It also part of a larger series “cal leandros”. Overall it does a good enough job of explaining the character and world that it's understandable to a new reader. Additionally, it has enough character and world setting to really pull a new reader in.

96 people found this helpful

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Tawnya

I hate doing headlines.

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2022

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Shadowed Souls
Actual 3.64

Cold Case
Jim Butcher
4.5 stars
It is Molly's first assignment as the Winter Lady. She is in Alaska collecting tributes to Mab. What she finds is a community whose children have been taken. With the help of Warden Ramirez she is going to get them back.

Sleepover
Seanan McGuire
4 stars
A woman that is half succubus is watching her cousin in a roller derby match when an enticing woman strikes up a conversation. You'd think a part succubus would have better control over her own libido. Then maybe she wouldn't have been captured. It was a funny, bittersweet story.

If Wishes Were
Tanya Huff
4 stars
Characters from "Blood Ties". Should give the books a try. I have only seen the series on Lifetime. This obviously takes place way after the show's timeline. Vicki is now a vampire. She is still with Mike. Henry is mentioned only in passing. Someone tried to kill Mike. He doesn't have any memory of the attack, so it's up to Vicki to find out what happened.

Solus
Anton Strout
4 stars
Simon-a psychometrist and new hire at the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, along with his senior partner, goes to investigate a haunted castle that is situated on top of a NYC skyscraper. There are unicorns-LOTS of unicorns.

Peacock in Hell
Kat Richardson
3.5 stars
As the title says Peacock is in Hell-literally. She has gone there to rescue Redmayne- an artificer. Fiore, a necromancer owns her sent her on the mission. She died at one point and he resurrected her. Now he owns her. Peacock and Redmayne just need to work together to make it back to Earth before they become the Hell’s next permanent residents.

Eye of Newt
Kevin J. Anderson
3 stars
Kind of funny, but it tried too hard. Geck, a newt- has had his eye stolen. It is up to Dan Shamble to track down the eye.

What Dwells Within
Lucy A. Snyder
4 stars
Would really like to read this, but not at full price.
Jessie Shimmer and her familiar, Pal, are driving around Columbus when they come upon something that only Jessie- with the aid of her glass eye, can see. Realizing it is her friend Kai and that he is under a compulsion to kill himself, she quickly breaks the spell. Once Kai is free tells her his friend Alice has been taken. It is up to Jessie and Pal to save her.

Hunter, Healer
Jim C. Hines
4 stars
Julia has a "second" soul. She shares her body with her late sister's soul. She is a healer who just wants to help anything that she can. Aided by a foul-mouthed hearth fairy named Hob she heals everyone that comes to her. All are welcome with the exception of her adopted father-Terrence Chapel. He is the reason her sister is dead. When a creature shows up with the exact wounds as her sister she knows he is back. He claims he is a hunter who hunts monsters-too bad he is more of a monster than anything he ever hunted.

Baggage
Erik Scott de Bie
3.5 stars
Good premise
Vivienne Cain owns a bar where she is perfectly happy. She's what's called an "empathic projector"-meaning she feeds on emotions. Alcohol dulls her powers enough that she can function. When her bartender gifted Vivienne a free membership to a nearby gym she was skeptical. Once she realized she can go late at night and be left alone she starts to enjoy punching bags. When a demon showed up-well that makes it even better.

Sales. Force.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
2.5 stars
Kaylee is grieving the death of her boyfriend. After she assures her boss Nia that she is ready to return to work she regrets it. The job is finding out if a love potion works or if it's a scam.

Impossible Monsters
Rob Thurman
3 stars
Very violent, so not my type. Similar to Dexter (it even name drops SHO) except Caliban is literally half-demon. Like Dexter, he has a list of things he's not supposed to do. His brother made him the list when he was a little kid. At thirteen he started his own list-those other predators he encountered. Twelve years later he has decided to visit number one on his list-an evil junior high coach.

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Dirk Wilson

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2019

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Perceptive Reader

Could have been outstanding, but...

Reviewed in India on November 25, 2018

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This anthology sought to bring together a set of stories having protagonists who have serious supernatural issues. As expected, in those cases where stories took precedence, the stuff rocked. On the otherhand, whenever issues and associated words held centrestage, we had duds.
After a rather pointless 'Introduction' and an awesome 'Foreward' (former by the editor, latter by the great Jim Butcher) we have the stories. They were~
1. "Cold Case" by Jim Butcher: When the first story in the anthology is either the best story or one of the best three, it reeks of sales tactics. Nevertheless, it was great in terms of action, humour, and pathos.
2. "Sleepover" by Seanon McGuire: Funny, edgy, and brilliant.
3. "If Wishes Were" by Tanya Huff: Simply terrific. Three winners in the very beginning. What can go wrong?
4. "Solus": Somewhat inferior compared to the first three, but readable.
5. " Peacock in Hell" by Kat Richardson: Wonderful! Beautiful characterisation, serious action, awe-inspiring landscaping (hellscaping?). Loved it.
6. "Eye of Newt" by Kevin J. Anderson: This Dan Shamble story alone is worth the price. I would recommend you to get hold of author's 'Zomnibus' ASAP.
7. "What Dwells Within" by Lucy A. Snyder: Good one. Predictable without any punch whatsoever, but crisp and readable.
8. "Hunter, Healer" by Jim C. Hines: Rise of the first serious dud, with lots of tissues.
9. "Baggage" by Eric Scott de Bie: Another massive dud, with talk-talk-talk and rubbish action.
10. "Sales. Force" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: Began in a similarly tearjerking fashion as the previous two, but improved remarkably.
11. "Impossible Monsters" by Rob Thurman: Complete and unadulterated rubbish.
Overall, had the editor compelled those dud-ists to stick to the formula of wisecracking or silent but focussed and action-oriented hero dealing with their issues while dispatching nasties, without getting into alcoholic angst, this one could have been a five-starrer. She didn't. We ended up with a four starrer.
Otherwise, recommended.

Jen Savage

Solid stories and well worth the read!

Reviewed in Canada on November 7, 2016

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Cold Case – Jim Butcher *****
Molly takes on her first real case as Winter Lady. This story takes place after Skin Game (book 15). I wasn’t thrilled when I found out the Dresden Files story was going to be about Molly but this story gave me a whole new appreciation for her character. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just say that it keeps the tone of the Dresden Files novels and gives us a glimpse into some of the inner workings of the Sidhe.

Sleepover – Seanan McGuire ****
I was completely unfamiliar with this author. Loved the story. The main character reminded me a bit of Trixa from Rob Thurman’s Trickster series. Some sass and strength and a lot of humanity in a non-human. Great, quick read.

If Wishes Were – Tanya Huff ****
Vampire PI/cop story set in Toronto. I couldn’t help but think of that wonderful old Canadian TV show, Forever Knight. Clever story, witty and with a likeable main character. This was another author I was unfamiliar with. I thought it was going to go off in a direction I wouldn’t enjoy when I discovered the antagonist but I was pleasantly surprised.

Solus – Anton Strout *****
Another author I was unfamiliar with, this story reminded me a bit of All Seeing Eye by Rob Thurman and the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey. Set in New York City, police investigate supernatural happenings and I would love to read more about these characters. It was a bit of a slow build for me and I wasn’t sure how I’d like this story and by the end, I loved it.

Peacock in Hell – Kat Richardson ***
This felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of a novel and there it was a bit hard to follow at first. I feel like there was a lot left unexplained. Since I’m not familiar with this author, I don’t know if these characters are part of a bigger story that would make this short one make more sense but as a stand-alone story, it was OK, if a bit confusing.

Eye of Newt – Kevin J Anderson ***
This was well written and funny but not at all my cup of tea. It was written as more of a farce with over-the-top everything. Fans of the Nightside series by Simon R. Green may enjoy this though I prefer Nightside to this story.

What Dwells Within – Lucy A Snyder ***
There was way too much unexplained stuff going on in this story. The main character also seemed to be able to do everything. Too much of a deux ex machina for my liking. That said, the writing itself was solid and I’m sure it would appeal to some.

Hunter, Healer – Jim C Hines ****
I really liked this story. If it weren’t for the incredible vulgarity of one of the characters I’d give it 5 stars. I have no problem with some vulgarity but this was excessive and over the top. I assume it was meant to be funny but it seemed low-brow and childish and detracted from an otherwise solid and affecting story.

Baggage – Erik Scott de Bie ****
This one was great. Tough girl(s). Demons. I would definitely like to read more about the characters in this story. I liked that the main character had power but wasn’t invincible either. Also, the story explained itself and didn’t leave me with information overload or a lot of blanks to fill in like a couple of previous stories have done.

Sales Force – Kristine Kathryn Rusch ***
Magic and grief. It was a good story but the characters didn’t really grab me.

Impossible Monsters – Rob Thurman *****
This story is part of the Cal Leandros series which I cannot possibly recommend enough. Buy it. Read it. Cal is part monster, part human and all sarcasm. This story takes place sometime after book 10. This story was excellent and I enjoyed getting to read about Cal again. This story was also the most brutal of the bunch as only Cal can be. Just because you’re a monster doesn’t mean you can’t do some good.

One person found this helpful

Cindy

Butcher and Huff at their best and some great new authors

Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2017

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I ordered it on Monday, got it on Tuesday and spent all day Wednesday reading it. Loved it, particularly the stories by Jim Butcher and Tanya Huff. I was also introduced to authors that I had not read before. An entertaining read with some good plot twists.