A collection of sixteen sci-fi and fantasy stories edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton and author William McCaskey.A child’s wish for her father comes true. The end of the world has never been so much fun. Conquering personal demons becomes all too real. It’s not always about winning; sometimes it’s about showing up for the fight. It’s about loving your life’s work, … loving your life’s work, and jobs that make you question everything.
In this anthology, seventeen authors have woven together brand-new stories that speak to the darkness and despair that life brings while reminding us that good deeds, humor, love, sacrifice, dedication, and following our joy can ignite a light that burns so bright the darkness cannot last.
Laurell K. Hamilton and William McCaskey are joined by Kevin J. Anderson, Griffin Barber, Patricia Briggs, Larry Correia, Kacey Ezell, Monalisa Foster, Robert E. Hampson, John G. Hartness, Jonathan Maberry, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Jessica Schlenker, Sharon Shinn, M. C. Sumner, Patrick M. Tracy, and Michael Z. Williamson in this collection.
more
I read it for the Patricia Briggs short story about Asil. If I was rating just that story, it’d be a 5 star rating. Some of the rest of the stories were better than others, but interesting to try them.
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.
I got this fun surprise read in the mail and as a HUGe fan of LKH I dove into it with pure excitement!.
I will be honest that I don’t know any of the authors except for so that it the only short I will talk to. I LOVED it. I loved getting to get to see a little more Anita. This is the perfect story for both fans and for new readers of the series. You get to see a new story of a man that comes back to life and causes some trouble. A fun quick 10 minute read that you will completely enjoy.
I only picked this up for Asil And The Not Date because I adore all things Mercyverse so I couldn’t miss this short story. This is definitely one of the stronger short stories in this universe and I just continue to love Asil more and more.
A book of short stories by two favorite authors (Patricia Briggs and Laurell K. Hamilton) and some newbies. With most shorts some are good and some are okay.
Everyone has different tastes…
Please NOTE – The narration (on the Audible version) is a 4-5 star. VERY well done.
The stories range from 3 stars to 5 stars. Similar to what’s expected in short story collections. If I had not needed to spend an Audible credit, would not have purchased the Kindle version. The stories are SHORT and probably half deserve a 3 star rating.
‘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.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
This is an anthology full of shorts by various authors. You will find fulfilling stories in it, but I chose to review these two:
Asil and the Not-Date (An Alpha and Omega Story) by Patricia Briggs
Asil is thousands of years old and is a werewolf. He is handsome beyond means and leads a boring existence. His mate was killed by their foster daughter, a black witch at one point; whom was killed in battle with the Marrock, Charles, Anna, his ghost wife and him. Now, concerned friends have been setting him up on weird dates with terms. This last date will definitely be a doozy and one for the books…this poor man needs to just stay hidden!
Zombie Dearest (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Story) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita had raised an almost human-like zombie two years ago, Thomas Warrington. Thomas was in love with Justine and vice versa. They had relations as well before Anita put him back in the grave. She had him cremated and spread him through running water after in different places. Now, Justine is in the hospital fighting for her life and they do not know why! When Jean Claude apprises the situation, he believes some of Anita’s ardeur found its way into the zombie. And somehow the zombie is draining Justine’s life force…now Anita has to solve another crime, bag the criminal and destroy one of her past raises again! Just another day in the neighborhood for her right…?
I am a huge Laurell K. Hamilton and Patricia Briggs fan so to get to read this book was amazing. I still have some stories to get through but this book offers a bit for everyone who loves fantasy and emotional rollercoaster rides. Although short they pack a great amount of punch.
Highly recommend. Getting to know new to me authors was great also.
I lean more towards fantasy than sci-fi in my reading preferences, and it showed in the stories that I seemed to enjoy more. I wanted to read this because of the short story by Patricia Briggs (love her series!) and I was not disappointed.
I also wanted to see what the characters in Laurell K. Hamilton’s world are up to, even though I stopped reading the Anita Blake series awhile back. Loved the series, but there didn’t seem to be much of a story advancement in the books with all the sex scenes (and I read erotica and romance, so it’s not like I don’t like reading about sex!!!) I enjoyed Zombie Dearest, and since there was no sex in it to keep it clean for the anthology, there was actually a story there.
Some of the other fantasy stories that I really enjoyed and want to read more from the authors because of their writing were; Not in this Lifetime by Sharon Shinn, Mr. Positive the Eternal Optimist by Larry Correia, Heart of Clay by Kevin J. Anderson, and Reprise by John G. Hartness. And the sci-fi stories that I really liked were Broken Son by Griffin Barber, Last Contact by M.C. Sumner, and Bonds of Love and Duty by Monalisa Foster.
All the other ones were enjoyable, except I really couldn’t get into Fallen by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
A very good short story collection that makes reading a story or two before bed an enjoyable thing to do, and perhaps you’ll find a new author… or five!
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I am sometimes a little hesitant to pick up short story collections since I have had mixed luck with them in the past. When I saw the group of authors that contributed to this collection, I knew that I had to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this group of wildly varied stories. I loved the fact that there was a little bit of everything in this book and had a great time reading all of the stories.
Twilight Falls by Jonathan Maberry – 3.5 stars
This was entertaining. This story was about a group of three men on a mission. There is a group that believes that in order to save the world 90% of its population needs to be exterminated. The trio goes to investigate a wiped-out village and stumble upon something they didn’t expect. There was a lot of action and some pretty big surprises in this story.
Not in this Lifetime by Sharon Shinn – 4 stars
I really enjoyed this story. Sasha remembers all of her past lives and her past friends which she seems to keep finding in each life. She also remembers how she dies in each life. There is one thing that she doesn’t seem to remember though.
Mr. Positive, the Eternal Optimist by Larry Correia – 4 stars
This was a fun little story. Someone is trying to kill Stanley and he isn’t just going to let it happen regardless of how polite his assassin might be. There was a lot of action and the twist at the end was well done.
No Greater Love by Kaey Ezell – 4 stars
Jennilee stays behind with one of her mother’s who is in labor while her family continues on their dangerous journey. Jennilee is just a teenager but it is up to her to help her mother deliver her baby and keep them safe. When things go horribly wrong, she makes the only decision she can and is still able to protect her family.
Broken Son by Griffin Barber – 3 stars
This is a futuristic story where prisoners are sent out into space to work. A scientist has a theory that could change everything and goes along with a crew to investigate. It was interesting to see exactly what their discovery was able to do.
Heart of Clay by Kevin J. Anderson – 4 stars
I have read the first book in this series so I was familiar with the characters. It was nice to see Dan and his crew solve the case of the murdered golems and find a missing sword. The Renaissance Faire was filled with interesting characters and it was fun to see how everything fit together.
Reprise by John G. Hartness – 4 stars
This is a Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter short story. I haven’t read any of the books from that series but would definitely give them a try after reading this story. This story follows Quincy Harker as he tries to stop what is going on in the local park while coming to terms with seeing a ghost from his past. I liked the characters a lot and found the story very interesting.
Asil and the Not-Date by Patricia Briggs – 5 stars
This was a great story! I love Asil and the idea of him going out on these not-dates brought a smile to my face. Tami was an interesting character. There were some pretty big surprises in this story and I loved that in the end, Asil was a hero. There was even a hint of humor to go around.
In the Dust by Robert E. Hampson – 4 stars
I thought that this story was very well done. We see Winnie and Jenny at key points in their life starting in their childhood. Winnie likes to tinker in the old museum while Jenny seems to have more going on in her life but they have a wonderful connection. There is a pretty big surprise in this story which I thought was very well done.
Fallen by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. – 2 stars
This one was kind of confusing. The story jumps around a lot and I had a hard time keeping up. We see the main character, Estafen, in a lot of different situations but things often switched abruptly.
Working Conditions by Patrick M. Tracy – 4 stars
This was a really quick story about a young man that never misses a day of work. Now that he is a vampire, it changes a few things in his working environment. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and really liked the twist.
Last Contact by M.C. Sumner – 4 stars
This was a very interesting alien story. The main character is faced with a very difficult decision that can change his life forever. I really liked the descriptions and how everything played out.
Ronin by William McCaskey – 3.5 stars
This was a fun little story about a warrior that I never expected. The story did go in a direction that I didn’t expect which was a big plus. I did enjoy this one quite a bit.
Skjoldmodir by Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker – 4 stars
I really liked this story. I hate to admit that I have not read Beowulf but it seems that this is a Beowulf story from another point of view. I felt for this mother and everything that she has been through. Her love for her son was very evident. This was very well done.
Bonds of Love and Duty by Monalisa Foster – 4 stars
This was a really big story. I loved the idea of these created soldiers. This is a story of survival and fighting until the end. I thought that Andret and the wolves were all fantastic characters. This was a very entertaining read.
Zombie Dearest by Laurell K. Hamilton – 4 stars
I love Anita Blake in all of her necromancy glory. This is a story of one man that was raised from the dead a little too well and the impact that has left. I thought that this was an exciting story that would work very well for new readers and fans of the series.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. I had a lot of luck with almost all of the stories in this collection. I enjoyed reading the stories of the authors I was already familiar with such as Patricia Briggs, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Kevin J. Anderson and finding a few new authors that I would like to read more of in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.