A Fantasy Medley 3

First off, I have to say that it's pretty neat to find a fantasy collection that, while not devoted to female authors, has 75% content from female authors. This makes me happy.

Second, I ordered this copy from Subterranean Press about whom I've heard nothing but wonderful things, and all those wonderful things are true. These are publishers devoted to taking good stories and creating really beautiful books out of them. As a cheap person, I ordered the cloth-bound version of this collection, and it's a really lovely little thing. When Kevin Hearne's next novella comes out, I may spring for the leather.

Now to the content. I bought this because Kevin Hearne said it was currently the only way to read “Goddess at the Crossroads” and I wasn't willing to wait for his next collection to read more Iron Druid. The story tells about how Atticus met and saved the life of Shakespeare, and for fans of the series, it's a fun little injection to fill the void until book 9 comes out. While it could use more Oberon (what couldn't?) it has been vetted by proper Shakespearean scholars and is a delightful aside. You don't need to have read the series to enjoy it, but chronologically it takes place after Tricked, so it's good to have read that far.

The other three stories were authors I've never read before and a distinct mix of styles. I think I enjoyed “The Death of Aiguillon” the most as it combines Vietnamese fantasy with fallen angels on earth and just what is not to love about that? Jacqueline Carey (who I've always neglected reading as probably too racy for me) contributes a story that I attached to right away with its themes of a woman's rights to her own life, her own choices. I may have misjudged the author due to cheesy covers in the past.

The fourth story “Ashes” was probably my least favorite. It has some cool elements in it, but they seem like elements that belong in a novel, not a short story. Also, that novel would be fairly formulaic. It has nods to both Buffy and Noir stories and a pet fire salamandar, but I think it just wasn't enough space to tell the story properly.

This collection is a hundred percent worth it for Iron Druid fans, but I think, surprisingly, it's also a hundred percent worth it for fantasy fans looking for unconventional social fantasy. A quick but enjoyable read.