Rogues

For over a decade, I have been wondering how the Marquis got his coat back. Now that I have an answer, I feel I can at last breathe easily again.

Rogues is an interesting collection and is spans genres much more than I expected. A lot of the stories seem to require at least a little foreknowledge of the author's previous works. For lovers of Neverwhere, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Kingkiller chronicles, this is a real treat. Gaiman and Rothfuss easily have my two favorite stories in the bunch in no small part because they take my favorite character from their respective worlds and give them a chance to shine as rogues away from the hero's spotlight. Martin's story is interesting, but written as a historical translation, so a bit more dry than the actual novels. It also offers several extremely intriguing sidelines which go nowhere and serve only to frustrate the reader. Thanks, George, for reminding us how much more there is to your world and then not telling any of it to us!breathes

And thanks Rothfuss for not only giving Bast a “Winter is Coming” line, but naming your crazy old hill-codger “Martin.” A bit snarky, but appreciated nonetheless.

As for the other stories, the gambit is wide. I've never read Gillian Flynn before, but her story was hauntingly scary. I'd hoped Scott Lynch would give us a little exploration of some of the Gentleman Bastards, but his story is entertaining nonetheless. Daniel Abraham's piece is surprisingly poignant, but as intricately plotted as I've come to expect of his work.

For new authors to me I really enjoyed Michael Swanwick's take on historical zombies. Bradley Denton's “Bad Brass” was amusing if only because it was about a marching band crime ring, and how is that not a wonderful thing?

I definitely enjoyed the purely fantastical stories much more than the others, but that's probably just a matter of taste. The only one that I was actually irritated reading was “Now Showing,” which was just so referential as to lose its charm. Writing about a couple who shares a love of movies is difficult, because every reference just feels so very forced. The concept of far future movie theaters is awesome, but I came away just tired from all of the “new blockbusters” and shameless Star Wars quotes.

If you like any of the names in this volume, it's definitely worth reading their stories even if you skip the rest. I particularly urge Gaiman and Rothfuss fans, the first because it clears up a decades old confusion and pays love letter tribute to the most beautiful piece of clothing ever produced, and the latter because it reveals much more of Bast (literally and figuratively) than any of the epic tome novels do. Fae fanservice? Absolutely. Thanks, Pat.