| Title | : | Dark and Stormy Knights |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0312598343 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780312598341 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 357 |
| Publication | : | First published July 14, 2010 |
1. A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5) by Ilona Andrews: Kate Daniels guards shifter Saiman, less trustworthy than the enemy.
2. Even Hand (Dresden Files, #11.6) by Jim Butcher: "Gentleman" John Marcone, Chicago's most dangerous crime lord, fights water demon with defenses against White Council wizard Harry Dresden.
3. The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher: Hereditary fighter faces monster that killed his father and town, with a little girl that attracts said monster.
4. Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine: Liesl trains the new Dragonslayer before she faces the last dragon.
5. Dark Lady (Vampire Files, #12.75) by P.N. Elrod: Vampire nightclub owner Jack Fleming promises radio to resident ghost.
6. Beknighted by Deidre Knight: Artist tries to free knight painted in real gold.
7. Shifting Star (Signs of the Zodiac, #4.6) by Vicki Peterson: Skamar, Tibetan for star, newly created tulpa, fights another vicious male of Tulpa.
8. Rookwood & Mrs King by Lilith Saintcrow: Vampire private eye is hired by wife to kill the woman's vampire husband.
9. God's Creatures (Kitty Norville, #0.8) by Carrie Vaughn: Cormac follows a werewolf to convent school.
Dark and Stormy Knights Reviews
-
When I read short story collections intermittently over a long period of time, my reactions are similarly written piecemeal, while they're fresh in my mind. That gives the reviews a choppy, and often repetitive, quality. I'm now trying to go back and edit some of those done in the past, to condense and rearrange them into unified wholes. Accordingly, I've now edited this one.
This is a collection of nine original stories in the urban fantasy genre. Besides her presumed role in selection, Elrod's contribution as editor only consists of short factual material about the contributors after each story; the selections are presented without introduction or comment, completely on their own. Though I'd previously heard of most of the nine authors represented (three didn't ring any bells) the only two whose work I'd read before were Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher. (The excellent Andrews story, "A Questionable Client," is one I'd already read, as a bonus feature in the edition of Magic Bites that I read; I commented on it in my review of that novel.) So the majority of the writers were new to me. All of the stories are towards the upper length range for short stories; 40 pages is about the average, with one at nearly fifty pages and a couple between 30 and 40. This allows the writers scope for more development and treatment than one sometimes finds in a short story. Several of the new-to-me stories also deliver plenty of violent action. A less constructive common feature of these (with the laudable exception of a couple, including the one by Jim Butcher) is that they contain a noticeable amount of bad language, including some use of the f-word and misuse of Divine names. This was never pervasive enough to make me stop reading, but it was irritating, and in most instances I think the artistic case for it is very weak or nonexistent.
My favorite selection is Rachel Caine's "Even a Rabbit Will Bite." It's an exploration of the theme of dragon-hunting, with an aging female Dragonslayer who's well over 750 years old (she owes her longevity to drinking dragon's blood when she started her career). It seems there's been a centuries-long sub rosa battle between dragonkind and humanity, the latter defended by Dragonslayers sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church. But now all but one dragon is dead, and the Dragonslayers are down to one woman, who's ready to retire and train a successor. This is a really, really powerful tale, with more than one surprise; I can't say any more without a spoiler. Lilith Saintcrow is represented by another powerful piece, "Rookwood and Mrs. King," a vampire yarn in which the vampires are the soulless, wholly evil incarnations of darkness that the classical vampire tales made them out to be. But what of the humans bitten by vampires, tainted by the Thirst --but not turned, and not devoid of their human conscience and principles...? (Note: liking the story doesn't mean I endorse every off-the-cuff comment the protagonist makes!) Saintcrow is a prolific author, with (I think) about nine series to her name, but this seems to be a free-standing work.
"Even Hand" is set in the Chicago of the Dresden Files, but Harry Dresden isn't the protagonist. Instead, the author chose to feature one of his secondary characters. Readers of Storm Front will recognize "Gentleman" John Marcone, gangster boss of the Chicago underworld (who's also well aware of the world of the paranormal). Making him the protagonist of the story is a dicey decision; he calls himself a "professional monster" and has an earned reputation for self-interest and ruthlessness. He's not the kind of hero I like or admire, and some of his attitudes will chill most readers. BUT, criminal though he is, he does have certain "rules" and lines in the sand, one of which is that innocent children are not to be harmed --and an innocent child is in harm's way here. This story makes good use of Scandinavian mythology (a feature this descendant of Swedish Vikings appreciated).
It isn't clear, either from her brief description here or from her Goodreads author page, whether or not Shannon K. Butcher, author of "The Beacon," is Jim Butcher's wife. (If she is, I'm guessing that she chooses to downplay the connection in order not to ride on his coattails.) The mythos behind her story (which also appears to be a stand-alone) is her own invention. In another dimension live the Terraphages: huge, hideous, practically indestructible, unstoppable carnivores who are repelled by sunlight. Certain innocent humans are "Beacons" who, at one particular point in their life, attract a single Terraphage to our world and somehow provide it with power to enter it at sunset. Before being driven off by the sun, the Terraphage will eat that Beacon and the whole community he/she is in. To prevent this, a bloodline of humans are magically endowed with power to sense active Beacons (wherever they are) and kill them before they attract a Terraphage. Our protagonist, Ryder Ward, is of this bloodline. You'll have noted that this summary has a vast number of logical holes, which you're assuming are explained in the text. They're not. The total absence of plausibility or logical coherence in the premise is a serious flaw in the story, even though (if you take it on its own terms) the emotional wallop is considerable, the two main characters are well-drawn, and Ryder's a dynamic character --but no spoilers here!
Editor Elrod's contribution, "Dark Lady," features the hero of her Vampire Files series, Jack Fleming. Set in 1938 Chicago, this tale has all the ambiance of classic noir --gangsters, treachery, mayhem with guns and explosives, a lovely damsel in distress-- but without the amorality and cynicism that so often cankers the noir tradition. Nightclub owner Fleming is a fairly conventional protagonist for this type of yarn in many ways (young, handsome, tough and savvy, with a willingness to help those in trouble); but he also happens to be a vampire. (His club also has a resident ghost, who plays no small role here.) With a finely constructed plot (nicely twisted and surprising), some sympathetic characters, and an appealing literary voice (and minimal bad language), this was a thoroughly satisfying read.
Though I didn't at first recognize her name, Carrie Vaughn is the author of the Kitty Norville series, as well as of the intriguing Steel. Her "God's Creatures," the shortest story here, features one of the series characters, werewolf hunter Cormac, who tracks a cattle-killing lycanthrope to a Catholic boarding school in sparsely-populated rural Colorado. (Okay, this one isn't really urban fantasy.) This is a grim tale, Cormac isn't a particularly likable protagonist, and the opening has features I didn't appreciate (a stereotyped minor character and PC thoughts from Cormac that he can stick in his ear). But despite this, it's a more serious story than most werewolf fiction, going beyond the simplistic humans vs. monster template to have some real psychological and even spiritual depth; and there are indications that Cormac's negative attitude toward religion isn't the same as the author's.
"Beknighted" (no, that's not misspelled!) by Deidre Knight takes some getting into; the protagonist is an artist who creates hand-painted puzzles, but there are features of her situation and of the premise that are "off" compared to the real world, but not explained here. (I'm guessing the story is a spin-off from a series, where these features ARE explained.) It's a story that only involves three characters, and set entirely in the almost claustrophobic confines of the artist's studio; and we never fully understand all of the magic that's going on. But such is the author's mastery that before long the tale captivates you --it may have some of the surrealism and mystery of a dream (and our protagonist's dreams play a big role), but it's a dream of great beauty, even in the face of deadly danger and hideous evil, and of great emotional intensity, and it's a story about moral decision and sacrifice. The ending falls into place like the fitting of the final piece of one of the artist's beautiful puzzles.
Drawn probably from the world of her Signs of the Zodiac series, and set in her own hometown of Las Vegas, Pettersson's "Shifting Star" (her protagonist's name, Skamar, means "star" in Tibetan) draws on Asian mythology/mysticism in a very original way. Buddhist tradition actually holds that certain adepts can, by the power of mental concentration, create living beings (tulpas) from their thoughts alone. Skamar is such a tulpa, brought into being as a fighter in the ongoing secret face-off between the powers of Dark and Light, and given materiality and power by the act of being named. Not really human despite her appearance, and with powers that put her in the super-heroine mold, she's not my favorite kind of protagonist (I prefer humans who don't have super powers, and are therefore easier to relate to). But her story here is a profoundly moral one at the deepest level, all about learning what matters in life (and a tulpa with no past and no upbringing can have a lot to learn about what makes life tick). While learning isn't always a pain-free process, it's worth doing. This story would probably be best appreciated by readers who have a background in the author's series and start with an understanding of the premise and magic system (I didn't, and had never heard of tulpas when I started reading here); but even if you don't, it can suck you in and pack an emotional punch.
Even though this collection isn't unflawed, for the most part the stories are powerful tales that provoke real thought and feeling, and have the serious moral vision that's characteristic of great fiction. It's an outstanding read in its own right, and an excellent short introduction to some highly talented writers. -
A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5) by Ilona Andrews
Saiman meets Kate. And he is very impressed. She kills a few endars (green fur creatures driven crazy by blood) and a Badzula (a middle aged woman in a filthy blanket that incites people to vagrancy) and she saves him from the volhvs (who serve pagan Slavic gods).
Kate meets Saiman. And she is not particularly impressed. She thinks he is a terrible human being, self-absorbed and egoistic.
Saiman is so impress with Kate that he offers her a discount every time she asks for his services from now on. He also promises Kate that he will find a form she cannot resist and he will make her his.
Kate is so not impressed with Saiman that she vows she will try to never see him or work with him again.
None of them will get what they want in the next books. -
2020 Re-Read
It's been a while since I was entertained by this short story collection. This time through, I really enjoyed the P.N. Elrod story featuring her vampire PI, Jack Fleming. I've read three of her novels featuring him and I quite like them. I'm going to look for some of Carrie Vaughan's werewolf fiction, too. Of course I always appreciate Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, and Rachel Caine.
I find myself re-reading rather than tackling new material these days. Comfort reading in a time of uncertainty, I guess. I'll see if there's any equivalence, but I finally got busy & did some house cleaning today, so maybe I can try out one of the numerous unread books waiting on my shelves now.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
A very enjoyable collection of 9 urban fantasy shorts. I have only read 3 of the authors before (Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine), but I will certainly search out more work by the other authors in the volume.
Of the 9, there was only one which I found a bit confusing, perhaps because I haven’t read more of her work. With the Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher offerings, I was familiar enough with their worlds to make these two short works quite enjoyable. The authors playfully filling in the bits between their major stories.
If you are a fan of urban fantasy and looking to explore authors that you aren’t familiar with, these collections can be a great starting point.
I read this book to fill the "Dark & Stormy Night" square for Halloween Book Bingo 2016. -
3 out of 5
I read this book on audio during my too long ride to work. Each story seems to have a different narrator and I enjoyed the change of voice for each story (even if every story wasn't so great).
The first story A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews is a prequel to the Kate Daniels series featuring Kate's first run-in with sexy, shady shifter Saiman. I loved it. It's filled with sarcasam, gore and Saiman doing his creepy shifting thing and attempting to find the perfect form that'll make Kate jump his bones. He has found himself in a world of trouble after stealing a magical acorn (yes, you read that correctly), and she is called in as a bodyguard. Sounds weird when I write it all down here but trust me it works out. 4.5
Next up is Jim Butcher's Even Hand. I haven't been following the Dresden Files series. I think I made it to book 3 or 4 and was so sad when the tv series came to an untimely end and then sort of forgot about the series. Fortunately, this story stood well enough on it's own. Set in the Harry Dresden universe, it's not about Harry but about another gumshoe type. A young lady and a baby arrive and need his help. Creatures show up, adventure ensues. The writing was crisp but it didn't thrill me. Actually, if I'm being honest it kinda bored me for the most part. 3
The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher is a very average tale about a man who slays "Beacons". Beacon's are people who somehow have the capacity to bring monstrous man-killing beasts into the world. This Beacon Slayer has spent his life murdering the "Beacon's" before the monsters arrive. They are typically old men so he doesn't feel all that bad about his dutyt but when the latest Beacon turns out to be an adorable little cherub with a beautiful young, single mother he has a change of heart. This is an ok monster tale with some action and emotion but it's not one I'll remember for too long. 3.5
Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine was more my thing. It starts out slow but the payoff was worth it. The last dragonslayer is being forced to retire and train her replacement. She's crotchety and a bit of a bitch and I loved that realism about her personality. But be warned, it's a sad, melancholy story. 4.5
Next up was Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod featuring vampire and private investigator Jack Fleming. This is part of the Vampire Files family and is a well written, noir type of mystery written in the same tone as the rest of the series. Not my favorite, honestly I found it a wee bit boring, but certainly not bad by any means. 3.5
Beknighted by Deidre Knight felt so very stereotypical. A beautiful artist is attempting to bring to life the knight of her dreams by way of her puzzle artwork. Only problem is she doesn't have the cash to buy the special gold stuff needed to spring him free and must take on a patron in order to raise the bucks. She pisses and moans that's shes not a nine to fiver but I think this book is set in the past? This was a little unclear to me. The man with the gold coin is, of course, gorgeous but a terribly Evil guy who has nefarious plans. This was a bit disjointed and didn't gel together for me. 3
Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson may well be a fabulous story but the narrator was so monotonousness that I tuned much of it out. I haven't listened to a narrator this awful in ages. This one also confused the hell out of me and I found the lead character wooden and odd. She's after something called a "Tulpa" that *I think* has been kidnapping young tweens. It feels very mid series and is not a story that reads well on its own. 2.5
By the time I reached the last two stories by Lilith St. Crow and Carrie Vaughn my attention had left for good and I can't remember enough about either story to write up any kind of synopsis. -
An anthology of nine short stories with a central theme of the dark, stormy protector. A person who will fight to save but not always in the most scrupulous manner.
Series:
"A Questionable Client" (Kate Daniels, 0.5)
"Even Hand" (Dresden Files, 11.6)
"Dark Lady" (Vampire Files: Jack Fleming, 2 years after his "death" and Lady Crymsyn is open)
"Shifting Star" (Zodiac, 4.75)
"God's Creatures" (Kitty Norville, 0.6)
The Stories
Ilona Andrews' "A Questionable Client" fills in the background on Kate and Saiman's first meeting. It certainly rams it home as to why Kate finds it so easy to ignore Saiman's attempts at seduction! As we also learn more about his pricing and the discount he's given Kate.
Also in Magic Graves.
Jim Butcher's "Even Hand" is actually about Gentleman Marcone in which we learn more about his business ethics—both good and bad. This is not a man you want to cross.
Shannon K. Butcher's "Beacon" is an oddly sweet romance that starts with our dark and stormy knight with a bead on a little girl, the Beacon. The only way to keep the town around this young girl safe is to shoot her. But Ryder Ward can't quite bring himself to do it. No matter how many people will die…
Rachel Caine's "Even a Rabbit Will Die" is a clever bit! Liesl Martin is over 742-years-old and being retired from her duties as a dragonslayer. Yeah, yeah, sure, the Pope sent her a sweet letter with blessings and thanks but what is she supposed to do now. Oh, yeah, train her replacement…young pups!
P. N. Elrod's "Dark Lady" brings a little light onto Myrna! A mobster, Foxtrot Joe, has been caught skimming on his collections and Gordy's found out. Joe's girl, Emma, is hoping Jack can help a girl out.
Deidre Knight's "Beknighted" is confusing with little illumination at the end. Dreams have caused Anna to continue to try to paint the knight who appears in her sleeping fantasies but a miscut here, a slip of the brush there, poor mounting, a misapplication of color. It's just too frustrating until he shows up with exactly what she needs.
Vicki Pettersson's "Shifting Star" made me cry! Skamar is exploring life, learning how to cope. Becoming a full-blown tulpa has made Skamar strong but dealing with people is confusing. That neighbor of hers, Vaughan, keeps bugging her about coffee. Then Zoe Archer, her maker??, has a task for her. Protecting her granddaughter, Ashlyn, from the Tulpa. For Ashlyn is a young agent just about to start her second life cycle, "the most vulnerable point" in her life and she must be protected from the Dark.
Okay, I think I want to read this series as it sounds intriguing if a bit cartoony BUT this story was a bit frustrating as it didn't explain who people were or what their relationships were to each other.
Lilith Saintcrow's "Rookwood and Mrs. King" is intriguing. I'm hoping there's more than just this one story out there! A new widow has just hired Rookwood, a private eye, to deal with her husband. Seems he just won't go quietly into that good night. Seems there's a lot more beneath both their stories than we see on the surface. Saintcrow provides plenty of information for this particular story with lots of gaps that make me want to know more about the bigger story.
Carrie Vaughan's "God's Creatures" is an aside with Cormac taking on a job to hunt the killer of a rancher's cattle. A trail that seems to lead to a Catholic reform school.
The Cover and Title
I think the couple on the book with the hazy lit-up city in the night's background are compiled from the various stories in the book. They seem to be perched in front of a railing. He's wearing a black leather jacket and a white T and sitting down in front of her loosely clasping a smoking rifle. She's wearing a shiny black scoop-necked shirt with cap sleeves and black leather pants with a low-slung studded belt. Loose, long hair blowing in the breeze, studded leather cuffs around her wrists and left bicep with a V'd black choker around her neck as she holds a gun up. He looks a bit stunned while she's looking out at us at an angle, a knowing look in her eye as she seems to question our next step.
The title, Dark and Stormy Knights, is, oh, so appropriate for these stories. For every story has a dark hero who storms in to protect. -
Anthologies, you know. It’s like asking people to throw random things at your head and hoping they pick cotton balls instead of rocks.
The good
Rachel Caine, “Even a Rabbit Will Bite” – A surprise standout. I’m not a Rachel Caine fan (hello, deliberate impregnation without consent plotline in her series, unclean unclean!) but this really worked. Very ancient dragonslayer teaches the trade to her apprentice. There’s just one dragon left in the world now, and only on the brink of extinction can you ask if this should ever have happened. Nothing hugely surprising, but one of the most balanced, layered stories here.
Jim Butcher, “Even Hand” – Oh Jim Butcher, how are you so charming while still being . . . you? A mystery for the ages. Harry Dresden is Sir Not Appearing in this story, except for how when a story is about John Marcone, it’s really all about Harry Dresden anyway.
Ilona Andrews, “A Questionable Client” – A long night’s slugfest of bodyguard work, enlivened by some interesting worldbuilding and a nice ending. No real there there, but lots of color.
The bad
Deirdre Knight, “Beknighted” – How am I supposed to take an author seriously when she says “preciseness” instead of “precision?” Also, the story is a floridly overwritten bit of nonsense that is supposed to be romantic and atmospheric but . . . isn’t.
Shannon K. Butcher, “The Beacon” – A story about a guy who shoots people before they can unknowingly pull demons across the void to kill everyone. Except one day, it’s a little girl, and you know shooting those old people, that was okay, but this is just not on, and also the girl’s mother is hot. The story isn’t great, but I hated it more than it deserved for its inept attempt at depth.
Vicki Pettersson, “Shifting Star” – It’s so awkward when you automatically assume the sexually harassing neighbor dude who can’t take no for an answer is one of the bad guys, only to discover he’s supposed to be the hero. Always an awkward cocktail party moment! Add in the bit where the heroine fucks with his memory and then makes out with him, and I pretty much had to scrub my brain out after reading this. But I think we already knew Vicki Pettersson’s sexual politics were this bad.
The indifferent
Carrie Vaughn, “God’s Creatures” – Unexceptional story about a werewolf hunt that does the whole “who’s the real monster here?” routine. Been there, done that.
Lilith Saintcrow, “Rookwood and Mrs. King” – Vampire detective gets hired to kill a woman’s undead husband, and then she pwns him all over the place. Vaguely entertaining.
P. N. Elrod, “Dark Lady” – Chicago, vampires, mob, etc. Fun, but not something I’ll remember two weeks from now. -
Do you ever read anthologies and by the time you are done only remember 1 story?
Like all anthologies 1 was awesome, a couple were ok, 1 I skipped, and the rest I thought was some of the stupidest stories I had ever read. Meh. But I feel this way with every anthology. I read them to read my fave authors additions, but short stories just aren't my thing. Just too few pages to understand an entire universe especially if I haven't read anything from that author before.
I did particularly like 1 story, but that could be because I am biased and only picked up the book in the first place for Ilona Andrews. Her story covered Kate and Saimon's backstory. It was really fun and very much in the Kate fashion.
After finishing Andrew's story (which I read 1st) I sped through the rest of the book without being much impressed, and was often scoffing. -
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels prequel)
Review:
I would have bought the whole anthology for this story alone. We get an early glimpse at Kate’s life and find out how she met the shapeshifter Saiman. Sadly, no Curran, but we do get a fun bit of Russian mythology. If you haven’t tried this series yet, you get a great sense of the humor, characters, and world that Kate lives in all packed into 46 excellent pages….5/5 bats
Click HERE to read an excerpt from Ilona Andrews story
Even Hand by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #11.5)
Review:
I’ve only ready a couple Harry Dresden books so far, and wasn’t familiar with the character of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone who is the protagonist this time (Harry only gets a few mentions, mostly from Marcone wanting to kill him). This story had a Thumbelina quality for me in that Marcone protects a beautiful young woman who escaped after being abducted by a nasty froglike creature. I loved the character of Marcone with his harsh, stoic exterior that belies a more compassionate man than even he’s willing to acknowledge…4/5 bats
The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher
Review:
Possibly the weakest story in the bunch for me, but still good. A self-loathing man has killed dozens of men who, unbeknownst to them, are beacons for unstoppable killing monsters, before they can summon the creature…until he discovers the next beacon is a little girl with a beautiful single mother...3/5 bats
Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine
Review:
My second favorite after the Kate Daniels story. The last dragonslayer must train her replacement before she can retire. This one had a cool Buffy vibe with the idea of a watcher training a young woman who had no idea she had a destiny. The ending was a fantastic surprise…5/5 bats
Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod (The Vampire Files #?)
Review:
Vampire PI Jack Fleming helps a woman trying to clear her fiancés name and keep the mob from killing him in this 1930’s story. A fun supernatural mystery with temperamental ghost…3/5 bats
Click HERE to read an excerpt from P.N. Elrod’s story
Beknighted by Deidre Knight
Review:
Another one of the weaker stories. A puzzle maker/painter must work alongside a dangerous man to free another who has been haunting her dreams. PNR fans will like the added romance of this story, but I found it slightly confusing and apart from a few references, it could have been a regency story…3/5
Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson (Sign of the Zodiac #4.5)
Review:
I’m not a huge fan of this series, and it took me awhile to remember what was going on since the author didn’t ever really explain her complex world this time. I don’t recommend newbies to this world start here as there are lots of spoilers from the previous books. It focuses on the character Skamar as she continues her quest to destroy the Tulpa, this time with the help of her hot neighbor cop…3/5
Rookwood and Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow
Review:
I’m a fan of Lilith Saintcrow’s Dante Valentine series, so I was hopeful with this one, and I loved it. A dhampir vampire hunter helps a wife/widow stake her newly turned lawyer husband and imparts his vampire knowledge along the way. A little sexy, a little mysterious, and a lot of fun. I hope Lilith considers writing more about Rookwood in the future…4/5 bats
God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville #2.5)
Review:
This is the shortest story in the bunch (only 31 pages) and it feels it. Kitty is a no show. Instead this story focuses on werewolf hunter Cormac as he accepts a job to eliminate a rogue werewolf before it kills any humans at the local Catholic school. Not a lot going on in the story, but Cormac fans might enjoy it…3/5 bats
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. -
Note: This review is only for Ilona Andrews' short story, A Questionable Client.
Length: 45 pages
Call me strange if you'd like, but I found Saiman interesting in the short glimpses we get of his character in
Magic Bites and
Magic Burns. Since I've been devouring each installment in the Kate Daniels series with vigor lately, I figured I should read the series prequel before moving any further. And when I found out that this prequel is Saiman and Kate's back story, I knew I had to check it out.
In A Questionable Client, Kate Daniels, who works for the Mercenary Guild, is hired to act as bodyguard to a very wealthy — and strange — man named Saiman. The job is only for one night but Kate will be paid $3,000 if she's able to protect Saiman from the unknown-to-her threat that wants to kill him. Since Kate is highly experienced in this line of work, it sounds pretty easy — but it turns out to be anything but that when Kate finds out what's after Saiman, and what Saiman himself is capable of.
This story is fine. Kate has all of her trademark sarcasm and her trusty Slayer in hand, and the story is a short but nice, entertaining read; you find out some things about Saiman's past that I honestly didn't see coming; and Saiman spends a fair portion of this story naked, so that was a plus for me.
I wouldn't say that this story is mandatory for readers of the Kate Daniels series, but if you have an interest in Saiman like I do, or if you're all caught up with the series and are desperate for more until the next book is released, definitely check this out.
Or, if you're new to the series and want to start from the very beginning, get a little background on what happens to Kate before the events in
Magic Bites, this is a good place to start. -
Rated 3.5 Stars
Read only one story as I'm starting the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. This anthology has the first book, a prequel, #0.5, A Questionable Client in it. It was as good as most prequels are that start a series = not that great. I'm off to start book 01 now. I've heard it's a really decent series. -
No, really. LOTS of SPOILERS.
And I got my Kitty fix and I got my Dresden fix and I got my Kate Daniels fix allinthesamebookanditwassocool!!!
I could jump on board with this anthology thing.....
The Kitty story directly interrogates the question of monstrosity. Pitting Cormac against a werewolf, who admittedly is beginning to lose control, but who has never killed a human being leaves both the reader and Cormac questioning the nature of monstrosity. There is no reference to where in the Kitty timeline this takes place, I would suspect earlier rather than later since Cormac's crush on Kitty and his cousin getting all monstrosified should have led him to this question far earlier in the series than where this sits by publication date.
Really, this question is at the heart of so much of the horror genre. What is humanity? What is monstrosity? Let's blur those lines a bit, now what do they look like, is that what they "really" are? Silence of the Lambs is a good example of this line blurring. Sure it is easy enough to code Buffalo Bill as a "monster," he's kidnapping and killing young women for their skins and all. But what about Lector? Monster? Yes.....killing people and making them into, ah, works of art is an easy monstrosity codification. But he also provides invaluable help in catching Buffalo Bill. That makes him, at the very least, a selectively helpful monster. And there is this aspect to his character like a flame to the metaphorical moth that we, the audience, embody. He is an old school gentleman. How does that quality jive with his cannibalistic and violent tendencies? We find ourselves unable to look away from his cleverness in manipulating the police who strive to keep him locked up. We even find ourselves rooting for him, maybe just a little, when he tries to escape his windowless prison. If he is a monster, why do we feel this way? This conundrum is the question of monstrosity that faces Cormac, and so many other characters (and their readers) in Urban Fantasy.
The Dresden story follows Johnny Marcone, suuuuuuuuper mobboss. This story confirmed my theory that Marcone is another form of condoned masculinity in the Dresdenverse. Motivated by the "dark secret" of a girl who took a bullet meant for him, Marcone has her closeted away on life support; not even the girl's mother knows the kid is alive (she incidentally was an antagonist in the first book and now works as a madame for Marcone and probably betrayed him in Small Favor). Here we learn that Marcone's one rule is "No Children." As in, keep the kids out of the crime. It comes out that he disguises this as protecting his business interests, but both the reader and his magical consultant (female, btw) are led to question this "business" as his sole motivation. Particularly after Harry rooting out the kid's existence and understanding the MASSIVE trouble Marcone went to with the Shroud to try curing her.
Harry is totally OCD about saving kids, even more so than he is about saving damsels in distress, and yes, he does categorize said dames in that manner.
Michael is a literal knight in shining armor who met his wife while saving her from a dragon. Doesn't get more classic than that, which was the point. He gets "completely irrational" (Father Forthill, Dark and Stormy Knights) where his children are concerned.
Billy is also a sanctioned representation of masculinity, he's all about protecting his own and gets to deal with that failure in Turn Coat, just like Harry in the Grave Peril-Summer Knight arc via Susan.
Butters is a sanctioned portrayal of masculinity, more interesting that a lot of the others because he is originally coded as a victim, and while he "overcomes" this "deficiency" with some difficulty, he continues to be portrayed as a much less classically macho version of masculinity. His geekness is sanctioned as masculine by Harry when the latter brings the former over to Billy's place to continue the gaming nights with the introduction that Butter's "geek dick" is bigger than everyone elses. Here a premium is put on a high level of geekness, a social subgroup that perceives itself as somewhat disenfranchised and disempowered by more mainstream ideals of masculinity. (This is arguable since geek-dom tends to be extremely male dominated and frequently perpetrates many of the gender issues seen in mainstream patriarchy while loudly pontificating that this cannot possibly be so because of their masculinely disenfranchised state. See blog "From Texas A&M to College Station" for more on the gender complexities of being a female "geek"). Nonetheless, Butters presents a sanctioned, and comparatively disparate, version of masculinity in Butcher's works.
Morgan is also sanctioned....Nicodemus is actually sort of in this category. Maybe. Must think more on that one.....After this short story Hendricks definitely falls here.....Ramirez definitely falls here too....
Anyway.
Andrew's story takes place prior to the rest of the series and provides the explanation of Saiman's and Kate's meeting and the following business, at least on Kate's part, relationship. The range of mythology incorporated lives up to precedent (not a small thing), and fully delivers on characterization and cohesiveness in plot and action. There is an interesting bit about Saimen not being able to mimic viable ovum, thus leaving the actual creation of life in more normal realms. This could potentially be an interesting point of inquiry along the lines of the domestic/public sphere conflict critiqued by Shelley in Frankenstine.
Beyond that, we have Kate married to her very masculine job, a female/male merc team which brings the merc gender count for this story to 2f:1m. Kate gamely sticks to the job, there may be something to that aspect. And she and Saiman debate sexual mores, which definitely bears further scrutiny.
Throughout UF, there seems to be a longing for the mythos of The White Picket Fence while also critiquing it and sometimes rejecting it outright as impractical at best. Harry comments about Michaels house that there probably isn't a place like that for him, homey and full of life. Kate believes that she will also be excluded from mainstream aspects of life because of her bloodline, though she adopts an orphan and does "crazy aunt" pretty well. Anita Blake is scared to death of the normalcy promised her by her upbringing and potentially manifest in the form of Richard. The narrative here argues that WPFM is impractical, dangerous, unrealistic, and nonexistent in general and definitely for Ms. Blake specifically. That being said, she carves out a version of domestic normalcy and finds peace within it. Kitty mourns when she learns that her lycanthropy precludes carrying a pregnancy to term and observes early on that there will be no house in the suburbs with 2.5 kids and a golden retriever in the back yard for her. This doesn't come up so much for Mercy in Briggs' books, or maybe it does since her coyoteness is a portal of sorts by which Adam (or any other werewolf, say, Samuel) might more easily and less painfully acquire WPFM. That is going to make the kid question particularly impactful in this series.
All these books are approaching the point where the question of biological reproduction will be introduced. The books are targeted toward young adult, for the most part, women. With strong female protagonists negotiating a world that tries to dominate, control, kill, use, disempower, and instruct them, it offers a symbolic manifestation of patriarchy and all the subtle dangers that go with it. In a world where a woman can choose to marry, shack up and live happily in sin, go it alone, choose either a female or male partner, be the family bread winner, or have her own valuable and viable career, the question of choosing to reproduce has become socially charged. In so many ways, a woman's supposed value is connected to her physicality (the value thereof ascribed by the male gaze), which in turn connects to her potential to bear children. Much of our culture focuses around supporting this valuation, which makes sound evolutionary sense, but may or may not have a valid place on today's over populated planet.
What does it mean to be a woman who chooses not to have or rear children? UF is about to launch right into this question. What does it mean to be a strong woman and choose to reproduce/rear children? How does this get balanced? Perhaps male nurturers is an answer to this question as well as its parallel in masculinity. What does it mean to be a man in a society whose women can defend themselves? What does it mean to be a man in this society and choose to reproduce/rear children in a society where a man is not necessarily the primary bread winner or protector?
These, I think, are some of the crisis questions of this generation. Reconciling a new culture with older ideals. Perhaps that is always the way of it.
In other reviews, I love the story "Even a Rabbit Will Bite." It has a nice twist and is evidence of short stories lack of need to preserve their main characters. -
Only read Even Hand by Jim Butcher. Love that it had the pov of another character.
-
“A Questionable Client” by Ilona Andrews - The world of the story is intriguing--magic causes the equivalent of rolling blackouts and EMP bursts, and mercenaries roam to deal with beasties. Kate Daniels is a cool character, tough but relatable (especially her love of chocolate). The situation Kate is put into is weird and outrageous, her client is a royal pain; and I liked the outcome. I hadn’t read any Ilona Andrews before; but a friend recommended the Kate Daniels books. Because of this story, I sought out the first novel.
“Even Hand” by Jim Butcher - Another good one by one of my favourite authors. This is a very interesting, though somewhat scary, look into the mind of longtime Harry Dresden nemesis (and occasional grudging ally) John Marcone. Butcher has created a unique voice for Marcone; he doesn’t sound the slightest bit like Harry or Thomas. The man plays by his own set of rules, that’s for sure. I liked seeing Marcone and his trusty Valkyrie henchwoman, Gard, up against a supernatural nasty without Harry around. The intended purpose of the countermeasures wasn’t really that surprising when I thought about it, but it still made me wince.
“The Beacon” by Shannon K. Butcher- A good premise for a story; and I liked the main character, Ryder Ward. He’s a reluctant hero who’s been choosing the lesser of evils while trying to save the most lives possible. (There are some surface similarities to Harry Dresden, which isn’t unexpected. It didn’t bother me because I like the Harry type.) I liked how the situation made Ryder come up with a new way to do his job and save more innocents.
"Even a Rabbit Will Bite" by Rachel Caine - The story was more of a downer than the previous three, but the writing style and the characters' voices are very good.
“Dark Lady” by P.N. Elrod - Sort of a cute take on 1930s Chicago hardboiled detective stories, with the addition of a vampire and a ghost. I actually prefer parodies on the hardboiled detective theme to the real deal. I liked how the ghost is helpful and how the vampirism isn’t glorified.
“Rookwood & Mrs. King” by Lilith Saintcrow - This is a very good story, with a compelling plot and good writing style. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and I liked Rookwood. I wasn’t sure until the end how Mrs. King was going to turn out. Very few writers I’m familiar with have gone with the idea of a half-turned vampire victim (as Bram Stoker did), an idea I think has a lot of potential. I liked how the “infected” people in the story fought “the Thirst” and became avengers and destroyers of evil vampires. I also got a kick out of the title, an homage to Scarecrow and Mrs. King (it has to be!), one of my favourite ‘80s TV shows.
“God’s Creatures” by Carrie Vaughn - Cormac is my favourite character from Vaughn’s Kitty Norville books. He’s edgy and dangerous, the guy to do the dirty jobs because someone has to. Underneath there’s a little bit of a softer side, a little bit of damage; but he’s not one to talk about it much. (Maybe it would’ve been cliché , but I still wish Kitty had gotten together with Cormac instead of Ben.) I enjoyed seeing more of Cormac in action and learning more about how he does his job but found the story very sombre.
Review of “God’s Creatures” revised Jan ’17 – The second time around, I found that I really like this story. Maybe my mind’s in a different place, maybe it’s a matter of context. Maybe reading it as part of a collection of Kitty-world stories, after the one about Ben and Cormac as teenagers and after stories about characters struggling with their identities, curses, burdens, faith, etc., this story registered more. This time, I felt Cormac’s world-weariness and sense of duty even more. And the resolution of the problem and characters' reactions—it all registers as appropriate now. There is no easy answer or clean solution.
…And this is as good a place as any to do my vampire soapbox rant. Apologies in advance to all of you who write about or really like to read about vampires. You can probably finish reading this review right now. I’ve never liked the vampire concept; but I made myself read Stoker’s Dracula about 10 years back to see what others were talking about and because I’d read Frankenstein--and they’re rather a pair, the forerunners of modern SFF. I thought Stoker’s Dracula was pretty good, very creepy. Since I got into urban fantasy, I’ve read quite a few books with vampires in them. Vampires can make good villains. Vampires as deeply conflicted, tortured individuals—all right, I can get behind that. The idea of what a good person would do if forced to live as a bloodsucker, that has serious dramatic potential. But I’m tired of vampires as romanticised heroes and love interests with no or few weaknesses or inner conflicts, vampires who are supposed to be The Coolest Thing Ever, vampires as tree-hugging mages. -
Please note: I received an ARC of this book through the Librarything Early Reviewers program. The anthology itself is due out in August.
Dark and Stormy Knights is an anthology of paranormal stories written by some of the most popular authors in the genre. In fact, I assume that most of its readers will be attracted due to the popularity of its contributors, rather than its theme, to which some of the stories seem only tangentially related. Which is fine; overall, it's a good selection of stories, some of which were more successful than others. Rather than reviewing every story individually, in this review I shall note some of the highlights of the collection as well as some of the stories that didn't work quite as well for me.
An anthology with so many bright stars of its genre will attract both readers already addicted to it and those who are merely curious about it and want a taste before launching into full-length novels. The needs of the two groups can be difficult to balance, and for my money, more of the stories in Dark and Stormy Knights will appease the former than the latter. Many of the authors here already have successful paranormal series, and it is both understandable and expected that they return to these series for their short stories here. That's what the long term fans will want. However,when an author has spent several books developing his imaginary world, it can be quite difficult to explain in short story format, especially if you want to have any space left over for plot. That can make the stories daunting and less appealing to those not already fans. For example, Jim Butcher's "Even Hand" is a story taken from his popular Harry Dresden series, although not dealing with Harry himself. Having only read the first of the Dresden books, I don't really think I got as much out of this story as someone already addicted to the series, nor, if I hadn't already decided to read the books, do I think this short story would have convinced me. The same is probably also true of Vicki Pettersson's "Shifting Star;" I found it emotionally rich but it does include many concepts alien to those not familiar with the Zodiac series. On the other hand, I thought Ilona Andrews's "A Questionable Client" did an excellent job of explaining the magic-fickle setting of the Kate Daniels series, and also won me over by dealing with Slavic mythology, which felt refreshingly original. I've only read one of the Kate Daniels books so far, but am now convinced to pick up the series again.
Aside from the Ilona Andrews story, my favorite story in the anthology was probably "Even a Rabbit Will Bite" by Rachel Caine, whose books I've been meaning to read but haven't gotten around to yet. As far as I know, this story is not part of any of Caine's series, but even if it is, this tale of modern dragon-slaying stands quite well on its own. My least favorite story was probably "Beknighted" by Deidre Knight, another new author to me. The story wasn't bad, but Knight writes paranormal romance and the language struck me as a bit florid. That was also the case with Lilith Saintcrow's "Rockwood and Mrs. King," but I found its plot more original than the Knight selection. Though one more reference to "glossy hair" might have moved me to defenestration. . .
All in all, this anthology is worth reading especially if you are already a fan of any of its contributors. While visiting the world of your favorite series, you may be introduced to a new author or two! -
Overall, the best anthology I've read. I read every story except for one and enjoyed all to a greater or lesser degree. Kudos to Elrod for choosing authors who write short stories well (a tricky job) and good stories.
For those who are interested in more details:
I enjoyed the Ilona Andrews story very much. It was a prequel to their Kate Daniels series (the series is actually written by husband and wife team Gordon and Ilona). I finally know why Kate gets reduced rates from Saimon! I can't tell if non-series readers will enjoy it as much, but I suspect it will go over well. I also enjoyed the Slavic mythology; I always learn something with every Andrews story.
Jim Butcher's story was based on John Marcone and some of his associates, all supporting characters in his Dresden series. There was a lot of action. I enjoyed getting some interesting tidbits about Hendricks. I'm not sure if people who haven't read the series will appreciate the details, but the action should have universal appeal. Butcher is one of the best in the genre at writing short stories.
Shannon Butcher's story grabbed me right away and never let go. But the end didn't make sense. Can't say more without giving a spoiler.
Rachel Caine's story was good, an original take on the classic theme of the dragon slayer. I wish she wrote urban fantasy for adults, I didn't love the first 2 of her YA books and am not interested in the Weather Warden series. Should I be? I'm open to peer pressure.
Elrod's story was good. A bit melodramatic and with too much internalized ramblings, but great style. And the anthology strategy worked again; I didn't love Elrod's 1st Vampire Files book, but I liked the short story enough to reserve a book from another of her series to try.
If you like paranormal romance, D. Knight's seem good. The story was OK.
Pettersson's story was the only one I didn't finish. I just don't care for this series (Zodiac) at all.
I liked Lilith Saintcrow's story more than I expected to after abandoning The Demon's Librarian half-way through. I checked out some of her other books here, but the reviews aren't encouraging. Am I missing something great?
And finally, an OK story about Cormac, a supporting character in Carrie Vaughn's Kitty the werewolf series. I'm glad it was a werewolf story; it's strange how much I've disliked her non-Kitty books, they feel distanced and disjointed to me. -
It's a good collection of stories, I'm not a big fan of anthologies because it's like putting your finger in cake frosting, why have just a taste when you can eat an entire piece. But, I liked the stories and got to read a few authors that weren't on my radar, and that I liked.
I just finished reading the first story, "A Questionable Client". Although I enjoyed it, (because I'm a fan of the Kate Daniels series) I think that if you read it on its own you don´t know what's going on, nor who everyone is, you can't meet Kate like that, you loose all the charm from this amazing world, and its worth knowing. Now, if you are familiar with the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews then go ahead, its how Kate met a recurring character from the books.
Jim Butcher "Even Hand" it's the first story of his I ever read, and I think I will be reading more, I specially liked the main character, what can I say? I have a soft spot for the bad guys with soft hearts hidden deep.
Shannon K. Butcher "The Beacon". The same with this Butcher, than with the last, I haven't read anything of her before, but I like what I see. I liked the story although I ended up wanting more.
Rachel Caine "Even a Rabbit will Bite". Even though I started reading this book because of the first story, so far this is the one that I've enjoyed the most. I didn't see it coming!
P. N. Elrod "Dark Lady". Vampires, Mobsters, ghosts, and a lot of action, what is there not to like?
Deidre Knight "Benighted". Beautiful and sad, I am partial to happy endings, but if it makes you cry it's because you got into the story, and I cried all through the ending.
Vicky Pettersson "Shifting Star". I'm not familiar with the world the story takes place in, I suppose, that's the reason why I was unable to connect to the story.
Lilith Saintcrow "Rookwood & Mrs King". Reminded me of Blade. Vampire hunter on a crusade, a lady in danger, with a little twist.
Carrie Vaughn "God's Creatures". I've read a few of the Kitty series, and this is the first time I get to see things from Cormac's POV, in my opinion this story gives more insight to his way of thinking, which explains how he was capable of accepting Kitty so fast, and maybe, even fall for her. -
4 stars
I got this because I was interested in the stories by Ilona Andrews and Carrie Vaughn. I liked both of those stories very much. The other stories varied in my level of like or dislike for them. I found that the Jim Butcher story was very good and made me decide to listen (I do a lot of audiobooks) to the Dresden series in the future. I also liked the Lilith Saintcrow story. I hope she'll write more about Rookwood and Mrs. King (if she does I'll buy the book). Overall I didn't expect to like all the stories (and I was right) but I found enough of the stories to be good that it was worth the cost of buying this.
6/29/17 - I picked this up not to reread the whole thing but to read the second story, Even Hand by Jim Butcher as I'm reading the whole Dresden series. While I was checking it out I figured I'd note the start and end times of the different stories in the audiobook (which align with the chapters if you have a player that shows the chapter splits).
A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews
Time 0:45-1:18:24
Kate Daniels guards shifter Saimen, less trustworthy than the enemy.
Even Hand by Jim Butcher
Time 1:18:24-2:16:06
John Marcone crime lord fights water demon (with defenses he set up to use against Dresden) to save a child, in this short story from Marcone's PoV.
The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher
Time 2:16:06-3:20:35
Hereditary fighter faces monster that killed his father and town, plus little girl that attracts monster.
Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine
Time 3:20:35-4:43:26
Last Dragonslayer faces last dragon.
Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod
Time 4:43:26-5:57:55
Vampire nightclub owner Jack Fleming promises radio to resident ghost.
Beknighted by Deidre Knight
Time 5:57:55-7:06:50
Artist tries to free knight painted in real gold.
Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson
Time 7:06:50-8:23:17
Skamar, Tibetan for star, newly created tulpa, fights another vicious male of Tulpa.
Rookwood & Mrs King by Lilith Saintcrow
Time 8:23:17-9:33:40
Vampire private eye is hired by wife to kill her vampire husband.
God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn
Time 9:33:40-10:29:36
Cormac follows werewolf to convent school. -
Audiobook. Anthology. I also have the paperback. Rating average 3.67 stars and then I averaged up to 4. Better than average anthology. I didn't know if I'd like the various narrators but ended up doing so. The problem I had was when a story would end I had no internet access sometimes and I'd have to try to remember what I thought of each story. I stopped listening when I had 2 stories to rate so I wouldn't screw this up.
1. A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews. Very good story, prequel to the Kate Daniels series. This is the first time Kate and Saimen meet. *****
2. Even Hand by Jim Butcher. This one is about John Marcone but since I'm not really familiar with the Harry Dresden series, I just listened to the story as a stand alone. Quick, violent, pretty good story. ****
3. The Beacon by Shannon Butcher. Did not enjoy this story. Horrible stuff is about to happen and this mom mentions in her inner dialogue that he's is using vile swearing while killng a monster. And I think he said they're all going to die about 100 times give or take. **
4. Even Rabbits will Bite by Rachel Caine. Better than average short story. I especially liked the narrator Suzanne Toren. Also Rachel Caine added this scene where one of the main characters was pretending to be dead and peed their pants for realism. Makes so mcuh sense although I've never seen this in other books. I'll have to remember that the next time I'm trying to trick the bad guys. *****
5. Dark Lady by PN Elrod. I don't know where the title came from because nothing really matched up. This story is set in the 1930's gangster era. Good story even with this time period not being my favorite to read. ****
6. Benighted by Deidre Knight. I'm on the fence with this story. It was good but not much more than that. ***
7. Shifting Star by Vicki Petterssen. Good story. Unhappy ending but that's usually what this author's books/stories are like. ****
8. Rockwood and Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow. PI story set in modern times with good and bad vampires. ***
9. God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn. Bad werewolves and Cormac. ***3 -
Concept: short stories based on the idea of the modern knight, who isn't exactly bright and shiny, but a little more tarnished and dented up. I largely read it for the Jim Butcher Dresden Files contribution, but I always read the whole book when I pick up short stories. Good for reading in between potty training sessions over Spring Break. :) I'm just going to give some highlights here.
"Even Hand" by Jim Butcher is set in the Dresdenverse, but doesn't actually feature our favorite snarky wizard. The story is told from Marcone's perspective and has nothing to do with current continuity, so anyone looking for hints to the new novel after the cliffhanger ending on Changes will be disappointed. Marcone's voice is developed ok, and the story was very short. It was interesting, but I didn't go nuts over it.
"The Beacon" by Shannon Butcher (yes, Jim's wife) was an interesting story about a demon hunter.
"Even a Rabbit Will Bite" was ok.
"Dark Lady" by P.N. Elrod (the editor of the series) has finally convinced me that Elrod is a much better editor than writer. She has edited multiple of these urban fantasy story collections, and I've liked all of them. Her story contributions to the books, though, have always felt a bit lacking to me, though. They're set in the 1930's, which I would like if they were written well. She doesn't have a very good voice developed for the time period, and somehow (I can't really explain it) one can tell that it is a woman writing from a first-person male perspective. Her narrator doesn't "sound" like a guy. It's annoying.
"Beknighted" was probably my favorite story in the whole book. Kept me intrigued from page one and I had to finish it in one sitting.
"Shifting Star" irritated me because I felt like I was playing catch-up through the whole story. If you aren't reading the series this story is based on, you're going to miss a lot. I've only ever read a couple of her other short stories, so I was lost through most of it.
"Rookwood and Mrs. King" by Lilith Saintcrow wasn't bad, but the ending was a bit anticlimactic. -
See, now this is why I don't like anthologies like this. There are too many authors in here and it pulls down the rating. Overall I liked this anthology. I give it a 3.5 star overall.
I borrowed it SPECIFICALLY to read the Ilona Andrews - Questionable client story. I liked it! I give it a 3.5 star. It's not my favourite novella of theirs, but it was pretty darn good. "Would you like some milk?"
The Rachel Caine one I give a 4 star. It kind of bruised my heart. Her's why. I love dragons. To read this story and learn what happened and the miscommunication, that just hurt to read. The ending was completely fitting. I agreed with it and it was basically a lose-lose situation. Il est tres triste.
Carrie Vauhgn's was sad too. There were no winners there either. No happily ever after which I don't always need. But when I receive an unhappily ever after, it moves me. This was 4 star material.
Although really, nothing in this anthology had a happy ending as I recall, except Shannon Butcher's story about the Beacon. I confess I did not read Jim Butcher because he is a male and I'm just not in the mood to read male writers today.
Deidre Knight is a new to me author and her writing is quite good. I enjoyed her story and give it a 3.5 star too. The ending was poignant for me. Her knight in shining armor was never to be. gah.
Now Vicki Pettersson's was just damn depressing. I give this one a 4 too. I guess she's an author who also easily kills off characters. I moved me. I'm going to have to look her up to see what other books she wrote.
Overall, I've found two new authors and read delightful little pieces from authors I already enjoy. -
Dark and Stormy Knights had some good short stories - The best of the bunch was the Iona Andrews short - Kate meets Saiman - if you are a Kate fan this may make the book worth buying. Also fun but not earthshattering were a Dresden universe short starring Johny Marcone and Vauhn's Cormac getting his own tale.
I was disappointed in Shannon Butcher's short - I was hoping for a Sentinels story. The two vampire detective shorts by PN Elrod and Lilith Saintcrow were so so, but if you are a fan of Elrod you may enjoy getting another glimpse of her PI Jack Fleming. Deidre Knight's story fell more on the fantasy side than the urban/paranomal fantasy of the rest of the stories and it just didn't grab me. Pettersen's was okay but I haven't read one of her Zodiac stories in awhile so fans of the series might like it better.
I also liked Rachel Caine's story about the Dragon Slayer and her apprentice even with the unexpected ending.
Even with my less than enthusiastic appreciation for several of the stories in the collection - I enjoyed the variety if not the execution. And I enjoyed the Kate story enough to give a four star rating for Dark and Stormy Knights. -
Read this primarily for the Butcher short story "Even Hand," a Marcone story. Butcher is clearly gleeful when he gets to speak from another character's point of view, and you realize just how tunnel-visioned Harry Dresden is about life in general when you read these other POVs. Marcone was brilliant (definitely my favorite character) and it was well worth picking this up to read since "Even Hand" isn't included in
Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files. -
Only read Ilona Andrews' "A Questionable Client."
I really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is going to read the series ~ and to read it first. It really gave some background information on how things came to be and a little more understanding of Kate. Saiman was really interesting and left me wondering if he's going to show up in the future books. -
I seriously loved this short story. Wow.
Merged review:
Pretty good short story. Just not my usual read.
Merged review:
Excellent anthology by some seriously awesome authors. I wouldn't rate any of these below 4 stars. My favorites were the stories by Ilona Andrews, Rachel Caine, Vicki Pettersson, and Carrie Vaughn. Great read! -
Nice collection. Some stories better than others. Jim Butcher one is a little different as the story is told without Dresden. Shannon K. Butcher also not part of the Sentinel series, but kind of an off shoot. Still good.
-
I still don't know how I feel about audiobooks.
-
'Even Hand' (The Dresden Files #11.2) by Jim Butcher. ✓
★★★★★/5. -
I really liked most of these stories. I really enjoyed this theme for the book though.
-
All of these stories have something in common; they feature a "knight" someone who will go to heroic measures to protect innocents (or to make some money).
The best of the bunch is Ilona Andrews "A Questionable Client"; this is a great story in and of itself and is a great sample of Andrew's writing style. Kate Daniels fans will love it too because it fills an important event that happened between Kate and Saiman. My second favorite was Caine's "Even a Rabbit Will Bite" loved the characters and the irony of the story.
There were some stories that were entertaining but not outstanding. "Even Hand" by Jim Butcher give insight into John Marcone's character from the Dresden Files. "Rookwood and Mrs. King" by Saintcrow introduces some new characters that I hope she expands on in a series. "Shifting Star" by Vicki Pettersson gives you a story about Zoe's Tulpa, Skamar; unfortunately if you aren't reading Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series I think you will be totally lost as to the meaning behind this story.
My least favorite of the bunch was Beknighted by Deidre Knight; there was a bit too much of a romance vibe going on here and the world wasn't described well...I thought it didn't really fit with the rest of the stories and the theme of this anthology.
Overall a decent anthology. The Ilona Andrews story makes it worth reading. The other stories provide good samplings of some of the best Urban Fantasy authors out there. This is definitely urban fantasy and not PNR; which was awesome...it seems like so many anthologies tend towards paranormal romance (PNR). I personally got it from the library but it might be worth buying if you are a huge fan on one of the series represented. See below for a description and mini-review of each story.
- A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews (5/5 stars)
We get to find out about that time Kate served as a bodyguard for Saiman. Action-packed filled with sharp humor; it was nice to have that story filled out some.
- Even Hand by Jim Butcher (4/5 stars)
A story from John Marcone's point of view. It was interesting to gain some insight into Marcone. The story was entertaining but over-all nothing mind-blowing.
- The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher (4/5 stars)
A story about a hunter who assassinates Beacons that lure evil creatures called Terraphages to earth to destroy humanity. This was an entertaining story, I enjoyed the main character and there was a lot of action. I am curious as to what else Butcher has written, but not curious enough to immediately pick up books by her to read.
- Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine (5/5 stars)
Story about a retired dragon trainer and the young trainee that is supposed to take her place. I liked this story it was entertaining and ironic. I love how the story wrapped up but wasn't all that surprised at the ending. Overall a great story. I have read some of Caine's Weather Warden series and like her okay as an author in general.
- Dark Lady by P. N. Elrod (3/5 stars)
This is another Jack Flemming story. In general I am not a big fan of Elrod's Jack Flemming stories and this story was no exception. I've read some short stories with Jack and the first book in the Flemming series. This was another noir/gangster-type vampire story. It was okay and was well-written.
- Beknighted by Deidre Knight (2/5 stars)
An artist has to pay a steep price to free a knight from his prison. The world surrounding this story isn't very well defined and it is a bit confusing. This is more like a romance than anything else and was my least favorite of the bunch. There are parts of it that are a bit amusing and the idea is interesting...just not that well done.
- Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson (3/5 stars)
If you have read all the Signs of the Zodiac book (which I have) then this story will be an interesting read for you. It features Skamar, Zoe's tulpa, and takes place sometime after the 4th book in the series. We get to learn more about Skamar as an individual and about what she is doing while Johanna is recovering. Kind of interesting. I think anyone who has not read the series will be totally lost though.
- Rookwood and Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow (4/5 stars)
Story about a woman named Amelia who comes to investigator Rookwood with a plea that he kill her already dead husband. Not much world-building but there was a lot of action and the characters were interesting. It would be great to see some books about Rookwood and Amelia in the future. Previously I have also read Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series and liked it.
- God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn (3.5/5 stars)
Story from the point of view of Cormac the Bounty hunter from Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. Basically it just tells about Cormac going on a wolf hunt. It was okay and I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't add much to the characters for me and as a stand alone story it wasn't anything special. -
I enjoyed this anthology. It had one great novella by one of my favorite authors, and several entertaining stories by authors with whom I was unfamiliar but whose books I now want to read.
First, the best: "A Questionable Client", by Ilona Andrews. This was the main reason I wanted to read the book, and the authors did not disappoint. I've been intrigued by Saimon since I read the Kate Andrews series, and this is a fine introduction. He is at once amoral, vain, cowardly, smart, and amusing. I laughed out loud several times, at his self-serving justifications for why he does the annoying things he does. I like it that Kate not only can withstand his attempts at seduction, but isn't even tempted by them, and I like that she remains professional and takes her duties seriously and refrains from clobbering her client. Even though there is a series involving Kate Andrews, a reader does not need to be familiar with those books to enjoy this story. The resolution is very clever. Overall, well-done.
My next favorite was "Dark Lady", by P.N. Elrod. I was not familiar with this author before this story, but now I want to read something else she's written. I thought the idea of an immortal vampire running a bar in the Windy City in the mob heyday was unique, and I liked the lighthearted tone of the story. It held my interest throughout. And I liked how the ghost, even though not visible, made herself and her opinions known. Cute and fun.
"The Beacon" by Shannon K. Butcher was another good story. I liked how the protagonist, when faced with a moral dilemma, basically reversed his mission and accomplished it by taking on the more difficult task of addressing the actual evil rather than killing an innocent to avoid an evil. It was action-packed, with memorable characters and a good resolution.
"Even Hand" by Jim Butcher was an interesting entry into the Harry Dresden series, and was unique in that it was from the antagonist's perspective. The opening paragraphs established that he was not a particularly good person, but even he had his own code of ethics and he stayed true to them. Very dry humor throughout, and the main character was shrewd and managed to solve the immediate problem of saving an innocent while at the same time not becoming sentimental or vulnerable.
"Shifting Star" by Vicki Pettersson was an interesting premise. My one gripe was that it was clearly part of a larger story and it didn't entirely stand on its own. The short story needed to have the backstory fleshed out a bit more for someone like me who wasn't familiar with the mythology. Still, I thought the concept that the heroine was created by the mind of her master, kind of like Athena rising from Zeus' skull, was well thought out and original. The way the heroine has no memories and has to try and fake an understanding of pop culture was well done, and her unfamiliarity with emotions and struggling to understand grief was interesting. As I say, my only gripe was that I felt like I walked into the middle of a story, and was missing the beginning of it, rather than reading a standalone story, in contrast, for example, to the Ilona Andrews' story, which, even though it involves a character who has a series, stood as a story on its own merit.
"Rookwood and Mrs. King" by Lilith Saintcrow was an interesting vampire story. I liked how the victim turned the tables and became even more effective than the protagonist at rooting out the vampires.
"God's Creatures" by Carrie Vaughn was a poignant werewolf tale. Having been raised Catholic myself, this resonated with me. I liked that the protagonist, while he did what he had to do to protect the community, didn't feel good about it. I found the resolution touching.
"Beknighted" by Deidre Knight was dull and too slow. The end was predictable from the beginning.
"Even a Rabbit will Bite" by Rachel Caine was an interminable story featuring an old, slightly stupid dragonslayer doing one last battle with an old, slightly stupid dragon. I couldn't slog my way to the end.
