Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction

I've always been fascinated by the theme explored in Foretold: prophecy and prediction. I remember various instances throughout my childhood when my mother told me that, for better or worse, something was meant to be. Later, in middle school, I fell in love with the epic tale of a boy fulfilling a prophecy in David Eddings' The Belgariad. Then, in high school and college, I was intrigued by the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy I studied in my psychology course. So, when I picked up this collection of short stories, I was curious see what others would connect to the mysterious concepts.

In addition to my initial curiosity about the theme of this collection, I was interested in the concept of a collection of short stories. Though I'd glanced at them before, I'd never actually sat down and read a collection of short stories... or any short stories at all apart from those assigned in my literature seminars. I found it curious that many readers appeared to have purchased or read this collection specifically for Richelle Mead's short story, Homecoming, which centers around Rose and Dmitri the Vampire Academy books, which was worrisome to me because I never finished that series and hadn't picked one up in years.

The anthology begins with Laini Taylor's Gentleman Send Phantoms, which I immediately adored. For me, that story set the tone for the entire collection. Whimsical with gorgeous imagery, this story set the tone as anything is possible. Each story had an entirely different feel and tone, yet they were all connected by thread extending from Taylor's story.

The anthology ends with the Richelle Mead story based in the world of the VA books. For me the story didn't shine as bright as it might have if I still read the VA books or had read them recently. I remember really loving Rose and her world, but the details were hazy and I didn't feel as invested in Rose and Dmitri's story after being away from it for so long.

Unless you are a diehard fan of their story, I can't imagine buying an entire book and never reading the other stories. Because they are amazing. Even the ones that wasn't entirely captivated by were interesting. I have read full length books by many of the authors in this anthology, so I'm familiar with their writing, but I was blown away by what I read in Foretold. The style of each author was present, but shaped in a completely new way.

I was particularly drawn to the stories that featured magic and fantasy than those that were more science fiction or realistic... Still there were a couple in the latter categories that ended up being favorites as well:

Laini Taylor Gentleman Send Phantoms
Malinda Lo One True Love
Heather Brewer Misery
Saundra Mitchell The Chosen One
Margie Stohl Death for the Deathless
Simone Elkeles Fate
Diana Peterfreund Burned Bright
Carrie Ryan The Killing Garden
Lisa McMann The Angriest Man

Many of the stories that ended up being on of my favorites felt very connected to other things I'd read by them, like the stories by Laini Taylor, Malinda Lo, Richelle Mead, and Michael Grant. Others, however, showed side of some of my favorite authors that I wasn't as familiar with, like Saundra Mitchell, Simone Elkeles, Diana Peterfreund, Carrie Ryan, and Lisa McMann, and I wanted more. Plus, I experienced some writers for the first time, like Matt de la Pena, Margie Stohl, Kami Garcia, and Heather Brewer.

Not only did I love the stories in this collection, I closed the covers with a hunger to read and reread a number of these authors. It felt like a nice little snack to help decide what I wanted for my main course: whatever full length novel I chose to read next, perhaps by one of the authors in this wonderfully imagined collection. ( )

The collection Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction offers tales by some of today’s most popular young adult authors. From witches to aliens these short stories are sure to have something for everyone. I love collections like this because it offers me the chance to explore new authors. I found it to be the perfect bedside book and each night I read a different tale.

The stories all deal with prophecy and prediction. There are witches, an oracle, gypsies and tales of judgment day. With the Mayan end of the world date approaching these tales are sure to make you shiver. Some offered lessons and most will make you think.

Gentlemen Send Phantoms by Lani Taylor takes us to a village on all Faith’s Day. The Chosen One by Sandra Mitchell is the story of two princesses; one is destine to be queen. Burned Bright by Diana Peterfreud deals with the consequences of judgment day. Homecoming by Richelle Mead has Dimitri and his family. Misery by Heather Brewer takes us to a town called Misery which closely resembles purgatory. The Angriest Man by Lisa McMann deals with a young teenage boy who growls when he speaks. Out of the Blue by Meg Cabot is a series of interviews about two fraternal twins and events that occurred on their sixth birthday. One True Love by Malinda Lo is about a princess prophesied to bring down the king and what he does. This is a Mortal Wound by Michael Grant is set in the future and deals with a boy being expelled. The Mind is a Powerful Thing by Matt de la Pena shares the power a prophecy can hold. Improbable Futures by Kami Garcia has gypsies and psychic readings. Death for the Deathless by Margaret Stohl deals with immortality. Fate by Simone Elkeles is a love story. The Killing Garden by Carrie Ryan tells the story of the emperor’s stranglers and a young woman.

Overall I enjoyed these tales. As with any collection some I really liked and others were meh. Noteworthy reads for me were Gentlemen Send Phantoms, the Killing Gardens, Misery, Burned Bright and Out of the Blue. Homecoming was interesting, but I kind of felt like something was missing, largely because I have not read this series. I found some new authors and would really like to see the Gentlemen Sends Phantoms developed into a full story *hint*

I want to thank Random House for sending a finished copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ( )