Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
Seeing Eye is a very short story. It clocks in at only 38 pages, and in the hands of a lesser author, it could have been a disaster trying to build a world, create compelling characters, and tell a satisfying story in so few pages. Fortunately for us, Patricia Briggs was more than equal to the task.The story is simple enough, Wendy Moira Keller (yep, named after the Peter Pan character), a blind witch, agrees to help a desperate werewolf, Tom Franklin, search for his abducted brother. If you’ve read Brigg’s Hunting Ground already, then these characters will be familiar to you. If you haven’t read it yet, start with Seeing Eye first as it explains how Moira and Tom met. Even though we spend such a brief time with Moira and Tom, Brigg’s writes them as fully fleshed out characters. Moira specifically is appealing as she provides us with a firsthand look at what Witches are like in the world of Mercy Thompson. Mercy deals with all kinds of paranormal creatures: vamps, fey, weres, but she only rarely interacts with witches. In Seeing Eye, Brigg’s gets to explore that world a little more. The result is that I, for one, have two more reason’s to look forward to Hunting Ground. Sexual Content: None

Jim Butcher’s story continues his popular Dresden Files Series. In Last Call, which occurs chronologically between Small Favor, book 10 and Turn Coat, book 11, wizard Harry Dresden is on the hunt for the mastermind behind some bewitched beer. I’ve only read the first book in Butcher’s Dresden Files, and despite the gap in my Harry knowledge, this was an easy story to slip into and I never felt disoriented like I had missed a lot in the interim. Harry and Murphy play off each other in just the way I remembered. Harry was, if anything, more enjoyable for me. He is a perfect anti-hero with his sarcasm and humorous non-alpha acts of self-preservation. I’m seriously going to have to pick up Full Moon after thoroughly enjoying this funny paranormal romp. Sexual Content: None

I’ve read several books in Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series (I’m looking forward to starting her Morganville Vampire series soon too), so I expected something good from this talented writer and that’s exactly what I got with Death Warmed Over. Witch Holly Caldwell is not that dissimilar to early Anita Blake: both occasionally work with the police to raise the dead. This time, the case intimately affects Holly in more ways than one because the dead man they want her to raise has been raised before, and when Holly lost Andrew last time, she lost her heart as well. My only disappointment with Death Warmed Over is that it appears to be the only Holly and Andrew story that Rachel has written (please let me know if I’m wrong). I thought for sure reading it that it was the second story featuring these characters. I hope Rachel does write more about Holly because she does have that early Anita vibe that I love so much. There is more of a romantic focus in this story but it doesn’t overshadow the paranormal elements. Death is easily one of the best in this anthology. Sexual Content: None

The longest story in Strange Brew is Karen Chance’s Vegas Odds coming in at 56 pages. The tale opens with a scene straight out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Half-Were Lia and her boyfriend Were Cyrus destroy her house while under attack from a group of War Mages. From there, author Karen Chance does a wonderful job of creating a world full of magic and a strong instantly likeable heroine while never letting up on the non-stop action. This is probably my favorite story that Ms. Chance has written and I would love to spend more time in this world. Sexual Content: A woman performs oral sex on a man in a brief scene that in not overly graphic.

P. N. Elrod is a new author for me. This story continues her Vampire Files series with vampire P.I. Jack Fleming and his partner Escott in 1930’s Chicago. I would categorize this story as a noir mystery that just happens to have an undead lead. Not a lot of paranormal. Jack is described as a vampire much in the same way another character is described as being tall. Not a bad story, just not what I look for in urban fantasy. But if you like Raymond Charles with a dash of Tanya Huff…Sexual Content: None

Bacon takes place in the same Sookie Stackhouse world from the Southern Vampire series but minus Sookie. If you read Harris’ story Tacky in the anthology My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding then these characters will already be familiar to you. If your planning on reading both, start with Tacky and STOP READING THIS REVIEW because it will spoil aspects of that story. In Bacon, newly widowed vampire Dahlia seeks out the aid of a witch descendent of Circe to get revenge on the werewolf pack that killed her were husband. So far, this is my least favorite story in this anthology: It’s predictable, feels small because it fails to take advantage of the Sookieverse, and lacks even one likable character. At only 32 pages, it went on way too long. Sexual Content: None

Faith Hunter kicked off her Jane Yellowrock series in July ‘09 with Skinwalker (book two, Blood Cross is due out in Jan ‘10) , but we get an earlier peak at this shapeshifting vampire hunter in Signature of the Dead. Earth witch Molly is the main character who Jane helps track down a feral pack of new vampires. I didn’t even realize that Jane was the main character in Skinwalker (which I’m now adding to the top of my wishlist), but I’m thrilled we’ll get to read more about her. She reminded me of a cross between Mercy Thompson and Kate Daniels which means I may have just found a favorite new series. Sexual Content: The rape of a woman and her two little girls is referenced but not described.

Like Faith Hunter’s story, Caitlin Kittredge’s Ginger (41 pages) takes the main character from her Nocturne City series, werewolf detective Luna Wilder, and relegates her to the sidelines. Instead, Ginger focuses on Luna’s self-proclaimed wus witch cousin Sunny who agrees to go undercover investigating a blood magic coven. The world building was good here, but Sunny was a bit too prone to crying for my taste. The ‘villain’ in the story is pretty comic book evil too which added a level of corniness that I hope doesn’t extend to the whole Nocturne City series because for the world building alone I plan on picking up Night Life to see what Luna does in her own story. Sexual Content: None

Dark Sins picks up after Wages of Sins but before Grave Sins in Jenna Maclaine’s Cin Craven series. In 1818 Italy, witch turned vampire Cin and her lover Michael along with another vamp couple travel throughout Europe doling out justice on the criminal vampire population. When the four are abducted by an evil wizard and his followers in an attempt to add Cin to his coven, she must finally learn to use her magic before her friends are killed. If you are a fan of Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles, you’ll probably love this. Me not so much. There are no major faults in these 33 pages, but I like my fantasy urban, without gowns and carriages etc. The idea of a vampire who uniquely retained her human magical abilities make for an interesting character in Cin, and if she survives into the 21st century I’ll be sure to look her up. Sexual Content: A man performs oral sex on a woman without graphic description. ( )

Elrod edits good anthologies. This one is a collection of stories about vampires and witches, or vampires who are witches, in several cases. Authors include Elrod, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, and more. Butcher's is a Harry Dresden story, and Harris' is in the Sookie Stackhouse universe but doesn't have Sookie as a character.

I enjoyed all the stories, though one or two were a little too melodramatic for me. ( )

An anthology of witch- and wizard-based short stories.

This is my first attempt at reading self-styled Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Fiction, so mine is an outsider's perspective. If you're already a fan of these writers or the sub-genre, you may want to give more weight to other reviews.

Simply put, I don't think this sub-genre is for me. Two reasons:

Stylistically, there were a lot of smirky introductory moments. Things like, to make one up off the top of my head, "Her pendant was silver. I hate silver. You see, I'm a werewolf." These made my eyes roll and I couldn't sustain much interest in the story.

On a more philosophical level, I found there to be too much of an overlap between the mundane and the fantastic. There was no sense of awe at the otherworldly. Magic, vampires, werewolves... they're treated as ordinary as gym socks. ( )

Strange Brew is one of those haphazardly themed urban fantasy anthologies. Elrod has edited several of these: My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon... Strange Brew theoretically has a theme of drink throughout its 9 stories. Some stories really make good on the idea ("Last Call") while I can barely recall where the theme comes to play in others--including Elrod's own story. The best way to explain how I feel about the anthology as a whole is to break it down story by story.

Story #1: "Seeing Eye" by Patricia Briggs (38 pages)
Leading the pack (har har, forgive me my puns) is the well-known and well-loved Patricia Briggs. The story follows completely new characters, Moira and Tom, as they struggle to find Tom's brother. I can't help but think that "Seeing Eye" works as a introduction of sorts to the 'witches' Briggs has hinted at coming up in Silver Borne. All-in-all, the story was very well done until the extremely rushed end.

Story #2: "Last Call" by Jim Butcher (36 pages)
Apparently, Elrod is the sort of editor that likes to get her powerhouse out in the open straight from the beginning. Butcher's story follows up Briggs. "Last Call" operates in the extensive Dresden universe. Major characters (other than Harry, of course) are: Murphy, Molly, and even a bit of Mac. The story definitely works better with the more knowledge possessed about Dresden. Regardless, I thought this was easily one of the best stories in the anthology because of how well it used it's short page count. Very well done.

Story #3: "Death Warmed Over" by Rachel Caine (43 pages)
I believe that "Death Warmed Over", which focuses on Holly Caldwell and Andrew Toland, exists completely outside of Rachel Caine's established Weather Warden universe. (Anyone care to verify this?) Holly is a resurrection witch--and she's asked to raise the one person she can't bear to bring back. The story has a nice romantic angle, but also has some great action. This, too, was one of my favorites in the anthology.

Story #4: "Vegas Odds" by Karen Chance (56 pages)
I had never read Karen Chance before "Vegas Odds". (As a side note, the story is by far the longest in the anthology.) My guess is that the two characters are original, but come from the same world as one of her other series. (Again, anyone out there who can verify?) Lia is half werewolf and barely admitted into the Corps because of her mixed blood. Standing at her side, through all the adversity Lia seems to attract, is her boyfriend Cyrus who is a full blooded werewolf. "Vegas Odds" was better than I expected, to be honest, from what I've heard about Chance. I'd be willing to give her series a shot after all.

Story #5: "Hecate's Eye" by P. N. Elrod (42 pages)
I have to admit that I expected worse from Elrod. (I mean, really, I'm sorry, but My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding doesn't exactly boast a great imagination.) Still, I ended up enjoying Elrod's story "Hecate's Eye", as it's a plunge into noir vampire detective Jack Fleming. Though the plot wasn't extraordinary, I found that I enjoyed the romp through a short story that was gritty and fun.

Story #6: "Bacon" by Charlaine Harris (32 pages)
After reading "Bacon", I promptly notified my friends that all their efforts to get me to read Charlaine Harris had all been sabotaged by Harris herself. And, honestly, if this is how Harris writes in her Sookie Stackhouse series, I have no wish to ever go near it. "Bacon" follows the irritating and arrogant Dahlia, who I suppose is supposed to be "cool" rather than annoying, as she sets on her way to avenge her late husband. The characters and writing were frivolous and not entertaining. I had a hard time finishing and it's only 32 pages.

Story #7: "Signature of the Dead" by Faith Hunter (33 pages)
Set in her Jane Yellowrock world, the story does feature Jane in a major role, but focuses more on her friend Molly as they try to hunt down a group of vampires that viciously destroyed a family. I liked this one, though I have a feeling I'm more interested in the Molly character than Jane.

Story #8: "Ginger: A Nocturne City Story" by Caitlin Kittredge (41 pages)
I'm a bit luke-warm about "Ginger". I believe, though I can't verify, that Luna and Sunny are pre-established characters from Nocturne. The story follows Sunny more than Luna as she gets an adventure she never wanted. "Ginger" was alright, but--as I said--mostly luke-warm.

Story #9: "Dark Sins" by Jenna Macleane (33 pages)
I'm sorry to say that Macleane earned the distinction of being the weakest story in the anthology. It doesn't fit comfortably as a short story, but instead seems to be an opening to a book never written. And one I'm fairly sure I wouldn't want to pick up anyway. Cin Craven seems to be a pre-established character from her series. Firstly, I'm all for interesting names, but I was turned off immediately by the smacking obviousness of the characters very name. The remainder of the story is conducted with similar ham-handed tactics.

Anthologies are great for finding new authors to follow or to enjoy authors you already know. The positives outweigh the negatives in this volume, so if you're following an author or two you already enjoy you might just find more to love. Best stories go to: Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, and Karen Chance. ( )

Nothing extraordinary, but a solid representation of the authors involved. I would consider it more for fans of the authors than an introduction to them. Many of the stories involve side characters of the author's main series, so a complete knowledge their work isn't necessary.

The three big names had decent contributions; nothing soul-shaking but skillful explorations of their world. Patricia Briggs looked into the back story of a character mentioned in her latest novel, with an interesting view of how her werewolves seem to an outsider. Charlaine Harris avoids her main characters but gives a story showing the darker sides of both vampires and werewolves. I liked the double crossing going on in the stories, as the characters underestimate each other's ruthlessness. Jim Butcher lets Harry get into big fights involving sexy villains and booze. Anything with Murphy comes out good. P.N. Elrod (the editor) included another Jack Fleming story, with lots of double-crossing and thirties style gangster action.

The other stories were a bit disappointing, with Rachael Caine and Karen Chance showing the traits that made me stop buying their books. Their protagonists make too many silly choices, or explain their actions in unlikely ways. The romance in Caine's story may set a new record in severe creepiness for me -- the heroine falls for the man she resurrects, but I never got over the fact that he was dead. The misunderstanding in Chance's effort deserves a spot in Silly Romance Hall of Fame, and clearing that up in the final paragraphs left me with a bad taste in my head. The final three authors were new to me, but I probably won't be seeking them out. Faith Hunter's story wasn't bad, but wasn't amazing, and Caitlin Kittredge and Jenna Maclain's offerings were weak. Maclain's story provides a textbook example of a deus ex machina, since the protagonist can't figure a way out of her situation. A goddess literally shows up, tells Our Heroine that she is silly, and grants her enormous powers. Heroine messes up again, but nice goddess fixes everything. Again. Nothing our character thought or did made any difference. If this is explaining something inside a larger story, that might be acceptable, but as an introduction to an author it doesn't make me look for more. ( )