Megan Arkenberg

This was a pleasant collection of short stories. I found most of the stories interesting, even if they weren't phenomenal, and there were only 1 or 2 that I didn't like which is pretty good for an anthology. Thin Slats of Metal, Painted by Alex Dally MacFarlane and Message in a Bottle by Jocelyn Koehler and They Shall Flourish and Spread by Andrew S. Fuller in particular left strong impressions on me.

So far I have had only positive reading experiences from this publisher and will continue to show more look forward to their selections from newer authors. show less

Crossed Genres Magazine 2.0 Book One is a collection of the first six volumes of the new Crossed Genres Magazine. Crossed Genres Magazine is an online zine. Every month a new genre is chosen and all authors submitting works must combine that genre with some aspect of Science Fiction and Fantasy. The six volumes collected are: Boundaries, Cloak & Dagger, Myth, Discovery, Escape, and She. As in any anthology of various authors I have read, there were some stories that I loved and others that I show more didn't enjoy as much. The crossed-genre nature of some of the stories was very well done. In others, it was hard to see them as anything other than rather straight-forward fantasy. Another reviewer referred to this collection as "feminist". There was certainly a large representative of women authors in this collection. Many of the stories touched on issues of gender roles and were told from a female perspective. I am not sure it is accurate to call this a feminist collection, however.

I particularly enjoyed the first story “Désiré” by Megan Arkenberg. The story is written in the form of letters, articles, and interviews. The story slowly unfolds and by the end it all comes together. The story touches on issues of gender as well as colonialism and nationalism. “Wander” by Rachel Benderwas is a lovely "Princess in the tower" fantasy with a unexpected ending. The story “Vintage Millennial Cookery InfoManual by the Geusian Ladies Society” by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley was very funny. Altogether I enjoyed this anthology and am intrigued enough to want to explore more from Crossed Genre Magazine. show less

This was an excellent collection- as is to be expected with any anthology, a couple of the stories worked less well for me than others, but there were none I particularly disliked, and the diversity of characters and settings held my interest throughout. Definitely recommended.

A fun collection of stories with a lot of variety: both in genre but also in style. Some are serious and others are good-hearted fun; not every story will appeal to every reader but there's definitely something for everyone here. The anthology equivalent of high-class chocolates!