Enchanted Forests

Solid if mostly unremarkable collection of tree-themed fantasy stories. Kudos, though, to the editors for assembling such an variety of stories around that theme, and it gets an extra half star for a few standouts, including Kate Elliott's 'The Memory of Peace'.

Too "dark fantasy" for me, didn't like most of these.

Haven't read them all yet, but have read these:

~ The Forest's Not for Burning by Katherine Lawrence 2.5* a detective travels in the magical realm and the human realm to solve a "crime".

~ "I'll Give You Three Wishes...." by Kevin Andrew Murphy 3.5* a witch and an out of work woodcutter, work together to take advantage of wood nymph's magic of granting wishes.

~ Trees Perpetual of Sleep by Nina Kiriki Hoffman Read this in Permeable Borders 4.5* Loved! A story about Matt and Terry Dane (who is a witch). While Terry is doing her summer solstice ritual, Matt can hear the tree talking to her. Trees don't usually talk to Matt. She connects better with human-made items. We meet Lewis, a male witch. He promises to help Matt root herself and she show more promises to teach him about roaming.

~ The Triple Death by Ken St. Andre 3.5* A fun story about Gawaine (King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table). The ending kinda failed for me but it was a good read up until then.

~ Out of the Woods by Lawrence Watt-Evans 4.5* A woman on vacation in London is driving and almost hits a man in the road. The man turns out to be from the 1500s and claims to have been stuck in the fairy realm. Well that is what he first says. His story changes .... Well done Mr. Watt-Evans.

~ My Soul Into the Boughs by Teresa Edgerton 3* It was lovely to read but the ending takes deciphering. I'm not fond of trying to figure it out. // A young woman visits her dying grandmother. The woods are dying along with the grandmother. Odd stories, dreams and happenings are dismissed by the young woman until it is too late for her to leave.

~ The Clearing by Lois Tilton i/p

~ Virginia Woods by Janni Lee Simner

~ Holy Ground by Thomas S. Roche

~ Ghostwood novelette by Michelle West

~ The Memory of Peace novelette by Kate Elliott

I got it for Nina's story but I don't want to read all of them. The stories I'm skipping are under the spoiler tag

~ The Heart of the Forest by Dave Smeds
~ Ties of Love by Lawrence Schimel
~ Wood Song by Kate Daniel
~ In Fear of Little Nell by Gregory Feeley
~ How the Ant Made a Bargain by Karawynn Long
~ These Shoes Strangers Have Died Of by Bruce Holland Rogers
~ The Force That Through the Green Fuse by Mark Kreighbaum
~ The Prism of Memory by Jo Clayton
~ Benbow by Nancy Etchemendy
~ Weeds by Brook West and Julia H. West
~ Fiat Silva by Jack Oakley
~ Viridescence by Connie Hirsch
~ Everything Has a Place by Barbara A. Denz
~ The Monsters of Mill Creek Park novelette by Susan Shwartz
show less