If I Had a Hammer by Charlaine Harris
This is not the kind of short story you want to read before doing a home renovation – after all, in it, everything that can go wrong… will. But it does make it entertaining and a fun reading.
Two Blondes by Charlaine Harris
This was a really, really good, funny and enjoyable short story. It featured all of the aspects of the Sookie Stackhouse short stories that I’m seriously beginning to love and a little more information about the series as a whole… I should probably actually pick up the full-length novels again… this was just such a great reminder of how enjoyable they really are.
The Monstrous edited by Ellen Datlow
This collection is brilliant. It is dark, creepy and intense. It is fun. It gave me goose bumps. And it is filled with monsters who come in ALL shapes and sizes. And I mean ALL. A wonderful, fantastic and seriously enjoyable collection filled with the things that go bump in the night. The things that you really hope aren’t hiding under your bed.
The Monster Makers by Steve Rasnic Tem
I both thought that this story was kind of nice and really not pleasant. I mean, the grandfather obviously dotes upon his grandchildren. And his wife. And he spends the entirety of the story loving them all for exactly who they are. But then there’s the dark side…
Sweet Bruising Skin by Storm Constantine
This is my second (I think) Storm Constantine short story. It has that same sense of mystery and darkness as the first story I read. This great feeling of manipulation and comeuppance throughout that is kind of impossible to forget. The strength of women – not one of the more glowing, benevolent strengths, but that dark one we can all harness shines throughout this story.
Dance Master by Faith Hunter
I have some seriously mixed feelings about Bruiser and Jane ending up together. Mostly, I think that I don’t want it to happen. I have too much of an attachment to Rick. But, there is this great chemistry between them. And reading short stories like Dance Master which tell things from Bruiser’s point of view… then I start to feel a little more inclined towards their eventual relationship. I still prefer Rick, but that may change as the series evolves…
Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry by Faith Hunter
At the end of Mercy Blade, I was honestly a little bit disappointed and frustrated. It ended on such a cliff hanger and I seriously wasn’t impressed. Plus, I couldn’t get up to get this short story or the next novel in the series because I had my very big, very cuddly dog on my lap… but then I got the chance to read this… and I was so very, very happy!
Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter
I did start this book like two years ago. And then I got distracted and it ended up back on my shelf. Now I’m not entirely sure why I did that. This was a great story. And now I’m remembering why I started buying up all the Jane Yellowrock books as soon as I read the first short story. Not entirely sure why I took such a long pause between reading the second and third book though… I’ll try not to make that mistake again.
The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic edited by Mike Ashley
It took me a little while to seriously get into this collection. But, once I did… I was completely hooked. I quite obviously love fantasy from the books that fill my shelves. But, as I’ve gotten older, I have found that I am drawn again and again to fantasy of a darker bent. Although not all of these short stories suited that desire, they just weren’t that dark… this collection was still seriously brilliant.
Read more The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic edited by Mike Ashley
The Eternal Altercation by Peter Crowther
This was a seriously tripped out little short story. It was one that I felt like I couldn’t quite focus on. Not because I wasn’t completely absorbed whilst reading it, but because there was this really unfocused and slightly insane feeling to the story. One that I really enjoyed but makes it quite difficult to write a review.
