Damaris C. (Erinyes) reviewed Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy on + 279 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
There are several short stories covered in this volume and I only want to highlight certain stories within it as notable or not.
Great one by Charlaine Harris about Sookie Stackhouse. It seems Ms. Harris always delivers.
I enjoyed but was a bit confused by the Michael A Stackpole. This short story seems to be set within a series. I haven't read the series but I caught on with only minimal difficulties and even enjoyed the story.
I was enthralled and unexpectedly happy with the Sharon Shinn story, 'The House of Seven Spirits.' This one was an extremely unexpected story that actually delighted me. A great way to turn the whole thing on it's head in my opinion.
'Spellbound' by Donna Andrews was also a nice tight little gem that I really enjoyed reading. I'm not sure I would want to read a novel length book about these characters but in short stories they are just wonderful.
'Duh Vice' by Michael Armstrong is a strong entry as well. I was engrossed from the very beginning. And I must admit that my partner has a preference for puns so I found the pun very punny. If you'll forgive me for that.
'The House' by Laurie R. King. I am obviously not talking about every story in this book just trying to hit my personal highlights but I feel I have to mention this one. It starts off very very well and then turns depressingly predictable. I was sad at the ending actually.
'Appetite for Murder' by Simon Green. I am slavishly devoted to the Nightside series. This book is set in the Nightside but not from John Taylor's point of view. I absolutely ate this story up. Great stuff!
'Woman's Work' by Dana Stabenow. This one was easily in the top three of this book. I enjoy these characters immensely and this world. I am on the hunt for more by Dana Stabenow and cannot wait to read more of her work.
This book is well worth the read and well worth the credit/money. Sure some of the stories were more appealing than others but that is to be expected.
I am keeping this copy. So you are going to have to find your own!
Great one by Charlaine Harris about Sookie Stackhouse. It seems Ms. Harris always delivers.
I enjoyed but was a bit confused by the Michael A Stackpole. This short story seems to be set within a series. I haven't read the series but I caught on with only minimal difficulties and even enjoyed the story.
I was enthralled and unexpectedly happy with the Sharon Shinn story, 'The House of Seven Spirits.' This one was an extremely unexpected story that actually delighted me. A great way to turn the whole thing on it's head in my opinion.
'Spellbound' by Donna Andrews was also a nice tight little gem that I really enjoyed reading. I'm not sure I would want to read a novel length book about these characters but in short stories they are just wonderful.
'Duh Vice' by Michael Armstrong is a strong entry as well. I was engrossed from the very beginning. And I must admit that my partner has a preference for puns so I found the pun very punny. If you'll forgive me for that.
'The House' by Laurie R. King. I am obviously not talking about every story in this book just trying to hit my personal highlights but I feel I have to mention this one. It starts off very very well and then turns depressingly predictable. I was sad at the ending actually.
'Appetite for Murder' by Simon Green. I am slavishly devoted to the Nightside series. This book is set in the Nightside but not from John Taylor's point of view. I absolutely ate this story up. Great stuff!
'Woman's Work' by Dana Stabenow. This one was easily in the top three of this book. I enjoy these characters immensely and this world. I am on the hunt for more by Dana Stabenow and cannot wait to read more of her work.
This book is well worth the read and well worth the credit/money. Sure some of the stories were more appealing than others but that is to be expected.
I am keeping this copy. So you are going to have to find your own!
Helpful Score: 2
This is a collection of fantasy murder mysteries. For the most part it was a fun read, with only a few standouts and fewer failures, a little above par for a collection of this sort. Here's a short review of each story:
Charlaine Harris's "Lucky" was a nice Sookie Stackhouse adventure with her witch friend Amelia, but nothing fantastic.
"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas was an attempt at a cutesy noir atmosphere with movie and book characters brought to life by magic that was boring, did not make sense and failed miserably.
"Looks are Deceiving" by Michael A. Stackpole was a fantasy short with dwarf magician protagonist that felt like it should have been a novel. Interesting enough but not my cup of tea.
Easily my favorite, "The House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn is a wonderful story of a woman whose rental house is haunted by the ghosts of 7 people who have died there.
"Glamour" by Mike Doogan started out a little rough but turned out to be an amusing little tale of bad magicians, peasants and afrits.
"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews was my first taste of her fantasy writing, and she is just as good with the genre as she is with cozy mysteries, writing with the same humor and cleverness.
Michael Armstrong's "The Duh Vice" was a cute sci-fi story, once you quit rolling your eyes at the initial premise of the dystopian United States in the 2020's.
"Weight of the World" by John Straley was another attempt at cute that fell a little flat for me, with the murder of one of Santa's elves.
"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman was a so-so fantasy, ok but nothing really to write home about.
"The House" by Laurie R. King was mediocre for the most part, but redeemed itself nicely in the end despite its predictability.
"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green, set in the dark realm of Nightside which is full of monsters, magic and murder, took itself too seriously and fell short for me.
"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow, another mystery writer dipping a toe into fantasy, was a little rocky in the beginning but ended with a nice flourish. It was reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's Tarma & Kethry series with its theme of women's rights.
Charlaine Harris's "Lucky" was a nice Sookie Stackhouse adventure with her witch friend Amelia, but nothing fantastic.
"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas was an attempt at a cutesy noir atmosphere with movie and book characters brought to life by magic that was boring, did not make sense and failed miserably.
"Looks are Deceiving" by Michael A. Stackpole was a fantasy short with dwarf magician protagonist that felt like it should have been a novel. Interesting enough but not my cup of tea.
Easily my favorite, "The House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn is a wonderful story of a woman whose rental house is haunted by the ghosts of 7 people who have died there.
"Glamour" by Mike Doogan started out a little rough but turned out to be an amusing little tale of bad magicians, peasants and afrits.
"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews was my first taste of her fantasy writing, and she is just as good with the genre as she is with cozy mysteries, writing with the same humor and cleverness.
Michael Armstrong's "The Duh Vice" was a cute sci-fi story, once you quit rolling your eyes at the initial premise of the dystopian United States in the 2020's.
"Weight of the World" by John Straley was another attempt at cute that fell a little flat for me, with the murder of one of Santa's elves.
"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman was a so-so fantasy, ok but nothing really to write home about.
"The House" by Laurie R. King was mediocre for the most part, but redeemed itself nicely in the end despite its predictability.
"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green, set in the dark realm of Nightside which is full of monsters, magic and murder, took itself too seriously and fell short for me.
"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow, another mystery writer dipping a toe into fantasy, was a little rocky in the beginning but ended with a nice flourish. It was reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's Tarma & Kethry series with its theme of women's rights.
Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
"Powers of Detection", an anthology featuring stories of crimes committed in fantasy worlds and/or by the characters that inhabit such universes, proved to be so popular that editor Dana Stabenow undertook a sequel. "Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy" gathers 12 authors (including Ms. Stabenow) to tell tales of supernatural crimes.
The cover proudly shouts about "A New Sookie Stackhouse Story" by Charlaine Harris. The tale, "Lucky", leads off the anthology. The tale neither excited me nor turned me off however, it was my first exposure to the famed protagonist "Sookie Stackhouse". I suspect that readers who have previously spent time with her and her world will enjoy the tale more than I did, as 26 pages is not nearly enough space to learn to love an entire literary universe.
The next tale, "Bogieman", by Carole Nelson Douglas (known for her documentation of the adventures of cat detective Midnight Louie) was more my speed my lack of knowledge of this brand new universe put me on equal ground with all other readers, and the thought of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade wandering Las Vegas (along with other famed replicants of famous stars of the past) was quite enjoyable.
I'm not going to go over every story in the book although I could probably go on and on praising most of them but in the interest of space, let's jump to the fact that the anthology goes out with a bang. Simon R. Green's "Appetite for Murder" (the title is a bit too generic for this story, in my opinion) looks at a mystical underside of London, where anything goes until it goes too far. The story's climax takes a couple of plot devices and flips them on their ears; it was my favorite tale in the collection. Ms. Stabenow's "A Woman's Work" looks at the concept of justice in a fantasy universe as two women the Seer and the Sword are brought in to judge (jury, and execute) a murder in a misogynistic society.
Unlike most anthologies, there were no weak stories propped up by stronger ones the WORST in this collection was "pretty darned good". Fans of either fantasy or murder-mystery genres will probably enjoy this collection. Fans of both will love it.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where half stars are not permitted. (And I have never rated an anthology at 5 stars up until this point.)
The cover proudly shouts about "A New Sookie Stackhouse Story" by Charlaine Harris. The tale, "Lucky", leads off the anthology. The tale neither excited me nor turned me off however, it was my first exposure to the famed protagonist "Sookie Stackhouse". I suspect that readers who have previously spent time with her and her world will enjoy the tale more than I did, as 26 pages is not nearly enough space to learn to love an entire literary universe.
The next tale, "Bogieman", by Carole Nelson Douglas (known for her documentation of the adventures of cat detective Midnight Louie) was more my speed my lack of knowledge of this brand new universe put me on equal ground with all other readers, and the thought of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade wandering Las Vegas (along with other famed replicants of famous stars of the past) was quite enjoyable.
I'm not going to go over every story in the book although I could probably go on and on praising most of them but in the interest of space, let's jump to the fact that the anthology goes out with a bang. Simon R. Green's "Appetite for Murder" (the title is a bit too generic for this story, in my opinion) looks at a mystical underside of London, where anything goes until it goes too far. The story's climax takes a couple of plot devices and flips them on their ears; it was my favorite tale in the collection. Ms. Stabenow's "A Woman's Work" looks at the concept of justice in a fantasy universe as two women the Seer and the Sword are brought in to judge (jury, and execute) a murder in a misogynistic society.
Unlike most anthologies, there were no weak stories propped up by stronger ones the WORST in this collection was "pretty darned good". Fans of either fantasy or murder-mystery genres will probably enjoy this collection. Fans of both will love it.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where half stars are not permitted. (And I have never rated an anthology at 5 stars up until this point.)
This short story anthology includes many great authors (Carole Nelson Douglas, Laurie King, Dana Stabenow, Michael Stackpole, John Straley, Mike Doogan just to name a few) and many stunningly well written stories - Glamour by Mike Doogan is one of the best.
