Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
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.
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