Lee P. (copiousreader) reviewed on
Fairchild's story is unusual but heartwarming, about a disfigured war veteran and Emma, a paragon of virtue and patience. She may be too patient and wise to be believed, and he nearly too weak, but they do get on well together. His dragon of an aunt is thoroughly conceived. All in all, a pleasant and diverting tale. 3 stars.
Metzger's spoof is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. A delightfully convoluted "wish list" holds this witty and quirky tale together. Metzger's clever "trick" of viewing the story from multiple viewpoints with similar phrasing is delightful, is occasionally taken a bit too far. Her characters are finely drawn, especially the secondary ones. Metzger delivers. 4 stars.
Kelly's offering is only so-so. It's a fairly interesting situation for the hero but is otherwise blah. There's nothing really special here, and the story is not firmly resolved. The author's style is nice, but the story is not particularly engaging, and there is a sense of it being unfinished. 1 & 1/2 stars.
Fairchild's piece is also less-than-wonderful. It involves a thoroughly dastardly brother and a twist of sorts. This tale is more sensual than most in such anthologies. There's some nice imagery, but it's only middling overall. 2 stars.
Layton's contribution is a take on Sleeping Beauty--one that is fairly obvious and straightforward. The tale is mildly diverting, but Layton, as usual, is overly wordy, relying too much on description and on "telling" the story. 2 stars.
Metzger's spoof is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. A delightfully convoluted "wish list" holds this witty and quirky tale together. Metzger's clever "trick" of viewing the story from multiple viewpoints with similar phrasing is delightful, is occasionally taken a bit too far. Her characters are finely drawn, especially the secondary ones. Metzger delivers. 4 stars.
Kelly's offering is only so-so. It's a fairly interesting situation for the hero but is otherwise blah. There's nothing really special here, and the story is not firmly resolved. The author's style is nice, but the story is not particularly engaging, and there is a sense of it being unfinished. 1 & 1/2 stars.
Fairchild's piece is also less-than-wonderful. It involves a thoroughly dastardly brother and a twist of sorts. This tale is more sensual than most in such anthologies. There's some nice imagery, but it's only middling overall. 2 stars.
Layton's contribution is a take on Sleeping Beauty--one that is fairly obvious and straightforward. The tale is mildly diverting, but Layton, as usual, is overly wordy, relying too much on description and on "telling" the story. 2 stars.
