Shadowed Souls

September 26, 2016
The morally gray heroes of this urban fantasy anthology refute the idea that all magic users are either good or evil. Butcher opens with his own “Cold Case,” the heart-wrenching story of a young woman trying to reconcile her new and terrible power with the duty she must perform. Seanan McGuire’s “Sleepover” follows nicely, revealing a world where magical people are reviled and unwelcome. Tanya Huff’s “If Wishes Were,” the grim story of a vampire holding desperately to her humanity through the man she loves, rounds out a powerful opening, but from here the anthology begins to lose momentum. Several stories are amusing but not exceptional. Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s “Sales. Force.” revives the flagging collection, but the final story, “Impossible Monsters” by Rob Thurman, falls flat, adding an incidental magical element to the tired trope of a serial killer who goes after evildoers. Not every story will appeal to every reader, but the best of them truly shine.

November 15, 2016

The world is not black and white, strictly divided between good and evil, but rather more shades of gray. In these 11 stories, readers will find their most beloved series characters crossing those morally ambiguous boundaries. In editor Butcher's "Cold Case," Molly, Harry Dresden's former apprentice and current Winter Lady, is now in service to Queen Mab and must collect tribute from a remote fae colony. In Seanan McGuire's "Sleepover," Elsie Harrington may be part succubus, but she is no demon, despite the opinions of those around her. Rob Thurman's Caliban Leandros remembers his childhood and takes care of the past in "Impossible Monsters." VERDICT Urban fantasy enthusiasts will love these "in-between" tales from their favorite series.--KC

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
Urban fantasy fans will be delighted with this thrilling collection of 11 supernatural stories in which good isn't always light, and evil isn't always dark. Each author displays a tendency for snarky wit and clever banter that seems to suit being a shadowed soul. First soul up is Harry Dresden's former apprentice, Molly Carpenter, learning more than she wants about being the Fae Winter Lady in Jim Butcher's Cold Case. In If Wishes Were, Tanya Huff's Blood series vampire-detective, Vicki Nelson, discovers the deadly temptations of a genie's three wishes. Kat Richardson's Peacock in Hell brings together an odd couple to face an uncertain future after a hellish rescue mission, and in Jim C. Hines' Hunter, Healer, a magical healer comes face-to-face with her former mentor's newest protege, a vicious hunter. Good and evil are truly tested in Sales. Force. by Kristine Kathryn Rusch as a soulless killer grieving over her lost fiance tries to find the flaw in a love potion that actually works. While some tales deal with familiar characters from well-known series, others introduce new souls that readers will be hoping to meet again down the road.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)