Laurie R. King
Books: Fantasy
Anthologies
Unusual Suspects (2008), Down These Strange Streets (2011)
Unusual Suspects (2008) edited by Dana Stabenow
I own and read Dana Stabenow's first fantasy/mystery anthology, Powers of Detection and found it a mixed bag. But when I saw Unusual Suspects and saw it had stories from Sharon Shinn & Simon R. Green, I knew I would have to have this anthology.
In general, I enjoyed it more than the first anthology. Unlike the first anthology, the Sookie story was not on of my favorites. I fear I'm becoming annoyed by Sookie. Hopefully the next book I get will repair my goodwill towards her. And I didn't dislike the story, I simply didn't care one way or the other about it. The primary mystery itself was actually interesting, but I suppose I felt like the story wandered all over the place; perhaps I like my short stories to be a little tighter. But again, it wasn't bad. It just wasn't as good as other short stories I've read by Charlaine Harris.
- Lucky by Charlaine Harris
- Bogieman by Carole Nelson Douglas
- Looks Are Deceiving by Michael A. Stackpole
- The House of Seven Spirits by Sharon Shinn
- Glamour by Mike Doogan
- Spellbound by Donna Andrews
- The Duh Vice by Michael Armstrong
- Weight of the World by John Straley
- Illumination by Laura Anne Gilman
- The House by Laurie R. King
- Appetite for Murder by Simon R. Green
- A Woman's Work by Dana Stabenow
The other "haunted house" story, Laurie R. King's "The House" would have been better had I not read a very similar Charles de Lint story. There was even a similarity between the storytellers in the stories, with their primary difference being age. (Mind you, the Charles de Lint story wasn't a haunted house story. It was the twist that was the same in both stories.)
If you're a fan of fantasy mysteries, this anthology is a good introduction to some authors I particularly like, and although it had some weak spots, was better than its predecessor.
Rating: 7/10
Down These Strange Streets (2011) edited by Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin
If you look at the list of authors above, you'll immediately see why I read this series. There are some of my favorite authors here–many of whom write short stories I tend to love. And surprisingly, I loved most of these stories, especially a few by authors I haven't particularly read before.
- Death by Dahlia by Charlaine Harris
- The Bleeding Shadow by Joe R. Lansdale
- Hungry Heart by Simon R. Green
- Styx and Stones by Steven Saylor
- Pain and Suffering by S.M. Stirling
- It's Still the Same Old Story by Carrie Vaughn
- The Lady Is a Screamer by Conn Iggulden
- Hellbender by Laurie R. King
- Shadow Thieves by Glen Cook
- No Mystery, No Miracle by Melinda Snodgrass
- The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery by M.L.N. Hanover
- The Curious Affair of the Deodand by Lisa Tuttle
- Lord John and the Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon
- Beware the Snake by John Maddox Roberts
- In Red, With Pearls by Patricia Briggs
- The Adakian Eagle by Bradley Denton
Laurie R. King's story "Hellbender" is set in a future where a scientist has created humans from mixed DNA. The main mystery is one of finding a SalaMan who has disappeared, but it also looks at what society might do if mixed species humans were created, and even how the court system might deal with them. I think I enjoyed the ideas brought up by the story more than I did the mystery itself, but it was still well worth reading.
All in all, I found this to be a fabulous anthology, and I highly recommend almost all the stories I read–even the ones I didn't love were, for the most part, interesting.
Published by Penguin
Rating: 9/10