A Fantasy Medley

Edited by Yanni Kuznia
Subterranean Press, $20.00, 133 pages

In this collection of four novellas, four women whose fantasy writing repeatedly tops the charts return to their worlds to tell stories about women with strength of character. Each tale presents a different facet of feminine heroism. In the humorous urban fantasy “Zen and the Art of Vampirism”, Kelley Armstrong’s vampire protagonist plays tour guide to Toronto’s paranormal side. Kate Elliott returns to her Crown of Stars epic fantasy series with “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” in which the heroine finds there is more to life than being the wife of a tribal chieftain. C. E. Murphy twists a traditional Russian fairy tale about Baba Yaga’s daughter in “From Russia, with Love” into a yarn about love and knowledge. The world of Farseer gets a new narrative in Robin Hobb’s “Words Like Coins” in which the protagonist learns respect for others. Prior knowledge of the setting is not necessary for any of the stories, and each is a good starting point for entering the worlds of these acclaimed authors. Each of the four tales is finely wrought and thoroughly entertaining.

Reviewed by John Ottinger III