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It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest. They're the ultimate defenders of humanity, modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today's hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.
Today's hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic! For anyone who's ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who's imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection!
Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?
A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters.
An all-new Dresden Files story headlines this urban fantasy short story collection starring the Windy City's favorite wizard. The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection. From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.
Villains have all the fun - everyone knows that - and this anthology takes you on a wild ride through the dark side! The top villains from 16 urban fantasy series get their own stories - including the baddies of New York Times best-selling authors Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry. For every hero trying to save the world, there's a villain trying to tear it all down.
It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest. They're the ultimate defenders of humanity, modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today's hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.
Today's hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic! For anyone who's ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who's imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection!
Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?
A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters.
An all-new Dresden Files story headlines this urban fantasy short story collection starring the Windy City's favorite wizard. The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection. From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.
Villains have all the fun - everyone knows that - and this anthology takes you on a wild ride through the dark side! The top villains from 16 urban fantasy series get their own stories - including the baddies of New York Times best-selling authors Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry. For every hero trying to save the world, there's a villain trying to tear it all down.
Not bound as a book. Free. Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to hear - without the constraints of a shackling theme. The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you - some will move you to tears while others will keep you listening long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or hearing the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.
Featuring New York Times best-selling authors Jim Butcher and Simon R. Green, and national best-selling authors Kat Richardson and Thomas E. Sniegoski, Mean Streets offers four novellas from the hottest names in contemporary paranormal suspense. Running the gamut from demons and werewolves to zombies and black magic, these whodunits crackle with otherworldly secrets, making for a noir collection with an extra set of fangs.
Life can kick us when we are down. In Shawn Speakman's case, he is fighting back. Lacking health insurance and diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2011, Speakman beat the disease as well as the massive medical debt he amassed from its treatment. He did this by publishing Unfettered, an anthology featuring short stories donated by some of the best science fiction and fantasy writers working today. Speakman has again collaborated with celebrated genre authors to publish Unfettered II.
Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.
Werewolves, vampires, witches, voodoo, Elvis - and weddings An "ordinary" wedding can get crazy enough, so can you imagine what happens when otherworldly creatures are involved? Nine of the hottest authors of paranormal fiction answer that question in this delightful collection of supernatural wedding stories.
What newly married couple doesn't dream of a romantic retreat where they can escape the world for a while - but what happens when supernatural forces intrude on their wedded bliss? Nine of today's hottest paranormal authors answer that question in this all-star collection of supernatural stories.
In these tales, Lord John vows to avenge a murder, investigates a terrifying "night-hag" on the battlefields of Europe, and discovers treason in His Majesty's ranks.
Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps.
Seraph is a Raven mage who left behind her responsibilities for the love of the ex-soldier Tier. But when Tier disappears, Seraph must use her magic - and fulfill her ancestors’ oath to protect humanity from destruction.
All new and original to this volume, the 21 stories in Dangerous Women include work by 12 New York Times best sellers, and seven stories set in the authors’ best-selling continuities - including a new "Outlander" story by Diana Gabaldon, a tale of Harry Dresden’s world by Jim Butcher, a story from Lev Grossman set in the world of The Magicians, and a 35,000-word novella by George R. R. Martin about the Dance of the Dragons, the vast civil war that tore Westeros apart nearly two centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones.
In New York, there's a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side. Of course, most humans are oblivious to this, but Cal Leandros is only half-human. His father's dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares - and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal.
We all play roles at times. Wardwick of Hurog played the role of a fool till he reached adulthood, just to keep his father from murdering him. Now he must overcome the image he so carefully built and fight not simply for his birthright but to free the five Kingdoms from tyranny and the rising tide of darkest magic that threatens his world.
In this thrilling collection of original stories, some of today’s hottest paranormal authors delight, thrill and captivate readers with otherworldly tales of magic and mischief.
In Jim Butcher’s ”Curses”, Harry Dresden investigates how to lift a curse laid by the Fair Folk on the Chicago Cubs. In Patricia Briggs’ “Fairy Gifts,” a vampire is called home by magic to save the Fae who freed him from a dark curse. In Melissa Marr’s “Guns for the Dead,” the newly dead Frankie Lee seeks a job in the afterlife on the wrong side of the law. In Holly Black’s “Noble Rot,” a dying rock star discovers that the young woman who brings him food every day has some strange appetites of her own.
Featuring original stories from 20 authors, this dark, captivating, fabulous and fantastical collection is sure to have readers coming back for more.
The complete list of authors includes: Ellen Datlow (editor), Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Holly Black, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, John Crowley, Jeffrey Ford, Christopher Fowler, and Caitlin R. Kiernan.
I expected this to be more fantasy but most of these were really boring. The narrators were good, but i couldnt get into the writing. I bought this for Jim Butcher and enjoyed that story immensely, as I always do with his stories. I had to skip through most of the rest as it was just sort of strange and disconnected. I liked Hex Appeal and Stormy Knights much better. Those compilations made more sense together and were more true to the fantasy genre.
24 of 25 people found this review helpful
I really liked some of these stories -- and a couple, not so much. I see anthologies as a smorgasbord, allowing me to sample the style of authors with whom I'm not familiar without having to commit to an entire novel which I may or may not like. I taste a little here, a little there, and then I can go back to enjoy more of the ones I favor.
The one thing I really did come away with was an appreciation for these three narrators. They are excellent. Eliza Foss' voice is similar to Kate Reading's (if you need a reference). British narrator Nicola Barber's Irish is impeccable -- and expressive -- and wonderful (her American accent isn't bad, either)! Richard Topol has done one other book on Audible, and I checked it out. It's nonfiction, and he maintains a very conversational tone in that, as well. Excellent first person storyteller. And speaking of first person narration, if there HAD to be a change, I wish he'd read Jim Butcher's Ghost Story. His voice has a similar tone & timbre to James Marsters', and his cadence/timing sounded familiar. I could imagine him telling Harry's tale as I listened to Elizabeth Bear's Vegas story. It may have made the transition much less (painful) glaring.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
Groups of short stories are always a bit of a roll of the dice. A majority of the stories are good with a few by the big name authors really good. There are a few that just seemed unfinished. Over all I enjoyed this book.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
There was just one issue with this book when you're listening to the last story on end of book 1 it cuts off and starts a new story on book 2 you never know what happens to the end of the story and it never pick up again, I hate that part, but ... overall this book with it's variety of stories are wonderful
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this book in spite of mixed reviews. The reviews were correct. A couple great stories, a few good ones, and several made no sense and were difficult to follow. If your favorite author is part of this book buy it otherwise keep shopping.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
If I were to review this book purely by the quality of the stories, I would give it 5 stars. All of the stories (with the possible expection of "On the Slide", which was so obvious that I wondered what the point of staying until the end) were well- written, many moving and thoughtful. As a reader with two advanced English degrees, I loved the word-craft. However, this book has a big problem: it's supposed to be collection of urban fantasy, but a full third of those included are not urban fantasy.
Some, like "Picking Up the Pieces" would be better catagorized as magical realism, while "Weston Walks" and "Duke of Riverside" lack any fantasy or magical element at all. "Projected Girl" at least leaves us with the thought that something truly magical happened, though I would still say it's not really urban fantasy. The definition of fantasy in this context requires the inclusion of mythological creatures/beings and/or Harry Potter magic; not merely 'fantastical' in the sense that the events are uncommon. Therefore, this collection fails to be a true collection of urban fantasy, and as such, was a disappointment.
That said, there were some great examples of urban fantasy. "Curses" and "Priced to Sell" were delightful rides. "Noble Rot" and "Fairy Gifts" were sweet and had nice twists. "Bricks for Gelecek" and "Colliers' Vensus" (nice works of literary fiction) were thought-provoking.
All in all, it was a good book, but not entirely urban fantasy. And for that reason, I can only give it 3 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The work ranged from excellent to ok. The bulk of the work was good, performed well, and captivating. Overall I am content with my purchase. Not a must have but nice to own.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
An excellent collection of stories which tie into multiple different genre. If you recognize an author involved it's worth reading for the others.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I picked this up b/c it had a Dresden tale. But it was less than satisfying and I have yet to find another story (I have not finished the book yet) that has really grabbed me. I'd skip this over if I had to do it again.
9 of 14 people found this review helpful
Struggled to get through this book. Really hit or miss story quality. Butcher delivered as usual, but the rest were very uneven. I had to be stubborn to finish this thing.
Would you try another book written by the authors or narrated by the narrators?
Unable to listen to it because it would not download to my Audible app.
Has Naked City put you off other books in this genre?
It has put me off Audible ua forever
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Could not tell you it would not download
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Naked City?
Would not know could not listen to it
Any additional comments?
I am one very unhappy customer.