Shadowed Souls

By: Jim Butcher - editor, Kerrie L. Hughes - editor

Narrated by: Jim Butcher, Julia Whelan, Emily Rankin, Justine Eyre, David de Vries, Mia Barron, Jon Lindstrom, Sumalee Montano, Mozhan Marnò, Karissa Vacker, MacLeod Andrews

In this dark and gritty collection - featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman - nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil....

Unfortunately, that's exactly what makes it so easy to cross the line.

In number-one New York Times best-selling author Jim Butcher's "Cold Case", Molly Carpenter - Harry Dresden's apprentice-turned-Winter Lady - must collect a tribute from a remote Fae colony and discovers that even if you're a good girl, sometimes you have to be bad.

New York Times best-selling author Seanan McGuire's "Sleepover" finds half-succubus Elsie Harrington kidnapped by a group of desperate teenage boys. Not for anything weird. They just need her to rescue a little girl from the boogeyman. No biggie.

In New York Times best-selling Kevin J. Anderson's "Eye of Newt", Zombie PI Dan Shamble's latest client is a panicky lizard missing an eye who thinks someone wants him dead. But the truth is that someone only wants him for a very special dinner....

And New York Times best-selling author Rob Thurman's infernally heroic Caliban Leandros takes a trip down memory lane as he deals with some overdue - and nightmarish - vengeance involving some quite nasty "Impossible Monsters".

Also includes stories by Tanya Huff, Kat Richardson, Jim C. Hines, Anton Strout, Lucy A. Snyder, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Erik Scott de Bie.

Full cast of narrators includes Jon Lindstrom, Sumalee Montano, Mozhan Marno, Karissa Vacker, and Macleod Andrews.

©2016 Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Not what I was expecting

I was hugely disappointed when I finally got the book, since I had preordered this in the belief it would be a full lenght book featuring Molly. It is not.
However once I got over my disappointment I decided to give the book a chance even so, and I'm glad I did. While half the stories at most rate a "Meh" there were a few that actually made me look up the authors to find more books about those characters.
So despite the horrible (bordering on false) marketing I'm glad I bought the book and listened to all of it.

Dresden???

This collection of shorts is... very light on the Dresden Files. Near as I can tell, there is only one story here that takes place in the Dresden Files Universe.

I would overlook that, except Audible called it a Dresden Files book, unless I am grossly mistaken. So, not too enthused about that bit.

There are good stories and not so good stories here; nothing I would call out and out bad, but some are crafted with superior skill or fit the tone of the theme better than others.

Some of the narrators are very good, excellent even. Some of the narrators should... nnnnot do narration. Some of them fit the tone, can really drag the listener into the story, while others are either just unskilled, floundering or desperately hamming it up.

There are a few excellent stories in this collection. Hunter and Healer (or is it Healer and Hunter?), Baggage, and the last story by Rob Thurman, as well as the tale about Molly Carpenter in her new, uh, job. If you have credits to spare and are willing to look past about half of the content it's worth a listen.

For a collection that is supposed to be about the monsters that aren't necessarily evil, even if they're monsters doing wicked things, I think only the first and last stories really hit the mark. Those are the only two where the "moral ambiguity" comes into clear focus, while the rest are either making an attempt with characters who are not at all evil or "monstrous" or hardly touch upon the subject at all. Perhaps "Baggage" does? That character though is repentant and haunted...

Just one listener's opinion. As ever, your mileage may vary.

mediocre

Mediocre at best. Stories are written like bad internet fan fiction. Stories that try to resemble Dresden but fall miserably short and flat. Half hearted attempts at lesbian love stories, one dimensional characters who are overly jaded and angry. Do not recommend.

Struggled to finish

Good writers don't need to fill their stories with sex and profanity. A very forgettable listen.

great anthology

if you like Dresden Files, then you'll like this anthology. not particularly scary and filled with great contemporary dark fantasy.

Sometimes, stories are dark.

Sometimes, it's the darkness that makes the story shine.
These stories touch on that darkness that exists even in some shining heros. Then again, sometimes there's just darkness.

Dark but

If you like dark and don't cringe at sexual reference's or foul language -- and believe even the creatures of the night can be valuable and productive citizens -- you'll likely really enjoy these short stories.

Great Stories but very dark

Great individual stories and some I enjoyed more than others but they definitely were not kidding when they said it would be descriptivly dark. I would recommend overall but be prepared for the last story.

I downloaded it for the Butcher story

Any additional comments?

Everything else was edible but the new short by Jim Butcher? Worth the credit!

nice for discovery

I enjoyed this book enough. I did discover other authors I'd like to look into for later. but this book has only one chapter related to the Dresden files. not unhappy with the purchase. but not one you need if you're only trying to follow Dresden on his misadventures.