Fantasy Shorts

For someone who said she didn't really read short stories, I certainly seem to have been reading enough of them lately. My latest foray into short stories is in the realm of fantasy, in the collection Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon features three short stories (almost novellas, really) from Mercedes Lackey, Michelle Sagara, and Cameron Haley. I took the book out from the library to read the next story in Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series. However, I think I have discovered two new amazing fantasy authors as well.

The first story is Lackey's: "A Tangled Web" and seems to pick up right where her last book leaves off with the characters Leopold and Brunnhilde. Of course, it's been forever since I read that last book and I could not, for the life of me, remember exactly who these characters were or anything about how they met. There have been a lot of books between then and now. Fortunately, I don't think in-depth knowledge of the previous story is required to enjoy the current story.

And I did enjoy it. Lackey turns her pen to the Greek gods and goddesses, denizens of the Kingdom of Olympia. As you may recall, the 500 Kingdoms are watched over by a network of Fairy Godmothers. However, there are no Godmothers in Olympia because the gods and goddesses are there. But they are not as careful as the Godmothers are! Lackey approaches the myth of Persephone and Hades with new eyes, and gives it a fresh new retelling. She ties it together with the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in the characters of Brunnhilde and Leopold.

Despite all the positives inherent in the story, I had some misgivings. I think the volume was probably rushed to press; better editing is needed of Lackey's work. Also, the plot was enough for a full-length novel. I feel that she wasted a novel plot on a short story. At times, there was just too much exhibition and a paragraph of dialogue would sum up some exciting plot lines that could have carried a chapter or two of a novel. I hope her next 500 Kingdoms effort is a full novel.

The second short story in the collection is "Cast In Moonlight" by Michelle Sagara - who lives in Toronto! The story is about a mysterious young girl named Kaylin. Captured by the Hawks (some sort of police squad) she is recruited into their ranks and asked to help solve a deadly crime.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is true fantasy: there are lion-people and bird-people and mind readers and magicians. But it also reads like a police procedural at times: the Hawks is like a police force, the bodies are taken to the morgue for an autopsy (both real and magical), and there are files to organize. I thought her use of mirror-magic for the Internet/telephone was very clever. One minor quibble - the back of the book says something about Kaylin helping in a "child prostitution sting" and I didn't get that at all from the story. I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I don't think child prostitution had anything to do with it. Child slavery, sure. Child prostitution? Not so much. It was not explicitly stated in the story nor was it implied; at least in my reading.

Despite that very minor quibble I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed this new world created by Sagara and her ability to unite the mundane (police procedurals) with the fantastical (bird-people). I will be reading more books by this author.

The final story was "Retribution" by Cameron Haley and can be described thusly: Magic meets the Mob. It is a story about a gang in California. But a gang that uses magic. And about one woman in particular: Domino Riley. She is a hitwoman for the underworld - but her underworld includes magic.

This was a fun read - not fluffy, but fun. It is grounded securely in the present day with the addition of magic. There are magical explanations for gang signs and graffiti. A hitman/woman needs to be just as proficient with magic as with a gun. It was quite an enjoyable read - I like the mix of fantasy with realism. I would never read a mob/gang novel all on its own, but add the dash of magic/fantasy, and I'm in. I will also be reading more of Haley's books in the future.

Sometimes, as a reader, it's important to open your mind and try something you would never have read otherwise. I wasn't going to read this short story collection, but I am glad I did. I have discovered two new excellent fantasy authors whom I would never have known about otherwise.