Tagged: anthology
Anthology: Forbidden Future by The Masquerade Crew
(Cover picture courtesy of Masquerade Tours.)
What becomes of mankind in the future? Is life better or worse?
Forbidden Future by James Wymore
When a time machine technician working the graveyard shift gets divorce papers from his wife, he decides it’s time to take the machine for a ride—no matter the consequences.Jump by Jon Bradbury
Jesse Kendall thinks he’s seen it all. He’s about to see more.Road Trip by Matt Mitrovich
Four friends drive to a college party and take an unexpected detour into the future.Cacotopia by James Lauren
Kayne Adamson went into suspension to await a cure, but never imagined how long his sleep would last or the world he would awaken into. Is it really the utopia it first appears to be?Society by Terra Harmony
Take a ride on the Energy of the Future where society gets a fresh, clean start—no matter who they have to leave behind.The Mountains Haven’t by Kade Anderson
Something is very wrong in the downtrodden town of Dignity and only the town’s Watcher, Julia, can see what it is.Between Utopias by Michael Trimmer
After being saved from a fatal heart attack by being transported to the future, David must choose from two opposite utopias.
[Full disclosure: I have had a close working relationship with The Masquerade Crew and its leader, Mark Lee, for a year. I was going to become one of the editors of this anthology until circumstances not under my control interfered and I had to drop out. With that said, this review is, as always, honest.]
I’m not a big anthology reader, but I really did love this one. For one, I love science fiction and secondly I do love a good short story. And believe me, there are some awesome short stories in here.
I’ll be totally predictable and say that my personal favourite was the anthology’s namesake: Forbidden Future. The main character was well-developed and interesting and the future he was thrust into was somewhat believable. And the ending was tragic and yet hilarious, but I can’t explain too much or that would spoil the awesome surprise. I won’t critique each short story, but on the whole I could relate to the characters and the futures were interesting. It’s hard to fit a whole new future into just a short story, but these authors were pretty awesome and managed to achieve it. Some futures were fantastic, others terrifying. There was a good balance in the selection of the stories because no two really predicted similar futures.
The one thing I had a gripe with was the editing. This is The Masquerade Crew’s first anthology and some of the editing was, admittedly, a little rough. There were basic typographical errors that should have been caught and I’m hoping they’ll be corrected in any subsequent editions. I don’t think there were enough to really distract from the story, but they are there and they are noticeable.
There’s a little something for everyone in Forbidden Future. There’s stories that get very technical for those fans of hard science fiction, but there’s also more character-driven stories for people like me who don’t necessarily understand a great deal of science. Yet in all the stories the main characters are interesting and characterization certainly wasn’t sacrificed in the world-building process. Each author had an unique voice and so did their characters.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the anthology. It never really had a weak story that I just wanted to skip through; all of the stories here were pretty strong. I look forward to future anthologies by The Masquerade Crew. And with the anthology on sale on Amazon for $.99 until December 7th, where can you go wrong?
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Amazon Barnes and Noble* Goodreads
*Unavailable
V-Wars by Jonathon Maberry
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
A sweeping, threaded narrative of the global phenomenon known as the Vampire Wars! Mankind is silently infected by a millennia-old bacteria unknowingly exhumed by a scientific expedition in Antarctica. Now, in some rare cases, a person’s so-called “junk DNA” becomes activated, and depending on their racial and ethnic heritage they begin to manifest one of the many diverse forms of the “others” that are the true basis for the legends of supernatural creatures. These aren’t your usual vampires and werewolves – it goes much deeper than that. Conceived by Jonathan Maberry, V Wars features stories from various “frontlines” as reported by such contributors as Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, James A. Moore, Gregory Frost, John Everson, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Scott Nicholson (as well as Maberry himself, of course). The result is a compelling series of tales that create a unique chronicle of mankind’s response to this sudden, hidden threat to humanity.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
As much as I hate to compare the two books, there really is only one way to describe V-Wars: a poorly done vampire version of World War Z.
At first I absolutely loved the idea of Jonathon Maberry compiling stories from other authors and weaving them together to create a narrative of a vampire outbreak. I mean, it’s Jonathon Maberry! He did zombies so well in Dust & Decay that I was sure V-Wars was going to be a hit. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, the main thing that frustrated me was not so much the premise but the fact that I kept asking myself while reading: Could there possibly be a more complicated way to tell this story?! We actually follow the stories of quite a few characters but the table of contents seems to have been drawn up by a child picking story names randomly out of a hat. The vampire virus came out of Antarctica from a scientific expedition but we only actually meet the people who started the outbreak at the end of the novel. There is neither rhyme nor reason to the chronology or when a new character would pop up to tell their story. Or their stories would end randomly and we never heard from them again.
This lack of a logical timeline certainly affected my enjoyment of the story. Sure, some of the characters were compelling, but others were just plain boring. Besides, it’s hard to actually connect with characters when they randomly disappear, are forgotten, or barely get any page time at all. Michael Fayne would have been interesting if his story was told in a more linear fashion and I suppose Ruksana was compelling, but again there’s the seemingly random order of the stories messing everything up. This book is only 384 pages and yet I felt like I was reading a 1000+ page book where the novelist has decided to include the viewpoints of a cast of characters worthy of George R. R. Martin.
Due to the illogical ordering, I really had a hard time getting into V-Wars. Some stories were fast-paced and others were unbearably dull. It was sort of like getting an old car to start on a cold morning: just when you think you’re ready to go it dies on you. There is no real climax, no peak of the vampire war that makes you think humanity is doomed. Instead, the ending is ambiguous with Luther Swann basically saying that there are more vampires out there not declaring themselves and that humanity is probably in trouble if they keep persecuting them.
Overall, as much as I hate to say it, V-Wars was a flop for me. I wouldn’t recommend it; you’re better off reading World War Z, which is at least told in a logical order.
I give this book 1.5/5 stars.
End Dayz by Kellie Sheridan
(Cover picture courtesy of Kobo Books.)
Prequel collection to Mortality.
It’s month after the dead first began to walk. The miracle vaccine that was supposed to save us all has failed.
Now, four teens fight to stay alive as a stronger, smarter breed of zombie begins to appear, threatening to end humanity for good.
Four short stories, 11,000 words total
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
After reading Kellie Sheridan’s first book in The Hitchhiker Strain and seeing that there was a prequel anthology to it, I just had to read it. After all, Mortality was pretty awesome and I was interested in learning about the characters lives during the apocalypse itself. But did End Dayz add to my overall enjoyment of Kellie Sheridan’s world?
Absolutely! Learning more about Pierce, Belle, Alex and Zack was awesome. Not only did I get to learn more about the characters themselves, but also about the zombie apocalypse and what it was like to live in that chaos. Not only that, I learned a little about how Savannah was orphaned but I won’t go into detail about that because it’s a spoiler. Unlike so many anthology collections by the same author, each character in End Dayz had an unique voice in their writing. Some of them were chronicling the apocalypse through letters to their family, diary entries or mission reports. But in the end, everyone sounded different and that allowed me to get a real sense of their personality.
Belle is the bubbly young woman we meet in Mortality, Pierce is slightly stuck-up, Alex is the underdog and Zack is the serious team leader. That may sound like they’re all one dimensional characters, but they’re not. There are unique spins on each of the archetypal characters, which I was so thankful for. Kellie Sheridan is one of those writers that seems to stay away from clichés as much as possible and that’s what makes The Hitchhiker Strain one of my top series to follow into the future.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Dangerous faeries. Heartbreaking romance. Thrilling action and limitless adventure. The world of the fey has never been so powerful. This collection includes three novellas set in the world of the Iron Fey plus the Guide to the Iron Fey with exclusive information about Julie Kagawa’s unforgettable world of Faery.
Winter’s Passage
Never make a promise to a faery. They always come to collect. Now Meghan Chase must fulfill her promise to Prince Ash of the Winter Court and embark upon a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory—while being pursued by a relentless new foe and guarding her own foolish heart.
Summer’s Crossing
What can turn enemies into reluctant allies? A call from the Exile Queen, Leanansidhe, ties legendary prankster Puck to his archenemy, Prince Ash, on a journey that may end in betrayal and will set them both on an irreversible path.
Iron’s Prophecy
Before she ever knew what might become, Iron Queen Meghan Chase was warned by the oracle that her firstborn child would bring nothing but grief. And even as Meghan and Ash celebrate their long-awaited union, the prophecy stirs….
Being the Luddite that I am, I still do not own an e-reader and frankly don’t plan on getting one. Reading on a screen strains my eyes and paperbacks are much more portable (or at least, more convenient to move without worrying about the battery draining). This is why I’m so glad that Julie Kagawa’s formerly e-book only novellas are now available in print—I never would have been able to read them otherwise.
For fans of The Iron Fey, the three novellas and the Guide to the Iron Fey will be great additions to the series. If you haven’t read all of the books in the series, then you should not read The Iron Legends because there are some massive spoilers. Besides that, you won’t be able to appreciate all of the interwoven plot lines nearly as much. Much like how Cassandra Clare has joined her Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series, Julie Kagawa has joined her Iron Fey series with her brand new series, Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten. And, as someone who obtained an ARC of The Lost Prince, let me say that you had better read the novella Iron’s Prophecy before you read it. It explains a lot of the secondary characters’ behavior towards Ethan.
Although the Guide to the Iron Fey promises to have exclusive information, there really isn’t all that much that’s new. Julie Kagawa expands a bit on the Nevernever, but there’s nothing really all that special that makes the guide a must-read. Well, unless you’re a fan of Grimalkin because the Cait Sith has his own ‘comments’ on his biography and much of the information about the world of faeries. However, what follows the guide is an excerpt from The Lost Prince and it definitely makes the wait for October 23 more difficult. Even though I obtained an ARC from NetGalley and my review won’t appear until later this month, here’s a hint: it was so good I intend to buy a print copy when it comes out.
To wrap things up: if you love the Iron Fey, you’ll love this anthology, but you should read all four books in the series before you read The Iron Legends.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Calling all Writers!
Are you a short story writer and have been aching for a chance to have your work published in an anthology? Have you been sitting on that time-travel story, waiting for a market? Well, look no further!
No, yours truly is not publishing an anthology. I have enough on my plate at the moment (more on that later). However, one of my blogging friends, Mark Lee from The Masquerade Crew, is. Here is the prompt for the anthology:
In the spirit of H.G. Well’s “The Time Machine,” one character or a group of characters travel many years into the future. What do they find there? Are they able to come back home, or are they trapped? What has become of mankind? Is life better or worse? What’s the political climate? The real climate? (IOW mother nature) The choices are up to you.
The minimum word count for all short stories is 5,000 words and the maximum word count is 10,000 words. Since Mark is just getting into publishing, the anthology will only be available as an ebook, but the future holds endless possibilities.
One of the huge advantages of entering your story for consideration in this particular anthology is that Mark has always been, and likely always will be, an advocate for indie and self-published authors. That means, if your story is accepted, you will be included in the publishing process: editing, cover design, the works. Unlike in major publishing houses, your opinions will be heard and considered. It also means that you, not Mark, will retain the copyright of your story.
Okay, so you’re probably asking yourself: who’s going to do the editing? Will you have to hire an editor? This is where my involvement starts.
I’m going to be one of the editors of the anthology.
Yes, I’m finally expanding my repertoire beyond book reviewing, but don’t worry! I’m not about to give up The Mad Reviewer anytime soon; I’m having far too much fun for that. However, it does give me a chance to work closer with authors than I have before and get paid for doing what I love (as I obviously don’t make any money from my blog).
The best part is that the anthology is going to put more power into the hands of authors as well as indie publishers. So if you’re interested in submitting a short story for the anthology, or even just asking more questions, you can email Mark at msl_007atlivedotcom.