A Fantasy Medley 3 by Yanni Kunzia (ed.)
Kunzia’s third collection of fantasy novellas, published by Subterranean Press, is just as beautiful as the first two. These collections are well worth picking up.
Title: A Fantasy Medley 3
Author: Yanni Kunzia (ed.)
Publish Date: December 31, 2015
Genre: Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Publisher’s Description: In “Goddess at the Crossroads,” Kevin Hearne shares a thrillingly memorable episode from the past of his popular Iron Druid Chronicles hero Atticus O’Sullivan, revealing how one night’s dark encounter with the cult of Hecate served as inspiration for Shakespeare’s witches in the Scottish play.
With “Ashes,” Laura Bickle revisits Detroit arson investigator and powerful spirit medium Anya Kalinczyk as she, her five-foot-long salamander familiar Sparky, and Hades’ Charon pursue a destructive fire elemental named the Nain Rouge through the city’s festival in his dubious honor.
“The Death of Aiguillon” finds Aliette de Bodard exploring an episode sixty years prior to the start of her latest novel, The House of Shattered Wings, in which the survivors of an ongoing magical conflict in Paris eke out a grim existence, and one woman’s wish for a better life is granted at a terrible price.
And in “One Hundred Ablutions,” Jacqueline Carey, author of the much-beloved Kushiel’s Legacy series, tells the tale of Dala—a young woman chosen by her people’s overlords to be an exalted slave among slaves—and of the twining in her life of ritual, rebellion, and redemption.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Invested Ivana says…
A Fantasy Medley 3 contains two urban fantasy novellas and two fantasy novellas. I’m familiar with the worlds in which the two urban fantasy novellas are written: Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles and Laura Bickle’s Anya Kalinczyk series.
Kevin Hearne gives us a tale from Atticus’s past, an adventure he had with William Shakespeare, his favorite bard. This novella is a fun read and adds just a little flavor to Atticus’s past. Having lived for 2000 years, I’m sure Atticus has many, many fun tales to share.
I was very excited to read the Anya Kalinczyk story, since we haven’t seen an Anya story since 2010. “Ashes” takes Anya’s story in a wildly different direction than I was expecting, which makes me wonder if there aren’t some thoughts about new novels in the author’s mind. I hope so!
I have not read any books by Aliette de Bodard or Jacqueline Carey, but after reading the two stories in this collection, I have added them both to my TBR list.
“The Death of Aiguillon” byAliette de Bodard is a lovely tale about the choice humans make between security and freedom, an appropriate topic in today’s world. “One Hundred Ablutions” by Jacqueline Carey is also about freedom and the cost that is paid to win freedom from oppressors. “One Hundred Ablutions” is a beautiful and self-contained tale and really piqued my interest in reading more from Jacqueline Carey.
My only complaint is that A Fantasy Medley 3 and its predecessors are not available in ebook format. The print books are beautiful collector’s editions, and I appreciate that; but in my house, storage space is at a premium, which is why I prefer buying ebooks over print books, even beautiful ones.
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
…you might try A Fantasy Medley 1 and 2, or books by any of the authors whose stories you enjoyed.
Posted on December 29, 2015, in All Reviews and tagged Aliette deBodard, Jacqueline Carey, Kevin Hearne, Laura Bickle, Yanni Kunzia. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
One Book Two 
I hear you on the ever-growing shelves and piles of books. I just got another 9 volumes for Christmas. My household is planning on erecting a bird feeder-sized lending library for the front yard. They are not uncommon in my city, but my neighborhood doesn’t have one yet. Who better to do that than the reviewer whose shelves overfloweth?
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Oh, those little neighborhood libraries are neat! None around here, but I love the idea. Was it Dresden you happened to get 9 volumes of?
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