The final book read for ......
(Other reviews/links HERE)
WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE edited by CHARLAINE HARRIS.
We all know the holiday season can bring out the beast in anyone - but it's especially hard if you're a lycanthrope! Gathered here together is a veritable feast of fears and tears: fifteen of the scariest, saddest, funniest werewolf tales, by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of the full moon, and with a silver bullet close at hand.
...... Amazon book description.
FIRST SENTENCE (Gift Wrap by Charlaine Harris): It was Christmas Eve.
MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 32: Lucy, At Christmastime by Simon R. Green): ..... the Mistress of the Dark was trying to tempt Saint Nicholas with a sprig of plastic mistletoe; and a reindeer with a very red nose was lying slumped
and extremely drunk in a corner, muttering something about unionization.
MY THOUGHTS: A collection of festive werewolf tales from a total of 15 authors*, only four of whom (Keri Arthur, Charlaine Harris and Kat Richardson, Carrie Vaughn) I've read.
Not normally a fan of short stories, I put this collection on my Amazon wish list as I do like the occasional werewolf story and thought it perfect for this challenge.
Filled with plenty of fresh takes on both werewolf and Christmas legends, Wolfsbane And Mistletoe still wouldn't be my first choice of book for die-hard fans of were fiction (or Christmas books for that matter) and certainly wouldn't be one I'd recommend to those lacking in a certain sense of humour as some of these stories really are what can only be described as fun but silly.
A perfect showcase for these writers (all of whom are known to varying degrees amongst the 'supers'/ 'Urban fantasy' community), I was most impressed by Kat Richardson (author of the Greywalker series) whose story (her first werewolf tale), The Werewolf Before Christmas, was both funny, dark and somewhat twisted. Not so Charlaine Harris' Gift Wrap which was disappointing, extremely disappointing, nor Dana Cameron's The Night Things Changed which, surprisingly for a short story, I found over long and rather tedious.
All in all more of a hit than a miss, there really are some inventive stories in this anthology.
KEEP IT OR NOT?: A Christmas gift, definitely one for the shelves, I can see this becoming a traditional Christmas read in the PW household.
Filled with plenty of fresh takes on both werewolf and Christmas legends, Wolfsbane And Mistletoe still wouldn't be my first choice of book for die-hard fans of were fiction (or Christmas books for that matter) and certainly wouldn't be one I'd recommend to those lacking in a certain sense of humour as some of these stories really are what can only be described as fun but silly.
A perfect showcase for these writers (all of whom are known to varying degrees amongst the 'supers'/ 'Urban fantasy' community), I was most impressed by Kat Richardson (author of the Greywalker series) whose story (her first werewolf tale), The Werewolf Before Christmas, was both funny, dark and somewhat twisted. Not so Charlaine Harris' Gift Wrap which was disappointing, extremely disappointing, nor Dana Cameron's The Night Things Changed which, surprisingly for a short story, I found over long and rather tedious.
All in all more of a hit than a miss, there really are some inventive stories in this anthology.
KEEP IT OR NOT?: A Christmas gift, definitely one for the shelves, I can see this becoming a traditional Christmas read in the PW household.
(* Donna Andrews, Keri Arthur, Patricia Briggs, Dana Cameron, Karen Chance, Alan Gordon, Simon R Green, Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, J.A. Konrath, Nancy Pickard, Kat Richardson, Dana Stabenow, Rob Thurman, Carrie Vaughn.)
10 comments:
Sounds like a great way to sample the genre!
So funny, I feel the same way about werewolves- Once in a while, I'm in the mood for a story about them, but rarely. Thanks so much for sharing- I like the title. Happy new year! Best wishes : ) ~ Jess
I guess there is a Christmas book for everyone, isn't there?
Wolfsbane And Mistletoe sounds like its worth a read. I am a fan of the short story myself. I know not all of them in collections can be great though.
Well now, that's an interesting combination. Festive werewolf!
Offhand, I don't recognize any name other than Charlaine Harris.
This sounds like a fun collection to read (but stay indoors if there's a full moon!). Excellent review!
Hi Tracy,
I'm with you, in that I don't generally go for short stories, although I have been tempted by a couple over the last few months, mainly as a result of fellow bloggers' recommendations!
I am not sure when I stopped reading 'shorts', as I used to enjoy them as a youngster and as a YA, both hubbie and myself looked forward with anticipation to watching televised short stories, in the weekly dose of 'Tales Of The Unexpected'!
I also don't tend to go in for 'seasonal books and reading', I just read what I fancy at the time.
I love your memorable lines, they made me chuckle on a very drab and grey Sunday, here in the West Country!
Hope your weekend has been good so far,
Yvonne
Well, I don't immediately think of werewolf and Christmas going hand-in-hand but this one seems fun! I love your memorable moment!
:-)
Traci
So glad to hear that this one was more of a hit than a miss! How fun!
Am a huge fan of short stories, and like werewolves, so will probably pick this one up when I finally jump off the book buying ban wagon. Thanks for sharing, as I think I somehow missed this one!
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