Release Date: 14/04/15
Publisher: Baen Books
SYNOPSIS:
From Tolkien's Battle of Helm's Deep to George R.R. Martin's Blackwater to Elizabeth Moon's Civil War of Fintha, it is in the battles of epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, and contemporary fantasy where heroism comes alive, magic is unleashed, and legends are made and unmade. Here are stories on the military side of both high fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and urban fantasy. These tales feature beautifully crafted worlds of a past and present filled with magic and mayhem - all served up by a range of top authors including Jonathan Maberry, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Moon, Tanya Huff, Glen Cook, Simon R. Green, Seanan McGuire, and Linda Nagata.
REVIEW:
Ah a book that brings not only high octane action but cracking short stories that will keep the reader glued as military and fantasy collide on an epic scale through a great many imaginations. Its definitely quirky, has some top notch options and when added to easy to dip into worlds gives the reader a whole host of tales that will make them think as well as giving them the chance to try new authors.
All round a book that was a thorough joy to read and when I’ve also managed to add some additional names to my TBR list gives me something that was a gift beyond words. Magic.
Release Date: 11/11/14
Publisher: Baen Books
SYNOPSIS:
Original military themed high fantasy anthology featuring hard-hitting stories from Elizabeth Moon, Larry Correia, Sarah A. Hoyt, Glen Cook, and more.
Swords and Shields. Faith and Magic.
Grab your weapons and prepare, for the enemy is on the move.
High fantasy and mighty conflicts go hand-in-hand. In great wars, armies rise to fight evil hordes and heroes struggle to push beyond their imperfections to save the day. These stories include more than just epic landscapes and characters…they also feature epic battles.
Imagine a doctor struggling to identify the spy who has infiltrated his company’s ranks and poisoned his colleagues or a boy suspected of murder by a king yet protected by a princess as he helps her father against his own people. Imagine a butcher discovering that he’s called to lead an uprising, or a First Born knowing that she must betray her own in order to save humanity.
The possibilities are endless, but at the heart they have this in common: soldiers—ordinary and otherwise–struggling against extraordinary odds to survive the day. They must withstand dark magic, dodge enemy blades, and defy the odds to survive SHATTERED SHIELDS.
REVIEW:
Ah the pleasure of short stories to escape the modern world and fill up those awfully short breaks you get in every day life with the fun of modern travel or lunchbreak. After all lets face it, with a world as mundane as ours, how can you not want to wrench open the covers and disappear into a world of swords and sorcery, where good triumphs and the reader is left feeling sated after completing the story.
But when we’re all heavily limited with money, how do we know who to spend our money on, which new authors hit out reading demands and which established names can you count on to deliver? Well for me, that’s where short stories come in, as you get a hell of a lot in a compendium and for me, whilst I may not be as up on the names as I’d like, I get to see what sort of world they created, how they tell the story and of course what the characters are like who lead the way, backing up my shield arm as we step onto the battlefield together.
All round, this release from Baen, has given me a chance to try a few new authors from the States that whilst I knew the name, I wasn’t familiar with their writing and now have been safely added to my TBR pile. A great success all round and for me a cracking way to fill those horrible everyday soujourns without having to worry about what’s gone before when I initially put the book down. Great stuff.
