Twenty fantasy authors band together to bring you a collection of thrilling tales and magical monsters. Do you like to slay dragons? Or befriend them? Do you prefer to meet cephalopods as gigantic kraken or adorable tree octopuses?

Each story focuses around a fantastic creature from folklore or mythology, and they range from light and playful tales for the whole family to darker stories that may make you wish to leave the lights on. These stories carry the Fellowship of Fantasy seal of approval. While our monsters may be horrifying, you won't stumble into graphic sex and constant swearing.

Perfect for the fantasy lover who can't get enough of mythical beasts.

THIS IS SO FANTASTIC (pun intended)

Fantastic Creatures is a collection of short stories from the Fellowship of Fantasy, which includes the authors H.L. Burke, Cave Yates, Arthur Daigle, Craig A. Price Jr., Intisar Khanani, Lea Doue, Nicole Zoltack, Vincent Trigili, Julie C. Gilbert, Katy Huth Jones, L. Palmer, Kandi J. Wyatt, Morgan Smith, Lelia Rose Foreman, Jessica L. Elliott, Bokerah Brumley, Caren Rich, A.R. Silverberry, D.G. Driver, and Frank B. Luke.

Here be dragons, and selkies, and griffins, and maybe even a mermaid or two. Twenty fantasy authors band together to bring you a collection of thrilling tales and magical monsters. Do you like to slay dragons? Or befriend them? Do you prefer to meet cephalopods as gigantic kraken or adorable tree octopuses? Each story focuses around a fantastic creature from folklore or mythology, and they range from light and playful tales for the whole family to darker stories that may make you wish to leave the lights on. These stories carry the Fellowship of Fantasy seal of approval. While our monsters may be horrifying, you won't stumble into graphic sex and constant swearing, also not that any story with adult level violence is marked, so there is not stumbling upon that type of surprise.

Fantastic Creatures is an anthology with a good variety of stories. As with all anthologies, some really grabbed me, others left me a little less impressed, and many were in the middle. There was humor, romance, stories that left me sad, stories that left me upset, and some that left me shaking my head. I really enjoyed sme of the twists that were given to some of the familiar creatures, while some were so odd and unexpected that I was left admiring the creativity of the author. I found the collection as a whole to be well written, and consistently edited. While not every story grabbed me, I thought the book was well done and an entertaining read. I think the lack of explicit content, and the warnings about violence before it happens, makes it a good choice for sharing as a family.

Fantastic Creatures is a varied and entertain collection of tales. I like that the creatures were all different and expectations were often defied. Each of the stories has a satisfying conclusion. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy short stories, and those that are interested in exploring fantasy authors, but want to start small. What a great way to check out the work of 20 writers without committing large amounts of money or time in something that might not be your cup of tea.

I loved this collection of very short stories all surrounding one creature/world or another.

Some stories were funny, some had romance sprinkled in, others a bit sad, others made me a bit mad while others also were just okay.

As a book overall, they were mostly very properly written with one or two minor exceptions.It takes the reader to a different world with every story and that is what I loved about it.

It IS PG-13 so if you are in the mood for pure adventure/fantasy without any sexy times, go for it. It's worth it if you ask me.

**This review will post to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on February 20th. It has already posted to Goodreads. I will add a link to the blog post when it goes live on the 20th.**

Fantastic Creatures is the perfect short story anthology for lovers of mythical or magical creatures of all types. From popular favorites like dragons, mermaids and lake monsters to the more unusual such as the Pacific Tree Octopus, fire fairies and spotted wyvern, this 20-story collection offers a little bit of everything for the fantasy creature lover.

I liked the fact that the stories are a mix of humorous and dark. Not all of the creatures are out for blood....some just want to play. Others are just....well, evil.

My favorite tale was The Kappa by Lelia Rose Foreman. Sometimes rescuing a hungry, wet kitten can bring unforeseen blessings. The story is short, but made me smile. I foster rescue kittens, so the subject was near and dear to my heart. Another favorite was Absolutely True Facts about the Pacific Tree Octopus. While on a weekend trip to the Olympic Peninsula, Leisel is bound and determined to prove the Pacific Tree Octopus is a real animal. What she learns is astonishing and heart-warming. Quite the adventure for an 8 year old!


Included in the anthology are:

Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates - A.R. Silverberry
Snapdragon - Lee Doue
The Golden City Captives - Julie C. Gilbert
Seekers - Intisar Khanani
Mystery of Asgina Lake - Caren Rich
Skin Deep - Morgan Smith
The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill - Cave Yates
Priscilla, The Magnificent Flying Squid - L. Palmer
An Adventurer's Heart - Nicole. Zoltack
Destiny's Flight - Frank B. Luke
The Kappa - Lelia Rose Foreman
Celebration - Arthur Daigle
The Netherlands - Cave Yates
Talori and The Shark - Jessica L. Elliott
Reviving the Sword - Kandi J. Elliott
Mother's Night Out - D.J Driver
The Mage and the Spotted Wyvern - Craig J. Price, Jr
The Very Last Dragon - Katy Huth Jones
The Adventures of Zero: The Quest for Wormsroot - Vincent Trigilli
Ishkah's Garden - Bokerah Brumley
Absolutely the True Facts about the Pacific Tree Octopus - H.L. Burke

I definitely recommend this story anthology to fantasy fans and animal lovers. :) I enjoyed all 20 stories! Each tale was the perfect length. All are well-written. There is nothing in any of the stories that a middle school aged child couldn't read....no sex, nothing too gory or traumatizing. Definitely PG-13. All in all, a great anthology!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**