(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

I am a huge fan of horses so was excited to finally read this.

Anthologies can be rough going into and this was was as good as I was expecting.

There were a few stories that were great and a few that were just okay, but overall a good read for any horse lover.

Solid collection of 'magical' horse stories. Some good, some bad, some fantastic. Recommended for any anthology fan.

Somewhere in me there is a little girl who always dreamed of horses, read BLACK BEAUTY and the Windy Foot books, even though I knew I wouldn't want to go through the work it took to keep a horse healthy and happy even if we had the room for one. Better to ride imaginary horses who could take you anywhere and didn't need grooming and mucking out.

This is a fine set of imaginary steeds to ride, and unsparing of the grim as well as the glorious: a rider and trainer of war unicorns can't explain to a new assistant why her virginity is worth keeping, but knows it is in her even when a tragedy occurs; a mute Florida girl races her limerunner (another name for a water horse) against the best (including death), a woman starts to knit to belong to her husband's clique and creates a new world for herself instead, magic colors a Regency-era horse race, a fallen angel and his steed take refuge in a church with explosive results, when rain ends in a valley that needs it desperately a young woman seeks to ride the horses that come out of the sky to find out why, in a modern urban setting two hard-drinking men in Halifax make a discovery involving kelpies and secretive shipments to a lake, a mysterious carousel shows up in an Australian town just as men move to round up wild brumbies, a woman who has a daughter who is "different" begs a unicorn to change her, a being of light enters a celestial chariot race when he begins to fade, and more.

The gods of Ragnarok show up a little too often for my taste in the volume, but the stories mentioned above quite struck my fancy as I read through this anthology, and I especially enjoyed the story of the war unicorns and the celestial race, the Regency and the Halifax-set stories gave me a chuckle, and I loved the familiar yet fanciful settings in Florida and Australia. One thing: I'm grateful for adventure stories that now feature women on an equal setting with men, but I wish there had been a couple of more male protagonists.

Some of my favourite books in childhood were collections of horse stories and this is up there with the best of them, containing both fantastical and mundane horses. Whether unicorns, Sleipnir or gymkhana contestants, this book was a treat from beginning to end. Highly recommend.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy short stories eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

equus (Rhonda Parrish)

Title: equus

Authors: Rhonda Parrish (Editor), J.G. Formato (Contributor), Diana Hurlburt (Contributor), Tamsin Showbrook (Contributor), Laura VanArendonk Baugh (Contributor), VF LeSann (Contributor), Dan Koboldt (Contributor), J.J. Roth (Contributor) , Susan MacGregor (Contributor), Pat Flewwelling (Contributor), Angela Rega (Contributor), Michael Leonberger (Contributor), Sandra Wickham (Contributor), Stephanie A. Cain (Contributor), Cat McDonald (Contributor), Andrew Bourelle (Contributor), Chadwick Ginther (Contributor), K.T. Ivanrest (Contributor), Jane Yolen (Contributor), M.L.D. Curelas (Contributor)

Publisher: World Weaver Press

Publication Date: July 18, 2017 (paperback and e-book)

ISBN: 978-0998702209

Source: NetGalley


This was a short story collection that I requested because it was about me first love of ponies before the sea stole me heart. And it had a story by Jane Yolen. I was super busy and needed something that I could easily pick up and put down at whim. So I figured that this would float me boat. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time wanting to put this down and never pick it up again. Out of the 19 stories, I ended up readin' 7. Actually I would have thought more given how long readin' this felt but 7 is what came up when I just counted. So here be me thoughts on the 7:

"stars, wings, and knitting things" (J.G. Formato)

The first story of this collection was certainly interesting. I loved the main character, Annie. She was quirky, funny, and not at all what I expected. It involves knitting. I loved her banter and her husband's responses. I thought this was a great first story if very unusual. Can't explain more than that.

"eel and bloom" (Diana Hurlburt)

This was overall by far me favorite story of the batch. It was about a young girl named Bea who races limerunners ("native Floridian cousin to the Scottish kelpie" source) at the local racetrack after dark. These horses have to be kept near water. They also have to be kept with care because they are carnivorous, nasty, and kill. Bea's mother makes a bet with her daughter's future as a consequence. The outcome of the night's race has never been more important. The ending was perfect. I would love to read future tales of Eel and Bea.

"a complete mare" (Tasmin Showbrook)

This is a story concerning half-breeds of Gods. Odin especially. I didn't like this story at all. The story was confusing and the main character, Verity, made some really bizarre and crazy choices. I did like her transformations but it wasn't enough to make me care about the characters or the world. Also the story seemed like a chapter picked out of a larger narrative.

"neither snow, nor rain, nor heat-ray" (M.L.D. Curelas)

This was actually was even more confusing then the previous story as crazy as that seemed to me when reading. This story takes place in London in 1900 five days after the alien invasion. The aliens are these weird tripods. There is a Moreauvian named Fletcher with special powers. I didn't understand where these people came from. I didn't understand what happened at the end and what was learned. I did like the main character, Emma and her horse, Beezus. But mostly I was just confused. Again it seemed like it was a chapter pulled out of a larger work and it was poorer for it.

"rue the day" (Laura VanArendonk Baugh)

This was an amazing concept, characters, world, and plot at first. This deals with war bands that fight with unicorns in a medieval like setting. I adored Galyne and her unicorn Nova. This was exactly fitting me mood and I was reading with pure delight. Then came the plot twist and it soured. It involves a trigger for many people and I was so sad that the author chose to take it there. I thought good points were made in the circumstances that were presented and I even thought the author handled the conclusions well. However, I would have preferred a very different direction. In fact I would love this story to be expanded so I can get more of Galyne and the world. Mixed feelings on this one but disappointment lingers.

"riders in the sky" (V.F. LeSann)

This story felt like a western wrapped up with ghosts and magic horses. I loved the world and the main characters of the Rider and her horse, Peregrine. This was an engaging story but overall seemed like we are missing too much backstory. The story did have a clear beginning and ending but overall there were just too many unanswered questions. Highly engaging though.

"a glory of unicorns" (Jane Yolen)

This was the reason I picked up this book and then I read it and was sad. It's a very short poem and not really a story at all. I didn't hate the poem. I just wanted something along the lines of "a plague of unicorns" which I reviewed here.

So I loved one, partially liked three, hated two, and thought one was a tease. Ultimately many of the stories felt incomplete and unsatisfactorily. I am glad I read it for the parts I liked but when I began reading the next story, I realized I didn't want to spend more time reading it. I am not sure I will ever finish it. For me it was a mixed bag but perhaps ye will like it more. All I know is that I am glad I picked it up because of the joy that was reading about Eel and Bea.

So lastly . . .

Thank you World Weaver Press!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

There’s always something magical about horses, isn’t there? Whether winged or at home in the water, mechanical or mythological, the equines that gallop through these pages span the fantasy spectrum. In one story a woman knits her way up to the stars and in another Loki's descendant grapples with bizarre transformations while fighting for their life. A woman races on a unique horse to save herself from servitude, while a man rides a chariot through the stars to reclaim his self-worth. From steampunk-inspired stories and tales that brush up against horror to straight-up fantasy, one theme connects them all: freedom.

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equus - Book

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I don't normally read short stories by different authors, but some of these stories are very good.

Equus is a delightful collection of stories which, as you might expect from the title, all feature horses in one form or another. There's an eclectic mix, including Sleipnir and unicorns, and most of the tales are fantasy or magical realism. As always with an anthology, some stories appealed to me more than others. There was only one at which I took umbrage, and that was because it set up a major plot idea but then suddenly ended, as if, perhaps, it was an intro to a novel. To me, anthology stories should be complete in and of themselves; I don't want to have to go out and buy another work to see how the tale will end. But that's a minor complaint as the rest of the stories were all most enjoyable. If you love horses and fantasy, this is definitely a collection for you.

Loved, loved, loved this book!!! A must have for horse lovers any age and any where!