"In this dark and gritty collection—featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman—nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil...

ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY

Tanya Huff * Kat Richardson * Jim C. Hines * Anton Strout * Lucy A. Snyder * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Erik Scott de Bie *"

Another great anthology to add to my bookshelves!

Super fun, a great read. Recommend for those who love a good collection.

If you are a reader of urban fantasy you surely have at least heard of Jim Butcher and/or his 'Dresden Files' series. This anthology of short stories is set in the Dresden Files universe (it's even considered book #14.5) - but you aren't likely to find Harry Dresden himself making an appearance. Instead, other authors are given permission to romp in the Dresden playground with some of the other characters.

Kerri L. Hughes, co-editor of the volume, says in her introduction that she invited authors to write stories "based on the idea that good and evil are just two aspects of a complicated and very human story" and in his foreword, Butcher writes "A lot of the people in these stories ... aren’t good. But they aren’t necessarily evil, either. They need to be where they are, doing what they do."

And that's a pretty interesting idea (though not wholly original).

As with almost any anthology, some of these stories were hits with me, and others really couldn't keep my attention.

Three of these really stood head and shoulders above the rest. Perhaps my favorite here (my Kindle note at the end reads "Damn this was good!") was "Baggage" by Erik Scott de Bie. I felt like I was right in the middle of the story, watching it slowly unfold around me. It was absolutely tremendous. I've never read anything by de Bie before this, but I will be looking for him now.

Also coming on above the rest of the pack was "Eye of Newt" by Kevin J. Anderson (imagine Jim Butcher, William Shakespeare, and ghosts getting together - it was fun and funny), and "What Dwells Within" by Lucy A. Snyder (how can you go wrong when your opening sentence is from a telepathic ferret?). Jim Butcher's "Cold Case" shows why he's a popular writer. He works the language so smoothly.

Most of the others were pretty average reads for me. Seanan McGuire is one of the best voices in urban fantasy writing today, in my mind and although her story "Sleepover" didn't knock me out, the way I was hoping, it's still better than average., with Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Sales. Force." being the only story that I really didn't like.

This is definitely worth a read, especially if you are a fan of Butcher and/or his Dresden books.

This volume contains the following:

Introduction - Kerrie L. Hughes
Foreword - Jim Butcher
"Cold Case" - Jim Butcher
"Sleepover" - Seanan McGuire
"If Wishes Were" - Tanya Huff
"Solus" - Anton Strout
"Peacock in Hell" - Kat Richardson
"Eye of Newt" - Kevin J. Anderson
"What Dwells Within" - Lucy A. Snyder
"Hunter, Healer" - Jim C. Hines
"Baggage" - Erik Scott de Bie
"Sales. Force." - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"Impossible Monsters" - Rob Thurman

Looking for a good book? <em>Shadowed Souls</em> is a collection of Dresden Files-related short stories edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes and is a strong, worthwhile read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I think this was a very good collection of stories (perhaps not excellent and of course a few less than stellar ones in the mix too). For fans of these excellent authors I think this is a win. It may also get readers interested in new authors as they get the book for their preferred and find another catches their eye. However, it is fairly standard anthology fair. Nothing new or earth shattering.

Shadowed Souls, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes, is a collection of urban fantasy featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman. These stories offer nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil. Unfortunately, that is exactly what makes it so easy for the characters in these tales to cross the line. In Jim Butcher's Cold Case, Molly Carpenter—Harry Dresden's apprentice-turned-Winter Lady—must collect a tribute from a remote Fae colony and discovers that even if you're a good girl, sometimes you have to be bad. In Seanan McGuire's Sleepover finds half-succubus Elsie Harrington kidnapped by a group of desperate teenage boys. Not for anything “weird.” They just need her to rescue a little girl from the boogeyman, no biggie. In Kevin J. Anderson's Eye of Newt, Zombie P.I. Dan Shamble's latest client is a panicky lizard missing an eye who thinks someone wants him dead. But the truth is that someone only wants him for a very special dinner. In Rob Thurman's infernally heroic Caliban Leandros takes a trip down memory lane as he deals with some overdue—and nightmarish—vengeance involving some quite nasty Impossible Monsters. There are also stories from genre favorites Tanya Huff, Kat Richardson, Jim C. Hines, Anton Strout, Lucy A. Snyder, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Erik Scott de Bie.

Shadowed Souls is a fine collection of short stories connected by characters forced to venture into the shades of gray in the process of trying to do the right thing, or what needs to be done. I really enjoyed the look into Molly Carpenter's mind, as I am a long standing fan of Jim Butcher. I also particularly enjoyed the contributions of Lucy A. Snyder, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, and Tanya Huff. None of the stories stuck me a badly written, but some I just did not connect with as easily as I did others. In some cases it was because I had not read the books set in the same world as the short story, and some it was merely a matter of my personal preferences. However, I think collections like this are a great sampler for those looking to explore new authors without committing to an entire book or series.

Shadowed Souls is a nice collection for fans of the urban fantasy genre, and a nice way to visit the worlds of favorite authors as we wait for the continuation of their next book, and a fun way to explore the writing style of other authors that just might become new favorites. As with any collection, there were some stories that I enjoyed more than others. However, I think this is a great collection for anyone that enjoys reading about characters discovering how far into the dark side they might be willing to go for the greater good, or the good of those they care for most.

Shadowed Souls is one of the best collection of short stories I have ever read. Sure there were one or two that I did not fully like as much as the other ones (not bad, just not my cup of tea), but there were several stories that were quite good. I mean I even ordered the first book in Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson series after finished her short story. That is not something I do often.

What I really liked about the stories is that you don't have to have read anything before by the authors to get the gist of these short stories, sure there were times when I had wanted a short introduction before each story so that I had known more about what is going on. But, at the same time was it kind of nice to get to know the characters without any previous knowledge. It's like getting a chance to try out each author and see if the story and the writer's style are something for you. I mean several of the authors in this book have I never read anything of before and now I would love to read more from them.

Shadowed Souls has everything from ghost to zombies and it's a perfect book for urban fantasy fans. It's a collection that will work both for fans of the authors in this book and people that just like me loves urban fantasy and want to find new authors to read!

I love anthologies. They give readers a chance to catch up with some of their favorite characters between books, they introduce readers to new authors, and they even allow authors to stretch their creative side which sometimes allows for new characters or stories to come to light.

In Shadowed Souls Kerrie L. Hughes has brought together the A team of fantasy authors. My two personal favorite stories from the anthology are Jim Butcher’s Cold Case and Seanan McGuire’s Sleepover.

Cold Case by Jim Butcher - 5 stars

Starting off with Jim Butcher, Dresden Files fans will positively climb over each other to get a new snippet into Harry’s world. And boy is this a doozy… Readers are given a glimpse into the changes that are affecting/plaguing Molly in her transformation into the Winter Lady. On top of that more secrets between the war between Winer and the Outsiders are revealed. And if that isn’t enough we get Ramirez helping Molly out, and the ramifications from that are enormous! The only two negatives to this story are that it will not make much sense if you haven’t read the Dresden Files, and that Molly’s actions seem a little out of place for her character as we’ve been accustomed to it from Harry’s POV. That said, the first issue can be remedied by reading the Dresden Files (something you should do if you’re interested in urban fantasy, which I would assume/hope you are if you’re picking up Shadowed Souls). And the second issue can be explained away with Molly’s changes to her mind and character from becoming the Winter Lady. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Case and can’t wait for the next installment in the Dresden Files.

Sleepover by Seanan McGuire - 5 stars

Seanan McGuire’s story takes place in her InCryptid series, this time with from the POV of half-succubus Elsie (the cousin of the Price siblings). Elsie is constantly having to hide what she is and be careful, since if it ever got out that she was a succubus not only would she be in danger but so would her family. So, when she gets kidnapped by a bunch of kids and they know what she is, she knows she’s screwed. This story has tense moments, monsters, and a killer POV shift to that of one of the “monsters”, but what is most impressive about this story is the way in which McGuire captures the sadness, shock, and gut-retching feelings of betrayal when someone you once loved betrays you. While this is not a necessary read for the InCryptid series, it goes a long way in helping readers get a sense of the judgement, fear, and loneliness that many of the “monsters” in the larger series feel on a daily basis. Besides the fictional viewpoint, this story will resonate with anyone who has had their confidence betrayed. All in all, Sleepover is a gripping story on the emotional level that readers and beginners of the InCryptid series alike will thoroughly enjoy.