A number of the short stories in this collection were meh...but there were a few standouts (and by standouts, I mean that it has a) made me love the aA number of the short stories in this collection were meh...but there were a few standouts (and by standouts, I mean that it has a) made me love the authors I already truly loved even more, b) made me appreciate the authors I was sort of on the fence on, and c) made me want to read more from newly discovered authors).
So, out of the collection, these are the ones that stood out, in my opinion:
What Do You Do, Gillian Flynn (B) A Year and a Day in Old Theradane, Scott Lynch (A) Tawny Petticoats, by Michael Swanwick (C) Provenance, by David W. Ball (C) Roaring Twenties, by Carrie Vaughn (C) The Meaning of Love, by Daniel Abraham (C) Diamonds from Tequila, by Walter Jon Williams (C) The Caravan to Nowhere, by Phyllis Eisenstein (C)
Was I disappointed? Yes. Particularly by Abercrombie's Tough Times All Over. Yes, he managed to tie in a network full of minor characters from his previous novels, which was great. But it was also a cheap thrill and the story didn't amount to much. Rothfuss's The Lightning Tree was sometimes fun, but there is something about Rothfuss's writing that always irritates me. The Rogue Prince, by G. R. R. Martin was good, but again, I'd rather he spent the time working on the sixth book of his actual series, rather than go back several generations into Targaryen lore. Neil Gaiman's How the Marquis Got His Coat Back was entertaining, but sometimes, so is twiddling my thumbs.
The one that annoyed me most: Connie Willis' Now Showing, which was just as annoying as Doomsday Book. 'Nuff said....more