Mike's Reviews > Art of War

I love anthologies. I love being able to read a book in bite-sized chunks, and I love being able to sample authors I’ve never read before without the commitment of trying an entire book. This was a good one, with lots of stories that I enjoyed in lots of different ways.

And now for some rapid fire thoughts on my favorites.

Laura M. Hughes: Her letter from Helen to Menelaus, and her determined refusal to let her face get blamed for the Thousand Ships, is delightfully perfect for the era of #MeToo.

Timandra Whitecastle: Holy crap. After that story, I need a fuzzy blanket, a mug of cocoa, and a puppy.

Sebastien de Castell: That was super interesting. Greatcoats gets moved up the queue.

Andrew Rowe: Ditto for Sufficiently Advanced Magic. That was hilarious.

Mazarkis Williams: This one mostly made me go, “Huh. I’m not sure what this was, but I liked it and I want more.”

Nathan T. Boyce: OK, that just pissed me off. But in a good way.

Nicholas Eames: First one from an author I’ve already read and liked. This was a nice bite-sized introduction to his style. Recommended for those who are curious about Kings of the Wyld (which you should read, cause it’s awesome).

Benedict Patrick: I like fantasy folk tales. This wasn’t something I was expecting, but I really liked it.

Zachary Barnes: Once I realized what exactly I was reading, I loved it.

Michael R. Fletcher: First of all, this story is listed as having been written by “the combined efforts of Michael R. Fletcher’s Doppels.” I’m assuming there’s an explanation for that, but I don’t know it. The story itself was a lot of fun. He’s another added to my “check out what else he’s written” list.

Dyrk Ashton: I just recently read and enjoyed Paternus, and this was a nice side story. Not so sure how well it will work as a sampler, a la the Eames story I mentioned earlier, because it’s a very different style, but I loved it. Nicely addressed a few points the book had left me wondering about.

Miles Cameron: Cameron knows how to write about battle, and shows it off very well here. Another excellent sampler.