Carniepunk Review
Anthologies provide me with a way to sample an author’s writing without the commitment of a full novel. I’ve discovered some fantastic authors this way and my TBR (to be read) list has grown to a huge mountain. Carniepunk has got to be one of my favorite anthologies so far. This list of participating authors reads like a Who’s Who list of urban fantasy stars. I was impressed by the writing quality and have added a few new authors to my ever-growing to-read list.
Carniepunk is an anthology about carnivals and the people who work there. I’ve always found carnivals, especially the traveling ones, to be a little creepy. These stories build upon those irrational (or are they?) fears. Add in a touch of the paranormal and there’s some great stories in this book.
I had several favorite stories – I won’t review each one individually. You can see my thoughts on each story <a href=http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/474358931> here </a> as status updates. I think that for me, the following stories stood out:
- “The Cold Girl” by Rachel Caine
- “Freak House” by Kelly Meding
- “The Demon Barkers of Wheat Street” by Kevin Hearne
Another really good story is “Parlor Tricks” by Jennifer Estep and is available for free on <a href=http://www.amazon.com/Carniepunk-Parlor-Tricks-ebook/dp/B00D0MZXFC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372983122&sr=1-2&keywords=parlor+tricks> Amazon. </a>
I usually don’t recommend anthologies but this one had an all-star cast of urban fantasy writers and is one of the best anthologies I’ve read.
Here is a full list of authors in this anthology: Rob Thurman, Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne, Mark Henry, Jaye Wells, Rachel Caine, Alison Pang, Hilary Jacques, Jennifer Estep, Kelly Meding, Nicole Peeler, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Gay, Seanan McGuire.
Something for everyone!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon and Schuster for a review copy of this book.
Review posted on Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/474358931
and Badass Book Reviews http://badassbookreviews.com/early-review-carnie-punk-by-rachel-caine-and-multiple-authors/
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