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Down These Strange Streets (Sookie Stackhouse)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,950 ratings · 278 reviews

Urban fantasy where mystery waits at the end of every alley and things that go bump in the night have something to fear...

1 The bastard stepchild - George R.R. Martin
2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris
3 The bleeding shadow - Joe R. Lansdale
4 Hungry heart - Simon R. Green
5 Styx and stones - Steven Saylor
6 Pain and suffering - S.M. Stirling
7 It's still the same old s...more

Hardcover, 479 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Ace Hardcover (first published January 1st 2011)

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Feb 05, 2013 Anne Toronto1 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: xrate, short

17 supposedly detective tales are mostly gruesome, spooky, scary, rather than intriguing lively puzzle-solvers, from elsewhere 5* authors. In degenerating order:

If, like me, TV "True Blood" sometimes pulls late night hours http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jRIUn..., Charlaine Harris, "Death by Dahlia" has a petite powerhouse vampire fond of naked romping and solving murder. "Beware the Snake" by John Maddox Roberts has Roman Decius Caecilius, brother-in-law of Emporer Cesar, solve a missing templ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Heather C rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, pdoc

In Red, With Pearls by Patricia Briggs ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed this! I loved getting Warren's voice and thoughts and would love to know more about him and Kyle; Mercy's POV is just not enough. But I will take any insight into their relationship that I can get.

Anyway, it was a sweet short story all about Warren and Kyle with a paranormal mystery. Unfortunately, I was still a little confused about how Warren figured it all out in the end....more

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Feb 27, 2012 Nikyta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthologies, bubbles-safe, contemporary-fantasy, cops-fbi-etc, existing-relationships, lawyers, little-or-no-smexing, magic, mates, mystery, series-serial, wolf-shifters, zombies, m-m

I don't care what anyone says but Kyle and Warren really are mates! I love these two so much and always yearned for a story of their own. So, I'm glad they finally have one! Even if it's short.

I loved both Kyle and Warren and it was fun getting the story from Warren's POV so we got to see his thoughts and his adventures. I really wish there had been more to the story, though, because I don't think I could ever get enough of these two. They are just perfect for each other!

I very much enjoyed the...more I don't care what anyone says but Kyle and Warren really are mates! I love these two so much and always yearned for a story of their own. So, I'm glad they finally have one! Even if it's short.

I loved both Kyle and Warren and it was fun getting the story from Warren's POV so we got to see his thoughts and his adventures. I really wish there had been more to the story, though, because I don't think I could ever get enough of these two. They are just perfect for each other!

I very much enjoyed the story and I loved the mystery (I didn't have an idea of who actually sent the zombie out but was suspicious of the person behind it). However, I wish there had been more of Warren and Kyle's relationship. We get little snippets of them together but I would have liked to get deeper into their feelings and seeing more of them together. The ending was so sweet!

Otherwise, I loved the story and really hope there's more to come!

Merged review:

*This rating and review is only for In Red, With Pearls by Patricia Briggs. I may continue to read the anthology in the future but I have not decided.

I don't care what anyone says but Kyle and Warren really are mates! I love these two so much and always yearned for a story of their own. So, I'm glad they finally have one! Even if it's short.

I loved both Kyle and Warren and it was fun getting the story from Warren's POV so we got to see his thoughts and his adventures. I really wish there had been more to the story, though, because I don't think I could ever get enough of these two. They are just perfect for each other!

I very much enjoyed the story and I loved the mystery (I didn't have an idea of who actually sent the zombie out but was suspicious of the person behind it). However, I wish there had been more of Warren and Kyle's relationship. We get little snippets of them together but I would have liked to get deeper into their feelings and seeing more of them together. The ending was so sweet!

Otherwise, I loved the story and really hope there's more to come!(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Sherri *Mistress of Laundry* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, diana-gabaldon, ebook, freebie, mystery, ntm-author, patricia-briggs

This is an anthology containing stories related to multiple series of books by different authors. If you haven't read these series already, you will undoubtedly be lost/confused. However, that being said, this is a pretty good collection of short stories. I only read a few by the authors that I already collect although I did manage to read two stories by new-to-me authors that were easy enough to follow along because the stories were essentially prequels or standalones.

My favorite of course was...more

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Mar 13, 2012 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Only read: In Red, with Pearls by Patricia Briggs

A zombie shows up at Kyle's law office intending to kill him but luckily Warren steps in and takes care of it with some help from the witch, Elizaveta. Now all Warren has to do is find out who sent the zombie.

I was so happy to find out that there is finally a story about Warren and Kyle! (Thank you Heather C.) Obviously, the main problem is that it is way too short and now enough alone time for Warren and Kyle. I did love seeing Warren's protecti...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As per all of Diana Gabaldon's books, I loved it. As always the characters were well drawn, the story well told and the writing fabulous, using beautifully crafted English.

The Lord John books are far cleaner than the Outlander books in the story telling and that is more my preferred style; so I find every Lord John book a refreshing read as well as a satisfying one. I like how they inform the Outlander series also.

To anyone who is a fan of the Outlander series but who hasn't read the Lord John...more

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Mar 19, 2013 The Last rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so excited when this book arrived. I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy and not only are several of my favourite authors featured in this anthology but there are several others that I've been itching to try out for quite some time now.

For once I read the foreword. I never normally do this but as it was written by the incredible George R R Martin, I decided to make an exception! And I'm glad I did because George took the time to explain what he feels is meant by "urban fantasy" and why he and Ga...more I was so excited when this book arrived. I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy and not only are several of my favourite authors featured in this anthology but there are several others that I've been itching to try out for quite some time now.

For once I read the foreword. I never normally do this but as it was written by the incredible George R R Martin, I decided to make an exception! And I'm glad I did because George took the time to explain what he feels is meant by "urban fantasy" and why he and Gardner Dozois didn't restrict themselves to assembling an anthology of stories written by contemporary urban fantasy authors. Okay, I don't necessarily agree with his definition but at least I was prepared for the fact I was going to encounter stories, which I wouldn't necessarily have classed as being in this particular genre.

You might remember that when I reviewed Seductress - Erotic Tales of Immortal Desire, one of the things I liked about it was that I could dip in and out of it as when I liked and I didn't have to keep track of any characters or of what I'd read before. The same goes for this collection.

What I also liked was that it surprised me. There were stories I'd assumed I would love, like Charlaine Harris' ""Death by Dahlia", which I actually felt quite "meh" about and stories I thought I wouldn't enjoy because they were written by a historical fiction author or a mystery author, but which turned out to be really well crafted.

The highlights for me were:

The Bleeding Shadow by Joe R Lansdale: Wonderfully drawn characters whose voices seemed to leap off the page directly into my head. A real sense of time and place, a great pace and an unexpected detour into sci-fi.

Hungry Heart by Simon R Green: Author of the Nightside series, which was been on my want-to-try list for far too long, this is the story I most looked forwards to reading. I wasn't sold on the character of Holly Wylde, a witch who claimed to have literally had her heart stolen and who seemed quite 2 Dimensional to me. Thank goodness for John Taylor, PI and the Nightside; both of which were much more well drawn. I think this character and setting is probably better suited to a full length novel and I wonder whether this will grow/lessen the subconscious comparisons with John Constantine that I found myself making, not that that was a problem at all!

Pain and Suffering by S M Stirling: Having not read any of the Shadowspawn series, I found this story a great introduction to it. I'm assuming it's either a prequel to the series or an opportunity to expand on some of the characters included in it, but either way it felt gritty and vivid and you have to love the fact the author saw an opportunity to mock the whole "Twilight vampires sparkle" thing and went for it!

Hellbender by Laurie R King: A story about genetic experiments, intolerance and a PI trying to find the missing brother of a beautiful woman. It starts out innocuously enough - you'd be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a standard mystery - when the author throws in a sudden bombshell that makes you realise the story isn't set in the World as we know it. The whole idea of the Regeneration Experiments is disturbing and I really liked the ending. I would definitely read more about these characters and the version of the World they inhabit.

The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery by M L N Hanover: What do you do when your murder suspect claims to be Beleth, the King of Hell? Detective Mason finds himself working with Richard Scarrey, a Consultant who might be able to help. I'm not going to say anymore because I would never have guessed how this story was going to go but you need to read it! And then let me know whether you think it's a puzzle or a mystery.

Lord John and the Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Anyone that reads my blog regularly will not be surprised to see I've picked out a story with a title that includes the word "zombies" as one of my highlights! The way that these zombies are made, and the consequences of doing it, makes a nice change to the more contemporary zombie post-apocalyptic novels that are prevalent at the moment.

What I realised from reading this book is that it's all too easy to keep on reading your favourite authors and not always so easy to convince yourself to branch out and try something new. An anthology is a great opportunity to do this and I definitely recommend this one.(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Suspense Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

An anthology of urban fantasy stories was something new for me, but I enjoyed them very much! There are lots of big names in this hardcover collection, including Charlaine Harris.
Although I hate to leave any out, there are too many stories to include all of them here, so I’ll mention some that grabbed me especially hard.
In, It’s Still the Same old Story by Carrie Vaughn (best known for her late night DJ werewolf) the vampires seemed so real to me. I hated this tale of revenge and tender love to...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Usually when I check out an anthology I only read the one or two stories that I care out about. In this case, the story by Patricia Briggs, "In Red, with Pearls", set in Briggs' Mercy Thompson universe and featuring Warren and Kyle, who are both pretty awesome. It's an excellent short story.

However, this time I decided to read the rest of the anthology, too. I really liked the stories by Carrie Vaughn, Steven Saylor, Laurie R. King, Diana Gabaldon, and Bradley Denton. Vaughn, Saylor, and Gabaldo...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Marya Kowal rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Patricia Briggs fans and hardboiled detective fans

Although I'd give a story or two in this collection 5 stars, I've got to give the overall collection just 2.

This is NOT a collection for light and humorous paranormal romance/thriller lovers. It's a weird collection of that type of headliner, coupled with other straight mystery writers all being asked to write old fashioned hard-boiled detective/noire type stories.

It's billed as an urban fantasy collection, but it's not that either.

I picked it up for Patricia Briggs, Diana Gabaldon, and despit...more

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Feb 01, 2012 LL rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall 3 stars.

This book was a compilation of short stories from many different UF/Paranormal authors. However, my review was strictly based on 3 of the stories:

Death by Dahlia by Charlaine Harris
For those of you who have read some of the other short story works of Charlaine Harris, vampire Dahlia should not be new to you. In this story, we got to see Dahlia investigating a human murder in the midst of a vampire celebration party. The detective work was short and sweet, and the resolution was e...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, short-stories, anthologies, uf

This review is based only on the stories by Charlaine Harris, Carrie Vaughn, MLN Hanover, and Patricia Briggs.

I liked the story by Harris, set in the same world as her Sookie books, but with characters we don't often see. This one had some funny parts. I don't think I will ever look at a fountain the same again.

Vaughn's story had Rick and Detective Hardin at the center of it. I love it when we get a look at Rick's past and this time around we got to see his recent past. I found myself feeling ve...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Melowin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't usually like short story collections because of how long it takes to read them (takes time to orient yourself to a new setting, characters, plot every 60 pages or so), and how often the lack of characterization leaves the story feeling...lacking. So usually I read the story by the authors I know, and call it done. But one genre that lends itself well to the short story medium is mysteries. In a mystery, depth of character is a cherry on top, extra beyond the meat of the plot. And the con...more I don't usually like short story collections because of how long it takes to read them (takes time to orient yourself to a new setting, characters, plot every 60 pages or so), and how often the lack of characterization leaves the story feeling...lacking. So usually I read the story by the authors I know, and call it done. But one genre that lends itself well to the short story medium is mysteries. In a mystery, depth of character is a cherry on top, extra beyond the meat of the plot. And the concept of this book - a collection of stories in the spirit of the noir detective mystery, with a splash of supernatural thrown in - was too intriguing to pass up.

There is a wide range of time periods represented, two set in ancient Rome, 1800's London and 1800's Jamaica, Depression era, 1950's, and modern. Some are set in alternate worlds, some in our world with a twist. The paranormal and supernatural range from the expected vampires, witches and werewolves, to demons, angels, and gods, with lots of stops in between.

My favorite stories ("It's Still the Same Old Story" by Carrie Vaughn, "Hellbender" by Laurie R. King, "No Mystery, No Miracle" by Melinda Snodgrass, and "In Red, With Pearls" by Patricia Briggs) delved deeper into the characters. One that really stood out was, "No Mystery, No Miracle" because the entity of Cross is such a mind-bending, fascinating concept. One of the down sides of getting famous authors to contribute a short story is that you get a side story set in an established series' world. This is fine if, for me in the case of Charlaine Harris' entry " Death by Dahlia" I'd read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series. My least favorite story, "Shadow Theives" by Glen Cook, is part of his Garrett, P.I. series. He introduced a ton of characters, alluded to back stories that were more confusing than enlightening, and int he end, more mysteries were left then solved, in my opinion. The world and characters ended up being too complex to support the story well, they distracted instead. Howver, in Diana Gabaldon's "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies" I haven't read any of the Outlander series, but she kept the number of characters manageable and gave the necessary background that the story felt complete.

Overall, worth the read.(less)

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Oct 09, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, mystery, urban-fantasy

You can also read this review at Reflections on Reading Romance

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Despite its hardcover price, this is one of the better anthologies that I’ve read and well worth the money. The stories are outstanding and varied, and there’s a clear connection between them, as described in the prologue “The Bastard Stepchild,” written by George R. R. Martin. The bastard stepchild to which he refers is Urban Fantasy, an amalgam of the horror and mystery genres, and each of the stories features...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Lisa Wolf rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, urban-fantasy

I bought this collection of urban fantasy short stories specifically to get my hands on the new novella by Diana Gabaldon, "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies". For anyone devoted to the works of Diana Gabaldon, this is yet another fun addition to the Lord John series -- not exactly essential, but another chance to see Lord John apply his upper-crust British military efficiency to the solving of a seemingly supernatural mystery. Gabaldon knows how to please her fans. LJ&tPoZ includes just e...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Meredith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology, audio, detective, fiction, homage, noir, paranormal, romance, short-story, series, supernatural

The bastard stepchild, by George R.R. Martin -- This is an essay that opens the book. Other than what seemed to be a delight in light profanity for its own sake, I found the essay interesting and thoughtful. It really sets the stage for the stories that follow and why they are part of this collection. It was the first time I'd ever read anything my George R.R. Martin, and I know understand why he's so popular. He's got a great turn of phrase that helps you understand what he's driving at. I did...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Laurian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, vampires, fantacy, mystery, historical-fiction, horror, zombies, fiction

I put a whole bunch of Charlaine Harris compilation books on my Amazon Wishlist. And, given, that I am one of the worst people to buy a gift for, I usually end up getting those items with frequency around Christmas and my birthday time. This was one of those gifts, along with a few others that have been popping up on my book log. I’m not proud of the fact that I can and will read every book that Harris has a piece of writing in. But, I have accepted the fact, and I am moving on with my life.

I ge...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Lady Entropy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I honestly expected better from this book. It was organized by a solid, creative writer and was meant to showcase the arts of the best urban fantasy writers about.

Unfortunately, it couldn't make its mind up on what it should be.

First, it claimed to be a book of "Urban Fantasy". Inside, it changed its blurb to be "Tales of Death and Magic".

And the tales themselves, had lot of sleuthing and very little fantasy (and not that much urban). With the notable exception of Carrie Vaughn and a few others,...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fantasy, magical-realism, mystery, science-fiction, shifters, short-stories, urban-fantasy, vampires-weres-witches

Sixteen approximately 25 page urban fantasy that Martin defines in the introduction as requiring a sort of detective in each short story. (I disagree with that definition. The novels and short stories of de Lint, Bull, Black and Kushner and others require no detectives, for they don’t write mysteries.) I also didn’t read all the stories in collection, if it didn’t grab me in its first few pages I went on to the next story.
“Death by Dahlia” by Charlaine Harris is a house or cozy mystery I think...more Sixteen approximately 25 page urban fantasy that Martin defines in the introduction as requiring a sort of detective in each short story. (I disagree with that definition. The novels and short stories of de Lint, Bull, Black and Kushner and others require no detectives, for they don’t write mysteries.) I also didn’t read all the stories in collection, if it didn’t grab me in its first few pages I went on to the next story.
“Death by Dahlia” by Charlaine Harris is a house or cozy mystery I think it’s called, where all the suspects and the murder take place in the same house, in this case for the ascension of the vampire king of Rhodes. “The Bleeding Shadow” by Joe R. Landsdale has a black PI in 1947 investigating what a blues musician recorded. “Pain and Suffering” by S.M. Stirling is about Eric Salvador a Santa Fe cop. He describes Santa Fe as “The town where 10,000 people can buy the state and 50,000 can’t afford lunch.” (107) “It’s Still the Same Old Story” by Carrie Vaughn is about Rick the vampire remembering a woman he met bartending in Denver in 1947. “The Lady is a Screamer” by Conn Iggulden is about a ghost buster, who is helped in his work by three ghosts. “Hellbender” by Laurie R. King posits a world where there are SalaMen or human/ non-human crossbreeding experiments, who are now adults.
“No Mystery, No Miracle” by Melinda R. Snodgrass didn’t work for me. It’s main character is an alien masquerading as a Sam Spade/ Philip Marlowe PI in the early 30’s in Oklahoma was too far a reach for too little payoff. “The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery” by MLN Hanover, I enjoyed, but I didn’t get. Who or what was Scarrey? A deodand, says one of the characters in Lisa Tuttle’s “The Curious Affair of the Deodand,” is a “possession which was the immediate cause of a person’s accidental death.” (293) This character believes she is a deodand, as well as living in a home full of them. Diana Gabaldon’s “Lord John and the Plague of the Zombies,” has Lord John in Jamaica investigating a slave revolt by way of zombies and loas. Fortunately, he has a way with snakes. “In Red, with Pearls” by Patricia Briggs is a first- person Warren story where he tries to find out who and why a zombie was sent to kill Kyle, unsuccessfully. The final story is Bradley Denton’s “The Adakian Eagle” set in The Aleutian Islands during WWII was worth the price of admission for me. Though it’s only tenuously urban and fantasy; it’s a great mystery, with a terrific detective. (less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Elli added it

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, 2012, mystery

Short stories of which some are better than others:
Death by Dahlia by Harris -- good read, another glimpse into what Dahlia is up to, only negative is I guessed who "did it" before the end
Lansdale -- DNF
Green -- DNF
Styx and Stones by Saylor -- story set in Babylon ~90-92 BC; wasn't enamored of the 1st person, but story was strong enough I read all of it; will consider borrowing another by author from library
Pain and Suffering by Stirling -- bit weird & I'm not sure I got the dream connection...more Short stories of which some are better than others:
Death by Dahlia by Harris -- good read, another glimpse into what Dahlia is up to, only negative is I guessed who "did it" before the end
Lansdale -- DNF
Green -- DNF
Styx and Stones by Saylor -- story set in Babylon ~90-92 BC; wasn't enamored of the 1st person, but story was strong enough I read all of it; will consider borrowing another by author from library
Pain and Suffering by Stirling -- bit weird & I'm not sure I got the dream connection, but I read all the way through & then couldn't believe it was done; still feel like I'm missing resolution, but I'll put the author on a maybe list from the library
It's Still the Same Old Story by Vaughn -- more vampires & the back and forth in history was a bit too jolting for me; felt like I was missing part of the story, so maybe it would be more complete reading other things by the author?
The Lady is a Screamer by Igguiden -- read all of the story, but it just never clicked with me; author's writing didn't pull me in, so not going to put on library list
Hellbender by King -- also read entire story, but this time sure I would get more of it by reading other books in the series; however, not sure I really need test-tube were-thingys in my reading
Shadow Thieves by Cook -- DNF
No Mystery, no Miracle by Snodgrass -- DNF
The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery -- DNF
The Curious Affair of the Deodand by Tuttle -- Sherlock Holmes-esque story first person from a young woman's perspective; reasonably well written, so will try another
Lord John and the Plague of Zombies by Gabaldon -- well-written & connected to Outlander
Beware of the Snake by Roberts -- another Roman era mystery (really? what's up with this?) which was also worth the read; will try another in the SPQR series
In Red, with Pearls by Briggs -- story focused on Warren & Kyle; I love love love these two, so I was really happy to see this story & it did not disappoint; I want more of these!
The Adakian Eagle by Denton -- DNF

(less)

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Dec 30, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

This Review is ONLY FOR Patricia Brigg's "In Red, With Pearls"

I have to borrow this one, if only to read Patricia Brigg's short. Why? BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT WARREN AND KYLE from the Mercedes Thompson's series!!!

As a lover of M/M romance genre, I welcome Warren (the third of Adam Carpenter's werewolf pack) and his mate, Kyle, taking over the spotlight for once. Written from Warren's first person narration, it gives a glimpse of their relationship, including how Kyle accepts Warren's predatory natur...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Vicki Cline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: other-mysteries

This book is billed as a collection of "urban fantasy" stories, i.e. detective stories involving strange creatures and forces, like ghosts, vampires, zombies, etc. I got it in order to read the 2 stories set in ancient Rome, one involving Gordianus (by

Steven Saylor) and the other with Decius Caecilius Metellus (by

John Maddox Roberts). Fortunately, no strange creatures or forces were necessary in these stories. I did read one other, by

Lisa Tuttle], featuring a Holmes/Watson-like pair, which...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Taleisin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, short-stories, fiction

As with all collections of short stories; there were some that I enjoyed, some I didn't, some I never bothered to read past the opening lines and some that really surprised me.
Two of my favourite authors had stories in this collection, Charlaine Harris "Death by Dahlia" and Diana Gabaldon "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies"; yet, they were not my favourite stories. I think, in both cases, the tales would have benefitted from a longer format. They were still enjoyable though.
"In Red, with Pear...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of Urban Fantasy, but this volume was a little too 'gum-shoe' detectivey for me. George R.R. Martin (in the forward) states that Urban Fantasy is the bastard heir of the detective/mystery genre. I don't necessarily agree with this. I actually don't like that particular genre. While many Urban Fantasy stories do have a character who might be a cop/P.I., many of them also have radically different characters as the protagonist. So I would no agree that Urban Fantasy is the paranormal half...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

My rating is based on the two stories that I read in this anthology--1) Charlaine Harris' "Death by Dahlia", set in the Sookie Stackhouse universe but without any appearances with Sookie (excellent by me); and 2) Diana Gabaldon's "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies", said zombie theme made tolerable by being set in Jamaica in the early 1800's, where the "maroons" as they called the African slaves on the cane plantations, had certain elders wise in the ways of afile powder and the making of so-c...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Catherine Richmond added it

My friend Mike loaned this collection to me since it contains a Diana Gabaldon story. Of course, "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies" was my favorite. The author comes up with a medical explanation for the zombie condition. And, after visiting Jamaica five times, I enjoy seeing how a skilled writer describes it. My only complaint - and it's a minor one - is that having the snake, spider, and cockroach in the same scene was a little much.

Second best was "Hellbender" by Laurie R. King. My daught...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

I only read one story in this anthology and that was Lord John and the Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon.

This Lord John story is set in Jamaica and takes place not long after the events in The Scottish Prisoner. This confused me initially as I hadn't realised that Lord John had been to Jamaica before his stint as Govenor, and mistakenly assumed that this story was set much later than it was. Once I got my head around the timeline I was able to sit back and enjoy it.

Voyager is my favourite boo...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Casey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthology, urban-fantasy, mystery

Solid 4 stars.

Up front I read this book for the Patricia Briggs story. It was quite a mix of stories, several being set in the past (and I mean past like aceient rome past). This collection was hit or miss. I either really liked the story (hence the 4) or didin't like it at all.

Charliane Harris: Death By Dahlia - I like the stookie shorts (even if I haven't read the stookie books). This one was from the vamps view and I liked it.

Joe R. Lansdale; The Bleeding Shadow - It has an old PI/noir sense...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-lit, chick-lit, drama, historical-fiction, guilty-pleasure, lord-john-grey, outlander, series, regency, 2011_read

This anthology contains a lot of other stories, but the only one I read was the Lord John Grey story, "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies", by Diana Gabaldon.

Lord John Grey is a secondary character from the Outlander series and a primary character in his own series of books.

In this short story, Colonel Lord John (LJ) has been sent with his army unit to Jamaica to suppress a slave rebellion. The Jamaican governor, Warren, is desperate for military help to put the slaves back in their place. LJ i...more This anthology contains a lot of other stories, but the only one I read was the Lord John Grey story, "Lord John and the Plague of Zombies", by Diana Gabaldon.

Lord John Grey is a secondary character from the Outlander series and a primary character in his own series of books.

In this short story, Colonel Lord John (LJ) has been sent with his army unit to Jamaica to suppress a slave rebellion. The Jamaican governor, Warren, is desperate for military help to put the slaves back in their place. LJ isn't big on slaves, but he's used to their place in society, and he expects everyone to treat them as he does, with respect and gratitude. Except Warren, it seems, has angered someone, and brought down the paranormal - an Obeah or African priest who deals in spirits and zombies. Warren raped a young slave woman and brought down a heap of trouble upon himself. There's been killing around, supposedly due to the slave rebellion, but LJ suspects it has more to do with Warren.

When LJ has a night-time brush with a zombie, he almost becomes a believer. Except the evidence seems to point to someone trying to scare him. Then Warren is found dead in his room, apparently murdered and chomped on by zombies. LJ, ever vigilant, pursues the truth underneath all the fear, mysticism, and abuse.

And what a truth it is! Revenge, retribution, justice. And snakes!
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This story seems to take place sometime after LJ was on his Canadian adventure (and met the Native American Manoke), and before his time as governor of Jamaica in the third Outlander book, "Voyager".

The confusing part of the story to me was when LJ met Mrs. Abernathy (aka Geillis Duncan) and was told the tale of how Mr. Abernathy died. (view spoiler)

But it's a good story. As usual, LJ has his own way of finding things out about people, and of overlapping Jamie and the Outlander series by bumping into people that Claire and Jamie knew or would meet. We always get another side to the story.(less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Sarah Walker rated it 2 of 5 stars

Gritty Gritty Grimy and Dark.

This offers a slash of razor edge writing from some fantastic urban fantasy authors. I purchased it for my kindle for two or three authors. It got dark suddenly and stayed that way. I found a running theme in several stories I read of same sex interaction which is not my cup of tea. Red in Pearls was well written by Patricia Briggs, but again, the major characters were gay and not for my taste. Bleeding shadows by Joe Lansdale was an excellent scary read, reminding m...more

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About George R.R. Martin

George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: "The Hero," sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...(less)

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Books by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)

A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

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“Forbidden fruit is the sweetest, Warren, my darling.” — 5 people liked it

“Sou totalmente a favor do consolo. Se eles simplesmente parassem nisso, mas nunca param. As pessoas sempre decidem ue todos os outros também precisam de consolo e é melhor que seja sua versão do consolo. E, caso não seja, geralmente provam sua tese com a ponta de uma espada ou o cano de uma arma".” — 1 person liked it

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