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The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity
by
Joshua Palmatier (Goodreads Author) ,
Patricia Bray , Anton Strout (Goodreads Author), S.C. Butler, Jean Marie Ward (Goodreads Author), Shannon Page, Jay Lake (Goodreads Author), Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
What if the fae were still here, living among us? Perhaps living in secret, doing their best to pass for human? Or perhaps their existence is acknowledged, but they're still struggling to fit in. How have they survived? Are they outcasts clinging to the edges of society, or do their powers ensure success in the mortal realm? Here are fourteen fabulous tales-ranging from hu...more
Mass Market Paperback, 309 pages
Published
March 6th 2012
by Penguin Group (USA)
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I picked up this book because I had already read After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar, edited by Bray and Palmatier, and had thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity shorts are written by some established fantasy writers and a few unknowns. Interestingly, two of my favorites turned out to be by a couple of unknowns: To Scratch an Inch by Avery Shade, a tale about a little Fae girl who finds out why it’s not wise to scratch every itch and How Much Salt, a tale about how S...more
The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity shorts are written by some established fantasy writers and a few unknowns. Interestingly, two of my favorites turned out to be by a couple of unknowns: To Scratch an Inch by Avery Shade, a tale about a little Fae girl who finds out why it’s not wise to scratch every itch and How Much Salt, a tale about how S...more
I have never read any of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Besides that fact that this admission may force me to give up my Official Nerd ID Card, this should tell you that I am not a fan of fantasy, epic or otherwise. However, since I knew several of the authors in this book, I decided to give it a chance. I’m glad I did.
The conceit of the anthology is that traditional fantasy characters, elves and the like have to survive in the modern day. This keeps the epic down to a low roar.
The first story o...more
The conceit of the anthology is that traditional fantasy characters, elves and the like have to survive in the modern day. This keeps the epic down to a low roar.
The first story o...more
I picked this up while wandering a local bookstore that I like supporting. It had potential to be amusing and I haven't really read that many urban fantasy books that had fairies or really any fae creatures besides werewolves and vampires in a very long time. What I found was interesting, and amusing. Some writing and stories were much more captivating than others, but overall, the anthology is a good one. My two favorites are Changeling by Susan Jett and To Scratch and Itch by Avery Shade.
Chan...more
Chan...more
I read this actually a week or so before the release date, and alas, I don't have my copy in front of me (it hopefully has made a trip to a signing or so, and I waiting for it to return). So in fairness, I know the editors, and know at least one of the authors (and have met one or two others in passing at other book signings).
That said, this is a strong anthology. I would never class it as OMG! You will love every story and will not put it down, because as with every single anthology on the mar...more
That said, this is a strong anthology. I would never class it as OMG! You will love every story and will not put it down, because as with every single anthology on the mar...more
A collection of stories centered on the idea of fey creatures dealing with the modern world. My favorite was by far Jim Hines's "Corrupted," followed by Kari Sperring's "Water-Called" and SC Butler's "Crash." I really wanted to like Elizabeth Bear's "Slaughtered Lamb" because there were so many character and world-building concepts there that I loved, but the execution itself didn't work for me. My immediate reactions to each short story can be found in the "status updates" section.
Overall, thi...more
Overall, thi...more
The theme for the book is laid out in the title. The stories span dryads protesting against a new highway to a drag-queen werewolf fighting off the Wild Hunt. None of the stories are tragic like that last Jim Hines short story was, and many of them are sweet. While nothing in this book makes me want to love it forever and ever amen, I'm pleased to have spent the time enjoying it, and will happily loan it to others.
I picked it up because I like the theme, and it had plenty of authors who I like,...more
I picked it up because I like the theme, and it had plenty of authors who I like,...more
(review originally posted here)
This is an anthology of short stories that I bought while I was at Lunacon earlier this year. The concept behind each of the stories is how fae creatures may have adapted to modern times. I guess you can say all urban fantasy explores this idea, but these stories really focus on the clash of cultures and creative ways a square peg can fit into a round hole.There are fourteen stories in this book and I don't plan to give away spoilery details to any of them, so this...more
This is an anthology of short stories that I bought while I was at Lunacon earlier this year. The concept behind each of the stories is how fae creatures may have adapted to modern times. I guess you can say all urban fantasy explores this idea, but these stories really focus on the clash of cultures and creative ways a square peg can fit into a round hole.There are fourteen stories in this book and I don't plan to give away spoilery details to any of them, so this...more
Some surprisingly good stories in this collection. The one major disappointment for me, was Seanan McGuire's "We Will Not Be Undersold". I bought the collection both because she recommended it and because she had a story in it. Sadly, I was was unimpressed with her entry. On the bright side, the rest were all very engaging and some were downright great.
To be fair, I think my expectations are very high. I've enjoyed her Toby Daye series a great deal, Discount Armageddon was a fun and engaging rea...more
To be fair, I think my expectations are very high. I've enjoyed her Toby Daye series a great deal, Discount Armageddon was a fun and engaging rea...more
Not done yet but am posting in this review comments and ratings on each story as I read. I am not a fan of short stories but so many favorite authors in this one...
★★★★★
"Water Called" by Kari Sperring.
Finished the water story; a very good but creepy dark fae story fairly oozing the same shivery déjà vu Grimm gives. New to me author.
★★☆☆☆
"We Will Not Be Undersold" by Seanan McGuire.
Okay story with a concept of fairies entering retail for purpose of encouraging consumer plastics to discourage use...more
★★★★★
"Water Called" by Kari Sperring.
Finished the water story; a very good but creepy dark fae story fairly oozing the same shivery déjà vu Grimm gives. New to me author.
★★☆☆☆
"We Will Not Be Undersold" by Seanan McGuire.
Okay story with a concept of fairies entering retail for purpose of encouraging consumer plastics to discourage use...more
An absolutely delightful trip through the world of the fae. Come join fourteen journeys that take you down paths you've never traveled before, some bright and sunny and some dark and deadly, but all with a flavor of their own.
These offerings are as varied as the authors who wrote them. I won't list a favorite when they all leave you with a different sprinkling of spice in your mind. I will say I personally enjoyed them all. The only downside I will mention is it ended too soon. So enchanting to...more
These offerings are as varied as the authors who wrote them. I won't list a favorite when they all leave you with a different sprinkling of spice in your mind. I will say I personally enjoyed them all. The only downside I will mention is it ended too soon. So enchanting to...more
This is a real mixed bag of stories. The majority are ok, interesting, but not particularly amazing, though some have made me laugh, in places. A couple were good, showing imagination (the faerie as a life guru for instance. that was interesting and amusing) A couple were poor (making me wonder how bad the rejected stories must have been!) Only one stood out, Kari Sperring's story of Jenny Greenteeth. That was excellent. Vivid, beautifuly described, dark, the only story that I wasn't indifferent...more
Fae are not usually my favorite area but I thought I would try it. Some of the stories we good but others were way to long and took forever to get to the point. It moved to slow for my taste and some stories ended and I was confused. But if you like fae and that type of characters the u might like it
Ok grouping of stories... I enjoyed the variety but felt that most of the stories ended abrubtly. Stories at the beginning were the best and steadily declined as they went on.
My favourites in the anthology: Anton Strout, Barbara Ashford, Seanan McGuire and Jim C. Hines...all of those 5 stars!
First story is by Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire. they all stay at about that same level of top-notch urban fantasy. Happiness is me.
Rated it more as 3.4 stars. Some stories worked well as stand-alones. There were also some that felt like they could have been elaborated more on. Whether those would have been better as longer novellas or had further explained how the fae magic and politics worked in their tales. But at least now I'll be looking into some new authors of fantasy (like Seanan McGuire, Avery Shade, Barbara Ashford, Elizabeth Bear, and Jean Marie Ward).
Writing that ranges from 'well done' to 'excellent.' Some beautiful imagery, fantastic premises, and interesting characters. Couple issues here and there with head hopping and overwriting, but not much.
My biggest problem with this anthology is that the stories were all linear and predictable. I wish the quieter ones had at least been thought-provoking, but mostly I just found myself bored.
My biggest problem with this anthology is that the stories were all linear and predictable. I wish the quieter ones had at least been thought-provoking, but mostly I just found myself bored.
May 07, 2013
Ron
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
alternate-world,
magic,
mythology,
relationship,
romance,
short-stories,
fantasy,
fairy-fae,
urban-fantasy
An eclectic collection of stories all dealing with Fae/Fairies in one fashion or another and set in modern times. There are tales of Oberion and company running a Walmart clone box store, dryads dealing with urban planning, water spirits with murder, etc. On the whole a decent collection.
I kept hoping for one story to jump out and spark my imagination. Alas, that hope died a sad death. I will say, though, that I found "The Roots of Aston Quercus" and possibly "We Will Not Be Undersold" to be the best of an uninspiring bunch.
The writing is good, but there's just nothing surprising here. This would probably be very good for someone new to stories about the fae. It was just a bit boring to me.
14 short stories about being fae in the modern world. Decent collection, great for bedtime and break time reading. 3.5 stars overall.
Really decent stories for the most part, keeping paranormal romance (ie Vampire/werewolf/faerie-porn) to a minimum, thankfully.
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Joshua Palmatier was born in Coudersport, PA, but since his father was in the military he moved around. Alot. He's lived in the states of Pennsylvania (three times), Florida (twice), Washington, California (briefly), Virginia, Texas (twice), and now resides in upstate New York. He has spent the majority of his life so far going to school, earning a Bachelors of Science and a Master of Arts degree...more
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