I have mixed feelings about anthologies. One hand I like them because it's nice to get a little mid-year update on authors and series that I follow.

On the other hand some of the stories are terrible. Some may not stand as a story without background knowledge of the series, usually turning me off the the author in general. Other times the story I got the book for is really disappointing. It may not follow the general personality of a character or take away from the series rather than enhance it. Other stories may not fit with the rest of the stories in the book leading me to wonder why it was included (or written in the first place.

One anthology that comes to mind that I was really disappointed for all of these reasons is Blood Lite An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories Presented by the Horror Writers Association.

I quite like anthologies as I've only been into the PNR/UF genre for about a year and there are still so many authors out there that I have yet to experience. Of course, some I buy just because they have authors in them I already know and love: On the Prowl, Dead After Dark and Weddings From Hell.

OK I'll bite, been wanting to try some Steampunk. Just reserved this one at the library, thanks Ti!

I guess my issue isn't so much with the anthology format, as that they usually cost $14. I'm very picky about the books I purchase new; they are either auto-buy authors or carefully researched. I almost never impulse buy at the bookstore anymore. So a bookful of unfamiliar authors, with no guarantee of liking even one of the stories makes my hair stand on end!

Now see, I personally like Anthologies.

I consider it a good way to find new authors.

I pick up an anthology on a theme I like, mark the stories I like best, and look for novels by those authors. I got a number of good books from authors in Steampunk.

Yeah, for the most part I only read anthologies when I know they have a story in them that is part of a series I'm reading. Otherwise I don't bother with them. I feel like short stories are too... short lol. By the time you get a sense of the character, it's over and then I'm wishing there is more to be read. Very frustrating!

I have mixed feelings about anthologies. I don't like them if they are about the main characters in the normal series, because then I feel like I HAVE to read it, and all that really does is makes me wish that another full length book was out. But, if the short story is mostly about a minor character, giving the author some time to develop that character a bit more, I seem to like it better! For example, in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe I bought that anthology for 2 stories. One by Charlaine Harris about Sookie Stackhouse and the other by Patricia Briggs with a connection to the Mercy books.

As for the story about Sookie. I did enjoy it, but it left me frustrated! I felt like someone had given me a very small bite of my favorite dessert and then told me that I have to wait 6 months for any more! But the story by Patricia Briggs was different. She took a character that played a relatively small part in Moon Called and wrote a story about him. I really enjoyed getting to know him better.

If an author writes these short stories about minor characters, they are fun to read, but you don't feel like you HAVE to read them. And in the case of Patricia Briggs you might just write a short story where all of your fans fall in love with those characters, and now you have 2 seperate hit series!

Kenjii - you should try the Sookie Stackhouse books if you enjoy Charlaine Harris. She also has other series that are shorter - one of them is the Harper Connoley series. That one is about a woman who can find the dead and determine how they died.

I'm going to look into Jami Alden - I've never heard of her. I don't think I've read that anthology Skin on Skin. I usually end up reading anthologies just because I want a specific story in them. Alot of the the one's I've read is because I was looking for a Sherrilyn Kenyon story, or a Charlaine Harris story.

Kenjii, Maybe b/c IMO the other stories in Skin On Skin were forgetable? There is apparently a big difference in writing full length novels and writing novellas/short stories. A few authors can go either way, but most have difficulty with one or the other...a different skill set.

Denni and Jess: I read both on the Prowl and Skin on Skin. If the author is really good then he/she can write a(n) novella (involved in a series) and still entertain the reader that has not read the series. I read a short story involving Sookie Stackhouse and I have not read the series. Charlaine is a very talanted author b/c her characters and visualizations are incredible. I like using antho's. as a reference to finding new authors. If its a continuation I don't mind. There was also a(n) Anita Blake short story in an antho. and it also was good. I also become a Jami Alden fan after reading Skin on Skin. I can't even remember the other stories! LOL! After on the prowl I wanted more Sunny. I here there is another story in another antho. somewhere.

I'm conflicted regarding anthologies. When I buy for one story (The firefighter) and all the others suck, I hate those. When I buy one (Skin on Skin) and discover a great author like Jami Alden, I love them!


Then I discovered my library has a surprisingly good selection, so I don't have to buy to enjoy.

I actually ended up reading that anthology after I read the book! I was wondering why it seemed there was back story while I was reading Alpha and Omega, and then realized that the beginning was in On the Prowl.

One thing that I like about anthologies is that you have the opportunity to read different author's. That's how I found out about Jim Butcher. I read one of his stories in an anthology I got so I could read one of LKH's stories.

IA I hate anthologies especially when they are so damn good. i haven't read too many but I remember reading the Alpha/Omega one by Briggs in On the Prowl by the end I was salivating for more. I'm so glad she turn it into a series.

Anthologies kind of irritate me! I like reading the short stories, but they are usually such a tease... and sometimes they involve stories that are in a series. So either you have to go out and find the anthology before continuing the series, or you end up reading it without realizing it's in a series.

that annoys me lol.