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Unfettered (Unfettered #1)
by
Shawn Speakman (Goodreads Author) ,
Terry Brooks (Goodreads Author) , Patrick Rothfuss (Goodreads Author) , Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author) , Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author) , Tad Williams (Goodreads Author) , R.A. Salvatore , Naomi Novik (Goodreads Author)
,
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You define life or it defines you.
In Shawn Speakman’s case, it was both.
Lacking health insurance and diagnosed with Hogdkin’s lymphoma in 2011, Shawn quickly accrued a massive medical debt that he did not have the ability to pay. That’s when New York Times best-selling author Terry Brooks offered to donate a short story Shawn could sell toward alleviating those bills—and s ...more
In Shawn Speakman’s case, it was both.
Lacking health insurance and diagnosed with Hogdkin’s lymphoma in 2011, Shawn quickly accrued a massive medical debt that he did not have the ability to pay. That’s when New York Times best-selling author Terry Brooks offered to donate a short story Shawn could sell toward alleviating those bills—and s ...more
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Michael
Wow, I'm amazed that's in the book. I wonder if it was inserted on purpose.
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Over the last couple weeks, people have been asking me about this anthology, where my first-ever short story published.
But I can't write an honest review of it yet, as I haven't had a chance to read it all the way through.
I can say that what I've read so far, I've really liked.
In addition to that, I did write the introduction to the book, and since that explains what the anthology is all about, I'm going to put that up here so people can see it.
* * *
Can I be honest here? I don't read forewor ...more
Yes, I have a story in this anthology so my rating comes from all stories except "The Jester" - I'll leave it to others to say how well I did on that particular piece. I am going to provide the brief intro to my piece, though, in the hopes that finding out what my story is about will help others take a look.
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The characters of Royce and Hadrian came to me during my self-imposed ten-year hiatus from writing. After crafti ...more
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The characters of Royce and Hadrian came to me during my self-imposed ten-year hiatus from writing. After crafti ...more
This is an anthology of short stories taking place in well-knows fantasy series. I will update my review as I read more stories, but for now this is only a partial one.
River of Souls. Series: Wheel of Time, Author: Brandon Sanderson. I admit this was the main attraction for me. The whole story is a big spoiler for something which is revealed in the last book of the huge series, so even the slightest hint on the plot would contain some. I will try to at least minimize them and just mention that ...more
River of Souls. Series: Wheel of Time, Author: Brandon Sanderson. I admit this was the main attraction for me. The whole story is a big spoiler for something which is revealed in the last book of the huge series, so even the slightest hint on the plot would contain some. I will try to at least minimize them and just mention that ...more
I admit it.
I'm biased.
I think Unfettered is more badass than Patrick Rothfuss's beard.
That said, I am a fantasy fan first. I always will be. And I am perhaps even more judgmental of projects that I am working on than those I'm not. So when I say Unfettered is a solid fantasy anthology and deserves to be read, I mean it.
There are several short stories in here that should be nominated for Hugo Awards. No joke. And the rest are solid entries. There are two I'd love to see grown into full length nov ...more
I'm biased.
I think Unfettered is more badass than Patrick Rothfuss's beard.
That said, I am a fantasy fan first. I always will be. And I am perhaps even more judgmental of projects that I am working on than those I'm not. So when I say Unfettered is a solid fantasy anthology and deserves to be read, I mean it.
There are several short stories in here that should be nominated for Hugo Awards. No joke. And the rest are solid entries. There are two I'd love to see grown into full length nov ...more
This was a rather enjoyable anthology. I read some stories, skimmed others and skipped some. I might go back and read/re-read some of these in the future, but for now, here are individual ratings of the ones I did read.
Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks: 3 stars
How Old Holly Came To Be by Patrick Rothfuss: 2 stars
The Old Scale Game by Tad Williams: 2 stars
The Martyr of the Roses by Jacqueline Carey: 4 stars
Mudboy by Peter V. Brett: 3 stars
Select Mode by Mark Lawrence: 4 stars
River of Souls by Rob ...more
Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks: 3 stars
How Old Holly Came To Be by Patrick Rothfuss: 2 stars
The Old Scale Game by Tad Williams: 2 stars
The Martyr of the Roses by Jacqueline Carey: 4 stars
Mudboy by Peter V. Brett: 3 stars
Select Mode by Mark Lawrence: 4 stars
River of Souls by Rob ...more
Well I've yet to read any of the stories except mine ... but mine's off the hook :D go buy this!
http://grimoakpress.com/2012/08/unfet...
Apparently the leather-bound + signed by all the author copies went in a hurry but you can still snag a fine trade edition.
I expect some of those other guys are ok too...
http://grimoakpress.com/2012/08/unfet...
Apparently the leather-bound + signed by all the author copies went in a hurry but you can still snag a fine trade edition.
I expect some of those other guys are ok too...
I've started reading this short story collection, and so far I'm definitely enjoying it. I'll keep updating my review as I progress through it.
- Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks => I really enjoyed this story, it's very well written and I liked the combination of the two worlds, with how each fantastical adventure was preceded by a hit on the head. It made for an interesting story, where you could view it as all in the kid's imagination, or that it was real. The whole brain cancer (or wha ...more
- Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks => I really enjoyed this story, it's very well written and I liked the combination of the two worlds, with how each fantastical adventure was preceded by a hit on the head. It made for an interesting story, where you could view it as all in the kid's imagination, or that it was real. The whole brain cancer (or wha ...more
★
Meta: ISFDB, edited by Shawn Speakman
Dozois praised this anthology to be one of the year's best. The author list is impressing as well, any hard core fan of Brooks, Rothfuss, Williams etc. would probably order it instantly. Especially knowing that it is a kind of charity where authors donated stories to help the editor out of financial debts imposed by his medical situation, treating cancer. This alone is a curiosity for my cultural background: Here in Germany, everyone has health insurance, no ...more
Meta: ISFDB, edited by Shawn Speakman
Dozois praised this anthology to be one of the year's best. The author list is impressing as well, any hard core fan of Brooks, Rothfuss, Williams etc. would probably order it instantly. Especially knowing that it is a kind of charity where authors donated stories to help the editor out of financial debts imposed by his medical situation, treating cancer. This alone is a curiosity for my cultural background: Here in Germany, everyone has health insurance, no ...more
The editor of this Anthology, Shawn Speakman, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. Because he had no health insurance, Terry Brooks offered to give him a short story to help defray the medical costs. He also told Shawn that he should ask other authors to contribute to as well. This book is what came of that.
Most of the stories are very good, with a few that are outstanding, and only 1 or 2 were duds. Here is a list of the stories, and what I thought about them.
Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks - ...more
Most of the stories are very good, with a few that are outstanding, and only 1 or 2 were duds. Here is a list of the stories, and what I thought about them.
Imaginary Friends by Terry Brooks - ...more
What a wonderful anthology! I have fallen off on reading collections lately, but I am such a total Kevin Hearne fangirl that I started looking for this one as soon as he mentioned it on Facebook. I bought it as soon as I heard of its release, and womanfully resisted skipping straight to the Iron Druid story.
I truly enjoyed most of the stories included. I did just stop reading the baseball story when I realized that it was horror, and skipped over "Dogs" for the same reason. Terry Brooks' piece d ...more
I truly enjoyed most of the stories included. I did just stop reading the baseball story when I realized that it was horror, and skipped over "Dogs" for the same reason. Terry Brooks' piece d ...more
This is an Anthology put together by Shawn Speakman in order to help to pay off his medical bills which came after getting cancer for the second time. Due to being a cancer survivor before he was unable to get insurance and is now very much in need of financial help. All of the stories were donated by various authors and there were no restraints put on what they could include and write about.
It's hard to rate the book as a whole because there are such a mix of authors, stories, lengths and genre ...more
It's hard to rate the book as a whole because there are such a mix of authors, stories, lengths and genre ...more
All in all, I found the quality of the stories I read to be excellent and would definitely highly recommend this anthology. The stories I read from this collection are:
'Imaginary Friends' by Terry Brooks
This story about a boy defeating a mythical manifestation of his own cancer functions not only as a good opening story, introducing the anthology and hinting at the kind of material it features, but also as a nod to the purpose behind it, as the stories in this anthology were all donated by the ...more
'Imaginary Friends' by Terry Brooks
This story about a boy defeating a mythical manifestation of his own cancer functions not only as a good opening story, introducing the anthology and hinting at the kind of material it features, but also as a nod to the purpose behind it, as the stories in this anthology were all donated by the ...more
I'm assuredly not the only person who bought this anthology just for the Wheel of Time story, "River of Souls". I've had this release on my calendar ever since Brandon Sanderson revealed that this story would be in it, and having spent fourteen-plus Wheel of Time books wondering about the mysterious country off the edge of the map, it was worth it just for a glimpse of the fabled Shara.
Having satisfied my curiosity by jumping straight to the Wheel of Time entry, I then backtracked and read the e ...more
Having satisfied my curiosity by jumping straight to the Wheel of Time entry, I then backtracked and read the e ...more
Perhaps the best anthology of fantasy stories I've read. Some better than others, but no real duds.
As an added bonus, several authors contributed tales related to their greater corpus, which for one reason or another haven't or couldn't previously be published. The reader gets a sampler of the the best current fantasy writers unfettered by commercial, logical or continuity demands.
Patrick Rothfuss is correct: the introductory remarks--his, Shawn's and the authors--are largely a waste of time.
A v ...more
As an added bonus, several authors contributed tales related to their greater corpus, which for one reason or another haven't or couldn't previously be published. The reader gets a sampler of the the best current fantasy writers unfettered by commercial, logical or continuity demands.
Patrick Rothfuss is correct: the introductory remarks--his, Shawn's and the authors--are largely a waste of time.
A v ...more
I'm of mixed opinions. I'd buy the book just to help out Shawn, so the money is well spent.
Many stories were great (Tad Williams, Peter Brett, Todd Lockwood, Kevin Hearne, Eldon Thompson, Michael Sullivan, and Shawn Speakman).
Two I had high hopes for but wasn't impressed (Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson). Both lacked enough substance for me.
A few more weren't even fantasy (!!!) for whatever reason, so those sucked (RA Salvatore, Daniel Abraham, David Durham). I was also really unimpressed w ...more
Many stories were great (Tad Williams, Peter Brett, Todd Lockwood, Kevin Hearne, Eldon Thompson, Michael Sullivan, and Shawn Speakman).
Two I had high hopes for but wasn't impressed (Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson). Both lacked enough substance for me.
A few more weren't even fantasy (!!!) for whatever reason, so those sucked (RA Salvatore, Daniel Abraham, David Durham). I was also really unimpressed w ...more
Originally posted on The ArchedDoorway
Normally in my reviews I’ll take a step back, and try to remove all bias. They’re formulaic: a description, the good, the bad, something else good, a general summary, and the release date of the novel, or the sequel, if there is one. That’s not something I did here. Be warned, this is a long one.
Unfettered is a fantasy anthology, containing stories from many of the biggest names in fantasy out there right now. It’s a wonderful amalgamation of talent, put tog ...more
Normally in my reviews I’ll take a step back, and try to remove all bias. They’re formulaic: a description, the good, the bad, something else good, a general summary, and the release date of the novel, or the sequel, if there is one. That’s not something I did here. Be warned, this is a long one.
Unfettered is a fantasy anthology, containing stories from many of the biggest names in fantasy out there right now. It’s a wonderful amalgamation of talent, put tog ...more
Shawn Speakman delivers a powerful and wonderful anthology. This is a must read for any fantasy fan. Go now and get yourself a copy. This is the TLDR ( too long didn't read) version of the review.
Now for those interested in the why's and why not's then reader further.
Imaginary Friends - Terry Brooks
A master of fantasy writing, Terry Brooks gives us this wonderful story of magic in the real world. Told through the eyes of a child that experiences a fantastic world of elves and dragons. Do you e ...more
Now for those interested in the why's and why not's then reader further.
Imaginary Friends - Terry Brooks
A master of fantasy writing, Terry Brooks gives us this wonderful story of magic in the real world. Told through the eyes of a child that experiences a fantastic world of elves and dragons. Do you e ...more
Terry Brooks' 1st story was pretty rubbish, fluff urban fantasy. A product of its time for sure.
Patrick Rothfuss' entry was better the 2nd time through (It's only 1700 words long) and actually does work quite well if read aloud. Quite clever, but I can see people getting annoyed with it for being style over substance.
Tad Williams' story is actually quite funny in a daft, eye-rolling sort of way. I enjoyed it.
Carrie Vaughn's entry is stunning - easily the best one I've read so far. Very well wr ...more
Patrick Rothfuss' entry was better the 2nd time through (It's only 1700 words long) and actually does work quite well if read aloud. Quite clever, but I can see people getting annoyed with it for being style over substance.
Tad Williams' story is actually quite funny in a daft, eye-rolling sort of way. I enjoyed it.
Carrie Vaughn's entry is stunning - easily the best one I've read so far. Very well wr ...more
Great stories, great cause, great authors, amazing collection. I've added a lot of new authors to my to-read pile because of this anthology. I believe that was exactly what Shawn Speakman was aiming for.
My favorite story was without a doubt The Sound of Broken Absolutes by Peter Orullian. Here's what I wrote about that story, because it deserves being mentioned:
At about 22,500 words, Peter Orullian’s The Sound of Broken Absolutes can just barely be classified as a novella. It is short fiction, t ...more
My favorite story was without a doubt The Sound of Broken Absolutes by Peter Orullian. Here's what I wrote about that story, because it deserves being mentioned:
At about 22,500 words, Peter Orullian’s The Sound of Broken Absolutes can just barely be classified as a novella. It is short fiction, t ...more
As with another anthology I did recently, I will(have to) grade each story separately and use the average to give the book the overall score; seeing as how the book isn't all by one author taking place in the same universe.
The average rating is 2.4 Star out of 22 stories(didn't finish one of the stories)
"Imaginary Friends" by Terry Brooks
It's good that Terry put his life on hold and placed time and effort into helping out a friend without looking for any compensation in return.... doesn't change ...more
The average rating is 2.4 Star out of 22 stories(didn't finish one of the stories)
"Imaginary Friends" by Terry Brooks
It's good that Terry put his life on hold and placed time and effort into helping out a friend without looking for any compensation in return.... doesn't change ...more
This collection literally (literally!) has something that every fantasy reader can enjoy. I read 96% of the pages, and with 24 authors I thought for sure there would be something I didn't like, and it turned out to be very, very little. Some highlights for me were:
"Imaginary Friends" - Terry Brooks. Heart wrenching and heart lifting, a perfect opening for the collection.
"Game of Chance" - Carrie Vaughn. Can't beat a redemption story.
"The Sound of Broken Absolutes" - Peter Orullian. A completel ...more
"Imaginary Friends" - Terry Brooks. Heart wrenching and heart lifting, a perfect opening for the collection.
"Game of Chance" - Carrie Vaughn. Can't beat a redemption story.
"The Sound of Broken Absolutes" - Peter Orullian. A completel ...more
Heard about this from Kevin Hearne on FB a while ago and it slipped my mind. Saw it this morning on Patrick Rothfuss' blog....bought it immediately! I want to start it now, but I have to finish Infinity Blade by Brandon Sanderson first. I haven't read it yet, so I cannot give it an accurate review, but given the compilation of authors I am sure this is going to be a very enjoyable read.
UPDATE
Now that I've finished it, I ended up buying some new authors. I was expecting more from some authors I'v ...more
UPDATE
Now that I've finished it, I ended up buying some new authors. I was expecting more from some authors I'v ...more
Oct 09, 2012
Ticklish Owl
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
short-stories,
magic,
science-fiction,
hic-sunt-beluae,
hic-sunt-dracones,
anthology
I will be updating this entry with mini-reviews of each short story when time permits, which should be soon.
Unfettered will also be available in ebook format for those of us with tiny living spaces and even tinier bookcases.
ETA: The ebook is available for Kobo (yay!), Nook, iBooks, and Kindle.
Unfettered will also be available in ebook format for those of us with tiny living spaces and even tinier bookcases.
ETA: The ebook is available for Kobo (yay!), Nook, iBooks, and Kindle.
Jedna vrlo lepa kolekcija koja više vredi zbog razloga koji ju je stvorio nego možda i same priče. Takav odziv da se pomogne nekome je stvar koja prosto greje oko srca.
Same priče nisu povezane pa tako imamo razne žanrove što malo kvari utisak, al ne previše :P
Ipak su sve ovo majstori žanra i nema ni jedne slabe priče pa samim tim nema poente ih posebno ocenjivati nego moja preporuka da slobodno pročitate.
Same priče nisu povezane pa tako imamo razne žanrove što malo kvari utisak, al ne previše :P
Ipak su sve ovo majstori žanra i nema ni jedne slabe priče pa samim tim nema poente ih posebno ocenjivati nego moja preporuka da slobodno pročitate.
Feb 05, 2013
Kaila
marked it as to-read
"Including River of Souls, a Wheel of Time short story"
YES PLEASE.
(it's apparently a scene they deleted from A Memory of Light for pacing issues, from a character we know. I think it is important to note here that a scene from a Wheel of Time book was actually deleted for "pacing issues.")
YES PLEASE.
(it's apparently a scene they deleted from A Memory of Light for pacing issues, from a character we know. I think it is important to note here that a scene from a Wheel of Time book was actually deleted for "pacing issues.")
I picked this up back when released to read a couple of very specific stories by authors I was already following, and then it sort of got lost on my shelf. Now I've finally got a round tuit.
I think it's safe to say that this anthology has more valleys than hills, and it's partly in the nature of the anthology itself. There's no overarching theme to the stories, many are from authors who don't usually write short form fantasy fiction, and given the donation nature of the collection, I suppose the ...more
I think it's safe to say that this anthology has more valleys than hills, and it's partly in the nature of the anthology itself. There's no overarching theme to the stories, many are from authors who don't usually write short form fantasy fiction, and given the donation nature of the collection, I suppose the ...more
I haven't read every single story yet, but from the ones I have read, I can still comment on the book as a whole.
First off, just after hearing about the situatuon Shawn was in, I just thought "why not help?" I get an awesome anthology, and in some small way, maybe I've contributed to a good cause. I don't have any connection to Shawn, just a fan of reading, and the authors in this book. So, if you're thinking of buying this anthology, I only say..."Why not?"
Now, to the review. I haven't read a ...more
First off, just after hearing about the situatuon Shawn was in, I just thought "why not help?" I get an awesome anthology, and in some small way, maybe I've contributed to a good cause. I don't have any connection to Shawn, just a fan of reading, and the authors in this book. So, if you're thinking of buying this anthology, I only say..."Why not?"
Now, to the review. I haven't read a ...more
If you're actively involved in the fantasy community, chances are you've run across Shawn Speakman at some point. He's the webmaster for Terry Brooks and Naomi Novik, runs The Signed Page, writes articles for Suvudu, and does all kinds of other assorted work. This has led to him being relatively well-connected in the speculative fiction genre.
Shawn had been diagnosed with cancer and beaten it before. When it struck a second time, he had no medical insurance and accumulated a seemingly insurmount ...more
Shawn had been diagnosed with cancer and beaten it before. When it struck a second time, he had no medical insurance and accumulated a seemingly insurmount ...more
Searching for some references related to Wheel of Time universe, I came across upon this anthology and I have found to be a very admirably initiative in creating it - around 20 well-known writers contributed with a story to help the editor, Shawn Speakman, to cover his expenses related to cancer treatment.
However, with the tales themselves, it is another story... Half of them are built upon a tragic disease, or a death, or something alike. Maybe it's just me, but, given the circumstances this a ...more
However, with the tales themselves, it is another story... Half of them are built upon a tragic disease, or a death, or something alike. Maybe it's just me, but, given the circumstances this a ...more
I am so glad that I bought this anthology.
Firstly, it was for a good cause. The American healthcare system is so weird and scary, and just thinking that you would have to declare bankruptcy because you cannot afford cancer treatment scares the crap out of me. Here's for a speedy recovery, Sean!
Second, a lot of these authors pop up on my recommendations list and I'm never sure whether to make the leap or not to try out someone new. Having sampled their writing styles and gotten a taste of their w ...more
Firstly, it was for a good cause. The American healthcare system is so weird and scary, and just thinking that you would have to declare bankruptcy because you cannot afford cancer treatment scares the crap out of me. Here's for a speedy recovery, Sean!
Second, a lot of these authors pop up on my recommendations list and I'm never sure whether to make the leap or not to try out someone new. Having sampled their writing styles and gotten a taste of their w ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What Are Your Favorite Stories? | 8 | 75 | Apr 15, 2015 01:39AM | |
| Sci-fi and Heroic...: Unfettered edited by Shawn Speakman | 92 | 55 | Mar 20, 2015 06:06AM | |
| /r/Fantasy Discus...: Unfettered Group | 6 | 118 | Jun 30, 2014 08:10AM | |
| Author: Michael J...: Win a free copy of the audio version of Unfettered | 1 | 27 | Jan 25, 2014 07:06AM | |
| The Riyria Revela...: Win a free copy of the audio version of Unfettered | 1 | 26 | Jan 25, 2014 07:04AM |
Shawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near a volcano and surrounded by old-growth forests filled with magic. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster, leading to an enchanted life surrounded by words.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & No ...more
More about Shawn Speakman...
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & No ...more
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“Normally I miss deadlines like a storm trooper misses Jedi.”
—
28 likes
“It wasn’t necessary. Wilmer offered his piece of the map in exchange for a fair share. His only condition was to come along.”
“And Maribor’s beard, was that ever a mistake,” Wilmer said. “Might have been better if you had killed me.” He looked at the thief. “Would have been quick and painless, right?”
Royce shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
—
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More quotes…
“And Maribor’s beard, was that ever a mistake,” Wilmer said. “Might have been better if you had killed me.” He looked at the thief. “Would have been quick and painless, right?”
Royce shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
