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Lucky or Unlucky?: 13 Stories of Fate
In this second annual anthology, N. E. White presents 13 speculative fiction stories from authors of the Writing forum.
The apocalypse rides into town and only one man can stop it. An engineer stationed on an aluminium world attempts to thwart a superhero gone mad. A lucky device proves the opposite. Magic and mayhem ensue at the 13th gate of hell. Can two unlucky people change their fate?
These are 13 tales of luck. All richly told stories of characters down on their luck, relying on their luck, or simply have bad luck.
Featuring all new stories by Michael Aaron, Charlotte Ashley, Eric Best, Nils Durban, Wilson Geiger, Andrew Leon Hudson, A. Lynn, J. R. Murdock, J. M. Odell, Michell Plested, Tristis Ward, and N. E. White. The collection is rounded off by dark-fantasy writer Mark Lawrence, author of the Broken Empire series.
The apocalypse rides into town and only one man can stop it. An engineer stationed on an aluminium world attempts to thwart a superhero gone mad. A lucky device proves the opposite. Magic and mayhem ensue at the 13th gate of hell. Can two unlucky people change their fate?
These are 13 tales of luck. All richly told stories of characters down on their luck, relying on their luck, or simply have bad luck.
Featuring all new stories by Michael Aaron, Charlotte Ashley, Eric Best, Nils Durban, Wilson Geiger, Andrew Leon Hudson, A. Lynn, J. R. Murdock, J. M. Odell, Michell Plested, Tristis Ward, and N. E. White. The collection is rounded off by dark-fantasy writer Mark Lawrence, author of the Broken Empire series.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
9 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
N.E. White
13 books53 followersN. E. White is a fantasy and science fiction author from Northern California. She's been writing since 2005, but only recently self-published her first trilogy, The Mapmaker Trilogy, and is working on a second, The Draghi Chronicles, starting with The Legend of Damndrake.
In another life, she creates geospatial models and maps to support environmental management decisions. When she is not writing, she's probably out on a hike, trying to reach the sky.
Visit www.nilaewhite.com for more.
In another life, she creates geospatial models and maps to support environmental management decisions. When she is not writing, she's probably out on a hike, trying to reach the sky.
Visit www.nilaewhite.com for more.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 13, 2025
Well, I've only read one story so far, The Emperor's 13th Choice by N.E White, but that was excellent work. Given the anthology costs less than a dollar and all profits are going to a children's hospice charity I'd say that one excellent story merits 5*.
There are however 12 other stories in there, including one by me (Married to the Apocalypse), and any number of those could be excellent too!
Go! Buy!
.
There are however 12 other stories in there, including one by me (Married to the Apocalypse), and any number of those could be excellent too!
Go! Buy!
.
November 19, 2014
This is the first time I've tried a collection of short stories and I'm sorry to say that reading Lucky or Unlucky?: 13 Stories of Fate was not the eclectic mix of fiction that I'd hoped for.
Following my new plan of associating music with my reviews, I'll go with a song by Death Cab for Cutie called "Tiny Vessels" (Check the link, it's a great song).
Specifically, it's the opening of the song that Cutie song that reminds me of my feelings for this collection. It goes like this:
The "she" of course is the book. Maybe that wasn't the best song, but whatever... I think you get the idea. I fell in and out of love with this book, but this might be inevitable when approaching a collection of short stories. I can't really say for sure; it was my first time!
The premiss of this collection is an interesting one. All of the authors were tasked with writing a short story that in one way or another would involve luck as a theme. Furthermore, they had to utilize the number 13 in the story. Some of the authors little more than a nod to these restrictions, simply to fit the requirement it felt. Others clearly embraced the restrictions and ran with them with varying success.
Rather than making this a VERY long review, I thought I would just give each of the 13 stories a quick star rating, to give you an idea of my thoughts on them:
Lucky Bill by Nils Durban - 3 Stars
Thirteen Bullets by Andrew Leon Hudson - 3.5 Stars
Military Magic by Michael Aaron - 4.5 Stars
13 Days by Tristis Ward - 2 Stars
Fold by Charlotte Ashley - 1 Star
The Devil's Knocking by A. Lynn - 2 Stars
Runner by J.R. Murdock - 2.5 Stars
The Emperor's 13th Choice by N.E. White - 4.5 Stars
Getting Lucky by J.M. Odell - 2.5 Stars
Double Negative by Eric Best - 4 Stars
The 13th Spell by Michell Plested - 1.5 Stars
Sundered by Wilson Geiger - 3 Stars
Married to the Apocalypse by Mark Lawrence - 5 Stars
So, as you can see, this is a mixed bag if there ever was one. Some real standouts were Military Magic, The Emperor's 13th Choice. Double Negative and Married to the Apocalypse. Without getting into too much (and possibly spoilerish) detail, suffice it to say that the stories not only were intriguing and fun, but also incorporated the theme of the collection in new and inventive ways.
There seems to be a real art to writing a good short story. I would define "good" in this case as a short story that was able to tell a complete tale without giving the feeling that the end simply slams the door on something that should have continued. This is not to say that the good ones didn't leave you wanting more. But that is almost always the goal of any kind of entertainment, isn't it?
"Leave 'em wanting more!"
Following my new plan of associating music with my reviews, I'll go with a song by Death Cab for Cutie called "Tiny Vessels" (Check the link, it's a great song).
Specifically, it's the opening of the song that Cutie song that reminds me of my feelings for this collection. It goes like this:
This is the moment that you know
That you told her that you loved her but you don't.
You touch her skin and then you think
That she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me.
Yeah, she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me.
The "she" of course is the book. Maybe that wasn't the best song, but whatever... I think you get the idea. I fell in and out of love with this book, but this might be inevitable when approaching a collection of short stories. I can't really say for sure; it was my first time!
The premiss of this collection is an interesting one. All of the authors were tasked with writing a short story that in one way or another would involve luck as a theme. Furthermore, they had to utilize the number 13 in the story. Some of the authors little more than a nod to these restrictions, simply to fit the requirement it felt. Others clearly embraced the restrictions and ran with them with varying success.
Rather than making this a VERY long review, I thought I would just give each of the 13 stories a quick star rating, to give you an idea of my thoughts on them:
Lucky Bill by Nils Durban - 3 Stars
Thirteen Bullets by Andrew Leon Hudson - 3.5 Stars
Military Magic by Michael Aaron - 4.5 Stars
13 Days by Tristis Ward - 2 Stars
Fold by Charlotte Ashley - 1 Star
The Devil's Knocking by A. Lynn - 2 Stars
Runner by J.R. Murdock - 2.5 Stars
The Emperor's 13th Choice by N.E. White - 4.5 Stars
Getting Lucky by J.M. Odell - 2.5 Stars
Double Negative by Eric Best - 4 Stars
The 13th Spell by Michell Plested - 1.5 Stars
Sundered by Wilson Geiger - 3 Stars
Married to the Apocalypse by Mark Lawrence - 5 Stars
So, as you can see, this is a mixed bag if there ever was one. Some real standouts were Military Magic, The Emperor's 13th Choice. Double Negative and Married to the Apocalypse. Without getting into too much (and possibly spoilerish) detail, suffice it to say that the stories not only were intriguing and fun, but also incorporated the theme of the collection in new and inventive ways.
There seems to be a real art to writing a good short story. I would define "good" in this case as a short story that was able to tell a complete tale without giving the feeling that the end simply slams the door on something that should have continued. This is not to say that the good ones didn't leave you wanting more. But that is almost always the goal of any kind of entertainment, isn't it?
"Leave 'em wanting more!"
February 5, 2014
Another generally mixed bag of stories from the editor who brought us "The End:Visions of Apocalypse". Like the previous collection it's solid from end to end, and there are standout stories that make the price of admission well worthwhile.
The theme is lucky or unlucky, and there's a pleasant looseness to the theme: it's not all cardgames and misplaced bullets. There's a pleasing mix of genre too: while most are fantastical, there's sci-fi and steampunk and history and mythology.
All stories were well written, and if some grabbed me more than others, it's probably due to my personal preferences. Standouts for me were:
Fold, by Charlotte Ashley - a prison colony where evolving mutants are trapped in cages of folded aluminum. Original and clever.
Sundered by Wilson Geiger - a melding of sorcery with the American civil war
Married to the Apocalypse - an oh so clever tale summed up perfectly in the title.
Thirteen Bullets - one of a few western stories in this collection, and a perfect example of Chekhov's gun. :)
All in all a great collection of stories loosely woven around an intriguing theme.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The theme is lucky or unlucky, and there's a pleasant looseness to the theme: it's not all cardgames and misplaced bullets. There's a pleasing mix of genre too: while most are fantastical, there's sci-fi and steampunk and history and mythology.
All stories were well written, and if some grabbed me more than others, it's probably due to my personal preferences. Standouts for me were:
Fold, by Charlotte Ashley - a prison colony where evolving mutants are trapped in cages of folded aluminum. Original and clever.
Sundered by Wilson Geiger - a melding of sorcery with the American civil war
Married to the Apocalypse - an oh so clever tale summed up perfectly in the title.
Thirteen Bullets - one of a few western stories in this collection, and a perfect example of Chekhov's gun. :)
All in all a great collection of stories loosely woven around an intriguing theme.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2013
It's a funny thing, contributing to an anthology or magazine, because you don't really know what you've gotten in to. You don't know who else you will be appearing with, or what they will write. You don't know exactly what the editor was looking for and what they picked for. There's a moment right before publication when you are being sent all these promotional tools and you think, but what if it sucks??? What if I don't want to admit to my fans, my friends and my family that I'm in this? I just don't know!
So it is always incredibly heartening to crack open the book (or open the app), start reading those first few paragraphs and realize... this is good. The weight of the world lifts off your shoulders and you no longer feel like a terrible egoist for recommending the book blindly. You can now recommend the book in good conscience.
I am very pleased to be able to say that this is the case with Lucky or Unlucky? 13 Stories of Fate. The collection starts off strong with Nils Durban's dastardly 'Lucky Bill' and winds through every corner of the speculative lit landscape - epic fantasy, hard scifi, alternate history, western noir, space opera and more - until it reaches Mark Lawrence's unsurprisingly-excellent modern weird 'Married to the Apocalypse'.
As with any collection, there are stronger and weaker points. With a theme like 'luck", I suppose it was inevitable that a large number of the stories would feature gambling. I started to roll my eyes a little every time a character with a western twang and a love of dice featured, but there is no question that each of these stories took a unique tack on the trope. Andrew Leon Hudson's weird/horror western 'Thirteen Bullets' was one of my favourite stories in the collection, a genuinely skin-crawling body-snatcher story with a smart, sardonic hero who seemed to have all this book's best lines. Still, I preferred the stories that went much further afield with the theme, in particular N.E. White's alternate-Chinese 'The Emperor's 13th Choice', chronicling the trials of a female brawler trying to earn a place in the Emperor's personal guard. The collection is a little short of female heroes, but Chen-wu almost makes up for that lack single-handedly.
These were 13 stories well worth my time. I look forward to next year's offering!
So it is always incredibly heartening to crack open the book (or open the app), start reading those first few paragraphs and realize... this is good. The weight of the world lifts off your shoulders and you no longer feel like a terrible egoist for recommending the book blindly. You can now recommend the book in good conscience.
I am very pleased to be able to say that this is the case with Lucky or Unlucky? 13 Stories of Fate. The collection starts off strong with Nils Durban's dastardly 'Lucky Bill' and winds through every corner of the speculative lit landscape - epic fantasy, hard scifi, alternate history, western noir, space opera and more - until it reaches Mark Lawrence's unsurprisingly-excellent modern weird 'Married to the Apocalypse'.
As with any collection, there are stronger and weaker points. With a theme like 'luck", I suppose it was inevitable that a large number of the stories would feature gambling. I started to roll my eyes a little every time a character with a western twang and a love of dice featured, but there is no question that each of these stories took a unique tack on the trope. Andrew Leon Hudson's weird/horror western 'Thirteen Bullets' was one of my favourite stories in the collection, a genuinely skin-crawling body-snatcher story with a smart, sardonic hero who seemed to have all this book's best lines. Still, I preferred the stories that went much further afield with the theme, in particular N.E. White's alternate-Chinese 'The Emperor's 13th Choice', chronicling the trials of a female brawler trying to earn a place in the Emperor's personal guard. The collection is a little short of female heroes, but Chen-wu almost makes up for that lack single-handedly.
These were 13 stories well worth my time. I look forward to next year's offering!
wrote
December 5, 2014The writers' corner of SFFWorld is a friendly and dynamic little corner of the web, and I was very happy to have one of my stories make the cut for 2013's unofficial anthology. However, on the whole we are writers en route rather than established talents, which means our output can be shall we say "unpredictable". I submitted a piece of work (which I was embarrassingly pleased with, and still am) not knowing how it would compare with the crowd: head-and-shoulders above, or not fit to lick their boots...
Now I've had a chance to read the full collection, I have to say that I think the end result is pretty impressive. No story over-shadows the rest, nor does any hold the others back. They may be a bit rough around the edges from time to time, but this is a collection with real variety: it takes in the weird west and US civil war, ancient China and the future of Japanese paper folding; there is gambling, slavery, the end of the real world and glimpses of numerous fantastical alternatives; and most of all there is good luck and bad, arising from incantations and intentions, a press of a button or pull of a trigger.
I'm not going to pick any of the thirteen out for special mention, but I'd say that almost half the stories are not bad to say the least. An equal number are just plain good. And as for mine? Well, modesty forbids I say anything other than this: I consider myself lucky to be in such good company.
Now I've had a chance to read the full collection, I have to say that I think the end result is pretty impressive. No story over-shadows the rest, nor does any hold the others back. They may be a bit rough around the edges from time to time, but this is a collection with real variety: it takes in the weird west and US civil war, ancient China and the future of Japanese paper folding; there is gambling, slavery, the end of the real world and glimpses of numerous fantastical alternatives; and most of all there is good luck and bad, arising from incantations and intentions, a press of a button or pull of a trigger.
I'm not going to pick any of the thirteen out for special mention, but I'd say that almost half the stories are not bad to say the least. An equal number are just plain good. And as for mine? Well, modesty forbids I say anything other than this: I consider myself lucky to be in such good company.
January 17, 2014
An eclectic mix of stories that cover the full range of the fantasy and sci-fi spectrum. While picking out individual stories is invidious I will name my favourite three.
For shear ingenuity the story Fold by Charlotte Ashley had me enthralled. The theme of 13 and luck was melded with the periodic table and origami to produce a story set on a world rich in the 13th Element (Aluminium) where structures rely on careful folding of pure soft aluminium. Throw in some murderous menace in this oh so credible world and you have an entrancing story.
Thirteen Bullets by Andrew Leon Hudson took us to a wild west town about to suffer a utter catastrophe, but here - fascinating as the fate of the inhabitants is, it is the craft of the writing that drew me in. A first person perspective where we feel every winding blow and crunching fist (and there are plenty of those).
And then of course there is Mark Lawrence's contribution - Married to the Apocalypse, a delightfully written out of the box story with the limelight shifting from death to a one of his co-riders.
Very well recommended.
For shear ingenuity the story Fold by Charlotte Ashley had me enthralled. The theme of 13 and luck was melded with the periodic table and origami to produce a story set on a world rich in the 13th Element (Aluminium) where structures rely on careful folding of pure soft aluminium. Throw in some murderous menace in this oh so credible world and you have an entrancing story.
Thirteen Bullets by Andrew Leon Hudson took us to a wild west town about to suffer a utter catastrophe, but here - fascinating as the fate of the inhabitants is, it is the craft of the writing that drew me in. A first person perspective where we feel every winding blow and crunching fist (and there are plenty of those).
And then of course there is Mark Lawrence's contribution - Married to the Apocalypse, a delightfully written out of the box story with the limelight shifting from death to a one of his co-riders.
Very well recommended.
January 17, 2014
This collection of short stories rarely puts a foot wrong. I it dances from traditional fantasy through a western and into the modern day. Each voice is distinct and each tale a treasure. If I was you, I'd buy it, read it and enjoy it.
December 11, 2014
Great collection of shorts focusing on the number 13 and whether its lucky or unlucky. Really enjoyed "Military Magic" by Michael Aaron, that I could read more of if expanded into a full novel. "Married to The Apocalypse" by Mark Lawrence was a fun twist on the end of days.
November 6, 2013
Yes, I know, I shouldn't be rating my own collection...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did. :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did. :)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews