And Pretty Maids All In A Row

Windrose Chronicles #4.6

by Barbara Hambly

A novelette of 15,000 words, sequel to the Windrose Chronicles by Barbara Hambly. When the head of a Los Angeles criminal gang seeks out exiled wizard Antryg Windrose for some wizardly advice about his love-life, Antryg suspects trouble. He's right: the gang-lord's girlfriend is a lamia, a trans-dimensional soul-drinker whose victims become addicted to the process of having their souls slowly drained. Though the crook wants his freedom, he also doesn't want to give her up - and in the meantime, she is absorbing cunning, ruthlessness, and criminal intent... and is hunting others...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Mystery

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

aka Barbara Hamilton

Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.


"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly

Reviews

[Heather D-G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my favorite Joanna and Antryg short yet! This one had an absorbing story and excellent pacing. Good stuff!

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Pretty Maids All in a Row” is a Joanna and Antryg story, only this time it’s set entirely in Joanna’s (and Hambly’s) native Southern California, to which Antryg has permanently relocated following the events of the Windrose Chronicles. Though there are Chinese gangsters and soul-stealing vampires known as lamia, leading up to a well-executed action sequence that takes up a good chunk of the story, the focus is really on more standard relationship problems, problems which could — in a somewhat less magical form, of course — apply to any number of couples. Joanna worries about how Antryg will adapt to a new city, especially since that city happens to be in a different universe where he can’t do magic. And though she loves and trusts him, she is nonetheless not entirely comfortable with some aspects of his past, in particular the many years he spent as an apprentice to the evil wizard Suraklin. Plus, Antryg’s memories of Suraklin — their relationship is perhaps best summed up when Antryg says, of Suraklin being kind to him, “Maybe that was only because he guessed I’d respond to kindness” — and the lamias’ relationships to their victims provide Joanna with object examples of toxic relationships to ponder. However, her experiences in the earlier books have changed her, and she only briefly allows self-doubt to paralyze her, a small victory that is in some ways more important than the larger one that comes when the lamia are defeated. I still wish that Hambly would go back to writing fantasy novels again, but this story (one of several that she apparently wrote in the past few years) is much better than nothing.

[Carro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Antryg and Joanna story. It comes two years after the end of the duology, “Silent Tower” and “Silicon Mage”, which I have read and enjoyed many times. I have just re-read this story for the first time. I think there is enough information on the characters in this story, that you could read it if you hadn't read the duology, but it would be a spoiler for then reading the duology – which are a superb set of books. I also think you'd get more from the story if you had first read those books.
This review is a spoiler for the duology.

Antryg is working in Eynarts Bar and Grill and Joanna is there when a Chinese gang lord comes to engage Antryg's services as a wizard, to deal with a woman, or rather a being with the semblance of a woman, who is stealing parts of his soul.
Though quite short, this is a tense story and I read it fast in one sitting – both times. It also has some lovely scenes on Joanna and Antryg together, how their lives together is working out and how Antryg deals with the strange world of 20th century LA.

I really enjoyed this. I have long read and re-read Hambly's fantasies and am delighted that there are now these “after” stories – and that they are as good as the original books. Long may they continue.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's strange... I've never thought of these further adventures as urban fantasy before, but this is the novelette that convince me they were. Or maybe it was the first one to do it so well. An excellent story edged with the kind of darkness I'd like to have seen in the previous stories.

[Kadira Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love Barbara Hambly's books. Her quirky characters and well-written books always engage me. I just wish this one had been longer

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Antryg and Joanna. Nice little novellette.

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooohhhh yummy

What a devilish story. Once again Antryg and Joanna make an enviable team to track down and resolve a frightening occurrence.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novelette featuring Antryg and Joanna in late 1980s Los Angeles. Good pacing and action, and I loved how the monster tried to exploit a weakness in Antryg and Joanna's relationship.

[Erin (PT) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Windrose Chronicles are my favorite of Hambly's assorted series (though it's close running) and I love Joanna and Antryg's relationship, but one thing about the series is that we didn't get to see how their mismatched relationship works in the aftermath and the best part of Hambly writing these continuing adventures is that we do get to see it.

This novella gave me exactly what I was missing in the last one I read: Antryg and Joanna working together, like a couple. Shared knowledge, working as a team, anticipating each other. I love stories about competency and I love couples that are both competent individually and as a team. I also love seeing Antryg adapting to live in 80s Los Angeles. In other pieces Hambly's written, Antryg has seemed more...at peace with his decision to go into exile in a magic-less universe; in this one, Hambly touches more on Antryg's pain, what it is to be a wizard--an Archmage--who has no access to magic, not even the simplest of spells.

I also liked that Hambly, for the first time, touched on the supernatural within Joanna's universe, something I hadn't even noticed the absence of until it happened. So all in all, for such a short story, it gave back a lot.

[Doreen Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty Maids All in a Row

Antryg and Joanna must try to help a gangster and his brother against lamias, female vampires in 1988 Los Angeles.