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Five Hundred Kingdoms #5.5
A Tangled Web/Cast In Moonlight/Retribution
A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey Kidnapping Persephone should have been an easy task. But in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, nothing's ever simple – and the wrong blonde goddess is stolen by mistake, leaving Prince Leopold without his new bride. At least until he braves the realm of the dead to get her back... Cast In Moonlight by Michelle Sagara Barely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra – if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks! Retribution by Cameron Haley In the underworld, there are tricks to killing. Like executing rivals at crossroads so ghosts won't follow you home. But sometimes retribution is hard to avoid – and now a supernatural hit man has a contract on Domino Riley's life. Luckily she knows a thing or two about death....
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2010
80 people are currently reading
2690 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
437 books9,461 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
December 30, 2024
SERIES:
"A Tangled Web" (Five Hundred Kingdoms, 5.5)
"Cast in Moonlight" (Chronicles of Elantra, 0.5)
"Retribution" (Underworld Cycle, 0.5)
Three short fantastic stories that involve the moon.
I have the impression from the level of writing that the intended audience is young adults. Which, I suppose, is a rather rude assumption as it indicates that I think people who are not-yet-adults aren't capable of understanding more complex writing. And that is not my intention.
THE STORIES
Mercedes Lackey's "A Tangled Web"…
…is a twist on the Demeter-Persephone-Hades myth. The difference is the addition of Leo and Brunnhilde from Norse myth.
This is cute, if a bit on the childish side. I did appreciate Lackey's bringing in her theme of The Tradition which she uses to create the external impacts on the protagonists. The Tradition's effects always take me back to the fairytales of my youth and cause me to see them differently. Always a good thing!
Michelle Sagara's "Cast in Moonlight"…
…is a terrific story, although Sagara is a major pain in that she just abandons you in the middle of the story when she stops. There is no conclusion of any sort. It's as if Sagara got up to go to the bathroom and never came back. Yeah, yeah, I know authors have the option of leaving us hanging on the edge of a cliff, but they usually conclude some aspect of the story before they do.
I know I don't normally list the characters when I review a series of short stories, but I do want to read more...if only to find out what does happen!
The Characters
Kaylin Neya is thirteen years old and has been surviving on her own. Recently, tattoos appeared on her body and seem to convey an ability to see and perform magic. It appears that she is also a survivor of the Nightshade ritual killings.
The Hawks are…
…one of three police forces that enforce the Emperor's Law. Lord Grammayre, an Aerian, a.k.a., the Hawklord, is the commander of the Hawks. Garadin is a Tha'alani who "questions" Kaylin. Sergeant Marcus Kassan is Leontine (Kayala is one of his five wives; Graylin and Reesa appear to be two other wives); Corporals Teela and Tain are Barrani. Clint, an Aerian, is of the Camaraan Flight (a flight can be translated as family); he is a guard and flies a patrol. Caitlin is the sergeant's aide. Red (don't even think of him as Reginald!) is their coroner. Morlan, an Aerian, is in charge of the infirmary.
The Imperial Order of Mages works for…
…the Eternal Emperor (he's a Dragon). Ceridath Morlanne has a problem he's hoping to solve and is very sensitive to magical residual effects; Meredith is his eight-year-old granddaughter. Magister Dreury is the head of the Order. Sanabalis is another mage, but is not usually involved with the Order. Farris is yet another mage with the Order.
Wolves are…
…another policing agency and one of their skills (directives?) appears to be a specialization in surveillance. Captain Neall.
Tha'alani appear to be magical personnel who "torture" beings for the police. Leontines seem to be lion-like. Barrani are dragons, I think. They appear to be the dominant beings in this world and immortal. Nope, at one point, Sagara mentions Barrani and Dragons as two different species. Arcanists seem to be wizards/mages who practice off the grid. Aerians are birdlike and have wings; yes, they can fly, but they don't shift.
Nightshade is a fief (a neighborhood?) in which a series of ritual killings occurred a year ago. Elantra is the city in which all this occurs.
Cameron Haley's "Retribution"…
…is a double-edged sword in this excursion into LA gang territory. This one combines magic with the usual internal gang concerns. This particular story feels like an introduction to an upcoming change to Dominica Riley's life.
THE COVER and TITLE
The cover is fantastical with its oranges creating the watery landscape and the sunset while a fey maid dressed in a pale green, diaphanous dress, wades in the water, bending to touch the reflection of the harvest moon.
The title reflects the theme of a Harvest Moon.
"A Tangled Web" (Five Hundred Kingdoms, 5.5)
"Cast in Moonlight" (Chronicles of Elantra, 0.5)
"Retribution" (Underworld Cycle, 0.5)
Three short fantastic stories that involve the moon.
I have the impression from the level of writing that the intended audience is young adults. Which, I suppose, is a rather rude assumption as it indicates that I think people who are not-yet-adults aren't capable of understanding more complex writing. And that is not my intention.
THE STORIES
Mercedes Lackey's "A Tangled Web"…
…is a twist on the Demeter-Persephone-Hades myth. The difference is the addition of Leo and Brunnhilde from Norse myth.
This is cute, if a bit on the childish side. I did appreciate Lackey's bringing in her theme of The Tradition which she uses to create the external impacts on the protagonists. The Tradition's effects always take me back to the fairytales of my youth and cause me to see them differently. Always a good thing!
Michelle Sagara's "Cast in Moonlight"…
…is a terrific story, although Sagara is a major pain in that she just abandons you in the middle of the story when she stops. There is no conclusion of any sort. It's as if Sagara got up to go to the bathroom and never came back. Yeah, yeah, I know authors have the option of leaving us hanging on the edge of a cliff, but they usually conclude some aspect of the story before they do.
I know I don't normally list the characters when I review a series of short stories, but I do want to read more...if only to find out what does happen!
The Characters
Kaylin Neya is thirteen years old and has been surviving on her own. Recently, tattoos appeared on her body and seem to convey an ability to see and perform magic. It appears that she is also a survivor of the Nightshade ritual killings.
The Hawks are…
…one of three police forces that enforce the Emperor's Law. Lord Grammayre, an Aerian, a.k.a., the Hawklord, is the commander of the Hawks. Garadin is a Tha'alani who "questions" Kaylin. Sergeant Marcus Kassan is Leontine (Kayala is one of his five wives; Graylin and Reesa appear to be two other wives); Corporals Teela and Tain are Barrani. Clint, an Aerian, is of the Camaraan Flight (a flight can be translated as family); he is a guard and flies a patrol. Caitlin is the sergeant's aide. Red (don't even think of him as Reginald!) is their coroner. Morlan, an Aerian, is in charge of the infirmary.
The Imperial Order of Mages works for…
…the Eternal Emperor (he's a Dragon). Ceridath Morlanne has a problem he's hoping to solve and is very sensitive to magical residual effects; Meredith is his eight-year-old granddaughter. Magister Dreury is the head of the Order. Sanabalis is another mage, but is not usually involved with the Order. Farris is yet another mage with the Order.
Wolves are…
…another policing agency and one of their skills (directives?) appears to be a specialization in surveillance. Captain Neall.
Tha'alani appear to be magical personnel who "torture" beings for the police. Leontines seem to be lion-like. Barrani are dragons, I think. They appear to be the dominant beings in this world and immortal. Nope, at one point, Sagara mentions Barrani and Dragons as two different species. Arcanists seem to be wizards/mages who practice off the grid. Aerians are birdlike and have wings; yes, they can fly, but they don't shift.
Nightshade is a fief (a neighborhood?) in which a series of ritual killings occurred a year ago. Elantra is the city in which all this occurs.
Cameron Haley's "Retribution"…
…is a double-edged sword in this excursion into LA gang territory. This one combines magic with the usual internal gang concerns. This particular story feels like an introduction to an upcoming change to Dominica Riley's life.
THE COVER and TITLE
The cover is fantastical with its oranges creating the watery landscape and the sunset while a fey maid dressed in a pale green, diaphanous dress, wades in the water, bending to touch the reflection of the harvest moon.
The title reflects the theme of a Harvest Moon.
July 1, 2013
Review for Cast in Moonlight
Kaylin Neya is a young girl of 13 who was living in the slum in the fantasy world of Elantra. To survive, she had had to obey to the crime lord of those slums, but his last order was snding her to kill the lord of the Hawks, the police force of the city. Not surprisingly, she is unable to do so and is captured. Resigned to her death, she is somehow surprised and suspicious when the lord of the Hawk fails to have her executed and propose to her to join the ranks of the Hawks. Having nothing to lose, she accepted and try to fit in while wondering what his motives are. However, the mutilated bodies of young children keep being discovered and Kaylin who has always had a weakness for those younger than herself bullied her way into the investigation.
This novella is a prequel to the Chronicles of Elantra series and could be a good entry into the series. In it, we finally see how Kaylin manages to integrate the Hawks and how everyone first reacted to her apparition. We also get a full story with an interesting investigation in the same spirit as what we have in the rest of the series.
I was particularly interested with Teela and Tain who act as lofty and arrogant as usual but who are also practical and thus adopt Kaylin pretty quickly thanks to her gifts which render her useful to the investigation. We also learn more of Red, the legist, and Sanabilis makes a cameo appearance (he was not recognize by Kaylin but I am surprised that he has never mentioned this when they meet again during Cast in Shadow or later).
There are two new characters here and I would love to meet again both of them in the series: a captain of the wolves and the Barrani Arcanist Lord whose name is not mentioned but who has a mysterious past with Teela and who manages to annoy the hell out of her! I definitely want to see him in the West Marches!
I was a bit surprised with the way Kaylin acts in this novella, as she seems a bit more mature than when she is older. It must be because she as been pampered by all the Hawks for years but I think I prefer her like this.
I recommend this novella to fans of the series and to people who are interested in discovery Michelle Sagara’s writing.
Kaylin Neya is a young girl of 13 who was living in the slum in the fantasy world of Elantra. To survive, she had had to obey to the crime lord of those slums, but his last order was snding her to kill the lord of the Hawks, the police force of the city. Not surprisingly, she is unable to do so and is captured. Resigned to her death, she is somehow surprised and suspicious when the lord of the Hawk fails to have her executed and propose to her to join the ranks of the Hawks. Having nothing to lose, she accepted and try to fit in while wondering what his motives are. However, the mutilated bodies of young children keep being discovered and Kaylin who has always had a weakness for those younger than herself bullied her way into the investigation.
This novella is a prequel to the Chronicles of Elantra series and could be a good entry into the series. In it, we finally see how Kaylin manages to integrate the Hawks and how everyone first reacted to her apparition. We also get a full story with an interesting investigation in the same spirit as what we have in the rest of the series.
I was particularly interested with Teela and Tain who act as lofty and arrogant as usual but who are also practical and thus adopt Kaylin pretty quickly thanks to her gifts which render her useful to the investigation. We also learn more of Red, the legist, and Sanabilis makes a cameo appearance (he was not recognize by Kaylin but I am surprised that he has never mentioned this when they meet again during Cast in Shadow or later).
There are two new characters here and I would love to meet again both of them in the series: a captain of the wolves and the Barrani Arcanist Lord whose name is not mentioned but who has a mysterious past with Teela and who manages to annoy the hell out of her! I definitely want to see him in the West Marches!
I was a bit surprised with the way Kaylin acts in this novella, as she seems a bit more mature than when she is older. It must be because she as been pampered by all the Hawks for years but I think I prefer her like this.
I recommend this novella to fans of the series and to people who are interested in discovery Michelle Sagara’s writing.
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October 6, 2010Review of: A Tangled Web by MERCEDES LACKEY
A TANGLED WEB is the reason I wanted to check out HARVEST MOON. I always love a good recreation of the Hades/Persephone relationship and ATW sounded like it would be a cute, fun read.
My first problem with this piece is that it felt too casual. I wasn't buying the mother/daughter relationship between Persephone and Demeter. The former sounded like a brat with ADD, and the latter sounded like one of those psycho mothers you thank the heavens you're not related to.
I did not enjoy Hades acting like such a wimp. He's the God of the Underworld... even if one is going to recreate a story... I don't know, he rubbed off on me the wrong way because he was so timid at the start.
The relationship was cute, but overall, I wasn't feeling very invested (probably because I wasn't buying Persephone and Hades as characters). I would have enjoyed their relationship developing further. Instead of being told about how the two spent a year together, I think the story would have been more interesting following that year and watching the two fall in love. As it is, I'm expected -- as a reader -- to simply accept the fact that the two love each other without ever being shown that love.
One of the primary reasons I wanted to read the text in the first place was to witness that love. Major bummer that I didn't get to.
While I am interested in Norse mythology, I don't know as much about it. I felt like I was thrown into this side of the story without any warning, and there really wasn't as much of an explanation/back story for these characters. Once again, did not feel invested. I hate to say it, but I usually skimmed the scenes that switched to this POV.
Overall: I'm rather reluctant to continue with this anthology, however, I will try to do so at a later date.
A TANGLED WEB is the reason I wanted to check out HARVEST MOON. I always love a good recreation of the Hades/Persephone relationship and ATW sounded like it would be a cute, fun read.
My first problem with this piece is that it felt too casual. I wasn't buying the mother/daughter relationship between Persephone and Demeter. The former sounded like a brat with ADD, and the latter sounded like one of those psycho mothers you thank the heavens you're not related to.
I did not enjoy Hades acting like such a wimp. He's the God of the Underworld... even if one is going to recreate a story... I don't know, he rubbed off on me the wrong way because he was so timid at the start.
The relationship was cute, but overall, I wasn't feeling very invested (probably because I wasn't buying Persephone and Hades as characters). I would have enjoyed their relationship developing further. Instead of being told about how the two spent a year together, I think the story would have been more interesting following that year and watching the two fall in love. As it is, I'm expected -- as a reader -- to simply accept the fact that the two love each other without ever being shown that love.
One of the primary reasons I wanted to read the text in the first place was to witness that love. Major bummer that I didn't get to.
While I am interested in Norse mythology, I don't know as much about it. I felt like I was thrown into this side of the story without any warning, and there really wasn't as much of an explanation/back story for these characters. Once again, did not feel invested. I hate to say it, but I usually skimmed the scenes that switched to this POV.
Overall: I'm rather reluctant to continue with this anthology, however, I will try to do so at a later date.
June 5, 2022
The book consists of 3 novellas:
Mercedes Lackey's A Tangled Web - I read about half of it, got bored, and stopped. The writing was dismal, and neither the characters nor the plot engaged my interest.
Michelle Sagara's Cast in Moonlight - this one I read to the end. I know now what bothers me in this author's writing. I tried to read her before and never liked it. Although her stories are decent fantasy, mostly, there are gaps in the logic of all of them. Her characters often react to something that was never mentioned as if it was a known fact. Once or twice, I could've forgiven such a flaw, but it happens all the time in every story of hers I've read.
When it happens, I always wonder: was it something I missed? When did they introduce that issue/ability/problem/message/etc? In fact, nobody did introduce them. The writer just assumed the knowledge because it was convenient to her plot at the moment. And she never went back to the prior parts of the story to make sure the facts are fully integrated with the rest of the narrative.
On the other hand, something that should be there - a reaction to the known events - is never there. Sagara just skips such parts, if they are not propelling her plots forward. And again, I'm left wondering. For example, in the beginning of this novella, the protagonist was caught in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate someone. A big boss, actually. Why did she do it? Who sent her? What was the reaction of the authorities? None of that is ever mentioned again. And if the author didn't deem it important to explain to the readers, why did she make the protagonist do it? Why not catch her (if the plot needs her to be caught) at something smaller, not worth mentioning, like trying to steal an apple from a vendor cart or a trinket from a desk. Some trivial offense that doesn't warrant a serious punishment or a serious investigation.
Cameron Haley's Retribution - I didn't read it.
Mercedes Lackey's A Tangled Web - I read about half of it, got bored, and stopped. The writing was dismal, and neither the characters nor the plot engaged my interest.
Michelle Sagara's Cast in Moonlight - this one I read to the end. I know now what bothers me in this author's writing. I tried to read her before and never liked it. Although her stories are decent fantasy, mostly, there are gaps in the logic of all of them. Her characters often react to something that was never mentioned as if it was a known fact. Once or twice, I could've forgiven such a flaw, but it happens all the time in every story of hers I've read.
When it happens, I always wonder: was it something I missed? When did they introduce that issue/ability/problem/message/etc? In fact, nobody did introduce them. The writer just assumed the knowledge because it was convenient to her plot at the moment. And she never went back to the prior parts of the story to make sure the facts are fully integrated with the rest of the narrative.
On the other hand, something that should be there - a reaction to the known events - is never there. Sagara just skips such parts, if they are not propelling her plots forward. And again, I'm left wondering. For example, in the beginning of this novella, the protagonist was caught in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate someone. A big boss, actually. Why did she do it? Who sent her? What was the reaction of the authorities? None of that is ever mentioned again. And if the author didn't deem it important to explain to the readers, why did she make the protagonist do it? Why not catch her (if the plot needs her to be caught) at something smaller, not worth mentioning, like trying to steal an apple from a vendor cart or a trinket from a desk. Some trivial offense that doesn't warrant a serious punishment or a serious investigation.
Cameron Haley's Retribution - I didn't read it.
September 6, 2020
Read only the Lackey, because I've enjoyed all the 500 Kingdoms books and am glad of this little 'coda.' Cute. Fits very well. Would help to know a bit more than I did about Norse and Greek mythology, but all the reader needs is included.
March 9, 2023
4.5 stars for “Cast in Moonlight” by Michelle Sagara.
January 4, 2024
Second short story was my fav. Chronicles of Elantra
January 2, 2013
There are 3 stories included in Harvest Moon, which I'll deal with (and rate) separately.
"A Tangled Web" by Mercedes Lackey
This is the first work by Mercedes Lackey I've ever read, and I can see why she gets such high reviews. Despite the fact that this short story is part of a larger narrative, it was so well written that I was able to follow with no trouble. I loved the perspective on the Persephone legend, and the characterisations of the different gods in the Greek/Roman pantheon. The presence of Leo and Brunnhilde seemed forced, though, and completely unnecessary. I get that Ms. Lackey was tying it in to a larger series, but it shouldn't seem so contrived. The plot also felt kind of flat. There was so much going on that it wasn't possible to dig in to any one part of it.
Rating: 3 stars
"Cast in Moonlight" by Michelle Sagara West
This is book 0.5 in the Elantra Series by Ms. Sagara West, which is one of my all-time favourites. I loved this look at Kaylin's introduction to the life of a Hawk. I'm not sure how enjoyable it would have been if I hadn't read the other series already, but since I have, it was awesome.
Rating: 4 stars
"Retribution" by Cameron Haley
Like Mercedes Lackey, I've never read anything by Cameron Haley, and was pleasantly surprised by this novella. I like the gangster sorcerer concept, though I still don't understand exactly what purpose the gangs serve in the world Haley has created. The story is well told, though, and I like the main character, Dominica. The gangster-speak I could do without.
Rating: 3.5 stars
"A Tangled Web" by Mercedes Lackey
This is the first work by Mercedes Lackey I've ever read, and I can see why she gets such high reviews. Despite the fact that this short story is part of a larger narrative, it was so well written that I was able to follow with no trouble. I loved the perspective on the Persephone legend, and the characterisations of the different gods in the Greek/Roman pantheon. The presence of Leo and Brunnhilde seemed forced, though, and completely unnecessary. I get that Ms. Lackey was tying it in to a larger series, but it shouldn't seem so contrived. The plot also felt kind of flat. There was so much going on that it wasn't possible to dig in to any one part of it.
Rating: 3 stars
"Cast in Moonlight" by Michelle Sagara West
This is book 0.5 in the Elantra Series by Ms. Sagara West, which is one of my all-time favourites. I loved this look at Kaylin's introduction to the life of a Hawk. I'm not sure how enjoyable it would have been if I hadn't read the other series already, but since I have, it was awesome.
Rating: 4 stars
"Retribution" by Cameron Haley
Like Mercedes Lackey, I've never read anything by Cameron Haley, and was pleasantly surprised by this novella. I like the gangster sorcerer concept, though I still don't understand exactly what purpose the gangs serve in the world Haley has created. The story is well told, though, and I like the main character, Dominica. The gangster-speak I could do without.
Rating: 3.5 stars
May 12, 2014
Three awesome novellas from three fabulous writers. I bought Harvest Moon because of Michelle Sagara's contribution Cast in Moonlight, a prequel to the Chronicles of Elantra series and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Teenage Kaylin was an interesting contrast to the Kaylin that we all know and love from the Elantra novels. She was already picking up some bad habits from Teela before the end of the novella however.
What really interested me however was Mercedes Lackey's story A Tangled Web. Set in her 500 Kingdoms world, which I admit I know nothing about but now have a yen to read, Lackey has created a fabulous world where the Olympian gods are pawns of the beliefs of the mortals around them. I am so happy to read a story where Hades is not the evil villain but rather he and Persephone are in love, tragically their elopement is interrupted through the stupidity of Thanatos and they must fight to stay together while remaining within the boundaries of Tradition. Add in a Valkyrie who is not happy at being mistakenly abducted and kept in the Underworld and her mortal husband who will do anything to rescue her and I am fast becoming a fan of Lackey's writing.
Cameron Haley's novella Retribution had an interesting take on the world of magic and spirits and spells. When an execution on an Israeli gangster leads to a death curse mob lieutenant Dominica Riley must pull out all the stops to try and defeat the mysterious Sam and retain her position within the organization. Another series that I'll have to check out now.
What really interested me however was Mercedes Lackey's story A Tangled Web. Set in her 500 Kingdoms world, which I admit I know nothing about but now have a yen to read, Lackey has created a fabulous world where the Olympian gods are pawns of the beliefs of the mortals around them. I am so happy to read a story where Hades is not the evil villain but rather he and Persephone are in love, tragically their elopement is interrupted through the stupidity of Thanatos and they must fight to stay together while remaining within the boundaries of Tradition. Add in a Valkyrie who is not happy at being mistakenly abducted and kept in the Underworld and her mortal husband who will do anything to rescue her and I am fast becoming a fan of Lackey's writing.
Cameron Haley's novella Retribution had an interesting take on the world of magic and spirits and spells. When an execution on an Israeli gangster leads to a death curse mob lieutenant Dominica Riley must pull out all the stops to try and defeat the mysterious Sam and retain her position within the organization. Another series that I'll have to check out now.
July 2, 2014
I only read "Harvest Moon/A Tangled Web" by Mercedes Lackey. This story features the supporting characters Leo and Bru from the previous book along with Persephone and Hades. Always more than one romance happening in Lackey's books.
I think I prefer her full length novels because she tends to go on these infodump rants and have her characters mull over every single possibility, even though none of it is in any way relevant. And she simply doesn't have time to do that and keep a story flowing in a short story. It was interesting to see how The Tradition worked on the Gods of Olympus, but the author failed to take advantage of her own (very interesting) mythos by wasting page time on how many god damn different fields there are in the Underworld (a lot, apparently) and not showing us why the gods behave the way they do.
With the jumping around between 3 different relationships, none of them are very fleshed out. You're told that these people love each other and why, but you don't see it because they're literally together for like 4 pages each. Things just are in this story, there is no character development really.
It's quite a ridiculous way to write, but it seems to be this author's way of doing things. It works in her full length novels because there is plenty of time for the over abundance of pointless information and things are just so crazy that you'll go with it anyway. Here in a shorter story, it just does not work. Not for me, anyway.
I think I prefer her full length novels because she tends to go on these infodump rants and have her characters mull over every single possibility, even though none of it is in any way relevant. And she simply doesn't have time to do that and keep a story flowing in a short story. It was interesting to see how The Tradition worked on the Gods of Olympus, but the author failed to take advantage of her own (very interesting) mythos by wasting page time on how many god damn different fields there are in the Underworld (a lot, apparently) and not showing us why the gods behave the way they do.
With the jumping around between 3 different relationships, none of them are very fleshed out. You're told that these people love each other and why, but you don't see it because they're literally together for like 4 pages each. Things just are in this story, there is no character development really.
It's quite a ridiculous way to write, but it seems to be this author's way of doing things. It works in her full length novels because there is plenty of time for the over abundance of pointless information and things are just so crazy that you'll go with it anyway. Here in a shorter story, it just does not work. Not for me, anyway.
June 2, 2011
A very odd mix of stories that feature a harvest moon and only the first by Lackey fits the cover, of which makes me think of fairies and moonbeams.
Overall: 3.5 stars
A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey (Light Fantasy)
A retelling of the Greek myth pertaining to Persephone and Hades, with some added Norse mythology. A cute story, if a little thin on actual plot. I'll probably forget it by next week.
2.5 stars/5
Cast in Moonlight by Michelle Sagara (Fantasy/Urban Fantasy hybrid)
Fascinating mythology and world-building, intriguing characters and races. If I hadn't already been interested in reading the Chronicles of Elantra series, this would have done it. Pretty much a perfect story that stands alone quite well.
5 stars
Retribution by Cameron Haley (Urban Fantasy)
A solid short story dealing with a sorcerer and enforcer for a mob boss. Has some interesting ideas and is a promising beginning to a new series. While it does have cursing, it feels authentic and fits the scenes and characters. This is definitely not a story for the faint of heart.
3 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars
A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey (Light Fantasy)
A retelling of the Greek myth pertaining to Persephone and Hades, with some added Norse mythology. A cute story, if a little thin on actual plot. I'll probably forget it by next week.
2.5 stars/5
Cast in Moonlight by Michelle Sagara (Fantasy/Urban Fantasy hybrid)
Fascinating mythology and world-building, intriguing characters and races. If I hadn't already been interested in reading the Chronicles of Elantra series, this would have done it. Pretty much a perfect story that stands alone quite well.
5 stars
Retribution by Cameron Haley (Urban Fantasy)
A solid short story dealing with a sorcerer and enforcer for a mob boss. Has some interesting ideas and is a promising beginning to a new series. While it does have cursing, it feels authentic and fits the scenes and characters. This is definitely not a story for the faint of heart.
3 stars
October 22, 2010
The Lackey story and the one by Haley were okay. I borrowed this book for the story by Sagara and it did not disappoint.
Cast in Moonlight is a pre-quel to her Cast in... series. This story goes back to when Kaylin and the Hawks first encountered each other--the day of Kaylin's very unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Hawklord. The Hawklord, while not exactly amused, decides to 'adopt' Kaylin and turns her over to Caitlin. So we get to see Kaylin's first encounters with all the familiar characters of the later books. She no sooner shows up but she gets involved in a mystery surrounding the deaths of children who bear the same strange markings as she does.
This will serve as a nice intro for someone unfamiliar with the series and should whet their appetite for more. For those of us who love the series, this is a nice little present.
Cast in Moonlight is a pre-quel to her Cast in... series. This story goes back to when Kaylin and the Hawks first encountered each other--the day of Kaylin's very unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Hawklord. The Hawklord, while not exactly amused, decides to 'adopt' Kaylin and turns her over to Caitlin. So we get to see Kaylin's first encounters with all the familiar characters of the later books. She no sooner shows up but she gets involved in a mystery surrounding the deaths of children who bear the same strange markings as she does.
This will serve as a nice intro for someone unfamiliar with the series and should whet their appetite for more. For those of us who love the series, this is a nice little present.
January 10, 2011
Harvest Moon was a compendium of three novellas by Mercedes Lackey, Michelle Sagara, and Cameron Haley. The Lackey story was set after Sleeping Beauty and involved screwups around Persephone's abduction by Hades. It was an ok story, but I think I'm just burned out on Lackey for a while. The Sagara story was how Kaylin's failed assassination of the Hawklord gets her into the Emperor's Hawks, and her first two days there. I'm a big Kaylin fan, but even so, this story was a bit thin. All it did was provide some desired back story on Kaylin, Tain, and Teela. As for the third story, it was totally foreign to me. I don't know the Haley universe, so I had no backstory for the characters. That story was interesting enough, and had a neat twist on death curses and angels, but not riveting.
June 10, 2021
There are three stories in this book. All totally different to each other, but joined together by the subject of the Harvest Moon.
It's been a while since I was so impressed by a new - to me - author, that I just had to buy their books, but I went ahead and did so, for the second author of this book: Michelle Sagara, and, when I've money to spare again, will do so for the last author, too: Cameron Haley. Of course, I already have everything possible of Mercedes Lackey that I can - so far - so they'll be keeping excellent company!
The first story, by Mercedes herself: A Tangled Web, is taken from her The 500 Kingdoms series - one of the few I don't actually have - as yet - and tells the story of Brunhilde of the Valkyries, and her husband, a human called Leopold, who were last seen in The Sleeping Beauty, and their search for a way to gift him with the same immortality that Brunhilde has.
She discovers that Demeter, one of the goddesses of Olympus, holds that secret, and this story starts with Persephone, Demeter's daughter, being forced to weave a cloak for her mother, just at the exact time that she had planned to get away, to go and live with Hades, the god of Death, who she has fallen in love with.
In that moment, Brunhilde and Leopold arrive on the lower slopes of Olympus, to try and work out how to reach the gods, when the hillside splits open, and a chariot drawn by four horses rides out, driven by Thanatos, Hades' driver. In that instant, Thanatos quickly grabs Brunhilde, before either she or Leopold can move, and quickly takes her back inside the hill, which then closes. He had never seen Persephone, so mistakes Brunhilde for her.
What happens next, is like the title of the story, where a tangled web of mischief, mayhem, and magic, along with a very angry mortal, become combined to the point where it might take a miracle for it to unwind.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I spent most of my teen years reading everything I could find involving every type of god, and mythology, and so it was fun to re-read about how tangled life could get when involving gods with mortals.
Once again, Mercedes has brought to life characters out of our history and mythology, and made them live for us all, and I'll have to try and get The Five Hundred Kingdoms when I can - although where I'll find room on my bookshelves, I don't know!
Story two: Cast in Moonlight, by Michelle Sagara, tells the story of Kayla, a thirteen year old orphan, who starts her life from this moment, as a mascot of the Hawks.
This story is actually book 6.5 of The Chronicles of Elantra, and it shows the real beginnings of Kayla's life with the Hawks.
I loved this story so much that I immediately went online and bought the rest of the series.
Not having read the Elantra books before this, it took me a little while to get into it but, having done so, I couldn't bear to end it, so had to get the rest to read - which I will do when I get to them on my overstuffed book shelves!
The third story: Retribution, by Cameron Haley, is a story from the Underworld Cycle, and tells the tale of Dominica Riley, the lieutenant to the Boss of a crime syndicate, who uses magic to deal with things.
The story starts with Dominica in the Mojave Desert, at a crossroads, as she gets ready to kill one of her gang, who had tried to kill her first. Just as she starts to use magic for the deed, he manages to shout out a death curse and, from that moment on, it's a race against time, for her to try and find a way to stop her death from happening, which is due in three days time, at the height of the harvest moon!
This story was much easier for me to become involved with, even though I'd never come across the author, or the series, before - but it's definitely one I want to read more of, even if it takes some time to buy the books and, once again, try to find space on my bookshelves!
It's been a while since I was so impressed by a new - to me - author, that I just had to buy their books, but I went ahead and did so, for the second author of this book: Michelle Sagara, and, when I've money to spare again, will do so for the last author, too: Cameron Haley. Of course, I already have everything possible of Mercedes Lackey that I can - so far - so they'll be keeping excellent company!
The first story, by Mercedes herself: A Tangled Web, is taken from her The 500 Kingdoms series - one of the few I don't actually have - as yet - and tells the story of Brunhilde of the Valkyries, and her husband, a human called Leopold, who were last seen in The Sleeping Beauty, and their search for a way to gift him with the same immortality that Brunhilde has.
She discovers that Demeter, one of the goddesses of Olympus, holds that secret, and this story starts with Persephone, Demeter's daughter, being forced to weave a cloak for her mother, just at the exact time that she had planned to get away, to go and live with Hades, the god of Death, who she has fallen in love with.
In that moment, Brunhilde and Leopold arrive on the lower slopes of Olympus, to try and work out how to reach the gods, when the hillside splits open, and a chariot drawn by four horses rides out, driven by Thanatos, Hades' driver. In that instant, Thanatos quickly grabs Brunhilde, before either she or Leopold can move, and quickly takes her back inside the hill, which then closes. He had never seen Persephone, so mistakes Brunhilde for her.
What happens next, is like the title of the story, where a tangled web of mischief, mayhem, and magic, along with a very angry mortal, become combined to the point where it might take a miracle for it to unwind.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I spent most of my teen years reading everything I could find involving every type of god, and mythology, and so it was fun to re-read about how tangled life could get when involving gods with mortals.
Once again, Mercedes has brought to life characters out of our history and mythology, and made them live for us all, and I'll have to try and get The Five Hundred Kingdoms when I can - although where I'll find room on my bookshelves, I don't know!
Story two: Cast in Moonlight, by Michelle Sagara, tells the story of Kayla, a thirteen year old orphan, who starts her life from this moment, as a mascot of the Hawks.
This story is actually book 6.5 of The Chronicles of Elantra, and it shows the real beginnings of Kayla's life with the Hawks.
I loved this story so much that I immediately went online and bought the rest of the series.
Not having read the Elantra books before this, it took me a little while to get into it but, having done so, I couldn't bear to end it, so had to get the rest to read - which I will do when I get to them on my overstuffed book shelves!
The third story: Retribution, by Cameron Haley, is a story from the Underworld Cycle, and tells the tale of Dominica Riley, the lieutenant to the Boss of a crime syndicate, who uses magic to deal with things.
The story starts with Dominica in the Mojave Desert, at a crossroads, as she gets ready to kill one of her gang, who had tried to kill her first. Just as she starts to use magic for the deed, he manages to shout out a death curse and, from that moment on, it's a race against time, for her to try and find a way to stop her death from happening, which is due in three days time, at the height of the harvest moon!
This story was much easier for me to become involved with, even though I'd never come across the author, or the series, before - but it's definitely one I want to read more of, even if it takes some time to buy the books and, once again, try to find space on my bookshelves!
September 23, 2010
Harvest Moon is an anthology of stories, each with a very strong female lead, and all are in fantasy based worlds. Each of the stories' heroines has to overcome an obstacle to grow into her potential. In most cases those obstacles, if not handled correctly, could end in their death. They are three different and unique worlds, and what bind them together are the unique challenges they overcome. Each are set to occur under the phase of the moon called the Harvest Moon.
Persephone, our heroine in "A Tangled Web," is a young woman, daughter of Demeter, a Goddess of Olympus — and she is in love. The problem is that her mother is the Goddess of Nature who refuses to believe she has grown up. When Persephone falls in love, she is ready for the next step, but she knows her mother will not approve her choice. Not only that, she will make it downright impossible for them to be together. She and her true love, Hades, have come up with a foolproof plan that will force Demeter into accepting their marriage. What they forget to take into account is the tradition, the power that shapes everything in the Five Hundred Kingdoms.
In an unexpected twist, Brunnhilde and her husband Leopold, visitors to Olympus, become a part of the plan. Brunnhilde is mistaken for Persephone and kidnapped by the God of death. Leopold must convince the Gods of Olympus to help him save her.
I love the setting of Olympus and that the Gods and Goddesses are also affected by the tradition. It adds a satisfying twist to the myths we grew up with. Mercedes Lackey's characters are well thought out, and both Persephone and Brunnhilde are set as the heroines. I am not sure that Persephone is developed as strongly as most of her leads, she does seem a bit weak. She is pushed around by her mother, and she seems to lack the sharpness that is usually instilled in her other female characters. On the other hand, Persephone's mother is exactly what I would expect. She is spoiled and reckless, and in her anger and grief she forgets all that is important. Leopold is a brave and noble Prince and adds a warmth to the story. He is a human in a land of immortals.
In "Cast in Moonlight" by Michelle Sagara, we meet an amazing thirteen year old girl, Kaylin Naya. She is captured trying to kill Lord Grammayre, the commander of the Hawks, one of three groups in the city of Elantra that enforce the Emperors law. The Hawk lord, as he is known, sees something in this girl that is worth saving. She is small for her age, dirty, bruised and covered with some type of runes or marks, covering her body. She is in rags and looks like she has not had a meal in some time. He makes a decision that will change the way investigations are done in the city.
Kaylin's first day sets the course of her life with this group of enforcers, that will forever set her apart. She is present during an autopsy where three children her age have been killed. Prior to the actual autopsy, a mage is often called in to make sure magic has not been used. Ceridath Morlanne is that mage, and as he casts his spells to search for magic, Kaylin's runes start burning. She is able to see the magic sigil of the mage whose magic is used. The problem begins when Ceridath claims no magic was used. During the resulting investigation, we find that Ceridath's granddaughter has been kidnapped and he is blackmailed into giving false information. Kaylin is convinced that she must help save Ceridath's grandaughter but little realizes that her abilities put her at risk, as she herself is persued by a murderer.
Michelle Sagara has put together a new and unique world in Elantra. She describes the city and the dangers with great verve, and it is easy to picture the view.
Her characters are strong and each is well developed with distinct personalities. Kaylin is brave and strong, a child in a world she does not understand. She does not read and does not understand the different languages. She is bewildered by much of what she encounters, but because of her background she does not back down. She fights her fear and faces it down. She is also just learning that she has magic and is not yet sure what to do with it.
Teela, the Barrani, is initially irritated that she has to “baby sit” Kaylin, but as she sees and learns more, she begins to have a respect for Kaylin's innate knowledge, as well as her developing abilities. Each of the supporting characters are unique and blend into a story that drags you along. It is a glimpse into a dark and unusual place where the innocent are often targeted.
It is a wonderful, but dark story and I was sorry to see it end. I look forward to seeing more of her work in Cast in Shadow and Cast in Ruins.
In Cameron Haley’s work, "Retribution", we meet a cynical and jaded Dominica Riley, known as Domino. She killed her first man at twelve years of age; it had became rather obvious that a young sorceress is not the best choice of a victim for a child predator. While killing him was easy, getting rid of his ghost was not. That was one of the first things she learned when she joined the gangsters and later became the lieutenant for Shanar Rashan.
Her meeting with Benny BenReaven, an Israeli gangster was going as she expected, well, except the part where he tried to use a gun to kill her. She is too good of sorceress to let that go. She uses her magic to kill Benny but not before he unleashes a Curse on her. And apparently this was not just any curse; he was able to use the power of his death to give it extra force.
She finds that Samuel, the angel of death, will be responsible to fulfill the curse. He made a visitation in the desert and assured her that she would have just three days before he carried out the curse, and that those three days would be her most miserable. As bodies begin to pile up and the gangsters begin to fight amongst themselves, she looks for a way to stop the curse. Will she find a way to stop the curse or will she perish?
Cameron Haley has made Domino a tough and smart mouthed character.She tries to find the humor in every situation. She also has a bit of a foul mouth so be aware that there will be some cursing. She is a self made sorceress with a little training, but just enough to make her dangerous. She has worked her way up to second in command of the gangsters and that has put her at risk in the splintering of the crew.
Her nemesis, Samuel is manifested as a tall good looking guy and while his entire part in this story is to kill Domino, he is alternately funny and coy. He is also terrifying and can manifest himself in other forms and her three days are fraught with more danger and death as he continues to keep her miserable till her time is due.
I would recommend this book as a fun read after a hard day at work or even possibly curling up in front of a nice fire. Be aware that the second and third stories are a bit graphic, and that the third one also has a small amount of foul language. Thay are great stories and a satisfying read.
This book was received as a free copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
Persephone, our heroine in "A Tangled Web," is a young woman, daughter of Demeter, a Goddess of Olympus — and she is in love. The problem is that her mother is the Goddess of Nature who refuses to believe she has grown up. When Persephone falls in love, she is ready for the next step, but she knows her mother will not approve her choice. Not only that, she will make it downright impossible for them to be together. She and her true love, Hades, have come up with a foolproof plan that will force Demeter into accepting their marriage. What they forget to take into account is the tradition, the power that shapes everything in the Five Hundred Kingdoms.
In an unexpected twist, Brunnhilde and her husband Leopold, visitors to Olympus, become a part of the plan. Brunnhilde is mistaken for Persephone and kidnapped by the God of death. Leopold must convince the Gods of Olympus to help him save her.
I love the setting of Olympus and that the Gods and Goddesses are also affected by the tradition. It adds a satisfying twist to the myths we grew up with. Mercedes Lackey's characters are well thought out, and both Persephone and Brunnhilde are set as the heroines. I am not sure that Persephone is developed as strongly as most of her leads, she does seem a bit weak. She is pushed around by her mother, and she seems to lack the sharpness that is usually instilled in her other female characters. On the other hand, Persephone's mother is exactly what I would expect. She is spoiled and reckless, and in her anger and grief she forgets all that is important. Leopold is a brave and noble Prince and adds a warmth to the story. He is a human in a land of immortals.
In "Cast in Moonlight" by Michelle Sagara, we meet an amazing thirteen year old girl, Kaylin Naya. She is captured trying to kill Lord Grammayre, the commander of the Hawks, one of three groups in the city of Elantra that enforce the Emperors law. The Hawk lord, as he is known, sees something in this girl that is worth saving. She is small for her age, dirty, bruised and covered with some type of runes or marks, covering her body. She is in rags and looks like she has not had a meal in some time. He makes a decision that will change the way investigations are done in the city.
Kaylin's first day sets the course of her life with this group of enforcers, that will forever set her apart. She is present during an autopsy where three children her age have been killed. Prior to the actual autopsy, a mage is often called in to make sure magic has not been used. Ceridath Morlanne is that mage, and as he casts his spells to search for magic, Kaylin's runes start burning. She is able to see the magic sigil of the mage whose magic is used. The problem begins when Ceridath claims no magic was used. During the resulting investigation, we find that Ceridath's granddaughter has been kidnapped and he is blackmailed into giving false information. Kaylin is convinced that she must help save Ceridath's grandaughter but little realizes that her abilities put her at risk, as she herself is persued by a murderer.
Michelle Sagara has put together a new and unique world in Elantra. She describes the city and the dangers with great verve, and it is easy to picture the view.
Her characters are strong and each is well developed with distinct personalities. Kaylin is brave and strong, a child in a world she does not understand. She does not read and does not understand the different languages. She is bewildered by much of what she encounters, but because of her background she does not back down. She fights her fear and faces it down. She is also just learning that she has magic and is not yet sure what to do with it.
Teela, the Barrani, is initially irritated that she has to “baby sit” Kaylin, but as she sees and learns more, she begins to have a respect for Kaylin's innate knowledge, as well as her developing abilities. Each of the supporting characters are unique and blend into a story that drags you along. It is a glimpse into a dark and unusual place where the innocent are often targeted.
It is a wonderful, but dark story and I was sorry to see it end. I look forward to seeing more of her work in Cast in Shadow and Cast in Ruins.
In Cameron Haley’s work, "Retribution", we meet a cynical and jaded Dominica Riley, known as Domino. She killed her first man at twelve years of age; it had became rather obvious that a young sorceress is not the best choice of a victim for a child predator. While killing him was easy, getting rid of his ghost was not. That was one of the first things she learned when she joined the gangsters and later became the lieutenant for Shanar Rashan.
Her meeting with Benny BenReaven, an Israeli gangster was going as she expected, well, except the part where he tried to use a gun to kill her. She is too good of sorceress to let that go. She uses her magic to kill Benny but not before he unleashes a Curse on her. And apparently this was not just any curse; he was able to use the power of his death to give it extra force.
She finds that Samuel, the angel of death, will be responsible to fulfill the curse. He made a visitation in the desert and assured her that she would have just three days before he carried out the curse, and that those three days would be her most miserable. As bodies begin to pile up and the gangsters begin to fight amongst themselves, she looks for a way to stop the curse. Will she find a way to stop the curse or will she perish?
Cameron Haley has made Domino a tough and smart mouthed character.She tries to find the humor in every situation. She also has a bit of a foul mouth so be aware that there will be some cursing. She is a self made sorceress with a little training, but just enough to make her dangerous. She has worked her way up to second in command of the gangsters and that has put her at risk in the splintering of the crew.
Her nemesis, Samuel is manifested as a tall good looking guy and while his entire part in this story is to kill Domino, he is alternately funny and coy. He is also terrifying and can manifest himself in other forms and her three days are fraught with more danger and death as he continues to keep her miserable till her time is due.
I would recommend this book as a fun read after a hard day at work or even possibly curling up in front of a nice fire. Be aware that the second and third stories are a bit graphic, and that the third one also has a small amount of foul language. Thay are great stories and a satisfying read.
This book was received as a free copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
January 7, 2021
Three novellas.
First story has to do with the Godmother series Five Hundred Kingdoms in the Zeus area of the world. Leo and Brunhilda come to this side of the world so Leo can be made a hero and immortal like Brunhilda is. While trying to figure out how yo do that, Brunhilda is taken into the underworld by accident which technically makes her dead. Now she has to get herself out somehow. In the meantime, Persephone is waiting in another meadow to be taken into the underworld to be with her love, Hades. Kinda satisfactory ending.
Second story was interesting with a human 13 year old girl who has magic powers she didn't know she had and a mystery that needs to be solved with two of the other races, the Hawks, the Barrani. She sees things only powerful mages see and uncovers a plot, whereupon there is am assassination attempt on her life. Violence. Satisfactory ending.
Third story about magical gangsters. One in particular, Domino. She is the first lieutenant to a powerful gang leader. Someone is trying to take over their area, she takes him out magically, but not before he leaves a death curse on her. The spirit who comes to kill her may or may not be Samael, an angel. He tells her she has three days before he will kill her. She tries for three days to find a way to stop him. In the meantime she finds out the whole "someone is trying to take over" thing was a set up. Kinda satisfactory ending. Lots of "F" words. Violence. Not my favorite.
First story has to do with the Godmother series Five Hundred Kingdoms in the Zeus area of the world. Leo and Brunhilda come to this side of the world so Leo can be made a hero and immortal like Brunhilda is. While trying to figure out how yo do that, Brunhilda is taken into the underworld by accident which technically makes her dead. Now she has to get herself out somehow. In the meantime, Persephone is waiting in another meadow to be taken into the underworld to be with her love, Hades. Kinda satisfactory ending.
Second story was interesting with a human 13 year old girl who has magic powers she didn't know she had and a mystery that needs to be solved with two of the other races, the Hawks, the Barrani. She sees things only powerful mages see and uncovers a plot, whereupon there is am assassination attempt on her life. Violence. Satisfactory ending.
Third story about magical gangsters. One in particular, Domino. She is the first lieutenant to a powerful gang leader. Someone is trying to take over their area, she takes him out magically, but not before he leaves a death curse on her. The spirit who comes to kill her may or may not be Samael, an angel. He tells her she has three days before he will kill her. She tries for three days to find a way to stop him. In the meantime she finds out the whole "someone is trying to take over" thing was a set up. Kinda satisfactory ending. Lots of "F" words. Violence. Not my favorite.
December 5, 2017
Kidnapping Persephone should have been an easy task. But in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, nothing's ever simple - and the wrong blonde goddess is stolen by mistake, leaving Prince Leopold without his new bride. At least until he braves the realm of the dead to get her back...
Cast In Moonlight by Michelle Sagara
Barely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra - if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks!
Retribution by Cameron Haley
In the underworld, there are tricks to killing. Like executing rivals at crossroads so ghosts won't follow you home. But sometimes retribution is hard to avoid - and now a supernatural hit man has a contract on Domino Riley's life. Luckily she knows a thing or two about death....
I liked by Mercedes Lackey - the story of Persephone and Hades. I liked that they loved each other. I also liked the story by Michelle Sagara. It is a story that starts the beginning of a series that I am planning to read. I didn't care for the story by Cameron Haley but it seemed to be a part of series and I think if I read the series it would make more sense. Overall the stories were good and enjoyable
Cast In Moonlight by Michelle Sagara
Barely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra - if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks!
Retribution by Cameron Haley
In the underworld, there are tricks to killing. Like executing rivals at crossroads so ghosts won't follow you home. But sometimes retribution is hard to avoid - and now a supernatural hit man has a contract on Domino Riley's life. Luckily she knows a thing or two about death....
I liked by Mercedes Lackey - the story of Persephone and Hades. I liked that they loved each other. I also liked the story by Michelle Sagara. It is a story that starts the beginning of a series that I am planning to read. I didn't care for the story by Cameron Haley but it seemed to be a part of series and I think if I read the series it would make more sense. Overall the stories were good and enjoyable
January 4, 2021
Three stories set in different worlds The first is set in Mercedes Lackey's Five Thousand Kingdoms and a quest by Prince Leopold and Brunnhilde searching for a solution to their prospective life lengths in a greek-style kingdom where they become involved in a Persepone and Hades story which is done well and interestingly. Persepone has more agency in this story than usually.
Cast in Moonlight, my favourite, which tells the early story of how Kaylin and the Hawks first intersected and it made me want to re-read and read anew the series. It's a story that made me want to know more and read on, even if I have read several of the stories.
Retribution by Cameron Haley is an urban fantasy featuring mobs run by magic where Domino Riley takes out an opponent who curses her and then she has to work out how to defeat this curse, while also discovering that the reasons for killing her victim aren't as obvious as first seen.
Good read but the middle story makes it a keeper.
Cast in Moonlight, my favourite, which tells the early story of how Kaylin and the Hawks first intersected and it made me want to re-read and read anew the series. It's a story that made me want to know more and read on, even if I have read several of the stories.
Retribution by Cameron Haley is an urban fantasy featuring mobs run by magic where Domino Riley takes out an opponent who curses her and then she has to work out how to defeat this curse, while also discovering that the reasons for killing her victim aren't as obvious as first seen.
Good read but the middle story makes it a keeper.
June 7, 2020
Probably more like a 3.5. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing. My main issue was I found the second story to be very complicated. It felt like you really needed to have read the other books in the series in order for it to make sense., but it also felt like a prequel so that really shouldn't have been necessary. I still liked the premise, but it was a very vast world that I didn't fully comprehend. That made it harder to read the story, and it took me a while to get through it. The Mercedes Lackey contribution was fun and a nice spin on a Greek mythology. Having Leo return was nice, I enjoyed being able to learn more about him. The last story was really interesting as well. Dominica was a fascinating character. I am a sucker for urban fantasy so I might have to delve into more of that series (if it exists).
March 6, 2021
Three story anthology involving the harvest moon in some way.
1) ‘A Tangled Web’ by Mercedes Lackey. Five Hundred Kingdoms 5.5. 5 stars. An offbeat story of Persephone and Hades. Loved it, but Zeus was too wishy-washy.
2) ‘Cast in Moonlight’ by Michelle Sagara. Chronicles of Elantra 0.5. 5 stars. A story with multiple intelligent races of creatures (aerian, leotine, etc.) including humans, living together in various strata of social order. This one has the Commander of the Hawks having to deal with an unusual human orphan unsuccessful assassin.
3) ‘Retribution’ by Cameron Haley. Underworld Cycle 0.5. 2 stars. When a young sorcerer is killed by a gangster witch, he sets a death curse on his murderer. Might be a great series, but I didn’t finish. I don’t really care for supernatural death, torture and murder.
1) ‘A Tangled Web’ by Mercedes Lackey. Five Hundred Kingdoms 5.5. 5 stars. An offbeat story of Persephone and Hades. Loved it, but Zeus was too wishy-washy.
2) ‘Cast in Moonlight’ by Michelle Sagara. Chronicles of Elantra 0.5. 5 stars. A story with multiple intelligent races of creatures (aerian, leotine, etc.) including humans, living together in various strata of social order. This one has the Commander of the Hawks having to deal with an unusual human orphan unsuccessful assassin.
3) ‘Retribution’ by Cameron Haley. Underworld Cycle 0.5. 2 stars. When a young sorcerer is killed by a gangster witch, he sets a death curse on his murderer. Might be a great series, but I didn’t finish. I don’t really care for supernatural death, torture and murder.
April 10, 2018
Read 2 out of 3.
Picked it up for the story by Michelle Sagara which I enjoyed. It was fun to see Kaylin as she met people I know and love from the other books. It’s a backstory they sometimes referenced in passing but now you get the details.
I also read the story by Cameron Haley and while it was interesting I’m not quite sure it was my cup of tea. Perhaps if I’d ever read anything else by that author/ in that series, my reaction may have been different because I’d have know the world/ characters?
The story I didn’t read is the one by perhaps the best known of the three authors, lol, however I just didn’t feel like getting into a story about Persephone. I read the first sentence about five times then skipped to the story I really wanted to read.
Picked it up for the story by Michelle Sagara which I enjoyed. It was fun to see Kaylin as she met people I know and love from the other books. It’s a backstory they sometimes referenced in passing but now you get the details.
I also read the story by Cameron Haley and while it was interesting I’m not quite sure it was my cup of tea. Perhaps if I’d ever read anything else by that author/ in that series, my reaction may have been different because I’d have know the world/ characters?
The story I didn’t read is the one by perhaps the best known of the three authors, lol, however I just didn’t feel like getting into a story about Persephone. I read the first sentence about five times then skipped to the story I really wanted to read.
December 26, 2024
It has three stories in there. The first one I loved, I wish they all were like that. The story is also finished in the end (it gives closure). The second one starts somewhat in the middle and also ends there. The story is great but it has no beginning nor ending. It misses at least 300 pages.
The last one was my least favorite because it had little beginning but great ending. The characters are the problem here. There are many but I didn't know any of them (I know I started to read in the middle of the series and this might have been the problem but sadly 0.5 could have been the first one right?). So difficult to keep track also not exactly my style of fantasy which didn't help.
The last one was my least favorite because it had little beginning but great ending. The characters are the problem here. There are many but I didn't know any of them (I know I started to read in the middle of the series and this might have been the problem but sadly 0.5 could have been the first one right?). So difficult to keep track also not exactly my style of fantasy which didn't help.
May 3, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book of short stories. I loved Persephone’s perspective and the awareness that the gods had of following tradition that was dictated by the humans who worshipped them. In Cast of Moonlight, I loved Kaylin and the world of Elantra. I’ll definitely being checking out Cast in Shadows, the first book in The Chronicles of Elantra series. I did not really enjoy Retribution. I found the protagonist did not hold my interest. Overall, an entertaining collection.
November 27, 2018
I primarily chose this for the Mercedes Lackey story, but they were all a bit disappointing. Hers felt too quick and simple, no real plot or descriptions. The second one I had trouble following, there was no real world-building and the characters didn't stand out. The third had potential, but I won't continue the series.
July 5, 2019
I originally added this to my TBR for the 500 Hundred Kingdoms story, which I did really enjoy. It very much follows the Tradition and pattern of the other books in the series, while providing an intriguing take on the Hades & Persephone tale.
The other two stories introduced new series to me, and I found both to be very interesting. I will be going to check out the full-length books in those.
The other two stories introduced new series to me, and I found both to be very interesting. I will be going to check out the full-length books in those.
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April 13, 2020I picked up this book in order to read Harvest Moon. I like the fairytale retellings in the Five Hundred Kingdom series by Mercedes Lackey. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the other two authors’ stories.
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January 9, 2021contains the stories
"A Tangled Web" by mercedes lackey (Five Hundred Kingdoms, 5.5)
"Cast in Moonlight" by michelle sagara (Chronicles of Elantra, 0.5)
"Retribution" by cameron haley (Underworld Cycle, 0.5)
"A Tangled Web" by mercedes lackey (Five Hundred Kingdoms, 5.5)
"Cast in Moonlight" by michelle sagara (Chronicles of Elantra, 0.5)
"Retribution" by cameron haley (Underworld Cycle, 0.5)
December 8, 2017
Cast in Moonlight
March 13, 2018
Interesting.
March 15, 2018
I got it mostly for the "Cast in Moonlight" novella, which was excellent. I did not like "Retribution" at all, and "A Tangled Web" was just ok.
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