The Best of Deep Magic: Anthology One

by Jeff Wheeler, D.K. Holmberg, Maria V. Snyder

The Best of Deep Magic: Anthology One - fantastical worlds of space adventures, changelings and dragons await — stories with depth, strong protagonists, high tension, all told while pulling at your heart strings, or make you smile with understanding.

In this anthology, you’ll find twenty-three stories, including many novelettes. Within the pages of each story, you'll be taken on adventures from deep space, to ancient Rome (with magic), to Mars, and many other new fantasy worlds. With each story, you'll experience a new adventure of sacrifice, love, family, loss, and triumph. Each of these science fiction and fantasy stories were hand selected by our team to appear in this, our first print anthology.

All of these stories have a noblebright thread of honor, compassion, or selflessness. So jump in and unmask a devious witch, live as a wizard during WWII, be a part of a revolution, get lost on another planet, cry alongside a mermaid, discover a captive dragon, and so much more in this jam-packed anthology.

The stories included in this anthology are:-THE APOTHECANT by Brendon Taylor-IMPERIAL GHOSTS by Arinn Dembo-THE BEESINGER'S DAUGHTER by Jeff Wheeler-SALT AND WATER by Charlie N. Holmberg-THE WAXING DISQUIET by Tony Pi & Stephen Kotwych-PIRATE READERS by James Van Pelt-THE MOST REASONABLE HOUSE IN FAERIE by Dafydd McKimm-THE WIZARD'S GRANDDAUGHTER by Christopher Baxter-LADY OF WAR by Caitlyn McFarland-BETWEEN EARTH AND EXILE by Laurie Tom-WHAT HE OFFERED THE RIVER by Aimee Ogden-LULLABY FOR THE TREES by Sarina Dorie-LEVI'S PROBLEM by Brendon Taylor-HER GLIMMERING FACADE by Eleanor R. Wood-THE TARIFF by Allen Shoof-THE PRICE OF HEALING by D.K. Homberg-AUTUMN AT THE DRAGON'S CAVE by Kathryn Yelinek-MONGREL by Maria V. Snyder-THE DRAGON BETWEEN WORLDS by T.E. Bradford-METAMORPHISTRY by Jeff Wheeler-A THEFT OF WORDS by D.K. Holmberg-MOONBODY by Scott Hughes-PAWPRINTS IN THE AEOLIAN DUST by Eleanor R. Wood

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

571 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2018

About the author

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains.

Learn about Jeff’s many worlds at www.jeff-wheeler.com, or participate in one of his online writing classes through Writer’s Block (www.writersblock.biz).

Reviews

[Shelle Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was asked to read and review this anthology I will admit I was just bit reluctant, but I could not ignore the suggestion of author Wulf Moon, whom I respect both as a writer and a friend, coupled with the irresistible lure of magic. My reluctance isn’t surprising to me, as a rule, I detest short stories, which I define as any story less than two hundred pages. I admit I am a bit of snob about it. For me, as a reader, they generally represent both the best and the worst of my motivation to read and it boils down simply to storytelling. In my experience, there are some authors that just cannot tell an enthralling story in a small space. Even worse than a substandard tale is a story I don’t want to end. When an author has spun a story so complex and inviting that it sucks me into my happy place, a few thousand words are really not going to be enough.

The Best Of Deep Magic Anthology One is chock full of the latter, even then there are those that stand out. I agonize that stories like The Apothecant by Brendon Taylor, The Beesinger’s Daughter by Jeff Wheeler, and A Theft of Words by D K Homberg aren’t thousand-page novels. All three represent beautifully crafted fantasy worlds that I could spend much time exploring. The heroines in The Wizard’s Granddaughter by Christopher Baxter and Lady of War by Caitlyn McFarland are just begging to helm a series of books. Among the young adult crowd, Pirate Readers by James van Pelt could start a revolution and Salt and Water by Charlie M. Holmberg would send hearts a flutter if offered in multi-volume sets.

Ironically, of my favorite story in the collection, I would not ask for more. While Imperial Ghosts by Arinn Dembo sports strong relatable characters, has a wonderfully layered and detailed world along with enough passion and intrigue to fill volumes, it is told beautifully from beginning to lovely surprising end.

I am definitely glad I didn’t let my snobbery keep me from enjoying what this anthology has to offer. I am certainly looking forward to further anthologies, not to mention glimpses into the Deep Magic e-magazine from which these stories have been culled.

I did receive a free copy of this book for the purposes of review

[Jeff Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep Magic finally published its first hard-cover anthology. There are over 20 stories in this collection, two from me, one from Charlie Holmberg, and authors like DK Holmberg and Maria V Snyder. It's a gem.

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most unusual book. Not because of the stories and novellas it contains, but because of its formatting. Bear with me - I'm an editor with printing background. Nowadays a normal book has *lots* of white space, a way to make 200 pages a more saleable 250. This is a 566 page book with 1/2inch margins all around, with very little white space. The 20 or 25 stories start on the 3rd page. Nothing wasted. And in today's formatting you'd expect the book to be 850 or more pages. There's that much content. At $15 a real bargain.

Now as to the content, these are stories collected from a magazine I've never run into, Deep Magic. Some stories are so-so but a few are gems. The Apothecant, The Beesinger's Daughter, The Tariff were my favorites. The Dragon Between Worlds had a somewhat unexpected ending.

There's a second anthology I will be getting.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an anthology everyone should read . 22 stories that will hold your attention And make you want to keep turning the pages going from author to author enjoying every story . There is something here for everyone who reads fantasy . So do yourself a favor and pick this up and read it and enjoy it like I did .

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished almost all of the stories, which is high praise from me for an anthology. It helps that I had already read a few of them previously. Most of them I liked.
The Apothecant by Brendan Taylor: A young woman is betrayed. This ends with an unresolved issue for a potential continuation.
Typos: almost every quote is followed by a sentence fragment (e.g., “Thanks.” She choked out).
Imperial Ghosts by Arinn Dembo: I skimmed this story about a woman who seeks out a ghost for answers.
The Beesinger’s Daughter by Jeff Wheeler: A young woman has an adventure. People who seem to be friends are enemies, and an enemy is a friend. This was a bit too long for me.
Typo: strangling is confused with choking.
Salt & Water by Charlie Holmberg: A woman is held captive to steal her healing tears. A guard shows her pity, and it ends with only the promise of a better future. I skimmed a little.
Typo in both editions of the story I read: “Why are they here?" She asked, almost shouted.
The Waxing Disquiet by Tony Pi & Stephen Kotowych: I lost interest before the end in this story of two lovers who try to defy the rules in order to save their relationship.
Pirate Readers by James van Pelt: I skimmed a bit in this tale of a world where physical books are forbidden.
The Most Reasonable House in Faerie by Dafydd McKimm: This clever and humorous story is about an ambitions faerie. It’s like those stories where wishes are granted in such a way that the person ends up worse off.
The Wizard's Granddaughter by Christopher Baxter: A young woman sacrifices her career goals and more in order to protect her failing grandfather's reputation.
Lady of War by Caitlyn McFarand: I lost interest shortly after the start of this story about a woman who inherits a throne and a war simultaneously.
Between Earth & Exile by Laurie Tom: This didn’t grab me right away, so I skipped it.
What He Offered the River by Aimee Ogden: This very short story is about a widower trying to protect his young daughter from danger.
Lullaby for the Trees by Sarina Dorie: It’s a bit like a Stephen King novel. It’s creepy, hopeful, and sad.
Levi’s Problem by Brendan Taylor: An exploration story that is not at all what it seems. I thought it got too bogged down by detail, and it got less interesting as it went on.
Her Glimmering Façade by Eleanor R. Wood: What if your reality is just an illusion? Once you know, how do you face the world?
The Tariff by Allen Shoff: It’s about a smuggler in space teaching his ways to a young colleague.
The Price of Healing by D.K. Holmberg: Is it about theft, medicine, or something else? I lost interest before I found out.
Autumn at the Dragon’s Cave by Kathryn Yelinek: The dragon is superfluous to the story. It’s about a man and woman and facing hard truths.
Mongrel by Maria Snyder: A homeless woman cares for stray dogs and gets caught between two supernatural foes.
Typo: loafer’s should not have a apostrophe. It’s a plural, not a possessive.
The Dragon Between Worlds by T.E. Bradford: A young boy conspires with a dragon for freedom and power.
Metamorphistry by Jeff Wheeler: Similar in feel to Dracula, but in a Roman setting. A man is attracted to a woman whose brother studies werewolves. He’s intrigued and wants to impress the woman. There’s an unexpected outcome.
A Theft of Words by D.K. Holmberg: I want my time back. This isn’t a short story; it’s an elaborate setup with no payoff, a book excerpt.
Moonbody by Scott Hughes: This sad tale brings up an intriguing philosophical question.
Pawprints in the Aeolian Dust by Eleanor R. Wood: A bittersweet ghost story.

[Catherine Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much overdue review. This collection of fantasy and sci-fi stories is solid, though I did learn that as much as I like short stories, I do not enjoy reading a whole collection straight through which is why it took me so long to read. I prefer to intersperse my novel reading with short stories. That, however, does not take away from the collection; it is merely a personal reading preference.

The difficulty with short stories is creating a world and characters to bring in your readers and then ending the journey rather quickly. Many of these stories do the former very well, but the latter is much more difficult. Some stories feel like chapters in a novel; others feel over too quickly. Sometimes, this is a good thing because the reader is left contemplating the world of the story and wants to stay in it; sometimes, it is not so good because the reader feels manipulated to the ending. Another personal reading revelation: If asked, I would say that I favor fantasy over sci-fi, yet I preferred the sci-fi stories in this collection. Perhaps sci-fi lends itself to the short story format better than fantasy as the latter needs so many more words create the particular magic/fantasy of the story. Sci-fi has a more common language for world creation; each fantasy world is so different (think LofTR and HP). Overall, I recommend the anthology. There are many good stories in there.

So, let me go on and comment on many of the stories in the collection itself:

"THE APOTHECANT" by Brendon Taylor: very good. A strong story with which to start the collection. Characters are fully developed and believable. The world is well drawn and the story is complete. A good opening to the collection.

"IMPERIAL GHOSTS" by Arinn Dembo: charming story. I really like the characters of Cleona and Tiberius. But the ending is too abrupt and left me thinking, what’s the point? (Okay, there is a statement of sorts about the evil men do to each other, and war and all that, but,I still felt a little let down.)

"SALT AND WATER" by Charlie N. Holmberg
I was thoroughly absorbed in the character, but the ending feels like the end of a chapter rather than the end of the story. I was completely engaged, but too much is left unanswered not only what happens next, but also things like why could he not lie to those particular guards.

"THE WAXING DISQUIET" by Tony Pi & Stephen Kotowych; An exploration of love and fate woven skillfully together. (Once you read this, you'll see what I did there.)

"THE BEESINGER'S DAUGHTER" by Jeff Wheeler: well told, well developed characters, not a surprising ending but a believable one. Wheeler foreshadows nicely. I could use this story in class.

"PIRATE READERS" by James Van Pelt; loved this one--especially as an English teacher trying to get her students to read.

"THE MOST REASONABLE HOUSE IN FAERIE" by Dfydd McKimm: The story about the fairies--I didn’t really like it at first; it seemed silly and a bit stilted, like the author was trying too hard to be clever, but the ending brought it all into place and made it worthwhile.

"LEVI'S PROBLEM" by Brendan Taylor: The story is clever. The reality of Levi's problem is unexpected yet plausible within the scope of the story. I liked it. Grandfather's dissertations on the state of the world, global warming, and overpopulation threaten to become rather long winded, but Levi interrupts him and breaks it up. I particularly like Levi's feelings of paranoia and realization of his true situation. These are well conveyed.

"HER GLIMMERING FACADE" by Eleanor R Wood. Brilliant, but sad. When Carlos experiences dizziness outside Toshiko's house, one expects he is being transported somehow to where she is. But, that reality is unexpected as is Carlos's eventual decision to return to the other one.

"THE PRICE OF HEALING" D. K. Holmberg- good characterization and suspense, but, more needed. Of course I want Kira to live, but even if she doesn't, I want more of the story. The ending is too abrupt. Though, I guess you could say it is successful when you are left wanting more.

"AUTUMN AT THE DRAGON'S CAVE" by Kathryn Yelinek. This is a beautiful story about loss and the idea of caring for others by giving them what they need, not what we think they need.

"MONGREL" by Maria V. Snyder This may be my favorite story, and yet, I have reservations. For most of the story, this does not seem to fit the genre. Actually, I'm impressed that the magazine's gatekeepers read far enough to get to the fantasy element. That being said, I feel that the fantasy element could have used a couple hundred more words-- not a lot, but enough to flesh out Mongrel's initial reaction to the revelation at the end. She's a little quick to figure out who the guy is at the end (not the what, but the who- when you read the story, you'll understand).

"A DRAGON BETWEEN WORLDS" by TE Bradford I really liked this story, until the ending. The ending felt a bit contrived and left me wanting. I'd rather see Cyril do something unexpected with the dragon.

"METAMORPHISTRY" by Jeff Wheeler I am a big fan of Wheeler's, but this story did not catch my fancy. One of Wheeler's strengths is characterization, but this time it was too stereotypical. From the moment we meet B and G, I could suss up their roles, and nothing about the story surprised me.

"THEFT OF WORDS" by DK Holmberg
Again Holmberg builds a suspenseful story full of intriguing characters, but once again it reads like a chapter of a larger piece rather than a self contained short story.

"MOONBODIES" by Scott Hughes The opening reads like an English teacher trying to get his students to use the literary present tense. Then the story itself is so familiar. I really feel like I’ve read it before. And then the ending...clever, but too contrived for me. This is a story about storytelling rather than a story in itself. It is a little too self-consciously meta.

"PAWPRINTS IN THE AEOLIAN DUST" by Eleanor R Wood. This is a fantastic story. Strong ending to the collection.

[Charmaine Ohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW what a great collection. There is honestly not a story I can say I didn't like. There are some I enjoyed more, but I liked the whole collection.
some Stand outs for me were: Pirate Readers (by James van Pelt), The Beesinger’s Daughter (by Jeff Wheeler), Mongrel (of course being a Maria story) A Theft of Words (by D.K. Holmberg) and The Wizard's Grandaughter (by Christopher Baxter) I would LOVE more from each of these tales in particular, they really really caught and kept my attention and I had to put the book down at the end of each of them to process the story before moving on.
Imperial Ghosts (by Arinn Dembo) was fantastic, but complete. I honestly don't think the story would be as good if it was longer, and the detail in it is perfect.

Any fantasy lover should have a read of this collection, it is for lack of better words, Fantastic.

[Linda Fine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting...

I want MORE!!! So many of the stories seemed to be similar to theatrical trailers...just teasers to whet your appetite and get you to come back for more. I hope that some of these tales were developed into full-blown novels/series and that I come across them in the future.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing read

I love the short story genre. It was great getting lost in these tales. Not all were winners for me. Some were too much a fragment and not enough a complete story, and some were too dark, but others are favorites I want to read with my friends. Definitely recommend.

[Thornton T Perry IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Good, Some Not

Some of these short stories are excellent. Most are well written but the plots are too transparent, and one or two leave the reader wanting the rest of the story. Over all I would rate this book a 3.5, but I am not a big fan of short stories.

[Marielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last story smeared my mascara...

[Forrest Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent assortment of stories!

[Michele Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Collection

This best of the best (so far)t Deep Magic Anthology One is a pleasure to read, whether you read one story a day or go on a binge. Many of my personal favorites were included. You will not be sorry. Read it!

[James Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection

A wide variety of fantasy and SF stories, ranging from good to fantastic. A couple read like the beginnings of longer works, but were still enjoyable.

[Jeffrey A. Dewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Variety

Awesome variety of tales and stories of queens, treachery, magic, dragons, evil, gods while the struggles of the hero's abounds from fantasy to sci-fi

[Eileen W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars