Pluto

Planetary Anthology series #1

by Dawn Witzke (Editor), Richard Paolinelli (Editor), B. Michael Stevens

An amazing series of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Pluto, the Roman god of death and wealth, ruled the underworld far away from all of the other gods. In this volume, Pluto, you will find twenty-one amazing stories of death and wealth set around a wandering cousin far out in the cold edges of our solar system. You will find Vikings, knights, warriors defending home and hearth, of triumph and tragedy, and, yes, even the god himself. You will read tales of great courage and great loss. Of sacrifice for a greater good and of justice delivered to the overly greedy. You will even find Walt Disney himself.

Contents:
* Like So Many Paper Lanterns (2019) / short fiction by B. Michael Stevens
* Time Out for Pluto (2019) / short fiction by P. A. Piatt
* A Brush (2019) / short fiction by J. D. Arguelles
* The Pluto Chronicles (2019) / short fiction by Bokerah Brumley
* Bat Out of Hellheim (2019) / short fiction by Corey McCleery
* The Rainboe-Colored Rock Hopper (2019) / short fiction by J. Manfred Weichsel
* The Heart of Pluto (2019) / short fiction by Christine Chase
* The Case for Pluto (2019) / short fiction by A. M. Freeman
* Marathon to Mordor (2019) / short fiction by Karina Fabian [as by Karina L. Fabian]
* Miss Nancy's Garden (2019) / short fiction by Jim Ryals
* On Eternal Patrol (2019) / short fiction by L. A. Behm, II
* Pluto Invictus (2019) / short fiction by W. J. Hayes
* Worst Contact (2019) / short fiction by Arlan Andrews, Sr.
* Ambit of Charon (2019) / short fiction by David Skinner
* Sunset Over Gunther (2019) / short fiction by Frank B. Luke
* Adaptive Reasoning (2019) / short fiction by John M. Olsen
* Judgment of Anaq (2019) / short fiction by Andy Pluto
* Life at the End (2019) / short fiction by Jake Freivald
* A Clockwork Dragon (2019) / short fiction by Allen Goodner
* The Collector (2019) / short fiction by Declan Finn
* Yes, Neil D. Tyson, Pluto Is a Planet (2019) / short fiction by Richard Paolinelli

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470 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2019

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this anthology almost three years ago. There are several authors who contributed to it whose works I greatly appreciated. But I had not got around to reading it. I love anthologies in part because it is a way to get introduced to new authors. In part because short fiction is a very different art form from log fiction and requires different skills and talents to write successfully in the genre. And third because I am a ‘completionist’ and once I find authors I really like I try and track down everything they have written. And three of the authors in this collection are in that category for me already and a couple of others are headed that way.

The description of this volume states:

“An amazing series of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Pluto, the Roman god of death and wealth, ruled the underworld far away from all of the other gods. In this volume, Pluto, you will find twenty-one amazing stories of death and wealth set around a wandering cousin far out in the cold edges of our solar system. You will find Vikings, knights, warriors defending home and hearth, of triumph and tragedy, and, yes, even the god himself. You will read tales of great courage and great loss. Of sacrifice for a greater good and of justice delivered to the overly greedy. You will even find Walt Disney himself.”

The contributors are:

Arlan Andrews Sr.
J.D. Arguelles
L.A. Behm II
Bokerah Brumley
Christine Chase
Karina L. Fabian
Declan Finn
A.M. Freeman
Jake Freivald
Allen Goodner
W.J. Hayes
Frank Luke
Corey McCleery
John M. Olsen
Richard Paolinelli
P.A. Piatt
Andy Pluto
Jim Ryals
David Skinner
B. Michael Stevens
J. Manfred Weichsel

The stories in the collection are:

Introduction – Richard Paolinelli
Brief Story Synopsis’
Like So Many Paper Lanterns - B. Michael Stevens
Time Out For Pluto - P. A. Piatt
A Brush - J.D. Arguelles
The Pluto Chronicles - Bokerah Brumley
Bat out of Helheim - Corey McCleery
The Rainbow-Colored Rock Hopper - J. Manfred Weichsel
The Heart of Pluto - Christine Chase
The Case For Pluto - A.M. Freeman
Marathon to Mordor - Karina L. Fabian
Miss Nancy’s Flower Garden - Jim Ryals
On Eternal Patrol - L.A. Behm II
Pluto Invictus - W.J. Hayes
Worst Contact - Arlan Andrews
Ambit of Charon - David Skinner
Sunset Over Gunther - Frank Luke
Adaptive Reasoning - John M. Olsen
The Judgment Of Anaq - Andy Pluto
Life at the End - Jake Freivald
A Clockwork Dragon - Allen Goodner
The Collector - Declan Finn
Yes Neil D. Tyson, Pluto is a Planet - Richard Paolinelli

This collection is different in that at the beginning of the volume there is a brief synopsis of each story. At the end of the story is a brief bio of the authors, or a paragraph about the pen name and what it is an anagram of. Prior to reading this volume I had encountered about a third of the contributors.

In this volume Bokerah Brumley has a chicken story, oh what a chicken story it is, she also has 3 chicken stories in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, Witzke the editor of this collection and a few of the other contributors also have stories in that one.

The stand out stories for me in this collection are: The Collector, A Clockwork Dragon, Marathon to Mordor, Yes Neil D. Tyson, Pluto is a Planet, A Brush. The stories that I reflected upon most are: The Rainbow-Colored Rock Hopper, Like So Many Paper Lanterns, Miss Nancy’s Garden. Adaptive Reasoning and Life At The End. The only story that really did not hit for me was Time Out For Pluto. I loved that in a few of the stories authors in this collection or other others are characters. Some of the contributors play with the names and personalities of their contemporaries and it was fun to read this happening across a few of the stories.

Overall this is a very good anthology. Most of the stories are entertaining. A few are excellent and a few standout. I loved Finn’s offering and it made me think of Slippery Jim diGriz, from the Stainless Steel Rat stories by Harry Harrison. I had previously read Fabian’s story as a standalone, but loved rereading it in the collection. And Paolinelli’s piece was highly entertaining. Finn, Fabian, and Paolinelli are among my favourite contemporary fictions authors and John M. Olsen and Bokerah Brumley have written stories in a few anthologies I have loved it is time to expand out to their other works. I have also heard great things about Dawn Witzke, who edited this collection but have only read one of her stories in a different anthology.

This Anthology if out of print, as are 11 of the 12 in the series. But It is available on audible. And You can track down used copies of from libraries. Or if like me you have picked it up but not read it yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a go.

If you can lay you hands on a copy I can easily recommend this anthology.

[Pat Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was provided to me by people involved in the publishing.
On November 27, 2019.
Yes, I am behind on my reviews. For an explanation and additional material, read Papa Pat Rambles for September 12, 2020.

The review: Somewhere, there is likely an explanation for this series, as collections of stories with themes related to a specific heavenly body. Other than a slight reference in the "From The Publisher" chapter at the end, I didn't find it in the text of my book. But, Amazon lists this as the first in a series. It DOES provide some opportunity for vile calumny to be poured on the perpetrators of the banning of Pluto from the Nine.

Like So Many Paper Lanterns by B. Michael Stevens. Undoubtedly, there is an audience which greatly enjoys writing of this type. I am not included in that number. This is the fourth sentence, but I could have picked just about any other; ALL of the writing is like this:

With every passing day, I drink deep of guilt and anguish, but when the Leviathans pass over, I taste something sweet in the normally bitter brew of my reflections; I taste hope.

Ummm...no. Too purple. There IS a story of love, pain, sacrifice, desolation wrapped up in the black sparkly packaging, but getting to it was just too tedious for enjoyment. And I don't know what it had to do with Pluto, either. Possible explanation: the blurb says the author writes horror. I do not READ &*^%$% horror, mostly because I'm a sissy, but having to read stuff like this is a sufficient reason in itself to avoid it, IMHO. I did not like the first story, at all. I didn't like the characters. I didn't like the plot. And the execution was worthy of a Hugo nomination, and I mean that in the worst way possible.

Time Out For Pluto by P. A. Piatt. Spoiled brat/adolescent godling Pluto is aggravated at his loss of planetary status, and sulks. And then he plots. I didn't like the protagonist. He's a nasty teenager, even if he may be a few thousand years old. I don't like nasty teenagers; I was a middle school counselor for 16 years. Still, the story holds together.

From this point on, the stories are delightful; they are clear, cool, refreshing water. The funny stories are funny. The dramatic stories have drama. They. W.O.R.K!

A Brush by J.D. Arguelles. Pleasantly Lovely. I'm not sure why this on Pluto, BUT it's a cool story. The pen might be mightier than the sword, but the brush is even better.

The Pluto Chronicles by Bokerah Brumley. Happily, heartily bizarre. Truly, a ridiculous concept (a giant, marauding chicken), told as if it is a matter of fact occurrence.

Bat Out Of Hellheim by Corey McCleery. For all, I think this will be at least a nice background story. For some, though, this might well be the best story in the collection. Uplifted Space Vikings from Midgard fight the undead denizens of Helheim.

The Rainbow-Colored Rock Hopper by J. Manfred Weichsel. This one could give stories from the Golden Era a run for their money. A wicked bad guy of the "If you don't give me the deed to your ranch, I'll tie you to the railroad track" type against the poor-but-honest pioneer-type. So, naturally, he must catch a leprechaun (figuratively speaking).

The Heart Of Pluto by Christine Chase. This one is a strong contender for my favorite in the book. We have an old dude astronaut, first to land on Pluto, and about to become the first to die on Pluto. So, he hallucinates; except maybe he isn't. Loved this one.

The Case For Pluto by A.M. Freeman. Pluto was deprived of planetary status by a wicked cabal of vampiric earth creatures, bent on crushing the spirits of nice people everywhere. In this legal procedural, will the right win out?

Marathon To Mordor by Karina L. Fabian. It's a space race, with all the glam and glitz and hype that we are accustomed to when the Super Bowl or the Olympics rolls around. Not the World Series, though; people CARE about this sporting event.

Miss Nancy’s Garden by Jim Ryals. Some cooks are sweet and polite, and always ready to give you a cookie. Some cooks will cut you in half for showing up late for meals, BUT they will go the last mile to get your food to you, hot and yummy, in the middle of a flooding earthquake. Got it? Well, Miss Nancy is like the second type. And she doesn't put up with anything. By anybody.

On Eternal Patrol by L.A. Behm II. Dead submariners save the world, even when the world is more bizarre than the concept expressed in the first four words of this sentence. Sea monsters and technological limitations combine. Work it out, people, we have a job to do!

Pluto Invictus by W.J. Hayes. On a cruise ship in space, con men, semi-heroes, and priests have to work together to destroy Vile Evil plots and robots.

Worst Contact by Arlan Andrews, If you think about the gold disc that got sent out with Voyager, you'll recall it had our best wishes and info about the planet and people. Well, not every galactic follows that pattern.

Ambit Of Charon by David Skinner. When the advanced-technology-indistinguishable-from-magic shows up, somebody still has to make sure the lights get turned of and the blinds get closed and the cat gets fed. Not much drama in that; just essential. But when the boogums slide down the chimbley, those are the guys you need.

Sunset Over Gunther by Frank Luke. The statement "All is fair in love and war" becomes even more meaningless, when war is a prerequisite for love. How many impossible choices can you make, and still be a person who can love, and be loved?

Adaptive Reasoning by John M. Olsen. Andy's job is to prepare for the triumph of his people. He is willing to do whatever it takes, in order to reach that goal. But it seems that more is being taken than was in the original plan.

Judgment Of Anaq by Andy Pluto. When I was three, I asked my grandmother if it was true that if you put salt on a bird's tail that you could catch it. She said it was, so I took the salt shaker outside to catch birds. Didn't work. They flew away! And that is the kind of story that this is: the more you grasp some things, the further they slip away. It also reminds me of 'Appointment in Samarra.'

Life At The End by Jake Freivald. This is an excellent story to study and discuss, and to seek some understanding about isolation. The physical distance between Earth and Pluto is isolation, but is easily overcome with travel. The isolation of the heart is the greater problem.

A Clockwork Dragon by Allen Goodner. Wait, WHAT? You sacrifice your daughters to a DRAGON? Are you out of you MINDS? I'm gonna kill that monster, if it's the last thing I do! You people are CRAZY!

The Collector by Declan Finn. Evidently, there are some museum collections which will never be shown, because there is simply too much in storage, and not enough space. And there are other reasons, as well. Listen kids: Stay in school; don't hoard.

Yes, Neil D. Tyson, Pluto Is A Planet by Richard Paolinelli. A nice, old-fashioned, feel-good story about the average family on the average vacation. Well, average for SOME locations.

I gave this book four stars. The only reason it didn't get five stars is because of the first story. The rest of these are of such quality that I simply don't understand the rationale of leading with THAT one. Then again: I'm a reader and a reviewer. I'm not an editor or publisher, and am not plugged into the selection and inclusion rationale.

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read other works from some of these authors and am happy to know they are still creating fantastic tales that interest me. I am glad to have found writers I was unfamiliar with so I can find new stories to read.

You can enjoy it from beginning to end, or by reading in an order of your own determination by perusing the story synopses.

You can read the complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...