Product Description
From the author of Dogland, a dark new vision of the future of gene-splicing and artificial intelligence

Will Shetterly has created a dark and intriguing future for this novel, a world of genetic engineering and cloning where human and animal genes can be melded to create chimeras, more often referred to as critters. These beings are human, for all practical purposes.They think, they feel, they love, and they dream.But they still have some of the qualities of the animals that they are bred from.

Most importantly, they are not granted the rights of humans.They are property.Slavery has been revived in America.

But there is also a movement for Abolition, for the granting of legal rights to chimeras. Zoe Domingo is a jaguar-woman, created to be a sex-slave.Instead, she became the property of an abolitionist, and was freed, though she remained as her former owners companion. But on a trip to Los Angeles, Zoes mentor is murdered under violent and mysterious circumstances, and Zoe is accused of the crime.
Amazon.com Review
Private investigator Chase Maxwell is about to lose the rent in a poker game when a beautiful, mysterious woman walks into his life. He learns too late that his new employer, Zoe Domingo, is a chimera, a "critter," a genetic-engineered mix of human and animal genes. Chimeras have no rights--they are animals, property--and Zoe has no protection now that her human mentor has been murdered. Maxwell must help Zoe find the murderer, a relentless and powerful enemy, before they, too, are killed.

The mean streets of Raymond Chandler's L.A. stretch into a dark and dangerous future in Will Shetterly's transgenre novel, the SF mystery Chimera. The concept of intelligent animal-human hybrids is as old as H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau, but Shetterly bravely makes explicit the parallels between his chimeras and the pre-Civil War status of African-Americans, and he is rarely heavy-handed. A thought-provoking, hard-boiled page-turner, Chimera should please both science fiction and detective fiction fans. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Not Free SF Reader
Biotech has advanced to the point where human/animal hybrids can be made.These creatures have no legal rights, though.

When a man who believes in rights for these Chimerae frees one, he is killed, and she is accused of the murder.

A thriller type race to uncover a conspiracy commences.

A MUST MUST READ!!!
First the bad - There are one or two plot holes one could drive a truck through.

THAT SAID - This is one of the five best books I've read. (And I've read a lot)

Zoe and Max are both likeable and the story moves along with not only a good pace but at times a laugh out loud quality that really gets the blood pumping. There are a few plot twists that one might not see coming and though the ending is just a tad weak, it works well.

Two words: SEQUAL NOW!!! :)

ACTION WITH SEXY SCI-FI
Anthropomorphizing at it's greatest.A gene splice here, a nip and tuck and whala you get a Chimera, also called critters, a being that walks, talks, thinks and feels but is still considered property under the law.Now take one beautiful jaguar girl, a private eye who really tries to be hard bitten, a few machines with artificial intelligence (kind of like a blond dyeing her hair brown,) mix them up in a future LA and you get one heck of a fast paced sort-of-detective story.

A lot of action, a bit of sex and even a little romance, and yes even though I am a man I know there is a difference.(But like any REAL man I don't care.)You can't help but cheer for the good guys, hiss at the baddies and in general have a heck of a good time as this futuristic romp unfolds.

Some of the scenarios within the story aren't consistence and a wee bit unbelievable even for a SF story, but for the most part who cares?I had fun and I think you will too.

I highly RECOMMEND this book.

An impressive future for an impressive story...
Here's the way I can tell if I enjoy a book: if the world the story is set in is compelling enough that I want to see more, with our without the characters of the book.Shetterly's Chimera is exactly that sort of world.I am as intrigued by his not-too-distant, not-too-unbelievable Libertarian America as I am by Zoe and Max.

This is a light and enjoyable science fiction noir mystery that manages to be gritty and optimistic in the same breath.Further, Shetterly manages a very great trick in creating protagonists who are initially rather unlikeable (if not downright annoying) but giving them the space and believable reasons to change.

It's not the deepest read in the world, there is meaning muddled by a rapid-fire plot, but if you're looking for an compelling and enveloping read, Chimera is a good choice.

Charming SF & Noir Mix
Once upon a future, there was a vegetarian, well born PI named Max and a chimera/critter (jaguar/human) named Zoe. Max takes on Zoe's case to find her "mother's" murderer for which Zoe is framed. Max's task is complicated by Zoe's lowly status in the not-so-brave new world.Critters have no civil rights, are "property" though are not called slaves.Everything in this Libertarian government is privately owned, including the police force, which is manned by Bots (trained robots.)

"Chimera" is a lively, fun, fast-paced story with ethical resonance.Some reviewers objected to the lack of depth in discussing the moral problems; I disagree.The author allows us to make our own decisions regarding what "rights" non-human entities should have.To make it more interesting, critters and A1s can reproduce among themselves and with humans.

The story takes place in LA, a ferment of sharply divided neighborhoods well described and plausible.Radical critters who hate all humans call them "skins."A human who consorts with a critter is a "furry." Critters that go inexplicably crazy are "wilding."The characters are sharply etched and most are likeable, some with remarkable (to us) attributes.Max has an Infinite Pocket attached to his wrist.You can't see it; it is about the size of a small backpack and holds his 9mm SIG Recoilless that has an infinite clip (he never needs to reload.)Zoe is amazingly fast, balanced and has a purring sort of voice. (She also has a furry ears that the author finds endearing.)

"Chimera" is good-natured, and I rooted for Max and Zoe shamelessly. The book is clever and highly readable.Treat yourself to something a little different and read "Chimera." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

For every young generation, there's always a place to run to . . .
Some years ago, Windling thought up a highly original setting for "urban fantasy" stories -- a city after the return of Faerie to our world, a border region where magic sometimes works, technology is undependable, and runaway kids, both human and elf, are seeking their dreams. It's a little Haight-Ashbury, a little Oz, and a lot of fun for the reader. In this volume (one of several that have been published, plus a couple of novels), seven authors set their stories in Bordertown with varying degrees of success. "Nevernever," by Will Shetterly, an old Borderlands hand, is about Wolfboy, how he came to be what he is, and what he does when the opportunity arises to get even. A very good story. Kara Dalkey's "Night Wail," about banshees and dealing with death, is a bit of a downer but well written. "Alison Gross," by Midori Snyder, is about true love and dark magic. Charles de Lint's "Berlin," one of the two really good ones here, is about dragons and drugs and getting even. "Reynardine," by Michael Korolenko, about shape-changers and other horror tropes, just didn't do much for me. Craig Shaw Gardner's "Light and Shadow," a take-off (sort of) on THE MALTESE FALCON, is just dumb. Bellamy Bach's "Rain and Thunder," also a love story, is kind of the other side of "Berlin," and it's very, very well done. There's also a frame story by Ellen Kushner consisting of unmailed letters home written by a young human runaway, describing her arrival, her time in Oberon's House (not a nice place, and for not very obvious reasons), and how she survives. All in all, it's an above-average volume.

ItAin'tYourFather'sFantasyRags
I have just finished this book for the third time and I still find it to be as fascinating and engaging as I did when I first read it in Junior High School, and again in High School.I am now 26 and though it may be a bit simple to read at this age, it still makes me feel the same as before.Fantasy readers are romantics at heart and so is this book.Underneath its somewhat common subject matter like magical elves and hollywood runaways are universal themes of angst, lonliness, rebelion, and needless to say, love.Does this sound familiar to those of us who were once teenagers?"Alison Gross" still gets me everytime. Honestly, my tag for the longest time has been "Skydeki", which is a half-bite off of one of the Rainbow Godesses in the short story of Alison Gross.Whenever people ask what it means I start on a diatribe about my love for this book, and all of its other great shorts.Please read this book if you're a teenager who enjoys fantasy writings.Even if you're 50, so long as you can remember a time when shirking your responsibilities and running away seemed like a great idea.

A highly enjoyable fantasy trip.
Described as "where Elfland meets rock and roll", this is part of a collection of stories based on the idea of what if the world of magic, fantasy and elves returned to our world. The border is a place where the Elflands and the world meet; where neither magic nor technology reigns supreme.These 9 short stories introduce new characters and expand on some of the old favorites from the bordertown series. They are all very light reads, the kind of book you tote around for reading while you wait. You must have this book if you are a fan of Terri Windling's creation, the Borderlands. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Great fun; some good thoughts
It's a sort-of sequel to Dogland, in that this is apparently the same Christopher Nix, but where the earlier work had a vague sense of background magic at work, this one gets up close and personal.You see, young Chris has been chosen to be the next God.Seriously.That's quite a premise, and I for one wondered if the book could possibly live up to it.

The mysterious happenings and happy coincidences of his youth are presumably explained by this, or perhaps it was his family's magical ancestry which unconsciously drew them to an area teeming with the supernatural.Chris' life changes now, though, as he's semi-adopted by a wealthy man and then sent to The Academy to learn--well, it's not really clear what they study.Chris himself is exempt anyway, since the headmaster worships him.Literally.

Other complications manage to abound despite the basic premise being quite complex enough.There's a lot going on, and I felt that the wrapup was a bit rushed.If it was really intended to be two books originally, it may have been more satisfying in that format.Still, it's a long way from bad.It supports its ambitious premise admirably.

So, does absolute power corrupt absolutely?No spoilers here, but I'll just say that I liked the way the door was left open.

Not your everyday review, but then, it's not an everyday book.
I had some warning that this book was written in second person/present tense.Still, my mind rebelled when I began reading it.I pressed on for love of the author's earlier works, and I'm glad I did!This is a fantastic story.

A sort of coming-of-age tale with religious overtones and social/political undertones, this is worth reading for everyone.In particular I recomend it if:
1. You're interested in magical writing, but a lot of modern urban fantasy does not thrill you.
2. You have an interest in Gnosticism, Christian myth, and/or myth in general.

Does absolute power corrupt?
1969, a time of turbulence for the nation and in particular for Mark Christopher
Nix, who has just turned 14. He's a longhaired kid in a town full of rednecks. Chris is just learning about drugs, just getting interested in girls, and just testing his wings on his own for the first time.

In an ill-conceived attempt to establish his own power, he runs away from home on Halloween night. On that fateful Hallows Eve, he discovers CC, a young Black girl who he falls for. His relations with CC are interrupted by her Aunt and Chris is returned to the family late that evening.

Shortly after, Chris' family is contacted by Jay Dumont, a wealthy benefactor who wants to provide Chris an education in one of the best schools in the nation in return for his grandfather saving his life in World War I.

Chris discovers his mysterious benefactor is a good deal more than he seems.Indeed, both he and Chris are of the Elohim, a rare race gifted with godlike powers.Dumont styles himself the King of the World and declares Chris his heir since his own son Josh has recently been murdered.

Chris goes to the school--dubbed merely The Academy--and is immediately entangled in trying to find out who killed Josh. He uncoversmore than he expected and must make choices with repercussions not only for him and his family but for the world.

The "Publishers' Weekly" reviewer who described this book said that not every reader would easily make it across the 'pond' metaphor in Shetterly's writing.I admit freely to being mired in more than once by "Gospel."

Having conducted a bit of research on Shetterly's website, I discovered "Gospel" was going to be two books and had about 80% of the contents edited out.I'm certain a good deal of my own confusion resulted from that compression of the larger work. One particular instance was where the writing referred to a time period of ten months when it seemed as though only a few weeks had passed in the manuscript.

Still, what I have read in "Gospel" has given me a good deal to think about even if I had to work a bit harder to tread water across the pond."Gospel" is not my favorite of Shetterly's work--that would go to "Dogland", but I do believe that this book is well worth the read even if you do get 'dunked in the pond' a few times.

If you like Neil Gaiman, you'll like this...
"The Gospel of the Knife" is the Judeo-Christian version of "American Gods".Shetterly has told a tale of fantasy woven so well with reality that you almost find yourself believing that it is real.You are so glad that you read this story because you know that somehow a portion of your mind has been transformed.After you've read it you will want to buy one for your library because you only hope that others find it and its message. You can only wonder what Shetterly will do next. ... Read more

Product Description
When Ron runs away, he ends up in Bordertown, a grim city that lies between the real world and the world of faerie, a place where elf and human gangs stalk the streets side by side, and where magic works better than technology. If the city doesn't kill him, it just may teach him what it is to be human.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Terriffic Fantasy
I read this book in Junior High and loved it. A few years ago i started reading it again. Shetterly has created a world of orthodox fantasy with many new twists on familiar fantasy concepts. The characters are personable and memorable. Recommended for those who love fantasy, those who feel out of place, and those who tire of the cliches embraced by the genre.

I've read this book so many times I lost count!
I first found this book this book on a grocery store display when I was fourteen, I let a friend borrow it and of course never saw it again. I found it again a couple of years later and had to buy a new copy. Well, that was 15 years ago and now that copy is barely readable. I still read it about once a year and it never fails to draw me into its world. Now I am looking to get a new copy for my kids to have when they are old enough. The book will take you to another world that is so much like our own, Elsewhere brings to life all of the things that teenagers deal with on a daily basis. While it is not a literary classic it more than holds its own and is a very enjoyable diversion.

A Good Idea with Poor Execution
There are other books I could dislike more that this one, but I'm not thinking of them right now.

The plot is mediocre at best. Ron runs away to the border between the real world and the fairy realms to live with a bunch of punk kids who are a mixed group of humans, elves, and half elves. In a matter of days he becomes deeply attached to them and is devastated when tragedy strikes. Even though this action takes up most of the book, it's not the main thrust of the plot - find that yourself if you can weed through the overwritten prose and unexceptional characterization to finally get to the story that's buried under this poser's depiction of punk.

In general, I feel like this story and this setting could have been handled better in different hands. It had potential and instead it tanks.

Wolfman and the rebel causeless
Ron Starbuck sets out for Bordertown to seek his brother
in this fantasy future where the fay land of Faerie
has returned, and magic lives at the edge of the human the world.
A runaway can find refuge in this urban jungle where the law governs little with the gang ruled streets. He is befriended by Mooner when is is thrown off the train for having no ticket.
His life seems upbeat until that one fateful day.
The slide downward is fast ( we learn his brother's fate) , but he is saved by a curse.
The writing here is pretty good,
but not enough for me to want badly to read the next one?

Simple praise is not enough...
One of the best books I have ever read. I picked this up about 10 yrs ago, and couldn't put it down then either.The only book I've read twice in one sitting,simply amazing.A dose of reality of living on the streets with a flash of fantasy.Shetterly conveys every grand feeling through his writings.I wish I could do more than just prasie with simple text.If you haven't read this book, you've wasted your life. ... Read more

Product Description
The Norse gods are in an uproar--Thor's hammer has been stolen! The goddess Freyja has foreseen that a human boy will help find the hammer; the Basset sails into the mortal world to find him. But when the Basset returns, it carries not one boy, but four--all of whom must change if they are to fulfill Freyja's prophecy and save the gods from destruction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

History, Myth, and Lots of Charm
This book is a departure for a writer who has made a career of making departures, from theultra-subtle fantastical memoir _Dogland_, to the Chandler-esque sf thriller _Chimera_ to the young adult novels (with elves) _Elsewhere_ and _Nevernever_. This, Shetterly's first children's book, concerns three boys from a fascinating milieu, turn of the century San Francisco. An Irish immigrant working in a realistically brutal factory, a black orphan with nothing left but his elderly dog, and a Chinese boy who dreams of being a pirate king end up in... the land of Norse Gods.The Gods have a mission for one of them, but they're not sure which. The answers as to which boy is important, and why none of them are Norse, are quite clever.It's true, little action actually takes place aboard the Basset, but as I found Asgard and 1895 San Francisco at least as interesting a venue, if not more, that didn't bother me.In fact, if Shetterly ever writes a book set solely in the historic San Francisco he recreates here so vividly, I'd buy it... even if it didn't involve elves, Norse Gods, magic, or the Basset.

Not a bad story, but not much about the Bassett
Because I loved the original "Voyage of the Bassett" so much, I was happy to find this series. This story was interesting, about 3 very different boys from San Francisco who find themselves on the Bassett after a tumble into the Bay. However, the Bassett plays a very small part in the story, only providing transportation for the boys to Asgard, where they have an adventure with the Norse gods. If you're really looking for more adventures on board the Bassett, give this one a pass. ... Read more

Product Description
Your dad used to be the spooky-mysteries TV show host Professor Midnight. Your grandmother lives in the basement and only comes upstairs after dark. Your mom died when you were a baby, and nobody will tell you about her. Oh, and you have two birthdays, both on Halloween. And that's the part of your life that's normal.But with this birthday, everything is going to change.* By Will Shetterly, author of Dogland, Elsewhere, Nevernever, and other novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Uncommonly good
This seems better than most of the YA vampire novels out now.It had tough, dramatic choices, vivid setting, and FUN character interaction. Vampirism has conflicts and drawbacks that make it more believable, more like real life.

It's so good, I could scarcely put it down.In contrast, I can't bring myself to finish most vampire novels.

I keep wondering why a bigger publisher didn't back this book.This link has some of the story behind this book
[...]

The conflicts are more intense than most YA, but this is a good thing.The book is PG, attraction but no dating.Maybe publishers didn't pick it up because almost nothing happens in high school.Still, the main character seems believable as a 14 year old, even though much of the dialog is about life/death decisions.

It's so above average, it boggles my mind.Then again, I'm more into action than romance.I guess publishers assume YA vampire readers are more into romance.

Cool indy YA book.
First book length reading on my new Kindle.I think this is supposed to be Young Adult novel but I thought it worked just fine for a 44 year old dude.Basically the story of a young girl who finds out on her 14th birthday that she is a wee bit different than all the other kids out there. I won't tell you how, exactly, she is different, cause that would be a spoiler.

Pretty much everything in the book has been done before, especially with the current popularity of `urban fantasy' and `contemporary fantasy', but Shetterly ties it all up in a fun and easy to read package.The characters are appealing and well drawn and the story pulls you right along.

Not sure how long it is cause the Kindle doesn't do page numbers, but the paperback version says it's 168 pages. I read it in an afternoon. Looks like Mr. Shetterly is self publishing it, even though he is a fairly established author and has been writing for a couple decades now.Support an indy author and give it a shot!The Kindle version is a bargain at $3.95.

And no problems at all with formatting or anything on the Kindle.It read just fine. ... Read more

Product Description
Growing up is hard to do . . . especially if, like Ron, you've been cursed (blessed?) and changed into a half wolf/half human. But though he may look strange, there is nothing weird about his loyalty to his newfound friends, or in his attempts to stay true to himself in the deadly, shifting world of Bordertown.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

It's a good book.
Brand new book.Came in rather quickly even though it was shipped to an APO.

Will Shetterly is a story-teller.
The character of Ron is deeply human, deeply sympathetic, and deeply interesting.Will Shetterly tells a story that is a worthy sequel to "Elsewhere."The pacing makes it a page-turner; each of us can recognize ourselves in all of the characters and varieties of characters."Never Never" is just what a young adult book should be.It engages the sympathies of the reader, illuminates the ambiguity of reality, and widens the reader's horizon.

Never never
Species should never date out of their own species, or they shall end up like Wolf boy also known as Ron.It takes some time to get use to the wolf like factor but Ron did and so did Sparks well enough to remember condoms when they were alone in her room.It takes some time to see what can really happen but his heart was broken then repaired by another the one whom changed him into his wolf like self and yet she ended up falling in love with the mutt we speak about today as Ron the one also known as Wolf boy. So I must beg for you to read the good books like this one or my heart shall be broken once again. ---Yours forever Jenni---

never never
Found to be a never ending story in which my heart has sunk and swollowed wishing and hoping that it will soon come forth along my ever lasting love to this book and others taking the time to make it last. As i read it wolfboy makes me fall in love with him over and over again makeing me jump around the turns and cry at the deaths and spells in this book.It was only one thing that made my heart jump and yet you must read this book on your own after reading elsewhere.

I loved the book Elsewhere but this one just ends so[badly]
This book [smells]! I was so excited to get the follow up to Elsewhere, which I loved, I was so disapointed when I read this one. It's writen in a totally different style, the story is terrible. I mean I had to make sure the book was writen by the same writer. Don't read it, just read Elsewhere and make up in your own mind what happens to the charecters (because trust me your ideas will be better then this book!). ... Read more

Product Description
The Nix family has arrived.

And Latchahie County will never be the same.

In an effort at improving his family's lot, the Nixes have moved to rural Florida to open Dogland: a combination zoo, restaurant and motel. But it isn't long before Nix and his clan of eccentric supporters run afoul of unsympathetic locals.

The problem? Luke Nix has hired Ethorne Hawkins.

Hawkins is black. And it's 1959.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Engaging Characters, Surprises & Historical Interest
My husband and I found this book to be excellent. The characters have a lot of depth and complexity and the historical perspective is great. Telling the story from a child's point of view was very interesting and not "childish". The children reminded me of kids growing up on a farm who learn to be independent and responsible at an early age. A riveting read.

Expectations
This book was nothing like I expected, yet I still kept reading. I got it as a free e-book from Tor.

I was never really sure what genre this was in. It read like a sort of memoir, but there were hints of magic realism or fantasy here and there that kept throwing me off, making me expect something that never materialized. The beginning and ending didn't match up for me either. Finally, I was often thrown out of the story by the narrator's precise recollections from when he was a four year old. That just felt too improbable to me for a memoir.

Setting: Mostly Florida, with some Minnesota thrown in, during the 1960s (if I remember correctly). The story revolves around the roadside cafe and museum that the family built and ran.

Plot: Not much I could point out here really since it is more what happened in chronological order. There doesn't seem to be much unifying or cohesive about the story except for the setting.

Conflict: The most interesting part of the book was how the author dealt with bigotry and segregation of blacks. It was definitely impressive for me to read about what blacks went through and what they had to endure from ignorant and stubborn whites. Other than that, there was just typical young boy conflict stuff.

Characters: The author did a good job of making even the racists (at least a few of them) seem more human. It would have been easy to demonize them, but the author showed the complexity here well.

Dogland was a Wonderful Read
Well...first of all I would like to inform you that I am a young teenager (13) and that this is my mother's amazon account. But, I absolutly enjoyed this book. I thought Mr. Shetterly did an excellent job with creating his characters. No matter how minor a role they had in his book, they were all very well developed. I do think that some parts in Dogland were a little slow, bit to descriptive and a little to wordy for my taste, but I can be quite picky. I also thought that while supplying a more historical theme, this book piqued my interested by adding a touch of fantasy. All in all, I must give major props to Mr. Shetterly for writing a very good book that gave me a peek into life in the predjudice 1950's south while holding my interest!

Dog-gone good book!
A great story with memorable characters.Details about growing up in Florida in the late 50s-early 60s rang true.

could not get into it
I do not know if I did not like this book because of the slow pace or because of the view point all being from a small boy. I bought it after being told it was urban fantasy, with similar style to the Borderland short story series and Charles de Lint. Utterly wrong. Go read a Charles de Lint book or Tanya Huff instead. ... Read more

Product Description
The author's revised version. Booklist said, "The first-rate world building, the unique cast of characters, and the author's clever whimsey make it absorbing reading. Recommended." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This is a favorite of mine
I love all the characters and would like to enter this world and have a walk around. I've read this book over many times.

Recommended, but not a favorite
Mr. Shetterly lists his influences on an acknowledgments page before he starts the book, and you can definitely see the influences come to life in the pages. There are two or three scenes, for instance, that will remind you quite a bit of The Princess Bride if you've ever read it, or even ever watched the movie adaption. Luckily Mr. Shettlery's story is imaginative enough that this actually just makes the fantasy genre seem more connected rather than like reading an unoriginal piece of regurgitation. He definitely uses themes from other books in his own ways, rather than purely lifting scenes.

This book definitely has some time and thought put into its religion, which most of the story revolves around. Now I can't say I want to believe this myself, and sometimes there feels to be some hostility towards other religions merely by the presentation, but this is definitely an interesting work in regard to its people's beliefs. Let me recap it for you. There is one God, who spread herself out to give life to a variety of minor gods, who act as patrons to different species of mortals, whom the God also granted life: a wolf god, a dragon god, etc. It is said that this one God will one day wake from her sleep, consume all of the minor gods as well as all the life she created in mortals, and choose to either rebirth it all or kill it all. The motive is basically to see how well she did in creating life. Furthermore, there is something of a love story between-oh, I can't say anything without spoiling. (: However, the cat lord has gone missing and this disrupts her plans somewhat. This is definitely something you don't see in other fantasy works. So while I'll never take it seriously as a religion, I definitely had fun reading about the God and her subjects.

Even though the religion is the main focus of the book (which doesn't seem crediting enough, I know, but trust me: the book isn't told through a series of lectures or morality [believe me on that]; but otherwise through the characters' motives revolving around religious points, the characters expressing the qualities of their God, etc.), I generally enjoyed most of the characters as well. Some have fairly stereotypical qualities, which I'm pretty sure was intentional, and they definitely make some choices I disagree with, but they are fairly well-written.

The climax happens very quickly and isn't very exciting. It was well played out and unique, but happened so quickly with very little actual action that it seemed to be over before it started.

Well, I certainly enjoyed this book though not enough to call it a favorite. ... Read more

Product Description
Adapting the award-winning magical realism classic about a war between faerie kingdoms in modern-day Minneapolis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Worthy Screenplay:
[...]


"In film and television, thousands of fine scripts by established writers are never produced. The Black Coat Script Library is dedicated to presenting some of those scripts." (Back cover)

A requirement of fantasy often is the element of the quest where someone is required to make a journey or perform a task or service. Either because the person has some inherent and unknown "gift" or just is lucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the person is drafted into service. Usually the individual is less than thrilled initially and that certainly sums up the plight of Eddie McCandry.

Eddie is part of a band and dating the lead guitarist, Stuart. Stuart has become more trouble than he is worth, both professionally and personally. Fueled by jealousy over artistic issues and alcohol, he is ruining any future they had together as well as any future the band had as a group. After another public performance ruined by his drinking and bad behavior, Eddie contemplates leaving the band, which will also require her to end her relationship with Stuart.

Fellow band member and good friend Carla not only is willing to leave with her; she wants Eddie to start her own band. Something Eddie finds overwhelming and she decides she will think about things on a walk home. Along the way she is confronted by creatures that turn out to be nobles from the Summer Court of the Fey folk. They are going to fight the Winter Court after some of the Summer Court's lands have been seized. Eddie, as a mortal, has been chosen by the nobles of the Summer Court to be present for the coming battle. To enhance their chances of victory, assassins sent on behalf of the Winter Court will seek her out and try to kill her. Having placed her in jeopardy by their selection, the nobles of the Summer Court have selected a creature known as "Pooka" to guard her.

They have made their choice and she has no choice but to do their bidding. Something Eddie does not want to do and makes very clear to one and all. The "Pooka," in the forms of a male human, a large dog, and others as well as having numerous other talents, understands her predicament and soon saves her from assassination. Drawn into a battle she did not want by forces she did not believe existed, she quickly finds out more about herself and her place in the world than she ever thought possible.

Based on the novel of the same name written by Emma Bull, this script features an intriguing and diverse cast of characters and plenty of action and secondary storylines with slight changes to the original novel. What really makes all of this work is the element of magic, which is so prominent it deserves top billing itself. With the use of creatures that can change shape at the blink of an eye, spontaneous combustion, shimmering see through veils, and other things, those wishing to turn this great story into a filmed version will have to have the financial resources and access to technology to develop the project correctly. Otherwise, what is at this point a very enjoyable read would be ruined in a film version. Here is hoping that someone is paying attention in Hollywood to this script and looking to do something different than the normal, run of the mill stuff.
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Product Description
A rollercoaster science fiction saga about the dangers that lurk in hyperspace\ by the writer of War for the Oaks and illustrated by the artist of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great novella
I picked this book up in a used book store and have read it a dozen times.It's a short book but with a deep enough storyline that keeps you thinkingeven after you have finished it for the tenth time.A little more thoughtand effort could have made it a great epic novel.Will Shetterly keeps theending open enough that it makes you wonder if a sequel was a possibility. ... Read more

Product Description
This trade paperback reprint of the Boskone 31 Book contains 13 pieces of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry plus brief biographies and bibligoraphies of each author and an introduction by Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden. Cover Art by Nick Jainschigg. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

3.5 stars
Fantasy anthology, plus a couple of essays.

I really like Emma Bull, and I like fantasy, but in general, fantasy short stories don't do the trick. Several of the stories were from the Liavek world, but they were all about the same thing.

I tried to figure out what it is about fantasy short stories that makes them so hard to read. I think it's that the author's trying to create an entire world and explain all the rules of magic within a short story when they'd normally have an entire book to do it in.

At least Bull & Shetterly didn't use unpronounceable names, but names were a problem, too--there were just too many characters in some of these stories.

I really liked the essays, though.

Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, "Double Feature"
Great book from two great writers.Anyone who is a fan of theirs will enjoy this little "blast from the past".Buy it and enjoy, if you can find one...

Liavek re-visited
If you liked the Liavek series, you'll like this book.If you are a fan on Ms. Bull's other books such as War for the Oaks, or Finder, you might like this book, but you might not.I enjoyed the short story format thatthis book was published in, because I can pick it up and put it down again. I liked the mixed bag of stories, some were very good, some were mediocre,but there is enough variey to have something for everyone.I am a fan ofthe 'Borderland/ Finder' and 'Elsewhere' books by Ms. Bull & Mr.Shetterly, and so was a little disappointed that most of the stories werenot in that genre, but in spite of my disappointment I really did getcaught up in the individual short stories and thououghly enjoyed them. Both authors have a gift with words that can paint their pictures in yourimagination, and leave you wondering about the characters long after you'vefinished their particular story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

3.5 stars
This is the first in a series of shared-world anthologies, the world being Liavek, the city of Luck. The main thing that distinguishes this world is the way in which magic works. Everyone has a certain amount of "luck," and they can access it during the hours of their birth--that is, on their birthdays, for the hours during which their mother was in labor. A wizard is someone who's "invested" their luck--stored it in an object during a ritual that must be repeated yearly during their luck time--so they can access it year-round.

I approached this anthology with skepticism, because it seemed that in the last anthology I'd read in this shared universe, every story was about rival wizards trying to find where each other had stored their luck and to destroy it &/or to disrupt their reinvestiture. And the first story, "Badu's Luck," by Emma Bull, did indeed fit the mold, although it was more about recurring character Snake protecting a wizard during their luck time.

Then "The Green Rabbit from S'Rian" by Gene Wolfe ended the one-story streak, with a story about pirates, of all things. And "Ancient Curses" by Patricia C. Wrede convinced me that there was going to be more to this anthology than I'd suspected. This story was about someone trying to summon the god Rikiki, who'd been turned into a squirrel.

"Birth Luck" by Nancy Kress is a story of revenge--a sister seeks revenge on the wizard who convinced her brother to try to invest his luck--the failure of which killed him.

"An Act of Contrition" by Steven Brust is a tale of intrigue and a convoluted plot--that does involve wizards' luck hours, but only peripherally.

Jane Yolen's "The Inn of the Demon Camel" is a short-short story, told like an Aesop's fable. And "The Hands of the Artist" by Kara Dalkey is a mystery story. So much for my presumption that all the stories would be alike.

"The Green Cat" by Pamela Dean is about a young woman who thinks life's not worth living, so she joins a suicide order--the concept is that once she discharges all her obligations, she can die. And she does, except for this cat... "A Coincidence of Birth" by Megan Lindholm is about another young woman who hires a wizard to learn her birth date.

Will Shetterly's "Bound Things" has recurring character Trav The Magician being hired by a child to recover her dolly and outwitting a rival wizard.

The last story is "The Fortune Maker" by Barry B. Longyear. It's about a garbage picker who invests his luck and becomes a rare "fortune maker"--that is, whenever someone asks him what their fortune will be, whatever's in his heart regarding them will be. It's the longest story in the anthology by far.

The problem with fantasy short stories is that fantasy generally involves a lot of worldbuilding, and trying to squeeze that into 20 pages or so doesn't leave a lot of room for the story. That's where the shared world concept comes in. Some of the stories in this anthology still suffer from that, and quite a few of them suffer from an excess of characters--too many characters with odd names in a short story makes it rather confusing.

The clearest, and therefore most interesting/entertaining stories, IMO, were Brust's (despite the convoluted plot, it was easy to follow), Dalkey's, Dean's, Shetterly's, and Longyear's.

It was better reading than I'd expected (though I'm afraid my enjoyment of Emma Bull's story suffered because of those expectations), and I'm looking forward to the next Liavek anthology in my TBR pile.

3 out of 11 is pretty bad
Out of the 11 stories I liked 3.My adivce would be to read the storiesbyLongyear (Best), Yolen (great), Wrede (good) and then forget about therest.The funny thing is that the stories I hated the most were by thebiggest name authors Brust and Wolfe.Most of the stories were likereading a single chapter out of a 'pulpish' fantasy novel.The charactersattempted to be clever, there was a (simple) problem and it was solved(unoriginally).This is kind of what I remember the first Theive's Worldbeing like (about 15 years ago).If you like that kind of thing go for it,but I won't be hunting down the rest of this series.

Went on the hunt
Years ago when it came out in the craze of shared anthologizes, I picked up the first volume and enjoyed it a great deal. I thought it was very unique and the flavor of the writing was of a much grimmer nature to my eyethen the Thieves World anthologies (of which in the later stages ThievesWorld went quickly downhill.)However, Liavek was much more fascinating tome. Unfortunately, I was in the service when they came out and was overseasand never found the last four.About two years ago, I dug out the old copyof the first book, reread it and was again absolutely delighted with it so,I've been on a hunt to find the other four. I've tracked down three so far.Anyone interested in a very unique culture (though some what based inMuslim nationalities) would do well to check these out. Powerful storytelling and I felt the characters were very vivid and exciting.

Promise Unfulfilled
Ah, the late, unlamented Liavek series!

This was producedwhen the shared-world concept was really in vogue, when such series atThieves' World, Merovingen, and Wild Cards were flourishing. (The first two of these were brutally destroyed by the horrific contributions of Janet and Chris Morris, in my humble opinion, as they seized control of the plots and smashed them into repugnant dead ends.)Alas, Liavek never really caught the public's fancy. The setting was not distinct and unique enough, and most of the characters never really became compelling. One of the few that rose above the others was, in fact, essentially punished for his impudence, and in progressive stories seemed to literally get whittled down to size, losing a finger here, a hand there. Poor baron...

Also, a later plot line centers on the deadly fascination and influence of a suicide cult. The members have individually vowed to kill themselves as soon as they are rid of all ties and obligations. Few are ever able to achieve this goal. The mechanics of this concept are somewhat interesting, but the attraction and growing power of the cult never really made sense.

However, the magic system is very well worked out and is quite different from the usual run-of-the-mill "I got my spells out of this book" approach.Mages in this world have certain very real vulnerabilities, and these are keenly exploited by their enemies. These intrigues drive the more interesting stories.

Collectively, the books are something of a disappointment. They're good for a quick read on a slow afternoon, but on the whole they never really astonish.

Good fantasy--magic and adventure
The first of several different anthologies on the City of Liavek. "City of Luck on the Cat River, cosmopolitan hub of subtle intrigueand wild fortune, Liavek is the fantastic capital of art and adventure,caravans and culture, diplomacy...and dark magic. See trolls, green cats,blue chipmunks--and demon camels. Learn secrets of love and hidden fortune.Meet painted ladies, bejewelled assasins, Scarlet Priests, necromanticcritics, a whip-wielding boutique owner--and wizards." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

second in the series
This is the 2nd book in the series begun with Liavek. I'm not really sure why I like this anthology series less well than the similar Thieves' World series. Though as I look back, I didn't like all of that series, either.

I'm wondering if perhaps the way I've been reading these recent two Liavek books has something to do with my lukewarm feelings about them. It's how I always (for the past couple of years, anyway) read anthologies and omnibuses (correct, btw--I looked it up here). I read them one story or novella or novel at a time, with another book in between. It keeps the stories from blurring into each other and allows me to experience each one individually. It works very well in most cases, but I'm beginning to suspect it might not be best for this type of fantasy anthology.

My biggest problem with most of the stories in this anthology--even the ones I liked--was the language/wording/tone/names--that flavor of writing that a lot of fantasy books have. It got to the point with a couple of the stories that I started wondering if they were written in a deliberately obscure fashion, trying to trip up unworthy readers the way a certain kind of teacher will write tests, not to see if students understand the material, but to try to trick them. Perhaps if I read the stories all in a row instead of with breaks in between, the transition to the fantasy-style wouldn't be so difficult, and I'd enjoy them more. The next one I read, I'll try it that way.

* "A Happy Birthday" by Will Shetterly. A small child foils an attempt to kill The Magician. This one has recurring characters, and was clever, but the multitude of names at the beginning was confusing.

* "Before the Paint Is Dry" by Kara Dalkey. This was one of my favorites. For one thing, it was different. A mural is commissioned for the Council Chamber, that, when completed, will contain a magic spell making the council members' minds susceptible to despair. It's up to recurring character and art critic to fix it.

* "The Rat's Alley Shuffle" by Charles DeLint is a good example of a story that was confusing. Too many names, and ambiguous genders (not a problem, except when the names were replaced with pronouns, then I couldn't figure out who was doing what). There was also an unexplained departure from the established worldbuilding. Wizards in Liavek have to reinvest their luck every year on their birthdays, during the hours of their birth. But the plot of this story had someone inviting a group of wizards to a card game on their birthdays so he could bind their luck in the deck of cards. It was a clever story, but it didn't make sense within the established rules.

* "Two Houses in Saltigos" by Pamela Dean. Another story that starts by confusing me with way too many names. It's a sequel of sorts to her story in the previous anthology, with the suicide order. It takes place in a theater, and the multitude of gender-ambiguous names (I'm wondering if this is a requirement) was even more confusing, because the actors seemed to take roles regardless of gender. I'm not harping on this, really, it's vastly more a matter of clarity rather than gender-identity. In any case, it seems deliberate in this story, which is about a love-tangle between several people for whom gender is irrelevant. It's one of the longer stories in the book, and it did become much clearer about halfway through, but if I weren't so stubborn, I'd have stopped reading after the first few pages.

* "Rikiki and the Wizard" by Patricia C. Wrede. Once again, she writes about the god Rikiki, but this time it's an extremely short story--a fairy tale, about a wizard who offered his daughter's hand in marriage to whichever god would make him so rich and famous that he would never be forgotten. It's written in fairy-tale style, as is the conclusion. Very cute story.

* "Dry Well" by Nathan A. Bucklin. The convergence of a musician-by-default; His Scarlet Eminence, the regent; a shipwreck; magic; history; and the strange workings of fate. It's a convoluted story, but complete and satisfying. Another of my favorites.

* "Choice of the Black Goddess" by Gene Wolfe. This has another shipwreck. A floundering ship lands on an island where a theater troupe has shipwrecked. Several people have gone missing, and they end up playing a deadly game of shah (which sounds like chess, but with fewer pieces). Even when it was finished, I wasn't quite sure what had happened.

* "The Ballad of the Quick Levars" by Jane Yolen. This is a poem, followed by a few paragraphs of explanation. Seems more like an entry in an encyclopedia on Liavek than a story.

* "Pot Luck" by Megan Lindholm. Pot boil is a common delicacy in Liavek--it involves a stew that's kept continuously over the fire, and every day additional ingredients are added. (sounds much like the way I ate when I was a poor student) One inn is particularly famous for its pot boil, until one day, the owner comes in and it reeks. The solution to this mystery was fairly obvious, but it was a fun, and relatively un-confusing story.

* "Show of Faith" by Gregory Frost. A thief, while trying to steal grain with which to make alcohol, ends up with a magic artifact that allows one to speak with the dead. I didn't quite buy the ending.

* "An Act of Trust" by Steven Brust. This was just confusing. It takes place before/after/during the previous story, explaining some details, contradicting others.

* "Ishu's Gift" by Charles R. Saunders is subtitled "an Ombayan Folktale," and that describes it quite well. It's like Ombaya's version of the story of the Garden of Eden.

* "A Cup of Worrynot Tea" by John M. Ford. Another confusing story. Worrynot tea is the Liavekans' birth control. The story starts out sounding like a matchmaking attempt, then about halfway through, it changes, and there are forged messages, a battle, some possible jealousy, and the question of whether or not to reinvest ones luck, and then it just ends.

* "The Well-Made Plan" by Emma Bull. The title is ironic, because the plan in question goes completely awry, and noble wizard Koseth wakes up to find himself in the body of young wizard Silvertop, and his body, presumably housing Silvertop, has been kidnapped. It's a fun story, one of the better ones of the anthology.

Liavek - The Players of Luck
This is the second of five books based in the city of Liavek -- home of wizards and magic.The only problem with getting involved with this series is the books are difficult to find.I hunt for them on auctions and inlibraries.They are great short stories. ... Read more

Product Description
A version of Genesis that translates "elohim" literally. ... Read more