Saturday, December 12, 2015

Review: Joy to the Worlds by Maia Chance, Janine A. Southard, Raven Oak, and G. Clemans

Joy to the Worlds is a collection of 8 stories, 2 each by 4 authors: Maia Chance, Janine A. Southard, Raven Oak, and G. Clemans.The stories are a mashup of either Science Fiction and Mystery or Fantasy and Mystery. Each story has its strengths. And unlike many anthologies, I found that I pretty much enjoyed all of them. A couple of the stories had a little bit of a YA feel to them, but overall I think this anthology appeals most to adults.

Each story was introduced by a different author than the one who wrote it and had a concluding note by the author of the piece. I found the brief notes interesting, especially the afternotes as they mentioned some of the things that lead the author to write that story. 

The stories are: Wild Hunt by Janine A. Southard, Escape from Yorktown by G. Clemans, Odysseus Flax & the Krampus by Maia Chance, Ol' St. Nick by Raven Oak, Bevel & Turn by G. Clemans,
Death Node by Janine A. Southard, The Ringers by Raven Oak, and Mr. and Mrs. Mistletoe by Maia Chance.

At the end of the book, there is a nice section on the authors including other works and ways they are on the web. So, if you enjoy one of the works by an author and wish to read more by them or know more about them, the information is readily available. 

I had previously only read one novel by Maia Chance, Come Hell or Highball, which was a historical mystery. I wasn't sure what to expect from her in another genre, but she did a great job with both the Fantasy/Mystery  mashup of the Krampus tale and the SciFi/Mystery mashup of Mr. and  Mrs. Mistletoe

Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good anthology with an interesting  premise. And it's a good holiday read. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest  opinion.

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