LATEST UPDATES



February 1, 2025
Updated Convention Listings


February 15
New reviews in
The Book Nook,
The Illustrated Corner,
Nana's Nook,and
Odds & Ends and
Voices From the Past



January
Book Pick
of the Month




January 15
New reviews in
The Book Nook,
The Illustrated Corner,
Nana's Nook,and
Odds & Ends and
Voices From the Past



January 1, 2025
Updated Convention Listings


Previous Updates

WesternSFA


Heroic Hearts
Edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes
Ace, $18.00, 345 pp
Published: May 2022

The theme of this anthology is, of course, Heroic Hearts.  As a theme, the choice of stories fit quite well.  Many, if not all, are episodic stories set in an established universe.  I was only familiar with four of the twelve presented so I can't be sure.

First up, from editor Jim Butcher, is a delightful little piece set in the Dresden Files series.  In this little story, Harry is NOT the protagonist or even hero.  That honor rests on the tiny shoulders of Toot-Toot, a pixie who, almost single-handedly, stops an invasion of Harry's home both to rescue the pizzas and to save Harry.  He definitely defines a heroic heart as the pizza was a distant third in his priorities.

After that one, I was warmed by an installment in Anne Bishop's Others series.  There were no recurring characters (to disrupt canon) but they were easy to recognize.  A woman lives in a small fishing village that has come under the dubious "protection" of an evil and grasping ship Captain. The woman is unlike the other villagers and has spent her life hiding her skills until she senses that something is caught in the fishing nets and needs rescuing…a strange feral pony colored like the surf and midnight.  Saving the pony could expose her to both her own neighbors and the dreaded Captain Starr.  But since it also opens her to the scrutiny of Others; she'd be challenged to say which was more dangerous.  So, when forced by a vampire to choose between her own safety and that of a shipload of kidnapped villagers; she doesn't hesitate.  Bishop did a pretty good job of grounding the story; fans of her Others series will appreciate the characters more.

Kelley Armstrong dumps us into a story of a genetically modified werewolf and a genetically modified necromancer; a couple of 20-somethings mundanely attending a university.  These two are apparently part of a larger story arc as they were part of some kind of experiment and the story hints that they are hiding from some who might still want them.  But this little episodic adventure probably doesn't disturb any canon.  As a necromancer, Chloe has the unenviable talent of seeing and hearing ghosts.  Mostly she's learned to tune them out and always deny their incessant requests to talk to their relatives or keep them informed on their favorite sports team.  But the young dead man who catches her ear one afternoon tugs on her guilt; hiding away and never getting involved seemed the best way for Chloe and Derek to survive but it just feels bad.  Helping the man's little sister seems the least they can do.  They just didn't expect it to be so complicated.

Annie Bellet is a very prolific fantasy author whom I've not yet met before (in print).  Her blog recounts her health challenges in 2021 so it is good news to see a short story in this anthology; hopefully, it means she's back in the saddle.  I found her story charming even though I didn't know the characters.  Cassidy is a witch living at a sort of crossroads where the dead cross over.  She is visited one day by an old friend/acquaintance/lover named Raina but who is actually Death.  Apparently, the two women once had a child together and when the child disappeared, Cassidy took up residence at the one spot where she felt she'd have a chance to see her child's shade.  Raina was a bit more proactive and never quit looking. Raina has come back to Cassidy to ask her to come and help because Raina thinks she's found their daughter's trail.  What they find at the end of the trail is both pain and closure.  Both women have to decide what path they'll take next.  I really liked this one.

Another favorite and familiar author is Kevin Hearne.  He made his mark with his Iron Druid series (he has others under his belt now) and tends to fall back on that series when he needs a short story.  The Iron Druid is a millennium-old Irishman named Atticus who is accompanied by his good Irish wolfhound, Oberon.  Hearne has a fan-following that is particularly devoted to this dog character and I count myself as one.  I love his Oberon-centered stories.  Here's a long-lived hound (due to a little magic) who can telepathically communicate with humans and has a healthy regard for sausage and a healthy aversion to squirrels.  In Oberon's worldview, it is often him who solves the crime or helps someone and Atticus is just there to provide the sausage reward to a good dog. In the Iron Druid series, Atticus spends a great deal of time in Australia helping heal the land from the raging forest fires so a small diversion to hunt up a pyro-maniacal demon is right in keeping with his story. Unfortunately, Atticus is severely injured by the demon and it falls to Oberon and his partner, a Boston terrier named Starbuck, to get them all through a raging fire alive.  These stories are always told from Oberon's point of view and I just love his view.  Oberon is always a hero.

R.R. Virdi has a series going of a fellow named Vincent Graves who apparently jumps into dead bodies in order to figure out a mystery.  This was not a bad story even though it felt clichéd to me.  It was a pretty standard story for urban fantasy wherein Vincent has to figure out who owned the body before him and why did someone need to kill it.  In a familiar (if you ever watched Quantum Leap) trope, he has guidance from an unidentified (to me) character named Church who tells him where he is, who he is and how long he has to fix something bad.  Something very bad that involves children.

From Chloe Neill comes an offering that is obviously part of a much bigger storyline.  Elisa Sullivan is daughter to two prominent Chicagoan vampires and works as a liaison between supernaturals and humans.  For this story she is partnered with her shapeshifter boyfriend, Connor, to solve a ritualistic murder.  It's a longer length story and has a pretty complex plot.  Although I'm unfamiliar with the characters, it feels like it fits into its canon with the repercussions of their case reverberating down the road.  Did they save the world or doom it?

The other editor, Kerrie L. Hughes, delivers a solid urban fantasy story that I truly enjoyed.  Hughes has quite a few anthologies in her resume so it's no wonder this collection hangs together so well.  Her hero, Harzl, is a troll who monitors a subway station under Milwaukee along with his pet barghest.  Harzl is mostly concerned about keeping the vending machines stocked and his pet out of sight for a pending visit from a Station Master.  He would hate to lose this job; shepherding supernaturals onto correct trains for their species has been a safe and satisfying job.  His whole world gets turned upside down one night by two runaways in his station; one of which is a young gargoyle.  They are pursued by a nasty and powerful wizard but Harzl finds help and support from unexpected sources.  Unfortunately, the altercation will certainly weigh against him in his pending review from the Station Master; the worst outcome would be that he and his barqhest will be turned out.  But there's always the chance that the trains may intercede for him; they've always like him. A very good story.

Another favorite of mine, Charlaine Harris, plucks two supporting characters out of her True Blood series: Batanya and Clovache, a couple of mercenaries who are tasked with discovering what happened to some of their compatriots who didn't come back from a job.  It's a bit of clichéd story, as well, where a more sophisticated person sets himself up as a god/emperor/whatever in a primitive culture.  I enjoyed their solution to both punishing the miscreant while still protecting the people's culture.

Nancy Holder is practically an icon in our genre; contributing horror (and winning awards), and dipping into the Buffyverse and even Firefly canon amid dozens of her own stories.  This little story is an ugly one with a hero who yearns to fly with the angels even while his own family drags him down to the worst depths of depravity.  He struggles with his love and loyalty to family even while longing to be recognized by God.  Most horror benefits from the juxtaposition of Christianity and evil, and this one does, too.

Jennifer Brozek has ever so many stories to her credit and I know I've not read her before although I'm pretty sure I met her once at a con.  This story makes me want to read more of her stuff.  Maureen is a witch with a job at a small museum.  One day a strange package arrives for the museum director and as more and more of the employees are affected by its arrival, Maureen finally realizes she needs more help to figure it all out.  With her fellow-witch and friend, Felicia, they encounter a dire entity that threatens everything Maureen holds dear.  I would not mind knowing more about these two.

The last story comes from Patricia Briggs. I am sure this story comes from an established series; especially due to the detail and complexity.  Most of the other authors in this collection were adept at either giving sufficient background on their characters or just allowing them to stand alone.  This story was hard for me; I found the plot to be very confusing. A woman, possible a witch of some sort, named Ruby encounters a gorgeous man who apparently hosts a separate (parasitic?) wolf entity.  I felt if I knew more of their backstory, I'd appreciate them more.  Ruby is working with a local ghost hunting group and fearful of some entity that controls her.  Asil, the werewolf-type (although I don't know if he identifies as such) is mysteriously sent to date her in a confusing exchange of emails.  I couldn't figure out just why he is required to go where he is sent or the nature of this dating that he is required to do.  The two of them end up working together; it isn't to solve a ghosting but rather to defend her against her psychic jailer.  The most interesting part of the story isn't the ghost or the haunted house, or even the fight for Ruby; the interesting part was the wolf's pleasure and joy in learning what Ruby could mean to them - the wolf and Asil.  Definitely, more going on than this story defined.  It did not stand alone well. ~~ Catherine Book

For more titles by Jim Butcher click here
For more titles by Kerrie L Hughes click here

Follow us

for notices on new content and events.
or

or
Instagram or


to The Nameless Zine,
a publication of WesternSFA



WesternSFA
Main Page


Calendar
of Local Events


Disclaimer

Copyright ©2005-2025 All Rights Reserved
(Note that external links to guest web sites are not maintained by WesternSFA)
Comments, questions etc. email WebMaster