Tag: Anthology

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Book Review – Heroes wanted by Various authors.

Heroes Wanted by various authors is a fantasy anthology.

The Cover: The cover image depicts some fantasy characters/creatures from the stories within and definitely fits with the genre. The artwork is good and the title font is in a good choice in a nice contrasting colour, making it clean and clear. The only thing I feel letting it down is that it is a very dark picture that tends to make the image a murky smudge on the thumbnail images you see online. Overall, I like it and fits the genre.

The Good Stuff: This is definitely a fantasy anthology, and you get exactly what you’re expecting in that regard. It was free on Amazon when I picked this title up and here are a few good stories between the covers, so great value in that respect. Anthologies are a great way to sample the works of a number of authors to see if you like their writing, and it can be worth it when you find one you like.

The Bad Stuff: As with most anthologies, you get ‘a mixed bag’ of stories from a variety of authors. Some are good stories and some you will likely skim through or skip. Sometimes this feels a little disappointing, but then I try to remind myself that it isn’t really an issue, especially when the book is free. Truly, if I can find one author I like from the various writers, it is far better than trying a novel by an author I haven’t read, only to find I don’t enjoy their work.

Overall, I enjoyed some of the stories, but not as many as those I skimmed or skipped. I didn’t find another favourite author is this book, but there are a couple I would give another go on one of their longer pieces of work. This one gets a sword slashing, magic blasting 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Book Review: As It Seems by Eric Lewis

As it Seems by Eric Lewis is a collection of short stories by a single author. The collection comprises mostly grimdark/fantasy, and a few stories that probably fit better into sci-fi.

The Cover: There seems to be a couple of covers for this book, I have the one with a robed figure striding forwards, face hidden beneath a hood, sword rested on his right shoulder and an axe hanging from his left hand. Both the image and the font are presented well and fit with the genre.

The Good Stuff: I liked the writing style, the world building, and the tone. I enjoyed that most of the stories were set in the same world; a dark, gritty, grim world. I quite like a bit of grimdark and this didn’t disappoint. The author certainly doesn’t buy into happy endings. One of the most notable things for me is that when it comes to anthologies, I’m usually only taken by a few stories. But, I also enjoyed every story in this book, and that is a big achievement by the author in my opinion.

The Bad Stuff: Okay, so this title is not without its faults. There are a few more typo’s than I would normally see in a book of this length. There are also some things that didn’t really gel for me. Things like a slave ship allowed to dock in a place where slavery is illegal, plumbers in a fantasy world, and modern terms like apartment, startup, and coffee break, that for me just don’t seem to fit with the world the author has created. This encroached on my enjoyment and held me back from fully immersing myself in some of the stories.

Overall, I can easily forgive the few typos and words/terms that I felt were out of place, simply because I really enjoyed this book. If you’re into slightly darker short stories by a single author, you should give this one a go. This one gets a back-stabbing, alchemical blasting, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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New Release: Ripples Through Murky Water

Hello Readers,

Exciting news! After many months of talking about it, I have finally released the much awaited anthology. ‘Ripples Through Murky Water’ is now available. This collection contains eight of my horror/fantasy stories and you’ll find all the links you need to get your copy, below the blurb.

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Follow Corporal Jackson on a top-secret project where being kept in the dark might just kill him. See Macey as she gets a taste of the wild frontier while finding her place in the world. Check out Jordan and his collection of figures that would make anyone believe in monsters. Or how about watching Hades as he tries to shake off a headache and move out of the underworld.

Ripples Through Murky Water is a collection of eight short, dark and magical tales that will leave you hungry for more.

If you like chills down your spine, magical mayhem, or just a bit of a laugh, you’ll love Ripples Through Murky Water by Allan Walsh.

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I know you’ve been waiting a long time for it, but it is finally available and you can grab a copy of ‘Ripples Through Murky Water’ at the following retailers:

Amazon.com

Amazon.com.au

Amazon.co.uk

Other Stores

I hope you enjoy this collection of short stories. Feel free to let me know what you think or to share this post with your friends and family.

Thank you so much for your support.

Happy Reading,

Allan

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Cover Reveal: Ripples Through Murky Water

Hello Readers,

I’m excited and very pleased to tell you that I have another new release ready to be published. As always a new release deserves a cover reveal. So, in the spirit of Christmas, here’s an early present, a glimpse of the cover for Ripples Through Murky Water…

I’ll post again soon to let you all know when the book has been released.

Happy Reading

Allan

Brisbane, Australia.

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Book Review: Tales of Magic & Destiny by various authors

Tales of Magic & Destiny is an anthology containing 12 short fantasy stories.

The Cover: I do like this cover, it depicts an ominous dragon confronting a mage in the midst of casting a spell. The image is strong and tells the reader to expect fantasy between the pages, I just wish the title font was as strong as the image. The font lets the cover down in my opinion, and it is a shame because the artwork is so good.

The Good Stuff: There are 12 stories to wrap your mind around, and none of the 12 stories were bad. I read through most without skimming, and found the majority of them held my attention. They are all fantasy stories as the cover promises and the writing is competent.

The Bad Stuff: There are quite a few typos in some of these stories. It is easy enough to read through and work out what the sentences should say, but it does pull you out of the reading experience each time you hit one. While the stories weren’t bad and held my attention, I was disappointed with the endings of some and found others a little average. There were probably 2 stories I enjoyed more than the others, but none of them really grabbed me and pulled me in.

Overall, this book was okay. None of the stories really stood out to me, but if you have an hour or 2 to burn it will pass the time. The writing wasn’t bad, but in my opinion, the stories weren’t great either. This one gets an average 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Legends by Various Authors

Legends 1 (Legends 1, Volume 1of2)

Legends by Various Authors is an anthology containing 5 novellas by well-known authors, set in the worlds they are famous for creating.

The Cover: I like this cover, it represents one of the stories in the book written by Terry Pratchett and captures the humour perfectly. The cover does tell me I’m going to get fantasy inside, but it also says this book is for a younger audience and I don’t think it hits the mark here. Terry Pratchett’s story certainly is, but not all of them are in my opinion. The font works for the genre and there are big hitting names on the cover that are known for their fantasy.

The Good Stuff: For fans of the authors whose work is contained within the pages, this title will take you back into the worlds you love with a story you may not have read. There should be at least one story in here for every fantasy buff to enjoy. Personally, I really enjoyed the story by George R.R. Martin. Overall it is well edited and has some interesting characters. As I said before the authors are all well-known and are as follows:

Terry Pratchett

Anne McCaffrey

George R.R. Martin

Tad Williams

Robert Jordan

The Bad Stuff: I don’t know if it is just the author’s style or if the story by Robert Jordan was not edited that well. It’s as if words were missing here and there, but again, it could just be the style of writing. I was disappointed with two of the stories and ended up skipping to the next author. Out of the other three stories, I only really enjoyed one. I really wanted to enjoy Robert Jordan’s story, the world building was great, holding my interest until the end. I liked the characters too, but the story and the writing style didn’t grip me and have me excited to keep turning the pages.

Overall, this book was a bit of a let-down for me. I wanted so much to enjoy every story, but it just wasn’t to be, the writing wasn’t bad, the stories just didn’t draw me in. I’m only giving this one an average 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.