Beyond the Pale: A Fantasy Anthology

This was a very enjoyable collection of stories set in the fantasy realm. One of the things I really appreciate about short story compilations is that they introduce me to a lot of authors. I'd been wanting to check out Saladin Ahmed for some time; I now have been introduced to at least a glimpse of his style. I liked it, will definitely check out more. I also thoroughly enjoyed discovering Heather Brewer and Rachel Caine. And, of course, the main reason I purchased this book was that it featured a Jim Butcher story- this was an excellent brief visit to the world where Dresden lives- but it didn't involve Harry Dresden at ALL, which was actually pretty awesome. Several other long-enjoyed characters from the Dresdenverse were present, however. Including one that I believe doesn't get nearly enough "screen time" as it were.Definitely would recommend this to fans of fantasy.Also: If you read this, and like it, I'd highly recommend checking out the works of KW Taylor (she is on Goodreads & Amazon- find her!). As I was reading this, I noted that several of her own short stories would easily slide into this collection.

I have to admit up front that I am a big Jim Butcher fan, and that is the reason I downloaded this book. His story, told from the perspective of perennial bad guy John Marcone, did not disappoint in the least. In it, we see a little bit of what drives Chicago's premier crime boss to do what he does and we also get a glimpse that maybe, just maybe, he isn't quite as bad as he seems to be.The four stars come from the compilation of other tales. All are good, but some are better than others, at least to my taste. I won't go into detail here other than to say that the overall book is worth the read, and you might even find a gem that you will truly enjoy.

I am usually not a big fan of anthologies although it was an anthology that introduced me to Jim Butcher and Simon Green. However, the other stories in this book aside from the Jim Butcher story did not peak my interest, They were good and decent stories but they did not excite me like the "Mean Streets" anthology that introduced me to Simon Green, Jim Butcher and Tom Sniegnoski and others. A good read but not that exciting except for the Jim Butcher story.

I am not a fan of anthologies! That said this was,overall, quite mediocre. Typical for an anthology, there were a few decent stories, and quite a few below par stories.

it's ok

There are some good stories in here.

Purchased as a Christmas gift for my fiancee. Loves Jim Butcher's Dresden Files Series. This collection of short stories seemed right up his alley. I will update y review when he reads the book.

This book was fantastic. There were great stories from authors I knew and great stories from authors I hadn't heard of. A great book to discover great urban fantasy writers!!

Right, I like Harry Dresden - I like the other characters, I even have a sneaking regard for John Marcone. I have been prepared to buy short story collections to keep up, but while those by Pat Elrod were generally 4 star overall, there are only two worth reading here. Most should not have made it beyond lower-grade fanfic, and frankly I should have waited for JB to pull another collection together.

Loved the Jim Butcher tale best. I may never go without a night light again after reading about Fax & Jon's adventure. Vampire rats and mice made me chuckle too.

Ok but not really inspired