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jethrien ([personal profile] jethrien) wrote2014-07-22 09:10 pm
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2014 Book Review #46: Games Creatures Play

Title: Games Creatures Play
Editors: Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P Kelner
Genre: SF/F Anthology
Thingummies: 3.5

Synopsis: Anthology of spec fic with a theme of games and sports.

Thoughts: Perhaps because the theme of this anthology was more innocuous than that of the previous anthology I read, Dangerous Women, this one felt a little more even.

There are several stories that probably make more sense if you've read the author in question's series. "False Knight on the Road" is kind of inexplicable if you're unfamiliar with Mercedes Lackey's Serrated Edge, and "In the Blue Hereafter" clearly lacked resonance for me because I haven't read Sookie Stackhouse.

There's nothing that really stands out, but also nothing really objectionable. I appreciated "Hide and Shriek"'s Lovecraftian pastiche, especially the ending twist, and "The Case of the Haunted Safeway" was surprisingly sweet, even if I saw the twist coming a mile away. "Jammed" was a fun dip into roller derby and "Bell, Book and Candlepin" was equally amusing for candlepin bowling.

Basically, if you like the series of a couple of the authors included, you'll probably enjoy this. But even if you haven't, it's pleasant enough.