The cool thing about short stories is that they can be truly experimental. Authors can do things that might not find their way into movies, novels, and possibly even comic books. Another fun thing about short stories is the fantastic diversity. From supervillainesses in the frozen Yukon to ex-luchadors hunting ancient evil to a very weird (very sexual) poem about one of the creators of Superman. I really enjoyed most of the stories. Though there were some that weren't as good as they could have

What is not to like in a book that includes a story very reminiscent of the classic movies with El Santo, fighting anything from female vampires to the mummies of Guanajuato? This collection of short stories really stretches the definition of super hero/villain. Quite worth a read!

Wading in to an all superhero anthology, and an all Canadian one at that, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The cover is a beautiful montage tacked together to offer the shape of a maple leaf. The first thing I was pleased to see was that there was a fairly even split between male and female contributors. The intro was solid too, from someone who can be considered an expert with regards to Canadian superheroes. But truly, what blew me away about this anthology was the diversity and complexity of the...

I usually find anthologies a bit-hit-and-miss, as generally I only find a couple of stories in them that I really like. This anthology has more hits than usual, but even the ones I didn't really like were interesting. I definitely recommend this for adult readers. (I wouldn't recommend it for teen readers because of some of the...questionable...sexual content in some of the stories.)My highlights are "Canadian Blood Diamonds", "The Secret History of the Intrepids", "The Man in the Mask", "The Se...

This was a collection of short stories that really surprised me. I didn’t expect there to be such a wide variety of characters and plotlines. When you think superhero, I picture the classic good guy in tights saving the world. But this collection showed me that it can be much more than that.Like most short story collections, some stories make more of an impression that others. My favourites included Nocturne, which features an ordinary man who dreams he is a superhero, The Seamstress Without a C...

The title says it all. Just some pure, unadulterated fun.

An outstanding anthology that I have been looking forward to reading since I first saw the table of contents. Each story represents a distinctive but recognizably Canadian outlook on some aspect of the Superhero genre. My one quibble with the story is the manner in which most of the superhero are solidly of the American spandex style (or plain clothes people who happen to have super powers), I was hoping for at least one nod to Magical Girl or Super Sentai/Power Ranger style heroes.Still it was

In the interest of full disclosure, I do have a story in this anthology. That aside, this is a very impressive collection, featuring a diversity of tales on the superhero/supervillian theme. Only one or two stories in the anthology felt like a stretch, not being particular Canadian in flavor, or not being particularly Super (in theme, not in quality). Overall, there is something to like in almost every tale, with a few truly standout stories including Nocturne bu E.L. Chen, Circe and the Gunboat...

Masked Mosaic seeks to push the boundaries of the superhero genre: to include complexities and issues that were often ignored in the Golden Age of comics and continue to be ignored in our culture’s nostalgia over comic figures of the past. The stories in this volume often play with Golden Age themes and complicate them. Rather than replicating hegemonies, the characters are diverse: aged, not ideals of bodily perfection, queer/ LGBTQ2, and culturally diverse. They represent a more inclusive real...

We leave you with fair warning. Those who wreck harm on the innocent will be spared no quarter. For those who glory in suffering, for those who seek the joy of pain, for those who prey on families in rough times, the Guardians of Canada will always be waiting for you. Ad mari usque ad mare... from the North Pole to the Great Lakes, from Cape Breton to Vancouver Island, we stand guard!

Not all superheroes wear capes! This is an entertaining collection of wide-ranging stories set in Canada (and alternate Canadas). Fans of darker supernatural tales will appreciate "Iron Justice Versus the Fiends of Evil" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, "Lonesome Charlie Johnstone's Strange Boon" by Jason Sharp, and "Revenge of the Iron Shadow" by Jason S. Ridler.

As with most anthologies, there were stories in this one that I really liked, and stories that just didn't catch my fancy. Overall, I liked almost all the stories, and there were a few that really touched me. I really enjoyed the ones that wove Canadian history into the narrative. I'd highly recommend this anthology to comic, short fiction, and fantasy fans.

Masked Mosaic is a collection of Superhero and Villain stories. But this anthology has a specific twist; all of these stories are about Canadian heroes and villains. The 24 stories were collected from writers across Canada, and edited by Claude Lalumiere and Camille Alexa. A "super" read.

This has been in my to-read pile for far too long, and I figured an anthology was a good way to wrap up the year. This hit the spot nicely. All 24 tales are about Canadian superheroes, written by Canadians, and span from the Yukon Gold Rush to present day, and coast to coast. There were a few that didn't resonate with me (as is the way with anthologies) but some of my favorites included "The Man in the Mask" by Emma Faraday, "Great Canadian Comics" by Patrick T. Goddard, and "Canadian Blood Diam...

Reading this as part of my Short Stories 366 project. Reviews for some of the stories will appear on my blog under this tag.Overall, this one was a mixed bag for me. Partly that's my fault: I went in with a certain expectation of superheroes and super-villains and only about a third of the stories hit that expectation (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn't what I was looking for at the time). The other issue involved a few stories feeling outright hostile to me as a queer reader—on...

I enjoyed this collection of short stories. There were a lot of interesting takes on the idea of superheroes seen through a Canadian filter. Not every story was a gem, but the majority were very good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm not a big reader or short stories, but I liked the idea of this collection. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed some stories more than others, but they were all excellent.