A varied, well written collection of short stories to dip into between long books. Details of each one noted in other reviews. I enjoyed all stories, but some appealed more than others, depending on my own favourite writers or themes.

This anthology is a good example of why we need fewer white dudes in charge. Few heroines, and the ones written by men were questionable. I don't think there were any POC. It gets bland. A lot of the stories were also cliches. Castle Coeurlieu **Felt scattered and a little lost. Took a long time to get going, and once the pace picked up, the story just sort of shambled to a stop. A Slow Kill *****As two men who both happen to be assassins dig a ditch together, one tells the other stories of some...

So small secret...I'm getting annoyed by these short story collections like this. And I feel bad for being super annoyed with this one since it is Shawn's tribute to his mother who passed away from cancer (That's her on the cover.) But honestly, I wish they would require the authors to write something new and not "new" from a long running series. For one, some of the series I haven't got to yet. Two, I read these collections to see if I like the writer's writing style--which still works, but hel...

Castle CoeurlieuA Slow Kill (Vault of Heaven)And Men Will Mine the Mountain for Our SoulsDay One (Dresden Files)Brightwine in the Garden of Tsitsian Village (Song of Shattered Sands)AokigaharaThe Decoy (Wars of Light and Shadow)The King's Despatcher (Runelords)FiguresThe Red-Rimmed Eyes of Tóu MǎMagic BeansThe Hedgewitch (The Queens of Renthia)Victim with a Capital VA Duel of Evils (Raven's Shadow)The Raven (Bloodbound)Bulletproof (Gunlaw)The GunnieLittle Wren and the Big Forest (The Legends of

Ratings for each story individually (much more good than bad):Castle Coeurlieu by Naomi Novik 4 starsA Slow Kill by Peter Orullian 4 starsAnd Men Will Mine the Mountain for Our Souls by Seanan McGuire 1 starDay One by Jim Butcher 5 starsBrightwine in the Garden of Tsitsian Village by Bradley P. Beaulieu 5 starsAokigahara by John A. Pitts 2 starsThe Decoy by Janny Wurts 5 starsThe King’s Despatcher by David Farland 4 starsFigures by Rachel Caine 1 starThe Red-Rimmed Eyes of Tóu Maˇ by Aidan Moher...

Very weak. I found the quality of the stories to be much poorer than the first.i tried to read through them to get a sense of the authors and still had a hard time finishing most of them. The best, by a huge margin is by Sanderson. I can't believe how boring the opening piece was. Mostly young adult, like for 12 year olds perhaps. Just...skip it

I only read the Brandon Sanderson part so this is a review only on that. The Thrill - Brandon Sanerson -> ★★★★☆ The Dalinar Flashbacks from the new Stormlight Archive book Oathbringer, are real treats. They show some glimpses of the dark man Dalinar was in his youth, as well as a first glimpse to his forgotten wife. The fighting scenes are quite impressive but maybe not as polished as I would have expected (hoping for this to be cleaned up in the review process), also since the scenes are from

I received this as a bonus for supporting the kickstarter. This story is a fairy tale cliche. The writing was good but in the end, its an average read. Not bad but not good either.

This anthology is a precious gift, for the contributes, the editing, the cover, the interior art, the dedication and the cause.Castle Coeurlieu by Naomi Novik: I liked Novik's novel Uprooted, and here I found again that mix of historical fiction and gothic fairytale I've so appreciated in her standalone. I also love her care for details and the way she writes female protagonists.A Slow Kill by Peter Orullian: this story features a Machiavellian assassination. It’s carefully planned, well-worded

==Little Wren and the Big Forest by Michael J. Sullivan==A charming story about courage and love, involving a little girl, Wren, and the mythical villain dwarf from ancient times, Gronbach. Best to be read after Age of Myth to have a better visual of the surrounding world. It is part of the anthology Unfettered II , by editor Shawn Speakman, but also, courtesy of the author, it may be downloaded from Instafreebie: https://www.instafreebie.com/public/L...

Unfettered 23 stars actualCastle CoeurlieuNaomi Novik3 starsIsabeau is a child-bride of 12 years. Thankfully her husband is not evil and sends her to one of his estates instead of forcing himself on her. At the castle Jerome, the Comte's 13 year old son from his late wife, befriends her. He and others recount stories about the keep in the middle of the castle grounds. Over the centuries many odd things have occurred there. The story has a feel like a campfire story. It takes place during the day...

Little Wren and the Big Forest The forest near Wren's house is something of a mystery. Only her father ever enters, but only just slightly. When Wren's brother enters the forest following a sheep, he doesn't reappear. Wren's father and mother follow until only Wren remained. Now Wren could follow her mother's instructions or she could enter the forest to see if she can find her family. Wren may be little, but she's no coward.Little Wren and the Big Forest is a fairy tale about the dwarf Gronb

I am biased. But this anthology is about as wonderful and magical as any I've read. And I've read more than a few. I really enjoy having these Unfettered anthologies being themeless. It allows every contributor to do something that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do and it shows in the quality of the stories.Add that this is my way of memorializing my mother -- who is featured on the cover - and it makes Unfettered II really special. My own short story contribution is about her last days as s...

I wanted to review this only to say thank you to Shawn for including me in it, and to the other authors for contributing such great stories.For my part, I have a SHATTERED SANDS story in the anthology. The story focuses on Dardzada, an apothecary who, for a time, is the foster father of Çeda (the heroine of TWELVE KINGS IN SHARAKHAI). I wanted to tell his tale because he became really interesting to me as I wrote about him in TWELVE KINGS. He cares for Çeda very much, but goes about it in the wr...

A good short story by MJS. 3.5 starsYou can't help but like little Wren, she is adorable, unfortunate and simple. I love the setting to this story. Something about mysterious, dark forests haunt me, in an enchanted/wondrous sort of way. I can't help but sense that there has to be magic in the strange and mystical spaces between the trees.This story had the feel of a bedtime fairytale. One that mothers and grandmothers would tell hundreds of years ago when tucking the little ones into quilts on b...

As per usual, Shawn Speakman delivers a great anthology. I didn't outright not like any of the stories in this one (but I did find a couple a little boring- as is bound to happen). Here's a little more about which were my favorites:My favorite story of this particular bunch was Magic Beans by Django Wexler. His coffee-shop erotica. I appreciate a story with both a sex closet and a dragon in it. The Thrill by Brandon Sanderson was also super exciting. It not only ramped up my excitement for Oathb...

I received this book though Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review. I really wanted this book for Mark Lawrence and there are so many authors I was excited to check out so as much as I want to review the stories I,m not going to my rating is good enough. So yeah Cancer sucks ass and my heart goes out to Shawn Speakman and all those fighting the good fight, and to those we've lost and to every one affected by it. Cancer can come after anyone non of us are immune. The cover of this book is beaut...

I picked up this anthology specifically for Janny Wurts and Jim Butcher. Enjoyed both of their stories. Wurts' short story is a great example of what her epic fantasy style is like (plus the story had a great 'history lesson' feel to it, which I really enjoyed). Butcher's is basically required reading for mega Dresden fans.

Unfettered is a special series of Anthologies. They are books that truly do good in the world. The proceeds from each help to alleviate medical debt within the SFF community. The contributors are given free reign to submit as the anthologies are theme-less. With each book released I have encountered authors that I have known and loved for year. Sometimes they contribute tidbits within established worlds, letting you get a glimpse of their worlds and characters that would never fit in full length...

A good collection of short stories by various authors. I loved how there were numerous storylines as the authors weren’t hemmed in due fulfilling a specific goal or genre requirement. My two favourite stories were Magical Beans by Django Wexler and The Hedgewitch by Susan Beth Durst. There was an introduction and unique picture to each story which enhanced the enjoyment it. Castle Coeurlieu by Naomi Novik - 3.5 StarsA great story about a young teenage girl who has been married off to an older ma...