Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson and Thomas E. Sniegoski

[meganbmoore]

This is an anthology of four urban fantasy novellas by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, and Thomas E. Sniegoski. My reaction to each was about on par with my reaction to each author in the past.

I liked Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files story “The Warrior,” which was spoilery for recent books in the series, and focused on Michael and his family. In complete honesty, I almost would have rathered it be about Michael than Dresden, as I really like him and his family. Simon R. Green’s “The Difference A Day Makes” read like an early Nightside book, before the metaplot took off. Strangely, Dead Boy’s car was the best character in it, IMO. And there was self-imposed amnesia.

I tried reading Kat Richardson’s Greywalker recently, and bounced off it, despite a premise that I really liked. Sadly, I had the same experience with her story here, despite the added Mysterious Artifacts. Thomas E Sniegoski’s “Noah’s Orphans” was like his A Kiss Before the Apocalypse for me, in that it had angels and fallen angels living among men and a private eye angel and lost races and I couldn’t get into it. Which makes me incredibly sad.

Comments

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

I find Michael's character fascinating. It's one of the few (only?) times I've seen a religious character in fantasy that stays religious, doesn't compromise, and isn't condescended to by those with more traditional fantasy powers.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY! He's really the anti-thesis of most religious characters in fantasy-in US fiction in general, I think, and one of the most interesting characters in the series.

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

I've read up to Small Favor in the Dresden series. Could I read this without getting spoiled?

I like the swordbearers in general. The atheist (or is he agnostic now?) Russian cracks me up. And I was impressed and pleased with Murphy's decision at the end of Small Favor.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

He's agnostic. I think you're still a few books short of being spoiler safe. What's up with Michael where you are?

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

ROT-13: Zvpunry tbg fubg ng gur raq bs Fznyy Snibe. Gur obbx yrsg uvz fgnoyr va gur ubfcvgny, ohg jvgu gur rkgrag bs uvf shgher erpbirel va dhrfgvba.

[shiegra.livejournal.com]

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I couldn't get into Greywalker. It just left me totally uninvested and lapsing into skimming. (And then the book got wet and I had to buy it from the library anyway.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

One think I noticed is that it never really "introduced" the protagonist to us, which is something very important in first person. But it seemed very voiceless, but trying to have a catchy voice, if you know what I mean.