Thursday, April 2, 2009

Mean Streets by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green Kat Richardson, Thomas e. Siegoski


Product Description:From four of today’s hottest fantasy authors—all-new novellas of dark nights, cruel cities, and paranormal P.I.s.The best paranormal private investigators have been brought together in a single volume—and cases don’t come any harder than this.New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher delivers a hard-boiled tale in which Harry Dresden’s latest case may be his last.Nightside dweller John Taylor is hired by a woman to find something she lost—her memory—in a thrilling noir tale from New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green.National bestselling author Kat Richardson’s Greywalker finds herself in too deep when a “simple job” goes bad and Harper Blaine is enmeshed in a tangle of dark secrets and revenge from beyond the grave. For centuries, the being that we know as Noah lived among us. Now he is dead, and fallen-angel-turned-detective Remy Chandler has been hired to find out who killed him in a whodunit by national bestselling author Thomas E. Sniegoski.

My thoughts: This little book contains stories from two of my favorite urban fantasy authors: Jim Butcher and Simon R. Green.

In "The Warrior" Butcher's Harry Dresden was at his best in this story involving Michael's great sword Amoracchius. Harry 's good friend and former Knight of the Cross, Michael and family may be in danger so Harry had to do something. Someone wants Michael's old sword, a holy weapon against evil, which was given to Harry for safe keeping. It is not a long story but you still get a good feel for Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard and all-around good guy. I really wish that the Sci-Fi series based on these stories had made it.

In"The Difference a Day Makes" Simon R. Green's John Tyler, of the Nightside, was once again involved in a weird story that could only happen in the Nightside. A woman, sent to John by Razor Eddie, wants John, whose talent is finding anything, to help her find her lost memories and her husband. I like Green's strange stories, and the even stranger world of Nightside.

I had not read anything by the other two authors but enjoyed their short stories so much that I'll have to look up some of their books!

In "The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog" Kat Richardson's heroine Harper Blaine, is able to talk to the dead. She is contacted and hired to place a dog statue on a grave in Mexico during Dia Las Muertos. I liked Harper and the ghost dog was great. But then I'm a sucker for dogs.

In "Noah's Orphans" Thomas E. Sniegoski's character, Remy Chandler, is an angel who has chosen to leave heaven behind, and is now making his living as a private detective. The title of the story referes to the ancient being Noah (of Ark fame) who has been murdered. I really liked Remy and his dog Marlowe (whose thoughts Remey can understand.) Like I said before, about dogs.

Urban fantasy fans - get this one.
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