#56: Beyond the Pale: Anthology

Beyond the Pale contains eleven dark fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors:

• "Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela" by Saladin Ahmed(author of Throne of the Crescent Moon)
• "The Children of the Shark God" by Peter S. Beagle (author ofThe Last Unicorn)
• "Misery" & "Shadow Children" by Heather Brewer (author ofVladimir Tod)
• "Even Hand" by Jim Butcher (author of The Dresden Files)
• "Red Run" by Kami Garcia (author of Beautiful Creatures)
• "Pale Rider" & "The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones" byNancy Holder (author of Wicked)
• "Frost Child" and "South" by Gillian Philip (author of Rebel Angels)
• "A Knot of Toads" by Jane Yolen (author of Owl Moon)

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Birch Tree Publishing; 1 edition (July 7, 2014)
• ISBN: 9780989448734

BIRCH TREE PUBLISHING

AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA   |   AMAZON UK

REVIEW:

Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela by Saladin Ahmed was weird in parts. Creepy, intriguing and clever though. The slightly far-fetched gives a magical feel to it. 3/5

The Children of the Shark God by Peter S. Beagle is a story that you need to let your imagination go wild with. I do wish the Shark God reacted differently. 3/5

Misery by Heather Brewer was a miserable story. Misery wasn't just the name of the town, it was everywhere and in everything. Wasn't my thing though. 2/5

Shadow Children by Heather Brewer was the second story by this author. It was a ton better too. It may have been short but it was creeptastic! 4/5

Even Hand by Jim Butcher started out with mobsters and I knew I was in. It ended with paranormal though and somehow still worked. 4/5

Red Run by Kami Garcia was my favorite in the book. It had a very powerful opening that pulls you in deep. Scared the crap out of me too. By now, you all know, that's what I love. 5/5

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder I wanted more from. The ending didn't work for me at all. There was cool elements, but not enough to say I liked it. 2/5

Frost Child by Gillian Philip is a fast paced fantasy that kept my attention from start to finish. 4/5

South by Gillian Philip is the second story she contributed to the book. It was really peculiar. I just didn't get it or like it at all. 1/5

A Knot of Toads by Jane Yolen is a story I loved! Had a great lesson; things are not always what they seem. 4/5

The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones by Nancy and Belle Holder is a second story for Nancy Holder. This one is co-written though. It reminded me of the movie American Tale or Feivel Goes West. The story is about mice and that is reminiscent of this story too. It was a very cute tale, with a twist. 3/5

All-in-all it is a decent read with many things to attract the reader. I definitely know a bunch of people that would enjoy it.

3/5