More great anthologies by Indies

Here are two great anthologies from Indie authors:

1. Grumpy Old Gods Volume 2 — good mix of gods vs. humans stories
2. Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie — great stories about faerie

A note about my reviews: I only post reviews about books I liked so don’t be surprised to see lots of 4/5 and 5/5. If I don’t like the book, I won’t spend time writing about it.

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Grumpy Old Gods Volume 2

Edited by Vanessa Wells, Juneta Key

5/5

Another excellent collection of stories where the gods are almost human as they struggle to balance the crazy men and women they are supposed to be managing. And not always well. This includes over ten stories ranging from Game Night to Best Laid Plans to Purr Like an Egyptian. Most are based in the present like Hammer Down; some in the past like The Oaken Goddess while some seem to be kinda of a mixture (like Game Night). There are even a few vampires thrown in to augment the gods!

If you’re into the ancient gods, be they Greek or Roman or even Nordic, you’ll enjoy this story collection.

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Once…

by Ronel Janse van Vuuren

5/5

Ronel Janse van Vuuren’s Once (2018) is a smorgasbord of creative, awe-inspiring stories about faeries and humans and what happens when they stumble over each other. Sixteen stories with names like “Purple Sparks”, “Rumour Has It”, “The Field Mouse”, and “Wishmaster”–each as enticing as the one before.

Probably my favorite is the first–“Queen of Ice”–where the faerie queen gets herself into a pickle of trouble when she is distracted by her human lover. This endangers both her world, the mortal she loves, and the world he ultimately thinks will provide his escape. How she resolves this is fascinating. My favorite fun story is “The Fae of Bremen” where several fae animals get caught in the desert and must come up with a way to survive. Other favorites are “The Ashiest Princess” (just think on that for a moment) and “Blood and Ice”. I’m not too educated on fae so I appreciated van Vuuren’s preface. It provided a one-page primer on fae and their worlds for those like me who don’t understand this mystical world.

Overall, a fun collection of stories to fill free moments in your days with wonder and fantasy.

More books about the gods

Another great historic fiction from Luciana Cavallaro

2 Excellent Ancient Greece Gods Indie Books

The Singer From Memphis

Gates of Fire

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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, In the Footsteps of Giants, Winter 2021.