Well it’s been awhile, I’ve been busy painting mugs. Don’t ask. But, good news, I’m back! Okay, well good for me anyways. 😛
So this week what’s on my mind is the power of the written word. How many anthologies have you read where there are 50 stories in the thing and yet only two of them really ‘sat’ with you? The rest were good, sure, but not impactful, they left no lasting impression.
Well this is exactly why I’m so excited to be involved in helping to create the Bleeding Ink Anthology. 🙂
I mean I don’t know about you, but I’ve read novels that left me with no impression, and yet on the other side I’ve read as few as three or six word sentences that still resonate with me today. It will be an honour to provide a showcase for powerfully dark works of all length and styles. I hope you submit your own work, I hope you spread the word, and I hope that together we can create something very special. 🙂
So, in line of my topic for today, which Anthologies have you read that were worth the money and why?
I’ll start things off with my latest and personal fav;
City of Hell Chronicles (Volume 1)
Why? Cause it’s very dark, like all true horror should be. The stories, created by 7 authors from around the globe, will give you all kinds of creepy chills in all the right places. Add to that, the artwork is simply AMAZING. (damn I want to own those prints!) The format is wonderfully unique as well, with all stories following the same overall theme, but yet so different too. It’s refreshing. If you like dark things like me. 😉
Click here to purchase or learn more! 🙂
So there’s mine, what’s yours, and why? 🙂
Tammy E. A. Crosby 
Thanks for mentioning City of Hell Tammy 🙂
One of my favourite anthologies is ‘Fables from the Fountain’ a collection of science-fiction stories by the patrons of the titled pub ‘The Fountain’. Each story is unique in voice and subject, but the shared environment really ties them all together. It’s a great anthology.
http://newconpress.co.uk/books/fables-from-the-fountain/
Fantastic Colin, thank for the recommend and the link! 🙂
I’ve read a few but the one that really sticks with me is The Monster’s Corner, where well known authors write Urban Fantasy Stories from the monsters point of view. I loved it as it was different and gave me a chance to look at life (or unlife as the case may be) from the other side.
A lot of people seem to forget that the reader needs a hook and without that or some sort of key that acts as a reminder later its a lost cause. One Childrens book that I loved was the new Grimm Fairy Tales (we’re talking original retranslated for today) so it’s not Disneyfied. It’s gruesome, it has death, blood and murder and my nephews are going to love it. LOL (Although I am expecting some strongly worded phone calls from their parents. LOL)
Ya but on the upside you get to be the COOLEST UNCLE EVER!!!!! 🙂 Thanks G! 🙂
My favorite anthology is Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong, but that may be cheating. I would say a close second is Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite, which is actually the anthology that introduced me to both Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Caine, my two favorite writers. I bought it for the Charlaine Harris/Sookie Stackhouse story (which was not all that great), but it’s an awesome collection and introduced me to some wonderful writers.
I have a simliar one, a christmas one. It was ‘meh’, which means very dissappointing for such great authors. Felt like they wrote them in about 15mins and never reread it prior to submitting. I may give this one a shot instead. 🙂 Always angers me to read great authors and publishers putting out fluff just to cash in on money and not good writing.
I completey agree!
I admit I don’t have much experience with anthologies. Something about them deters me from picking one up and giving it a try. I’m going to give City of Hell a whirl, though. Not only because I’ve heard so many fantastic things about it, but I also feel like shaking up my usual reading fare. I don’t really need to sleep over the holidays, right?
Sleeping is for February, read on sista! 🙂
*gasp* I’m part of your favourite antho, dearest? *blushes*
My favourites are Kelly Link’s Monsters and Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman.
Nice! And naturally. 😉
Resisting the urge to plug the anthology that contains my story, I will pick the collection entitled Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions. It has stories from Rachel Caine, Claudia Gray, Carrie Ryan, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr and others. I just finished reading it and it was worth the late nights.
lol, i had to do the same, it’s so hard! 😛 Will be getting that one for sure! 🙂
Good blog Tam…as usual. One of my favs (like Danni) is Men of the Underworld by KA. An excellent read. Looking forward to reading City of Hell Chronicles. Nice plug on the Bleeding Ink. 🙂
I’m an all rounder. 😉
I’m not a huge anthology fan (unless my friends are in it 😉 so I can’t offer any suggestions…my biggest problem is your biggest problem…the anthologies that I’ve read only have one or two authors that I like so it seems like a waste of money. On the other hand, sometimes…and I mean, sometimes, you can discover new authors by reading their shorter works first.
Exactly Ang. I’m with ya. 😉
Having come across a lot of take it or leave it stories in anthologies in my youth I must say that most of my reading material is novel based. But I bought and read Dates from Hell (mainly re read Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong) and realised I was being unfair to the short story. Since reading that I’ve been a lot more open minded about finding and reading short stories, novellas, etc. Tales from the Perilous Realm by Tolkien is also one of my favourites.
Ah that’s a good one for sure! 🙂
The anthologies I’ve enjoyed include Kelley and Charlaine, JR Ward and Karen Marie Moning. I’m looking forward to reading through the one many of us have contributed to and I’m psyched for Bleeding Ink. Love the title and I know we’re going to love the stories!
Me too Lisa! And we share the same taste, have you read Patricia Briggs? I think you would love her Mercy series! 🙂
I’m like a few others here, in that normally anthologies aren’t my first choice as reading material. CoH looks awesomely creepy though, and would be my first choice. 😉
As a reader, I often like to go deeper, and spend longer with the worlds and characters the author’s create than an anthology allows, but as a writer, a short story collections is great for seeing how other writers express themselves, and is a great excuse for reading something ‘educational’, but actually just goofing off reading something fun… 🙂
Lol, I love antho’s, as a busy mom I don’t always have time to get ‘sunk’ into a novel. Shorts make great fun quick reads in the grocery line up. Plus I have discovered a few ‘new’ authors to follow, some I havne’t heard of and yet enjoyed more than the ‘big’ names in the book. 🙂