Yzabel / May 22, 2014

Magic City: Recent Spells by Paula Guran

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Bright lights, big city . . . magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life. Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team’s “curse” can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call—it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years is gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.

Review:

(I got a copy from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

As usual when anthologies are concerned, there are stories one will like, and stories that won’t cut it at all. What I can say about this one, before I ge to the stories individually:

1) Those are reprints. If you’re relatively new to urban fantasy as a genre, and/or usually don’t read anthologies, I think it should be all right. Otherwise, you may already know quite a few of those stories.

2) It may not be tremendously representative of urban fantasy, depending on how you perceive this genre.

3) The book began with the stories I liked the least, and I almost stopped reading at that point. Therefore, I’d advise not reading them in order.

#1 STREET WIZARD: To be read as an introduction rather than a story with a definite plot and punchline. A kind of “slice of life” story, that gives the reader a glimpse into what urban fantasy may entail, but not particularly exciting.

#2 PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Not convinced. The MC’s move (ditching her date) was pretty rude and uncalled for. Because the guy isn’t what you expected doesn’t mean he doesn’t at least deserve a “sorry, not working for me, I’m saying bye”. What’s with those characters who can’t be ballsy enough to enact basic courtesy?

#3 GRAND CENTRAL PARK: Interesting enough, I liked the ending more than the story itself, though.

#4 SPELLCASTER 2.0: Loved the premise, but not the moralistic aspect (nor the intrisic misogyny).

#5 WALLAMELON: I quite liked this one. Its themes are fairly common (the cost of magic, growing up and out of childhood beliefs), but touching nevertheless.

#6 -30-: Not to be read if you’re a writer who has hopes for his/her craft: it’s rather depressing. Worst, 2nd person POV is definitely a terrible idea. I won’t recommend that one.

#7 SEEING EYE: One of my favourites, properly wrapped up, with a definite resolution at the end, but also a couple of openings leaving room to the reader’s imagination.

#8 STONE MAN: Another one I liked. While dealing with serious prospects, it also leaves room for hope and fighting back—both for the main character and when it comes to the bigger picture.

#9 IN THE STACKS: A librarian’s dream come true… Well… A nightmare, rather? Another winner in my book (pun intended). Nobody ever belittle the job of a librarian now!

#10 A VOICE LIKE A HOLE: I liked the theme, but I felt that the story stopped just where it should’ve started. Weird.

#11 THE ARCANE ART OF MISDIRECTION: Not so surprising in theme (normal person discovering magic hiding right under her nose), but with an interesting setting (casino, hotel), and with the kind of magical effects I tend to like.

#12 THE THIEF OF PRECIOUS THINGS: I’m not really sure what to make of this story. I liked its atmosphere, eerie with magic, shapeshifting, a sort of lingering despair, and promises of both hope and dark days to come. I didn’t get a feeling for the characters, but in a way, it’s like it doesn’t really matter.

#13 THE LAND OF HEART’S DESIRE: Hard to tell where this one was was going. I didn’t really feel any sense of direction in it, and it seemed to lack purpose, despite the theme it dealt with.

#14 SNAKE CHARMER: Classic take on revenge. Not developed enough to my taste.

#15 THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB: Drag queen werewolf protagonist: not something you see everyday. Nice one about accepting people for who they are, no matter how different.

#16 THE WOMAN WHO WALKED WITH DOGS: Shadow dogs, always with their owners, yet never seen by those who don’t believe in them… until they’re needed. I’d like a Shep, too.

#17 WORDS: Words have power. Words have magic. Is it wise to annoy the ones who wield true words? Not so much. A retelling on the theme of the Rattenfänger, and one that somewhat resonated with me (perhaps because I fancy myself a writer, too?).

#18 DOG BOYS: New boy in school, thrown into gang hostilities. Likeable protagonist, who does what feels right, even though he knows he’ll get into trouble.

#19 ALCHEMY: Another one I liked. Quiet, and full of questions regarding knowledge: is the price to pay worth it? And if something is gained through other means than our own, is it really so interesting in the end?

#20 CURSES: Short story with Harry Dresden. Not as powerful as the novel-length stories, but still pretty much in the “Dresden Files” spirit.

#21 DE LA TIERRA: A twist on immigration stories. I liked how it dealt with misinformation, and how the latter can push people to do what they think is right, but isn’t necessarily so.

#22 STRAY MAGIC: Cute and moving story. This one should appeal to animal lovers.

#23 KABU KABU: Quite enjoyable, if (like me) you like crazy rides with strange landscapes and creatures from folklore. Also interesting for its take on one’s identity, since Ngozi, the protagonist, is somewhat estranged from her own culture.

#24 PEARLYWHITE: More on the horror side. Somewhat weak on the protagonists, because there are several, and a short story isn’t the best format to develop them. But I still liked it, as well as the gleam of hope at the end.