About this title: From four of today's hottest fantasy authors comes this collection of all-new novellas of dark nights, cruel cities, and paranormal private eyes. Includes tales by Butcher, Kat Richardson, Simon R. Green, and Thomas E. Sniegoski.
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Description: New. 0451462491 New from the publisher-has remainder mark. Ships within 1 business day. Your 100% satisfaction is our guarantee! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Roc
Date Published: 2009-01-06
ISBN-13:9780451462497ISBN:0451462491
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780451462497. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Roc Trade
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780451462497ISBN:0451462491
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Edition: First Trade Paperback
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Roc, New York
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780451462497ISBN:0451462491
Description: Fine. No Jacket. SIGNED. Signed by Author AN OUTSTANDING COPY-SIGNED by Jim Butcher on the Title page. Author's Signature only. A First edition, First printing. Book is in Fine condition. Boards are clean, not bumped. Fore edges are clean. Interior is clean and legible. Not remaindered. Thanks and Enjoy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Roc Trade
Date Published: 1/6/2009
ISBN-13:9780451462497ISBN:0451462491
Description: New. 0451462491 Book is slightly bent. Ships Within 24 Hours. Excellent Customer Service. Upto 15 Days 100% Money Back Gurantee. Try Our Fast! ! ! ! Shipping With Tracking Number. read more
Description: Like New. Book appears unread, but may have a publisher's mark or minor shelf wear. We are the Twin Cities' largest independent book store. read more
"I was unsure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. The book consists of four novellas, two of which I would give three stars, and two of which I would give four stars. This may be part of the book's beauty. As I get older, I enjoy novellas and short story collections more and more. While all four of these stories are urban fantasy mysteries, they are distinct tales with different feels.
My favorites were by Jim Butcher and Kat Richardson. "The Warrior," by Butcher surprisingly touched me enough for my eyes to prickle. The story that has stayed with me most was "The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog." It had a different setting--Oaxaca City on the Day of the Dead--which meant a lot to me since I spent a couple months there when I was twelve. It is a very different place, and while the story did not mesh with my recollections, it did an excellent job of creating a setting that stands out from the usual.
The other two were good, but did not stick with me. Simon Green's "oldest bar in the world" in the Nightside district of London appealed, but I cannot imagine anybody trying to have sex with a computer, so I never really bought the district itself.
Lastly, I enjoyed the biblical issues in "Noah's Orphans," but I do not understand how a character could be obsessed with taking care of animals and create his fortune in the oil business.
"No surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Butcher's short story "The Warrior". A fast-paced tale, centering on Michael Carpenter, his family, and his connections within the church many months after the events in 'Small Favor'. One of the reasons why I enjoy Butcher's stories is that his novels are filled with character development and lots of action. We don't get 3+ pages of unnecessary description about the scene, and if the description goes on for more than a paragraph, it's because it's important to the characters or the scene itself. This is also why his novels are so tough to put down once started.
I also easily fell into Kat Richardson's Harper Blaine story "The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog". A 'Greywalker' story centered around a third party client's bequest in their will to place a clay dog statue on someone's grave during the Day of the Dead celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. I found the mystery to be intriguing and the characters engaging. I have the first 2 novels of the 'Greywalker' series, and I planned to get around to reading them eventually. However, I enjoyed this story so much that I'm bumping them up to "next" after I finish Butcher's 'Turn Coat' and 'Princep's Fury'.
To a lesser degree, I enjoyed Thomas Sneigoski's 'Remy Chandler' short story "Noah's Orphans" -- particularly his conversations with his Black Lab Marlowe (who reminded me of Shadow, the dog I grew up with). The story was well-written, interesting, and I liked Remy & Marlowe, but the battling of fallen angels and tracking of Noah's killer is just not interesting subject matter for me.
It is rare that every story in an anthology speaks to the reader. "Mean Streets" does pretty well in that I enjoyed 3 of the 4 stories presented. The final short story "The Difference A Day Makes" by Simon R. Green was the dud for me. John Taylor is a private investigator in The Nightside ("the longest night in the world, where the sun has never shone and never will") where anything dark, sick & twisted that can be imagined can be found. Taylor is a paranormal version of the hardboiled detective Philip Marlowe with the dialogue sounding exactly like Humphrey Bogart's characterization. I never connected with any of the characters, and the mystery was unappealing to me. Way too formulaic in style and plot, and too much overblown description about things I could care less about. I found the story to be boring and trite, and it was a struggle to read the entire tale and not just stop reading after the first chapter."
"The Jim Butcher short that opens this collection is pretty good. It addresses a pretty significant gap between two of the Harry Dresden novels and gives better perspective on the Carpenter family and Michael's recovery, which is good, because Michael is a wonderful character and it's nice that he didn't just pop out existence entirely. It also does some of what I think is foreshadowing about the swords, which makes me anxious for the next book.
The second short, by Simon R. Green, is quite macabre and somewhat unsatisfying. There is a lot of build up to a horrifying climax that is... exactly what the protagonist told the damsel in distress it would be. It was engaging, in that the characters, world-building and writing were facinatingly creepy, but all in all, I was very glad when it was over. Heebie Jeebies.
The third short, by Kat Richardson, has two fantastic settings: Seattle and Mexico. Since both places are near and dear to my heart, the scene-building exposition really worked for me, because I like simply sitting around and letting both those places take shape in my imagination. Others might wish she'd skip some of that, however. The story wasn't terribly deep, but it was well-written, and I like the concept of The Grey, the spirit world we see through the eyes of the protagonist. In fact, I liked it enough so that I"m off to investigate the author's other works and add them to my list.
I haven't read the fourth novella yet, and I"ll try, but likely fail, to remember to come back here and update when I finish it."
"“Mean Streets” is filled with four novellas, but I was only interested and read, “The Warrior” by Jim Butcher. Harry is receiving photos of his friend Michael, his family, and his work. Someone is after the swords! They are threatening to harm Michael’s family to get them. Harry takes it upon himself to protect his retired friend, while keeping the swords out of the wrong hands. His investigation leads him to Father Forthill for the answers."
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