Finished reading Through the Veil last night, and all I can say is WOW.
Where do I start? First off, while I do have a story in here, I am presenting a (mostly) unbiased review. Mind you, what I point out for any given story really applies to all of them.
The anthology starts off with a story from Shannon Bright, and it pulls absolutely no punches in doing so. This story is a beautiful opener, wonderfully wrought, and I’ve never been so immediately nestled in a world of words.
Next up is Rance D. Denton’s story, and let me tell you what: you are not ready for this. It’s so good, and draws you in and circles around you before it strikes. The characters feel alive and the ending. THE ENDING. I want more.
The poem by Dewi Hargreaves, giving so much oomph and feeling in so few words. I love poetry, even if I never feel like the target audience, and what he constructed here is nothing sort of amazing. An astounding piece, a genius with words. Powerful.
Stephen Howard follows up next, and here we have another epic story that somehow gets contained in a short story. Action, battles, epic adventures, all wrapped up in a neat short. How he did this magic trick, I am not sure I’ll ever know. Pure wizardry.
Alexander James is just stellar. The adrenaline-pumping prose on display here, dragging you along for the ride, holding everything together when you don’t have another choice. The skill on display here is just awe-inspiring.
The next story comes form Daniel Quigley, and let me tell you something: this man can tell a hell of a story. The sheer level of action here and the scale of what’s hinted at, the tip of an epic iceberg of an urban fantasy world. The raw power of these words is just, well, 👩🍳💋
Dina S. brings us another story full of wonder and woe, a world within a world, another epic tale that’s, somehow, only a short story. Such world-building without lore dumping, giving just enough to let the reader see and figure it out, and a many-faceted magic system to boot? Such a good story!
Me. I’m next. I was scared of reading my own story, because, well, it’s from a handful of years ago and after reading everything that came before? I was certain it would be rough and not indicative of what I can do with words. I was wrong.
And last, but certainly not or never least, K. Thomas brings us home with a fantastic story leaving us with a clear picture: always have hope. The fast-paced battle scenes here had me feeling the whoosh of air, had me right along for the ride. The characters felt alive, jumped off of the page, told me their story.
All in all, this is a freaking great anthology, written and put together for an even better cause. You should not pass on this one at all.
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