Vengeance Fantastic

by Tim Waggoner, Deb Stover, Susan Sizemore, et al.

This wickedly satisfying new anthology includes 17 original tales about the fine art of getting even-and the price that taking revenge may cost. From a young woman who must betray her beliefs to save her people from marauding Vikings...to a goddess willing to pull down the very heavens to bring justice to a god...to a deal struck between Adam and Eve and Lucifer himself...here are spellbinding stories that will strike a chord with every reader. But...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756400848
• ISBN13: 9780756400842
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

17 short stories: bad bosses, exes, and other enemies

Braunbeck, Gary A.: "Have a Drink on Me" The narrator alone in this collection quotes "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord". A recovering alcoholic, he's faked drunkenness to get uninterrupted access to his genuinely drunk target at a party - but why does he seek vengeance on this stranger?Elrod, P. N.: "The Astral Outrage" Catherine Prendergast, the narrator, became a Victorian psychic investigator (with matching narrative style) trying to find and stop whatever is draining the lives out of various students at a girls' boarding school. That thread comes to a very quick resolution; I prefer the background - how she met her teacher, Mr. Jones, after a fake medium made the mistake of pretending to speak for Catherine's late husband. :)Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: Among the narrator's people, magic is "Knotwork"; relationships are perceived as knots, to be controlled by the skill of the better knotmaker. Nuala came to our world to learn new things, and upon marrying Hugh 7 years ago, bound her power to allow him to retain free will. But in his ignorance, Hugh has undone those knots with his infidelity...Jocks, Von: "Nothing Says 'I Love You' Like the Kiss of Cold Steel" :) Platitudes about living well cut no ice with the narrator, Tuppence Tuloni, born Mari Telemachus. She's calling on her family only for retribution: ensuring her infant son's inheritance, thus depriving others of theirs. Tuppence and her husband/partner Cal *completely* outclass the slimy Telemachus brood, and their stormy relationship keeps us guessing about just how many - and whose - corpses will grace the story. ('Marsais, healing potion!' is the chamberlain's most frequent order.) (PG-13 warning: Tuppence and Cal, not pretending to be nice people, get rather...stimulated...by violence.)McCay, Bill: "Matchbook Magic" is subtitled "or, How I Saved the World from Mortie DeMerz" - the narrator's no-account roommate, who never takes responsibility for his own problems. Unfortunately, the "Learn power...others in my secret cult", etc. advertisement (send [money]) Mortie finds on the back of a matchbox turns out to be *true*.Nye, Jody Lynn: "Even Tempo" Derren composed a magnificent song for a middle-aged witch the night before the Tournament of Troubadours, and Vanisa granted leave for Derren to use it in competition. But when the arrogant favourite steals Vanisa's song, she agrees to help Derren get even, although her magic must affect *both* musicians.Odom, Mel: Terry Farrell's father raised him to be both decent and tough; Terry's narration begins with a barfight in Singapore, knowing what his father would have done. Then old Father Liam sends word that Terry's father has been killed in a "Smoker" - an illegal boxing match - Terry (the narrator) comes home to settle his old man's affairs. For the flavor, think of Robert Parker's Spenser if he'd grown up in a much rougher neighbourhood, with *only* his father.Pack, Janet: "Listen to the Cat" If Elaine had, she'd have been spared a bad marr

A Good Read

As someone who reads a lot of anthologies, I have to say this is one of Denise Little's better ones. At first, I was concerned about how this topic was going to be handled. Was it just going to be good guys always win justice, or would it be strictly characters turned bad in their quest for revenge? Happily this book offers those, but many other different views. The majority of the stories are well written, and the authors' takes on vengenece are interesting. This book is well worth the time.