Sixteen Hilarious tales of the paths that shouldn't have been taken Everyone knows that heroes should triumph, dragons should be slain, and maidens should be rescued. But what if things don't go according to plan? Here are fun-filled tales of magic gone awry, from an author whose unicorn protagonist takes control of the story, to a person who can hear food talking, to a confusing case of murder in fairy-tale land-with many strange events and surprising consequences in between.
The Poisoned Chalice by Brian Stableford - ****
Cool concept. Love the idea that a minor character trait (resistance to peeking) leads to an all important mission. I did feel sorry for poor Umsonofer though for what he had to go through to accomplish his mission.
Battle of Wits by Mickey Zucker Reichert - ****
I love how the unicorn outsmarted her author.
The Hero of Killorglin by Fiona Patton - ***
Was a bit confusing at first figuring out the characters. Nice tale of a heroic dog and an annoying cat.
Goblin Lullaby by Jim C. Hines - ***
Interesting tale about how Jig survived infant-hood due to a bet.
Crumbs by Esther M. Friesner - ***
New take on Hansel & Gretel. The poor witch was only trying to make some money. Nice ending.
Fellow Traveler by Donald J. Bingle - **
A minor magician travels with barbarians to stay safe by convincing them he is much more powerful and his lies come back to haunt him.
Food Fight by Alan Dean Foster - ***
A man hears food talking to him and goes to a psychologist. Has an interesting twist.
Moonlighting by Devon Monk - **
A pixie gets upset that the house is too clean and he doesn't have enough to do, so he ends up getting seen by the child and given Barbie clothes and has to find a new position.
The Rose, the Farmboy and the Gnome by Phaedra M. Weldon - ***
After Jed steals a magicial gnome, he is forced to use it for a wish to save his own hide. It doesn't work out exactly as planned.
A Day at the Unicorn Races by Christina F. York - **
Bubbles, a unicorn jockey is having feeling for Al, but doesn't want to give up racing.
Dragonslayer: Being the True and Terrible Tale of a Fearsome Meeting Between a Man and a Monster by Jana Panniccia - **
Hamster makes a living by showing people the cave of a dead dragon, but this newest tour group is going to cause some trouble.
The Murder of Mr. Wolf by Josepha Sherman - ***
Investigating the murder of Mr. Wolf leads Beau Peep and Marie Gobeur in search of many fairy tale residents with motive. A nice twist at the end.
New Yorke Snow by Suzanne Sizemore - ***
Nice twist on Snow White. Love the unicorn.
Meet the Madfeet by Michael Jasper - ***
Started slow but the end was worth it. A wizard is sent to help the Madfeet defeat a dragon.
Finder's Keepers by Jenny Wurts - ***
Taffire, a runt wyvern goes on an adventure to hell when he pisses off an imp who is trying to steal his master's spell book.
Is This Real Enough by Lisanne Norman - ***
A lot of characters and a bit confusing, but a fun idea using MMO players