Dark and Stormy Knights [Paperback]

P. N. Elrod (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: July 20, 2010

It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest….

They’re the ultimate defenders of humanity—modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.

John Marcone sets aside his plans to kill Harry Dresden to go head-to-head with a cantrev lord in Jim Butcher’s Even Hand.  Kate Daniels is called upon for bodyguard duty to protect Saimen, a shifter she trusts less than the enemy in Ilona Andrews’ A Questionable Client.  Cormac must stop a killer werewolf before it attacks again on the next full moon in Carrie Vaughn’s God’s Creatures.  And in Vicki Pettersson’s Shifting Star, Skamar gets more than she bargained for when she goes after a creature kidnapping young girls—and enlists the aid of her frustratingly sexy neighbor.

When everything’s on the line, will these knights complete their missions and live to fight again another day?  Find out in Dark and Stormy Knights!

Includes stories from:

Ilona Andrews

Jim Butcher

Shannon K. Butcher

Rachel Caine

P.N. Elrod

Deidre Knight

Vicki Pettersson

Lilith Saintcrow

Carrie Vaughn

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elrod's second urban fantasy anthology is not quite as good as 2009's Mean Streets, though the one author both volumes share, Jim Butcher, does his usual top-notch job with the Dresden Files tie-in "Even Hand," a dramatic character study of Chicago crime boss John Marcone and his little-known but powerful drive to protect small children at any cost. Equally as good is Carrie Vaughn's taut and suspenseful "God's Creatures," in which a hunter searches for a werewolf among the residents of a Catholic reform school. Rachel Caine's "Even a Rabbit Will Bite," in which a dragon slayer is rendered redundant by the near extinction of her quarry, is unexpectedly poignant. Six less memorable stories round out the volume.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Elrod has collected nine original stories by the modern masters of urban fantasy; an anthology that will both thrill fans and serve as a nice introduction to an increasingly popular genre. Several of the stories are set in the authors' series worlds but feature minor characters; Jim Butcher's “Even Hand,” for example, uses the landscape of the Dresden Files series but focuses on Chicago Mob boss Johnny Marcone. Carrie Vaughn's “God's Creatures” features Cormac, who must track down a rogue werewolf. All the stories feature knights of one kind or another, but none is the conventional knight of history. The entire collection is strong, but the two highlights are Rachel Caine's “Even a Rabbit Will Bite,” about two old foes, and Shannon Butcher's “The Beacon,” in which a reluctant hunter must decide the fate of a small girl. With some of the biggest names in urban fantasy contributing stories, this anthology will be an instant hit with fans. --Jessica Moyer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312598343
• ISBN-13: 978-0312598341
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The best UF anthology I've ever read. July 20, 2010

By Abigail TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels prequel)

Review:
I would have bought the whole anthology for this story alone. We get an early glimpse at Kate's life and find out how she met the shapeshifter Saiman. Sadly, no Curran, but we do get a fun bit of Russian mythology. If you haven't tried this series yet, you get a great sense of the humor, characters, and world that Kate lives in all packed into 46 excellent pages....5/5 bats

Even Hand by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #11.5)

Review:
I've only ready a couple Harry Dresden books so far, and wasn't familiar with the character of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone who is the protagonist this time (Harry only gets a few mentions, mostly from Marcone wanting to kill him). This story had a Thumbelina quality for me in that Marcone protects a beautiful young woman who escaped after being abducted by a nasty froglike creature. I loved the character of Marcone with his harsh, stoic exterior that belies a more compassionate man than even he's willing to acknowledge...4/5 bats

The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher

Review:
Possibly the weakest story in the bunch for me, but still good. A self-loathing man has killed dozens of men who, unbeknownst to them, are beacons for unstoppable killing monsters, before they can summon the creature...until he discovers the next beacon is a little girl with a beautiful single mother...3/5 bats
Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine

Review:
My second favorite after the Kate Daniels story. The last dragonslayer must train her replacement before she can retire. This one had a cool Buffy vibe with the idea of a watcher training a young woman who had no idea she had a destiny. The ending was a fantastic surprise...5/5 bats

Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod (The Vampire Files #?)

Review:
Vampire PI Jack Fleming helps a woman trying to clear her fiancés name and keep the mob from killing him in this 1930's story. A fun supernatural mystery with temperamental ghost...3/5 bats

Beknighted by Deidre Knight

Review:
Another one of the weaker stories. A puzzle maker/painter must work alongside a dangerous man to free another who has been haunting her dreams. PNR fans will like the added romance of this story, but I found it slightly confusing and apart from a few references, it could have been a regency story...3/5
Shifting Star by Vicki Pettersson (Sign of the Zodiac #4.5)

Review:
I'm not a huge fan of this series, and it took me awhile to remember what was going on since the author didn't ever really explain her complex world this time. I don't recommend newbies to this world start here as there are lots of spoilers from the previous books. It focuses on the character Skamar as she continues her quest to destroy the Tulpa, this time with the help of her hot neighbor cop...3/5

Rookwood and Mrs. King by Lilith Saintcrow

Review:
I'm a fan of Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series, so I was hopeful with this one, and I loved it. A dhampir vampire hunter helps a wife/widow stake her newly turned lawyer husband and imparts his vampire knowledge along the way. A little sexy, a little mysterious, and a lot of fun. I hope Lilith considers writing more about Rookwood in the future...4/5 bats

God's Creatures by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville #2.5)

Review:
This is the shortest story in the bunch (only 31 pages) and it feels it. Kitty is a no show. Instead this story focuses on werewolf hunter Cormac as he accepts a job to eliminate a rogue werewolf before it kills any humans at the local Catholic school. Not a lot going on in the story, but Cormac fans might enjoy it...3/5 bats
Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, some great, some Ok, a little dark in places July 28, 2010

By Wulfstan TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ok, I know many Jim Butcher fans are going to be interested in the short story here, hoping it has a hint about what the heck happened to Our Hero (I am being a little vague in case some of you haven't read "Changes" Book 12). No, sorry, no news here, this story is told from the viewpoint of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone. Not a bad story at all, but not Jim's best, either. Note that "Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files" ("This title will be released on October 26, 2010") will include a story titled "Aftermath" , which is set right after the end of "Changes". I already have mine pre-ordered!

There's a Kate Daniels tale by the husband & wife writing team known as "Ilona Andrews", which is very "Kate Daniels" in tone- fans of that series will love it, new readers can see if the series is their cup of tea, so this is a good choice for either.

"The Beacon" by Shannon K. Butcher reads a great deal like a Twilight Zone episode, one of the better ones, but not one of the "top ten" if you know what I mean. It starts with the twist. Interesting.

Rachel Caine comes at us with a new character, and the story is quite interesting with a few twists and turns. Reminds me a bit of "Buffy", you'll see why.

PN Elrod supplies us with a new short about her Vampire Noir Detective, Jack Fleming, set in 1930's gangland Chicago. Good intro for new readers, nice tidbit for her fans. I found her series interesting, and the first couple of books I enjoyed very much. This has prodded me into looking for the next couple of these books.

Deidre Knight, a writer of paranormal romance novels, has a short story set in an very different world. I think I needed to know more about that world's backstory before I could enjoy this, but I have never read any of her stuff before, so it went over my head. Confusing if read by itself. I am not sure if her other novels tread into this world.

Vicki Pettersson's short is set in her world, and it's also a bit hard to get into or grok unless you have read more of her stuff. Good for her fans, not very useful if you haven't read that series.

Lilith Saintcrow has a nice little Dhampir/half-vampire detective story. I think it's a stand-alone, certainly it's not based upon her two well-known series protagonists. I enjoyed it.

Carrie Vaughn has a nice but very short character piece on what it's like to be a werewolf hunter.

Overall a mixed bag. If you are a fan of two or more of these authors or series, this would be a good choice.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely recommended! July 23, 2010

By silverwolf

Format:Paperback

I enjoy anthologies very much. You get a story or two from authors you know and love (Jim Butcher, you rock and so does Marcone! Loved the story from his POV and PN Elrod, I love Myrna and was thrilled to read a story that featured her more!). And, you get a chance to sample other authors of that genre. As far as I'm concerned, those two stories in particular made this book worth the purchase. However, this book also gave me the chance to try out several other authors without investing in their books right away and I love that opportunity. Pick this book up. You may discover your new favorite author.