Home Improvement: Undead Edition [Hardcover]

Charlaine Harris (Editor), Toni L. P. Kelner (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: August 2, 2011

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before- published Sookie Stackhouse story!

There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherwordly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself.

Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Fourteen authors hit the nail on the head with these truly DIY nightmares. With literal skeletons in the closet or portals in the attic, the stories range from the chilling to the offbeat' Romantic Times Book Review. 'a solid collection filled with enjoyable, quirky and fun packed stories. As always, Harris and Kelner have commissioned the best the genre has to offer' Andromeda's Offspring. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Charlaine Harris writes the No. 1 Sunday Times and internationally bestselling paranormal fantasy series featuring Sookie Stackhouse (the basis for the HBO series True Blood), amongst others. She lives in Texas. Toni L.P. Kelner is the Agatha Award-winning author of the 'Where are they now?' and 'Laura Fleming' mystery series. She was awarded a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and has coedited four very successful fantasy/mystery anthologies with Charlaine Harris. She lives in Massachusetts, USA. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780441020355
• ISBN-13: 978-0441020355
• ASIN: 0441020356
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 - 4 stars - If you thought remodeling your home was hell, you ain't seen nothing yet. August 12, 2011

By melindeeloo TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Home Improvement the Undead Edition is a pretty varied collection of stories some urban fantasy and a few horror. Many of the authors here offer shorts connected to their long running series, which is fun for us fans. On the whole though, this is a pretty mixed bag, there are some stories that I just slogged through side by side with some that I really enjoyed. I found that my favorites on the whole were ones by authors that were already my favorites - well they are my favorites for a reason.

<<<--------These were my favorites-------->>>>
"Through This House" by Seanan McGuire - a Toby Daye connected short. The first step in Toby's remodel of the Knowe she inherited, get the house to recognize her ownership - Liked this one, looks like a lot has happened to Toby since I read the first book, I really need to move the rest of the series to the top of the TBR pile

"Rick the Brave" by Stacia Kane - A Downside connected short. Electrician Rick is gonna earn his big paycheck during this Downside remodel - I enjoyed this one even though I've only read Kane's demons and not her Chess books. There's a bit of Chess and Terrible for Downside fans.

"Full-Scale Demolition" by Suzanne McLeod - A Spellcrackers connected short. A Pixie hunting gig, lands magical troubleshooter Genny in some scaly trouble - this one was really fun.

"The Brightest Day" by Tony Kelner - A woman contracted to raise the dead has to keep reanimating an architect's revenant or his final project will never be finished - The irreverent voudou practitioner and the funny ending made for a humorous wrap up to the anthology....

<<<----These were pretty good too -------->>>>
"Gray" by Patricia Briggs - Seems to be set in another part of Mercy's world - A woman returns to rebuild her home - There was a nice amount of pathos to the setup and I liked the resolution, so this one worked for me.

"Blood on the Wall" by Heather Graham - A cult leader must now seek help from the detective he'd enjoyed harassing.

"The Strength Inside" by Melissa Marr - This one is suitably creepy but anyone who's had run ins with an Architectural Review board will appreciate the ending - Ok, creepy horror with humor, that I can handle - guess I am just twisted.

"It's All in the Rendering" by Simon Green - The Custodians of a multidimensional safe house must cut through the red tape when bureaucrats from more than one dimension demand improvements - Less bizarre than his usual fare, Green's offering still has enough of the feel of his offbeat style to entertain.

<<<-----These were okay, but didn't really grab me ------>>>>
"If I Had a Hammer" by Charlaine Harris - A Sookie connected short. Even the easiest remodeling projects take on a life of their own as Sookie, Sam, Tara and JB are soon to discover - As much as I normally enjoy wandering through Sookieville, this one was just okay - now if Harris had Eric and Pam in on a remodel project that could have been really amusing.

"Wizard Home Security" by Victor Gischler - A wizard learns it's a mistake to skimp on a home security system, when magic is involved.

"The Path" by S J Rozan - A timid guardian spirit seeking to reclaim a lost artifact, will set another spirit free for its next turn on the 'wheel'.

"Woolsey's Kitchen Nightmare" by EE Knight - this one was really oddball, not sure where the house theme comes in though since basically there's a change in management to a restaurant that caters to clientele with very specific tastes - I was on the verge of being offended by the chef's 'special' which turned to be a made up character and not the real one who it was obviously based on.

<<<<----These 'house of horrors' themed stories just didn't do it for me at all----->>>>
"Squatter's Rights" by Rocelle Krich - A couple moves into their new home, a home in which the past owners died, and now the wife is hearing noises...

"Mansion of Imperatives" by James Grady - Two couples can gain squatter's rights by spending some time in an abandoned house. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars nothing special September 5, 2011

By J. Allingham

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this becuase it had shorts by both Patricia Briggs & Charlene Harris. Overall I thought there were really only a couple of stories that were particularly good and none of the stories grabbed me enough to convince me to go find more by the same author, unlike several other short story collections I've read recently, one of which pulled me into Eileen Wilks Lily & Rule series which I really enjoyed.

While I quite enjoyed the Patricia Briggs story, it wasn't an addition to the Mercy Thompson series, although it could have been in the same world. The Sookie story was very much a stand-alone story that didn't flesh out anything in the series. If you don't read it you won't miss anything of relevance.

I won't go through each story individually - I think they will be very much a matter of taste for people.

All in all there are much better books out there for the money. I waffled between 2 & 3 stars (2.5 would be perfect) but finally gave it 3 because I did actually finish it so it wasn't so bad that I gave up on it so I guess that qualifies it as "ok". If I had known in advance how irrelevant the Sookie story was I probably wouldn't have bought this.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay at best August 26, 2011

By JLW

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If your desire to purchase this book is because of the Sookie Stackhouse story - don't. It's the most boring piece of writing from Harris she's ever written regarding the Sookie world. There were some other stories that were okay and so if you need to kill time on a plane, this has a consistent okay level for stories. This collection doesn't have the same highs/lows of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe nor Many Bloody Returns.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars always a treat... August 13, 2011

By R. Wilson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The good:*******************
Gray by Patricia Briggs - A vampire story set in Mercy's world (but without Mercy). New characters and a lot of fun.

The Strength Inside by Melissa Marr*- Bori sister's raising their little bori siblinds.. trying to make it in the human world, with an annoying home owners association. Loved the ending!!

Through This House by Seanan McGuire - A Toby Daye short that bridges Late Eclipses and One Salt Sea. Cannot wait to read this series. Fae and other mythical creatures.. strong female lead.

Woolsley's Kitchen Nightmare by E.E. Knight - Woolsley is a translife Gordon Ramsey, helping out failing restaurants to win back their clientele. Loved the ending of this one... amazing!!

Squatter's Rights by Rochelle Krich* - A couple is remodeling a house that turns out to have ghosts trapped in it which are poisoning the wife's mind. Very creepy.

Full-Scale Demolition by Suzanne McLeod *- Genny is a pixie-catching, non-spell working, sidhe who gets called in for more than she bargained for. Might be my favorite! Loved it. part of a series.

It's All in the Rendering by Simon R. Green*- A House set between reality and fantasy that guards the gateway between is suddenly garnering interest from both sides. Can it's keepers keep it safe?

The Brightest Day by Toni P. Kelner* -

The okay: *************************
If I had a Hammer by Charlaine Harris - I liked it fine, but I am sooo sick of charlaine writing fluff, end the sookie series..

Wizard Home Security by Victor Gischler* - A wizard's house is broken into so he gets a wizarding security firm to upgrade his defenses which then trap him when he is broken into again.

The Path by S. J.... Rozan*- The ghost of a monk must get the head of the Buddha statue returned before he can move on to his next life.

Rick the Brave by Stacia Kane*-A world where ghosts are real and can cause real damage, Rick goes to earn some quick money in a house renovation where unfortunately the house has a portal to the ghosts' city.

The bad:**********************
The Mansion of Imperatives by James Grady* - Some friends buy a house to flip but the house has other ideas. Just didnt do it for me, I can see how some may like it.

Blood on the Wall by Heather Graham* - A cult-leader is suspected of murdering his cult and the only one who believes him is the detective whose family tomb he's been defiling. the ending was the only good part. I saw it coming though.. so. Read more ›