Mystery Date [Paperback]

Denise Little (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Flirt with the unknown in 17 unusual tales of blind dates

When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations. Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more.

All of these very different dates begin with the hope that romance will result. Some will find a happily ever after, while for others there will be no "ever after" at all...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Real-world first dates may often end badly, but most of the entries in this gathering of supernaturally charged dating adventures end more than well enough to satisfy. The 17 stories range widely in scope and flavor. Standouts include Scott William Carter's tale of a haunted stereo, Diane Duane's crisp updating of a Scandinavian legend, Jacey Bedford's modern yet enchanting The Urbane Fox, and Diane A.S. Stuckart's clever Who's Behind the Door, which opens the volume with a clever riff on the vintage board game referenced in the anthology's title. Few stories are less than entertaining, though Laura Resnick's By Any Other Name revels a little too much in deliberate clichés, and no less than three selections involve ancient Greco-Roman myths. There are both dark tales and light among the offerings, and while fantasy dominates, horror and SF are both represented. As theme anthologies go, this one is unusually successful. (Feb.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW (February 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075640469X
• ISBN-13: 978-0756404697
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,078,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alice Henderson is a writer of both fiction and video game material. Her most recent novel, Voracious, pits a lone hiker against a shapeshifting creature in the wilderness of Glacier National Park. She wrote the Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels Night Terrors and Portal Through Time. While working at LucasArts, she wrote video game material for several Star Wars titles. She holds a master's degree in folklore and mythology. Her novel Portal Through Time won the Scribe Award for Best Novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fantasy first date, February 8, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery Date (Paperback)

These twenty short stories focus on a first date with either one or both partners coming from a fantasy DNA or the location somewhat out of the mundane realm. Each of the tales is lighthearted amusing fun with no clinkers. However, there is apparently a limitation to how far one can go one a first date so about half way through the contributions begin to have a déjà vu feel to them. This reviewer enjoyed all, but especially learning what to expect while dating a shapeshifter ("Choop" by Nancy Springer) and Jean Rabe's "Anne of the One Gable" whose double blind date won an Oscar for the Philadelphia Story. The writers seem to have fun with the theme and the audience will appreciate their efforts; however to truly savor suggest spreading the read over a few weeks so each date remains fresh.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars OK read., February 21, 2009

By 

D. Nguyen "Team Wrong" (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystery Date (Paperback)

Book is cute. There are good stories and most are just ok. Not great. If you've nothing else to read and just want to burn some pages, you can burn through this book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A So-So Collection, April 8, 2009

By 

Steven Woodcock "Ferretman" (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystery Date (Paperback)

I'm a general fan of collections of this sort (particularly this general series) of science fiction and fantasy stories and I had high hopes that this one would be enjoyable.

Unfortunately not so much. There are a few stories that are definitely well written and witty (the first one, Mystery Date, is particularly good) but after that I found myself skimming several. For the most part I think I simply felt the others were either forced or just didn't belong in this collection. I think that if the premise of the book had in fact been to write stories based on the old board game Mystery Date (as the first story was) it might have been a more compelling collection.

Not a bad book if you're building a collection, but I wouldn't recommend it over any number of others.