Songs of Love and Death: All Original Tales of Star Crossed Love [Hardcover]

Gardner Dozois (Editor), George R. R. Martin (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: November 16, 2010

IN this star-studded cross-genre anthology, seventeen of the greatest modern authors of fantasy, science fiction, and romance explore the borderlands of their genres with brand-new tales of ill-fated love. From zombie-infested woods in a postapocalyptic America to faery-haunted rural fields in eighteenth- century England, from the kingdoms of high fantasy to the alien world of a galaxy-spanning empire, these are stories of lovers who must struggle against the forces of magic and fate.

Award-winning, bestselling author Neil Gaiman demonstrates why he’s one of the hottest stars in literature today with “The Thing About Cassandra,” a subtle but chilling story of a man who meets an old girlfriend he had never expected to see.

International blockbuster bestselling author Diana Gabaldon sends a World War II RAF pilot through a stone circle to the time of her Outlander series in “A Leaf on the Winds of All Hallows.” Torn from all he knows, Jerry MacKenzie determinedly survives hardship and danger, intent on his goal of returning home to his wife and baby—no matter the cost.

New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher presents “Love Hurts,” in which Harry Dresden takes on one of his deadliest adversaries and in the process is forced to confront the secret desires of his own heart.

Just the smallest sampling promises unearthly delights, but look also for stories by New York Times bestselling romance authors Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney, and by such legends of the fantasy genre as Peter S. Beagle and Tanith Lee, as well as many other popular and beloved writers, including Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, and Robin Hobb. This exquisite anthology, crafted by the peerless editing team of George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, is sure to leave you under its spell.

 

Discover the many realms of the heart with this extraordinary cast of acclaimed authors:

PETER S. BEAGLE

JO BEVERLEY

JIM BUTCHER

JACQUELINE CAREY

DIANA GABALDON

NEIL GAIMAN

YASMINE GALENORN

M.L.N. HANOVER

ROBIN HOBB

CECELIA HOLLAND

TANITH LEE

MARJORIE M. LIU

MARY JO PUTNEY

LINNEA SINCLAIR

MELINDA SNODGRASS

LISA TUTTLE

CARRIE VAUGHN

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful anthology." -- Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

George R. R. Martin is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for his epic A Song of Ice and Fire series. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; First Edition edition (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439150141
• ISBN-13: 978-1439150146
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Songs of Love & Death November 21, 2010

By Anna Lemkau

Format:Hardcover

This anthology holds stories about star-crossed lovers. The authors included in the book are: Jim Butcher, Jo Beverly, Carrie Vaughn, M.L.N. Hanover, Cecelia Holland, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Tuttle, Linnea Sinclair, Mary Jo Putney, Tanith Lee Peter S. Beagle, Yasmine Galenorn & Diana Gabaldon.

There were a few stories I didn't care for - but all in all it was a good read. A well put together anthology. Whether your a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy, your gonna find something you love in the pages of this book. Here are a few of my favorite stories...

Love Hurts by Jim Butcher- Fun read! Very much classic Dresden. Harry realizes something about himself that most fans have known for a while.

The Thing About Cassandra by Neil Gaiman- This was my first time reading anything by Gaiman. I have to say this story was freaky, but absolutely brilliant.

You, and You Alone by Jacqueline Carey- As heart wrenching as this story was - I loved it! Fans of the Kushiel's Legacy will eat this one up. Especially since it's narrated by Anafiel Delaunay, a much beloved character.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Songs of Love and Death January 24, 2012

By Katherine Hooper VINE™ VOICE

Format:MP3 CD

George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois have collected a nice batch of all-new stories from an all-star cast in Songs of Love and Death. The theme is "star-crossed lovers," and as you might guess from the title, each tale is a love story, and many are death stories, too. Some are sad, some are sexy, and one or two are slightly sappy. Overall, I enjoyed the collection. Here's what you'll find in Songs of Love and Death:

-- "Love Hurts" by Jim Butcher may be the story Harry Dresden's fans have been waiting for because it looks like Harry and Murphy will finally get together... or will they?
-- In "The Marrying Maid," historical romance author Jo Beverley provides a Regency romance in which a court fop tries to seduce a practical spinster, but this time there's a fairy legend that's spurring him on.
-- In "Rooftops" by Carrie Vaughn, a young playwright who's nervous about her opening night is rescued by a mysterious masked superhero. She has a boyfriend, but she just can't get that masked stranger off her mind.
-- "Hurt Me" by M.L.N. Hanover is an excellently eerie haunted house story. One of the best in this collection.
-- "Demon Lover" by historical fiction writer Cecelia Holland is an erotic fairy tale. Though it was obvious where this one was going, it was still entertaining.
-- In "The Wayfarer's Advice" by Melinda M. Snodgrass, the captain of an illicit spaceship rescues the heiress of an empire.
-- I'm always a fan of Robin Hobb, so it's not surprising that "Blue Boots" was one of my favorites in this collection. It takes place in Buck Town and tells the story of a kitchen maid who falls in love with a wandering minstrel.
-- "The Thing About Cassandra" by Neil Gaiman is a strange story about a man who meets his imaginary girlfriend. This one was kind of mind-blowing, which means I liked it.
-- "After the Blood" by Marjorie M. Liu involves a vampire trying to survive in a zombie-infested backwater Amish farm community. I couldn't finish it.
-- Jacqueline Carey fans will not want to miss "You, and You Alone" which takes place during that tragic scene in Kushiel's Dart when Anafiel Delaunay is assassinated. As he lies dying, he reminisces about Edmée, Rolande, Isabel, and Alcuin and gives us a lot of backstory that has only been hinted at until now.
-- In "His Wolf" by Lisa Tuttle, a new college professor falls in love with a drug dealer and his pet wolf. I had a hard time believing in that romance.
-- Linnea Sinclair's "Courting Trouble" is a fun space romp. The sweet romance in this story particularly touched me, but if I told you why, I'd be spoiling the plot.
-- "The Demon Dancer" by Mary Jo Putney is about a Guardian who needs to stop a succubus who's running wild in New York City. I didn't like this one. The romance was icky, and some parts of the plot required a degree of suspension of disbelief that I couldn't muster.
-- "Under/Above the Water" by Tanith Lee is a beautiful mysterious legend about an ancient king's unfaithful wife and their underwater kingdom.
-- In "Kaskia" by Peter S. Beagle, an unhappy middle-aged man makes first contact with a beautiful alien on his new laptop computer. This story was fascinating and excellently written and reminds me why I keep thinking "I must read more Peter S. Beagle!"
-- "Man in the Mirror" by Yasmine Galenorn is another haunted house story. I liked the premise, but the romance was hard to swallow.
-- "A Leaf in the Wind of All Hallows" by Diana Gabaldon is a heart-wrenching story that her fans are sure to love since it's linked to her popular OUTLANDER series. I really can't wait to read that.

Brilliance Audio has a very good production of Songs of Love and Death which is read by a small cast of narrators. My only complaint is that Phil Gigante has only one female voice and it's not suitable for the wide variety of women he portrays. He does a great job with male voices, though.

There were a few weak stories in Songs of Love and Death, but some excellent ones, too. Don't miss the stories by M.L.N. Hanover, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Jacqueline Carey, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, and Diana Gabaldon. Fans of the DRESDEN FILES should not miss Butcher's story.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Big names, Big stories February 27, 2011

By Sarah

Format:Hardcover

If there were ever a more star-cast book in the SF/Fantasy romance genre, I have never seen it. This anthology is full of big names and connections to big stories.

"Love Hurts" by Jim Butcher takes place in the Dresden world, and for anyone who is a fan of Harry/Murphy, this will be a great addition to the series.

Neil Gaiman's "The Thing About Cassandra" is suitably bizzare from the King of Dreams. I think here a true fan will love this while those who aren't much into Gaiman's works will find it a little too odd.

For Kushiel fans, Jacqueline Carey's story is the long awaited tale of Anafiel and Rolande. THE story everyone has been waiting for since book one. And it doesn't disappoint.

"Kaskia" by Peter S. Beagle has that polish that one would expect from the man who brought us "The Last Unicorn."

Finally, "Man in the Mirror" was for me the surprise, having never read any of Yasmine Galenorn's works before. This was a touching tale, well worth the read.

Other stories were good, some better than others, all fitting the theme of star-crossed lovers. This is a nice addition to my "keeper" shelf!