Heroes Wanted: A Fantasy Anthology
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“What do you think a hero is? It’s just the right person in the right place making the right choice at the right time. Heroes aren’t born. They’re made.”
**r/Fantasy Stabby Award Winner – Best Anthology 2019**
A demonic assassin. A half-orc boxer. A ratman necromancer. Though they take many different shapes and forms, there are heroes all around us.
Bravery can be found in the most unexpected a subterranean dwarven city; the sands of a temple courtyard in Ancient Egypt; a besieged castle, a Victorian brothel, a goblin warren, the post-apocalyptic ruins of a demon-infested village. Heroes dwell in the shadows as well as the light; you just have to look a little harder to find them.
Who do they fight?
Some heroes challenge injustice in all its numerous guises, while others hunt monsters both human and bestial. Others battle inner demons, the ghosts of their past, their deepest nightmares – or even the gods themselves.
Why do they fight?
For glory? Sometimes. For honor? Perhaps. There are those who instinctively strive to protect those weaker than themselves, and there are others emboldened only by a sense of obligation, or the promise of wealth. Whether by the blade or other means, they endeavor to take down all who threaten what is good and right in their world.
By hook or by crook, through cunning or combat, with tooth and claw or iron and steel, they are all united in one goal, willingly or to live – and die, if necessary – a hero.
Choose your weapon. Fight for what you believe in. Never give up.
Nineteen fantasy writers gather to bring nineteen tales to life, each one a unique glimpse into a wholly original world.
Featured Series
3 primary books5 released booksPaternus Trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by Dyrk Ashton.
Reviews with the most likes.
I have been reading a lot of fantasy short stories recently. There is definitely an art to condensing everything needed into a short form. They are also great for introducing you to new authors. Most anthologies have a theme running through - this one is themed on what it means to be a hero. The heroic super character is an oft used fantasy trope, but the stories contained here take a much more nuanced look at the idea of heroics. They focus on the small things, the beginnings and the ideals. I have read a few of Laura M. Hughes short stories before, and have been thoroughly impressed. She takes that deft grasp of what makes a good short story and has managed to curate a fantastic collection of good up and coming authors works in this collection. Her own contribution ‘Ratman' doesn't disappoint either, a great story about redemption and turning weakness into strength. ‘Half-breed' and ‘Fresh off the boat' were two others that I found particularly memorable, but there were no especially weak stories in this collection.
These are all young, new authors and if this is the future of fantasy we have a lot to look forward to! This collection is also a steal, being free on amazon. Definitely check it out!
Read 6 stories (30%). Enjoyed not one of them. 2 started very well, but eventually fizzled out into boredom. The rest not even that. None was terrible, all had ok or good writing, but I simply lost hope for the anthology as a whole.
