Ratings12
Average rating4.2
An all-star urban fantasy collection featuring short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, and more . . . In this short story collection of courage, adventure, and magic, heroes—ordinary people who do the right thing—bravely step forward. But running toward danger might cost them everything. . . . In #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s “Little Things,” the pixie Toot-Toot discovers an invader unbeknownst to the wizard Harry Dresden . . . and in order to defeat it, he’ll have to team up with the dread cat Mister. In #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs’s “Dating Terrors,” the werewolf Asil finds an online date might just turn into something more—if she can escape the dark magic binding her. In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s “The Return of the Mage,” the Britlingen mercenaries will discover more than they’ve bargained for when they answer the call of a distress beacon on a strange and remote world. And in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s “Comfort Zone,” the necromancer Chloe Saunders and the werewolf Derek Souza are just trying to get through college. But they can’t refuse a ghost pleading for help. ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY Annie Bellet * Anne Bishop * Jennifer Brozek * Kevin Hearne * Nancy Holder * Kerrie L. Hughes * Chloe Neill * R.R. Virdi
Reviews with the most likes.
I really enjoyed this collection. It gave me a list of more authors I want to read.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Heroes have fascinated humanity since we started telling stories. They became even more fascinating when we started writing the stories down—and achieved the status previously reserved for pantheons of deities when we started putting them on the big screen. Heroes have become big business.
But heroes, real heroes, aren't titans or icons.
Real heroes are standing behind cash registers, starting cold trucks, getting kids out of bed. They're the everyday humans who happen to be standing there when something bad happens, and when there is a sudden need for skill, courage, or intelligence. They’re the regular people in irregular circumstances who find themselves considering others first and standing up to do whatever needs to be done.
WHAT'S HEROIC HEARTS ABOUT?
In her Foreword, Kellie Hughes describes this as
a collection of hopeful stories about courage, bravery, codes to live by, and people you can trust.
Who doesn't love a hero story? Here we have twelve stories from a dozen UF authors all approaching this idea in their own distinctive ways. Some are stand-alones, some are parts of a series.
AUTHORS I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH (IF AT ALL)
It's the rare anthology that will be full of only authors you know well—half the point of one of these is to be exposed to someone new so you can decide if you want to read more by them.
Charlaine Harris wrote the only story I didn't appreciate in this collection, I just couldn't get into it. That's likely something to do with my mood/what I ate today/something else. Most days, I simply wouldn't have cared—I don't think it's in me to really like this one.
I thought the rest of the stories were entertaining and well-executed, but a few are going to get me to keep an eye out for authors/series. Chloe Neill's "Silverspell" tempted me to check out the rest of that series, these are characters and a world I could spend more time with. Jennifer Brozek's "The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic" was great—ditto for "Grave Gambles" by R.R. Virdi.
"Troll Life" by Hughes was just wonderful. It's everything you want in a short story—we're given a well-developed world, a handful of strong and interesting characters, a good plot, and it just made me smile throughout.
AUTHORS I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH
Kevin Hearne, Patricia Briggs, and Jim Butcher are what brought me to this collection. I've read everything I can by them, so that's not surprising, right?
We meet up with Atticus, Starbuck, and Oberon in Australia, looking into the cause of a massive forest fire, in "Fire Hazard." It's told from Oberon's point of view, which makes it a sure-fire win. I'll read just about anything in Oberon's voice—and this story demonstrates why. It's funny and action-packed. Some of the best lines in the book are in this story, too.
I wasn't that interested in "Dating Terrors," by Patricia Briggs based on the idea. "Asil on a blind date" just doesn't draw me in—sure, I'm curious about Asil's activities, so I wanted to read it. But the concept didn't grab me. That lasted only a few pages—now I want to see more about Asil's date and her friends. Preferably with Asil around, but that's not necessary. I should've known Briggs would hook me by the end, and come into it with better expectations.
This brings us to the story the book opens with (but I saved until the end), Jim Butcher's "Little Things." This happens days after Battle Ground, as the city (and its wizard defender) is trying to recover from those events. The "Little Things" this story focused on are Major General Toot-Toot Minimus, his forces, Lacuna, and Mister. When a threat to the castle slips by the guards and other defenses, these heroes have to rise to the challenge. It's deceptively fun, light, and breezy. But it's Butcher, you know he won't let you off that easy. Dresden in the shadow of Battle Ground? The emotional core of this story isn't small. The story made my day...I've got nothing negative to say about it.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT HEROIC HEARTS?
This is a strong collection of Urban Fantasy stories, with a little something for everyone. Anything I didn't mention above was fine—they're all written well, but some characters/stories aren't for everyone, and that would describe the few I didn't talk about. Every story was worth the time (except for that thing by Harris, I just didn't see why that was written—and I wouldn't be shocked to hear that most readers of the book will think I'm nuts for that).
This probably would've gotten a warm 3 Stars from me, if not for the Briggs and Butcher stories. I enjoyed almost all of these stories, and really only disliked one. But wow, those two were just outstanding. Nothing that made me as happy as those two did is going to get less than 4.
Even if you're new to the genre or are only a fan of one or two of the authors, I expect you'll find yourself enjoying most, if not all, of the book. Pick it up.
Originally posted at irresponsiblereader.com.
Series
17 primary books40 released booksThe Dresden Files is a 32-book series with 17 primary works first released in 1997 with contributions by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, and 61 others.
Series
5 primary books11 released booksAlpha & Omega is a 10-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2007 with contributions by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, and 23 others.
Series
3 primary books11 released booksDarkest Powers is a 10-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2008 with contributions by Kelley Armstrong, Kristin Cast, and 26 others.
Series
3 primary books4 released booksHeirs of Chicagoland is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Chloe Neill, Anne Bishop, and 8 others.