Heckova Book Review #2
Book: Ye Olde Magick Shoppe
Author: Oren Litwin
Rating: 4/5
Ye Olde Magick Shoppe is an entertaining anthology of short stories built around the common theme of magic for sale. For me, this was a wonderful “in-betweener” book, something I enjoyed reading as a break between two volumes of a long-running series. It was an easy night time read as well, given that each story can (for the most part) be read in one sitting.
Anthologies are always a roller coaster for me, I don't think I've ever read one where I liked every story presented. But I was impressed with the hit rate in Ye Olde Magick Shoppe. I think that has a lot to do with the variety on display in this collection. These stories differ in more than just set dressing. There is a wide range of characters on display, and a wealth of differing scale, scope, and stakes that kept things refreshing. Below is a closer look at my three favorite stories in this collection.
Rule of Three - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. On its surface, Rule of Three is a quiet relationship drama between sisters. It touts a surprising amount of character development and depth despite its short length and sleepy town setting. The magic in this story seems almost an afterthought, and normally this would annoy me, but in this story's case, I didn’t mind at all.
Mud - Mud caught my attention with its World War II setting and kept my attention when I saw that its particular flavor of magic was of the “Old Testament God” variety. This story I think suffers a bit from leaning too much on classic World War II soldier stereotypes to sketch out its characters, but it makes up for this with competent execution of the men-on-a-mission format. All in all, it reads like Saving Private Ryan meets Dungeons and Dragons, and if that doesn't intrigue you I don't know what will.
Grand Theft Nightmare - This was probably my favorite of the bunch. Grand Theft Nightmare is a gritty police crime drama with a supernatural noir vibe. The story follows a detective's investigation into the theft of a large volume of mysterious magical substance that has some horrifying side effects on those that ingest it. There are some satisfying horror elements here as well as intriguing characters and an action-packed ending. By the end, I found myself wishing this one was a full-length novel.
In summary, Ye Olde Magic shop is an intriguing collection of short stories whose primary strength is the variety of its selection. It is a perfect book for reading right before bed, and I would highly recommend it to anyone suffering from epic-length fantasy fatigue who is looking to break up the monotony with something different.
-C.J. Heckman