Urban Allies: Ten Brand-New Collaborative Stories

An all-star roster of 20 urban fantasy authors headlines this collection of 10 crossover adventures, each of which sees two writers pitting their signature heroes against shared threats. Verity Price from Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series encounters Elena Michaels from Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld while both are investigating mysterious events in the woods. Jonathan Maberry’s Capt. Joe Ledger teams up with Larry Correia’s Special Agent Franks to fight demons in the Middle East. C.E. Murphy’s Joanne Walker runs into Kat Richardson’s Harper Blaine while checking out a haunted house. The reasons for each team-up and the methods by which it’s accomplished vary from one story to the next (and are often awkward). Each work stands on its own, acting as an introduction to the characters and their respective concepts. Nassise (Midian Unmade) has assembled an admirable group of contributors who do a good if sometimes uneven job of blending both styles and toy boxes. The tales lean more toward the darker fantasy or horror end of the spectrum, making for an occasionally gory spectacle. Readers will undoubtedly get a kick out of seeing their favorite heroes solving cases together and will enjoy being introduced to new characters and settings. (Aug.)