A Fantasy Medley 2

Subterranean staffer Kuznia keeps to the successful formula in her second four-story anthology: having successful authors write winning novellas that function equally as gateway introductions for new readers and exciting material for fans of their popular fantasy worlds. The best of these four is Amanda Downum’s “Bone Garden,” an exciting gothic tragedy set among actors and refugees in the world of the Necromancer Chronicles. Tanya Huff’s “Quartered,” a new tale in the bard-and-magic Quarters universe, is a solid adventure that throws some well-done (if not always pleasant) twists into a traditional tale of intrigue. Jasper Kent’s “The Sergeant and the General,” linked to his Danilov Quintet, functions ably as a modern-day (and almost heartbreaking) weird tale of a man haunted by a horse. Seanan McGuire’s “Rat-Catcher,” set hundreds of years before her October Daye books, is both charming and gut-wrenching. Tight ties to established settings are sacrificed for the sake of accessibility, resulting in four excellent stand-alone stories. (Nov.)