Into the Woods

August 20, 2012
Harrison's Hollows series remains one of the more solid and satisfying islands in the current sea of novels involving vampires, demons, and werewolves. Hollows fans will be enthralled by the first half of this short story collection, which offers glimpses of history and new insights into many familiar characters, including demon Algaliarept, vampire Ivy Tamwood, and Jenks the pixie; first-time readers will find the stories an accessible and intriguing introduction to the series. The second half of the book goes outside of the Hollows to introduce other fantasy creatures with Harrison's unique spin, such as the dryads who Will Temson inadvertently inherits in "Temson Estates" and the angry tree spirit with whom grandmother Emily, mother Meg, and child Lilly must come to terms in "Spider Silk." Harrison's talent for making supernaturals understandable, likable, and engaging is amply demonstrated in this strong collection. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates.

May 15, 2012

With this short fiction collection, Harrison offers a new view of the Hollows--haunt of bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan in Harrison's best-selling series--while spinning out a few new fantasy worlds. Included are three new novellas, e.g., "Million Dollar Baby," featuring elven tycoon Trent Kalamack's efforts to rescue his daughter with the help of a pixy named Jenks, plus all her previously published short fiction.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012

Best known for "The Hollows," her urban fantasy series about bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan, Harrison here presents five short stories, two novelettes, and four novellas that demonstrate her talent for short fiction. While most of the stories expand the world of the Hollows and feature supporting characters from that series, the novelettes "Spider Silk" and "Grace" are set in new fantasy environments. VERDICT Whether exploring the backstory of Mia the banshee ("Dirty Magic") or trying out a different sort of supernatural creature (e.g., the dryad in "Temson Estates"), this collection should attract Harrison's sizable fan base.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
A collection of old and new novellas, novelettes and short stories from urban-fantasy author Harrison (A Perfect Blood, 2012, etc.), mostly taking place inside her Hollows fictional universe. Harrison is known for her urban-fantasy novels, beginning with 2004's Dead Witch Walking. Largely set in an alternate version of present-day Cincinnati some 40 years after a horrific plague, her Hollows setting features witches, werewolves, demons and vampires, among other supernatural characters. This new collection, which Harrison dedicates "[t]o the readers," brings together Harrison's previously published Hollows short fiction going back several years, as well as a new Hollows novella and four stories set outside the Hollows universe. Though a few of the stories feature Harrison's main protagonist, the tough bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan, several give supporting characters a shot at the limelight. For example, in the previously unpublished "Million Dollar Baby," she tells the story of an adventure that the elf Trent Kalamack and the pixy Jenks undertook in Seattle during the time frame of the 2011 novel Pale Demon, while the relatively brief story "The Bespelled," first published as a bonus with the 2008 mass-market edition of The Outlaw Demon Wails, centers on the demon Algaliarept. Other stories feature vampires and dryads in non-Hollows settings. Though most of the stories here were written for one-off anthologies, all are solid urban-fantasy tales, and her fans will find much to appreciate. Harrison also helpfully supplies brief introductions for each story, providing context for each, as well as background detail into each story's creation. A comprehensive and well-constructed collection, sure to be welcomed by Harrison's fans.

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September 1, 2012
For the first time, all of Harrison's shorter pieces are gathered together in one volume. Several have been previously published. Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel, an early story about teenage Rachel Morgan's first encounter with Pierce, originally appeared in the anthology Holidays Are Hell (2007), and Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil, written entirely from Ivy's point of view, appeared in Dates from Hell (2006). As only the most determined readers would have tracked down all these stories, this collection should be a treat for the majority of Harrison's teen and adult fans. Most highly anticipated will be the several completely new stories, notably the novella Million Dollar Baby, about Trent and Jenks' retrieval of baby Lucy, which was only briefly alluded to in the recent Pale Demon (2011). Readers concerned about the coming end of Harrison's Hollows series should be pleased with the last section, Beyond the Hollows, four stories that show that something completely new and equally good may be on the way. A must read for Harrison fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)