Stacia in Progress

This anthology features many favorite and beloved authors from today's Urban Fantasy and Steampunk offerings. I plan on going back and reading the selections from Jennifer Estep and Rachel Caine once I am caught up with those series, but this review will feature the shorts from Delilah S. Dawson (Blud series) and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid series).Review # 1 - The (some mangled word in the arc) Lives of Lydia (Blud) - 5 stars!Wow. I am completely blown away. Who knew a short story could pack such a punch? The last few pages took me completely by surprise. Criminy's traveling carnival is back. The lethal "bunnies-o-doom" are back (bludbunnies - remember, blud is pronounced blood). All of the magic of Sang is back. But then it had to go all Twilight Zone on us, in a completely bizarre way.This had to be heaven or hell or purgatory.There's a part of me that almost wants to recommend this short story as the perfect introduction to the Blud series, even though it's a short from the middle and not the beginning. The reason why is because this story introduces you to all of the craziness that is Sang, all of the beauty that is Sang, heck...all of the appeal is right there. But it happens in this tiny little power-packed nugget of reading space. The air was full of glitter, the lanterns glowed like jars of fairy dust, and music danced on a sugar-frosted breeze. Laughter was everywhere. It was like a dream.Do I think any main character described as looking like John Lennon is sexy? Probably not. Thankfully, reading about Sang forces you to use your imagination, so I will be imagining another face for Charlie. I need to know what happens next for Lydia and Charlie. I will revolt if we don't get more, but I'm hoping that we will(?), with the way this story ended : CR-A-ZY...with a capital C.Review # 2 - The Demon Barker of Wheat Street (Iron Druid) - 3 starsDifferent from the Blud short, this short story should probably not be read unless you are already in progress with the Iron Druid series. It's not that there's anything confusing going on (and I'm sure anyone could follow along with no previous information), but this short isn't about brand new characters. Any sort of inside jokes or character nuances won't be as entertaining without knowing these people (and dog) already.Because this was more of an "excerpt in the life" rather than a new story, it didn't wow me the same way that the Blud short did. HOWEVER, I still enjoyed it. Oberon fans, you won't want to skip this. Much of the dialogue is focused on Oberon, and he's always worth a few chuckles. His poodle obsession always makes me smile. I would throw out some fun quotes, but no...I'm not gonna do it. Current fans will have more fun experiencing Oberon humor on their own this time, since I'm not selling this series off the short story. My review for book 1 is the sell. This review is for the current fans of Iron Druid. Hail to the dog! This book provided from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be changed or omitted from the final copy.