Reviews

Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love by Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin

bmg20's review

4.0

The 4 star rating is based solely upon the short story “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” written by Diana Gabaldon!

When I read on Diana's website that not only did she have a short story published in "Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love" but that it was a story about Roger! In "An Echo in the Bone" Diana Gabaldon generated yet another mystery that had to do with Roger's parents.

I really enjoyed this even though it only made me want more... it did answer the question to the mystery though! Recommended for any Outlander fans who need something to tide them over till the next book. (Don't expect it to satisfy you for long though!)

micahhortonhallett's review

2.0

The four good stories only serve to throw the banal shittiness of the rest into stark relief.

benlundns's review

3.0

I'm not a huge fan of romance novels, I don't think I've ever read a full sized one, and after this little anthology it's not likely I'll be grabbing one up anytime soon. I picked up this book because it was so cheap on Kobo, and some of the authors names were familiar to me. However with the exception of Love Hurts, (the second story) and Man in the Mirror (the penultimate story), the stories seemed to be too similar to really get into. Not to say I didn't enjoy them, with the exception of Under/Above the Water, (which put me to sleep both times I tried to read it), the stories were okay, but just okay doesn't make me want to dive deeper into those worlds. The two that I did like were different from the rest. They both involved ghosts (which maybe says what kind of books I DO like), but they were also genuinely interesting beyond the romance aspect.

If you like romance novels and want a collection of stories that can be read in under 30 minutes each, go for it, but if you are not a fan of the genre, it's best to pick up a different book as you browse the stacks.

bahoulie's review

3.0

Fun enough and I'll probably track down a few of the authors' other works, but it didn't just totally thrill me.

nickystrickland's review

4.0

Really enjoyed this anthology as there was a rare collection of many authors together who I go out of my way to seek out(usually anthologies may have one or two of them). Plus, it showed how much the various genre worlds have in common (nothing new there).

kadomi's review against another edition

4.0

This SF&F anthology delivers stories that all somehow involve love. It has a bunch of authors that I really like, like Jim Butcher, Robin Hobb, Jacqueline Carey, Neil Gaiman, and stories of mostly female romance or historical fiction authors. I enjoyed most stories, though I mostly skipped two of them. I couldn't get into "After the Blood" by Marjorie M. Liu and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander story proved to me all over again that Outlander is simply not for me at all.

My highlight was probably Robin Hobb's "Blue Boots" which really reminded me that I need to pick up more of her books pronto! The Harry Dresden story was fun, and Jacqueline Carey's story makes me want to re-read the Kushiel series.

All in all a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

saltypiratewench's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

ceruleanesk's review

4.0

Really liked this collection of short stories, not all of them were great, but many were and by authors I'd probably never read as they are not fantasy or sci-fi authors per se. I have a whole slew of new authors to explore :)

scubacat's review

3.0

I read this compilation of short stories for Diana Gabaldon's tale, but decided to go ahead and read the other stories as well to see if I could find some new authors to try out. Unfortunately, I've discovered I'm not a huge fan of short stories. Most of the stories were rushed and didn't satisfy. It's so hard to tell if I would enjoy the authors' other works in such a short period of time, particularly when I didn't really like any of the stories. I think I will skip anthologies like these in the future.

lolocole's review

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Short stories are still not my preferred literary form but some of these stories were truly delightful! Loved the star crossed lovers theme.