Verdict: 5 Stars
If you asked four different world-renowned chefs to cook a duck, you would probably end up with four very different–but still wonderful–meals, each involving the chef’s own unique talents. The same is true for Four Summoner’s Tales (Gallery Books). Born out of a conversation between two skilled writers, the anthology required four writers to begin a story with the same premise: a promise of raising a town’s people from the dead, for a price.
What that conversation gave birth to is a collection of four very different stories all focusing on the same central plot. With the stories penned by Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, David Liss, and Jonathan Maberry, the book offers four very distinct looks at the horrors associated with getting what you think you want.
The stories included in the work are “Suffer the Children” (Armstrong), “Pipers” (Golden), “A Bad Season for Necromancy” (Liss), and “Alive Day” (Maberry). Each has its own unique setting, from a 19th century trapping village outside of Toronto, to present-day fighting in Afghanistan, but all four stories weave a chilling tale of what happens when the dead return at your request.
Four Summoner’s Tales will be available on Tuesday, September 17th.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
