I picked up the urban fantasy anthology Paranormal Payback because Jim Butcher’s name was attached to it. He’s the author of the bestselling Dresden Files. I recognized names of some of the authors including Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson and Tanya Huff. However, I discovered several authors with such fascinating characters that I’m going to check out the series that feature them.
Monsters, witches, and vampires, oh my. There are stories featuring the Fae and pixies, as well as one with a man who inhabits bodies of those who have been murdered. There are all kinds of supernatural creatures who are driven to find vengeance in this dark, sometimes humorous, anthology.
Jim Butcher’s “Mister Petty” is set in the Harry Dresden universe in Chicago. Regular readers will recognize one of the characters, but it’s Goodman Grey, a professional monster, who is the main character. Although he handles cases involving cheating spouses, as any PI does, he can be hired to get revenge.
“A Midsummer Night’s Scheming” is Delilah S. Dawson’s story of a witch whose familiar, a donkey named Gary, falls in love with her. She comes into her power in Arcadia Falls, and discovers a gift for mimicry. She also finds out Gary’s true feelings for her in this funny account written under the name Isla Jewell.
I’ll be looking for the Alastair Stone Chronicles after reading “Clean Break” by R.L. King. Stone is a mage, a Professor of Occult Studies at Stanford, who ends up at a cheap hotel where a woman has been murdered. When the echo (ghost) discovers he can see her, she works to revenge herself on the men who killed her.
I’m also hoping to find R.R. Virdi’s books featuring Vincent Graves, the hero of “Grave Payback”. Graves is a paranormal investigator with no body of his own. He uses the bodies that were killed by the supernatural to find out what did them in, and how he can help the dead. At least in this story, Graves has a little assistance from a mysterious figure named Church.
I could go on. This is a strong urban fantasy anthology with interesting characters and a strong theme of vengeance. The other authors featured will be recognized by readers of the genre; Kevin Hearne, Holly Black, Tanya Huff, Jennifer Blackstream, Maurice Broaddus, Kim Harrison, Faith Hunter, and Kerrie L. Hughes. Monsters, witches, and vampires. Those are good things in this collection.
Paranormal Payback, ed. by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes. Ace, 2026. 352p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley supplied by the publisher through NetGalley, with no promise of a postive review.
Other than the Butcher, the only one I’ve read is Tanya Huff, the Canadian fantasy writer. I’ve read a couple of her vampire books, but mostly the space marine books featuring Torin Kerr.
I have read the first book of the R. R. Verdi series and enjoyed it. Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors, so will definitely read this anthology.
Oh, good. I downloaded Virdi’s first book on my Kindle, Jennifer. Someday, I have to try Jim Butcher’s other books besides the Dresden Files. I love Harry Dresden. Thank heavens only in the books, or I’d probably be dead.
I found a couple authors who are new to me and downloaded their first books free from Amazon, Jeff. I enjoy anthologies because the stories are short, but I love the discovery of new-to-me authors.
I hosted Kevin Hearne a couple times in Arizona. He was from a teacher in Tempe at the time, and surprised me by drawing an enormous crowd of readers in their twenties or thirties who were passionate and new the details of his books. Tor was smart and published the first three in his Iron Druid series every two months. I even went to a sausage and book release party at an Irish pub. He moved to Montana or Idaho or someplace after I left. But, he used to host urban fantasy parties and bring in authors at the Poisoned Pen.
According to Wikipedia, Hearne emigrated to Canada in 2017 and became a Canadian citizen in 2022.
Ah, Canada. I didn’t remember where he moved, Jeff.
The stories you describe sound really clever. I remember liking the first three Kevin Hearn books very much and then running out of enthusiasm during the fourth. But I should try some of these other authors.
Kim, I agree. I read more of the series, but those first three were the best and the most creative.