Fall Into Fantasy: 2017 Edition

Fall Into Fantasy #1

by Andrew M. Ferrell (Editor/Foreword), Susan Bass Marcus, Tony Conaway

Fall Into Fantasy contains thirteen unique takes on the Fantasy genre from authors of all walks of life, from prolific authors, to newcomers. With everything from dwarves and magic, to zombies and a bookstore that can transport you to other worlds, there is something for everyone in these pages.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Young Adult

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2017

About the author

Andrew M. Ferrell was born in Florence, South Carolina where his love of books was fostered at a young age by all of his family, but his grandfather in particular. After graduating high school, Andrew worked in several fields involving computers, quality control, and logistics. He also moved from living in Ohio to Northeast Wisconsin. He never gave up his dream of writing and published his first book in July of 2014, Beginnings - Family Heritage Volume 1. There are more planned in this series. An expanded Second Edition was released in 2016 along with his novella, Haunting of House 1273. Andrew splits his writing time with his family: his wonderfully supportive wife, their children, and two attention seeking dogs.

You can visit his blog at http://Andrewmferrell.com

Reviews

[J.B. Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Fall Into Fantasy: 2017 Edition” is a sweeping anthology put together by thirteen independent authors from all walks of life. Each story in this collection encompasses a different genre within the Fantasy realm, ensuring that discriminating readers will find a favorite among the offerings.

From David Pauly’s “Boffin the Listener”—a charming adventure of a dwarf who’s quest to find a precious Fire Opal will have readers on the edge of their seats; to Molly Neely’s “Six Degrees Of Zombie Separation—a monstrous, first-person, perspective-driven, zombie tale that warns against playing God; to Susan Bass Marcus’ “Kitchen Magic”—a Cinderella-styled tale set in (you guessed it...) the kitchen of an available 25-year-old single woman who has a head for books, but little heart for cooking; to “Variant Readings”—an alternate reality tale that would make any writer believe in possibilities by Frank Roger; to Shane Porteous’ impressive supernatural battle epic, “They’d be an Army in Autumn”; to the more other no-less impressive fantasy fare; there’s a unique and fascinating story for every Fantasy lover in this genre-diverse and well-written collection .

[ANITA · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a dwarf declare his love for a witch? What happens when a Fairy God-Parent is incompetent? Suppose one of the fae must grant you a boon, but you absolutely will not accept a favor from anyone? These questions and more are answered, humorously, disturbingly, thoughtfully or gently in Fall Into Fantasy from Cloaked Press. A baker's dozen of varied fantasy story that all have one thing in common: They grab you from their first words and don’t let go until the last. I especially liked Art Lasky’s ‘The Fairy’s Tale’ about a fairy god-parent whose arrogant ignorance of humanity lead him from one catastrophe to another; painful for his clients, outrageously funny for us. I also loved ‘Boffin the Listener’ from David Pauley, about a dwarf who could hear gemstones, ‘Kitchen Magic’ by Susan Marcus, an unlikely love story. That being said, in my opinion, this is one anthology where you can randomly pick any story, and be guaranteed an enjoyable read.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying if one story doesn't quite capture your attention, don't let that stop you from checking out the other stories. Out of these, there were definitely some that were hit-and-miss for me. Some edged closer to horror than fantasy, but I still enjoyed them. 'Kitchen Magic' was definitely my favorite story, and reminded me of a fairy tale. A decent collection and a great way to expose yourself to new authors.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

I was instantly drawn into this book by the cover, it's just amazing. The stories were surprisingly good. Most short story collections have a mix of one's that worked and ones that I found, really did not. Luckily this one I found that I enjoyed them about the same amount. It was a good mix of different topics but all still fantasy. It was well done.

[Angel Leya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of short fantasy stories with a wide variety of subgenres for everyone to find something to like. Here are the stories that I enjoyed the most:

--Six Degrees of Zombie Separation by Molly Neely - A unique play on story structure as we enter the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.
--Kitchen Magic by Susan Marcus - A random act of kindness brings one woman more than she could have imagined.
--Gbahali by Mark Easterday - The hunt to find his missing brother changes one tribe member's life.
--Child of the Roses by Linda M. Crate - A chance meeting in the woods brings two unusual beings together.
--They'd be an Army in Autumn by Shane Porteous

I should also mention Gammer Lobstone by Sandra Unerman, which turned out to be my favorite of the collection.

The other stories certainly have their merit. My biggest problem with the anthology is that it held several typos that occasionally took me out of the stories, and a few could have used a little extra attention on the development side of things. But overall a fun look at the fantasy genre, and worth a read.

[Jason Crutchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! You can really tell that the short stories written in it were done with a great love for their respective genres, and many of the stories had deeper messages than a single read-through would lead you to believe!

I particularly enjoyed Dodson, They'd be an Army in Autumn, Variant Readings, and Gammer Lobstone. Don't get me wrong, all of these stories are great -- if your tastes are even slightly different than mine, you may find you relate to some of the other stories far better. Each one had enough to draw me in and keep me turning the pages.

You'll find a pleasant mix of genres in the stories (though all focused upon fantasy, of course) ranging from high fantasy to folk tale to urban fantasy! The stories are well constructed and charming!

If you're in the mood to read a series of good short stories from a wide array of perspectives, I highly recommend this book!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received yet another great book from NetGalley and this one was called Fall Into Fantasy: 2017 Edition which was published on August 17, 2017. There is not too much of a specific review that I can write on this book because it is a collection of short stories. In my opinion though, every one of the stories in the book is very well written and interesting, whether it is zombies, revenge, the Grey Sisters, superhuman powers, or dystopian-like stories. I do recommend buying this book though because it has a wide variety of stories by all different authors.

Please check out my other reviews at: https://dragons-lair-book-blog.blogsp...

[Rune · Rating 5 out of 5]

usually don't pick up short story collections simply because I don't know if I will enjoy it. Most times it's only one of two of the writers i like that are part of it so it's not worth it.

With this one i was drawn in by the cover. And to my surprise i actually enjoyed most o the stories . The stories were well placed and paced fantastically. I loved this collection.

[KatsCauldron R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A incredibly diverse and entertaining group of 13 stories that really run the gamut in both style and settings. They were an all an enjoyable read and short enough to pick up yourself in a tale then put down to work on something Great collection to keep you amused.

[Susan Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good stories.

[K.J. Harrowick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited when I found this book, and hoped to uncover a nice little collection of quick-read fantasy stories. It was a great idea to bring different fantasy takes together and I absolutely love the cover. Unfortunately, none of these stories held my attention. I read the first one and it was cute, but it had some grammar errors and filler words that kept yanking me out of the story. I tried the others, but they didn't engage and move forward the way I'd hoped, instead offering a lot of backstory before any character movement started, and I lost interest pretty quick. I have no doubt that readers out there will love these, but they didn't hold my attention enough to finish. Purely subjective to my tastes.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall Into Fantasy is a wonderful collection arranged of many stories from a variety of authors. For its sheer creativity, "Boffin the Listener, A Tale of Nostraterra" by David Pauly (the first story in this book) is among my favorites. Pauly embraces fantasy well in this story, and there were enjoyable shades of Tolkien. I also discovered a story called "Child of the Roses," which was written very well by Linda M. Crate, an author of many poems I have read before. Recommended fantasy writing for sure.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received yet another great book from NetGalley and this one was called Fall Into Fantasy: 2017 Edition which was published on August 17, 2017. There is not too much of a specific review that I can write on this book because it is a collection of short stories. In my opinion though, every one of the stories in the book is very well written and interesting, whether it is zombies, revenge, the Grey Sisters, superhuman powers, or dystopian-like stories. I do recommend buying this book though because it has a wide variety of stories by all different authors.