Across the Spectrum

by Pati Nagle (Editor), Deborah J. Ross (Editor), Judith Tarr

Book View Cafe celebrates its fifth anniversary with an anthology of our favorite stories. From the fantasy and science fiction of our roots to steampunk, romance, historical and mainstream; from humor to life's hardest challenges, across the spectrum from light to dark.

Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and many more. Table of Contents: "Shapeshifter Finals," by Jeffrey A. Carver; "Feef's House," by Doranna Durgin; "Ukaliq and the Great Hunt," by David D. Levine Parsley; "Space, Rosemary, and Time," by Katharine Kerr; "Monsoon Day," by Mary Anne Mohanraj; "The Fiddler's Price," by Sarah Zettel; "Solstice" by Jennifer Stevenson; "Cuckoo" by Madeleine E. Robins; "Nine White Horses," by Judith Tarr; "Handing on the Goggles," by Brenda W. Clough; "Litany of Hope" by Irene Radford; "By the Sea" by Shannon Page; "Climbing to the Moon," by Ursula K. Le Guin; "The Cornfield" by P.G. Nagle; "Ducks" by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel; "Short-Timer" by Dave Smeds; "Terminal" by Chaz Brenchley; "Suraki" by Dave Trowbridge; "The Honor of the Ferrocarril" by Sylvia Kelso; "Transfusion" by Deborah J. Ross; "Survival Skills" by Nancy Jane Moore; "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" by Vonda N. McIntyre; "The Deaths of Christopher Marlowe" by Marie Brennan; "Lady Invisible" by Patricia Rice; "Mom and Dad at the Home Front" by Sherwood Smith; "Perfect Stranger" by Amy Sterling Casil; "The Alzheimer's Book Club" by Jill Zeller; "Betrayal" by Mindy Klasky; "Art & Science" by Sue Lange; and "Genuine Old Master" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Read by Aaron Abano, Tess Van Horn, Paula Hoffman, Christopher Price, J. Paul Guimont, Corey Gagne, Eric Pollins, Kymberly Dakin, Marguerite Vine, Christine Marshall.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published November 5, 2013

About the author

Pati Nagle is the author of two linked romantic fantasy series: the Blood of the Kindred historical series (THE BETRAYAL, HEART OF THE EXILED, SWORDS OVER FIRESHORE), and The Immortal Saga contemporary series (IMMORTAL, ETERNAL, FOREVER). She was born and raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico. An avid student of music, history, and humans in general, she loves the outdoors but hides from the sun.

Nagle's stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Cicada, Cricket, and in various anthologies, including collections honoring New Mexico writers Jack Williamson and Roger Zelazny. She has also written a series of historical novels as P.G. Nagle. She is a Writers of the Future finalist and finalist for the New Mexico Press Women's Zia Award. Her short story "Coyote Ugly" received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and was honored as a finalist for the Theodore Sturgeon Award.

She lives in the mountains in New Mexico with her husband and two furry muses, surrounded by trees, starry skies, and wildlife.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixed bag - some of the stories I really liked, some not so much. I suppose that's in the nature of short story collections.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is free for audbile members, and at that price it is well worth it, and the audible narrators perform quite well. Overall, this book is better than TV and some stories are quite good, others just are and that's okay.

Good writers often save the not completely thought out story for the short stories and as a listener that left me grateful that some of these stories won't be made in to novellas.

I do appreciate that these short stories do go across the spectrum and it's not easy to pigeon hole this book as a whole.

Two of the stories really stood out for me, 'Lady Invisible', and 'Genuine Old Master'. Obviously, it's up to each individual to relate in their own special way to the short stories. My bet, it would be the rare individual who doesn't feel strongly about at least two or more of the stories within this free to audible member short stories.

[Cookie M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of an Audible Original edition. These are short works of speculative fiction. Some of them fantasy, one or two science fiction; a couple didn't seem to be any speculative genre at all. I would label all of them as "soft," tending toward new age. They were mostly enjoyable, but not of a type I would seek out again.

[Darbin O’Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories that were read by multiple people. Great collection.

I recommend to those that need to try a varied tasting of sci-fi and fantasy because they may not know what they like.

[Sarah Scherer · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories ranged from one to five stars. I didn't like how inconsistent they were, but I guess that was part of the point of the book.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is patchy. Some good stories, some just OK. Some good narrators, some not so much.