Joy to the Worlds: Mysterious Speculative Fiction for the Holidays
By Raven Oak, Maia Chance, Janine A. Southard and G. Clemans
3/5
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About this ebook
What do you get when you mix mystery and speculative fiction, then toss in the holidays for good measure? A mobster Santa, genetic hanky-panky, Victorian villages, time-travelling detectives, Krampus, eerie bell spirits, and more–this collection of short cross-genre fiction is the perfect counterpoint to traditional holiday reading!
This collection stars four authors, each with their own distinct style. National bestselling author Maia Chance, who is famous for her cozy mysteries, dazzles with humor and folklore. IPPY award-winning science fiction author Janine A. Southard beguiles with unexpected time-travel science. Science fiction & fantasy bestseller Raven Oak offers a look into the gothic past. And for a whole new perspective, debut fiction author and art expert G. Clemans dives into the intersections of creativity and mystery.
Joy to the Worlds brings together eight short works that explore mysteries across time and space. With stories ranging from dark dystopian worlds to comedic retro-futures, four diverse writers find new ways to combine these disparate worlds into something anyone will enjoy.
Raven Oak
Multi-international award-winning speculative fiction author Raven Oak (she/they) is best known for Amaskan's Blood (2016 Ozma Fantasy Award Winner, Epic Awards Finalist, & Reader's Choice Award Winner), Amaskan's War (2018 UK Wishing Award YA Finalist), and Class-M Exile. She also has many published short stories in anthologies and magazines. She's even published on the moon! Raven spent most of her K-12 education doodling and writing 500 page monstrosities that are forever locked away in a filing cabinet.Besides being a writer and artist, she's a geeky, disabled ENBY who enjoys getting her game on with tabletop games, indulging in cartography and art, or staring at the ocean. She lives in the Seattle area with her partner, and their three kitties who enjoy lounging across the keyboard when writing deadlines approach. Her hair color changes as often as her bio does, and you can find her at www.ravenoak.net.
Read more from Raven Oak
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Reviews for Joy to the Worlds
18 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I love Christmas-themed reading and get a bit fed up with only being able to find chicklit or children's books. So I enjoyed this collection of fantasy-time travel-science fiction stories which are festive themed even if some of the stories didn't particularly appeal to me. The book has 8 stories by 4 different authors and it really is a mixed bag. Generally they are fun and original but occasionally the writing really needed a good editor. My favourite story was the last one, Mr & Mrs Mistletoe, and I would actually have enjoyed a longer version of it.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A few stories in, I had to check if this collection was self published (surprisingly, it's not). The stories themselves were alright, but the whole collection was in desperate need of a better editor. The acknowledgements call their editor the "Grammar Chick," which suggests she did little more than fix up spliced sentences... these stories needed something more critical. I would put the writing quality at the level of your average unbeta'd fanfiction work. My least favorite (Wild Hunt) seemed to be trying for 'dramatic noir detective' and 'Joe Normal in a weird situation,' and failed to be either. It also used an annoying mix of everyday and awkwardly formal vocabulary ("didn't want to mess up the crime scene" followed by "the... button-up shirt bore amber stains"), and had all sorts of unrealistic and unnecessary plot points (a witness leaving her prosthetic leg behind because she was in a rush to go to another cabin to have sex? What? Did she hop?) It's odd that they started the collection with this story, because it's the weakest.My favorite (Escape from Yorktown) started out with your typical melodramatic, my-life-is-terrible, too-real-for-this, self-insert teenage girl for a main character. Then the plot happens, and she actually kinda makes sense. The characters aren't super deep, but they feel like real people, and the town is pretty cool. This could be the first chapter in a full-length YA novel.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Joy to the Worlds is a collection of short stories set during Christmas. The stories are speculative fiction, meaning they are a combination of science fiction, mystery and fantasy. I had mixed feelings about the book: I thought it had an interesting premise, but I was disappointed in some of the stories ( although I did enjoy some stories).
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I don't know what I expected, but I think I expected something more "christmassy". A story doesen't become a good christmas story just by the mentioning of Santa, snow or "Come all ye faithfu". I found that most of the stories didn't have the right christmas feeling. The one I really liked was The Ringers by Raven Oak which was creepy and cosy at the same time. I give it four stars. The others were ok, but not for me.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Most of stories in this book is fun to read, though some has quite a weak connection to christmas tradition! There is a lot of interesting twists in stories though.It is worth grabbing for fun read in somewhat christmas related theme. Even if you ignore the theme all stores is a good enjoyable read so it is fine either way.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I am not usually attracted to short stories or mysteries, but found this collection satisfying. The tie to Christmas could be replaced by a tie to just about any Holiday which boasts characters and traditions, and is perhaps the weakest part.As for the mystery part, all are well written. Some are a bit twisted in the end, but I repeat I am not a mystery fan.I will seek out some of the authors' other works. However, I cannot say I would read this again.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An entertaining read, with some definite highs and lows. For the most part, I enjoyed the stories. The Ringers and The Wild Hunt were favorites, but I had trouble engaging with Escape from Yorktown. A nice way to spend a few hours.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wild Hunt (Janine Southard)My least favourite story of the collection, but it's always a good thing to finish that one first - this way it can only get better ;) For the most time I was confused about what was going on and why. Even after finishing I had more questions left than answers. I didn't get the concept and origin of the Hunt and hunters - where did they come from, why did they exist etc. Also, I could not figure out a reason for the murder other than to show off an original MO, but that just is not enough to make a good murder mystery. 1 star.Escape from Yorktown (G. Clemans)This was an interesting mixture of modern sci-fi and Victorian charm. I appreciated the concept of living history museums, which vaguely reminded me of the movies Westworld and Futureworld. 3 stars.Odysseus Flax & the Krampus (Maia Chance)I love stories about the Krampus, and this one delivered an original variety with a surprise ending I thoroughly enjoyed. 4 stars.Ol’ St. Nick (Raven Oak)A murder mystery set in space, but the solution was absolutely boring and not very original. 2 starsBevel & Turn (G. Clemans)I loved the concept of the story: a whirligig that can bring you back in time. The author created an intricate plot that kept me glued to the pages. However, I had to frown upon the mix-up of Christmas stollen and fruit bread, which are two completely different Christmas treats. Also, the German translations were a bit rough. 3 starsDeath Node (Janine A. Southard)An interesting take on the subject of time travel and how altering the past will immediately affect the future (or present, depending on when you consider). The multiple repetitions of the same scene in time, each with a slightly different outcome, kept me guessing til the end what the final outcome would be. 3 stars.The Ringers (Raven Oak)Easily my favourite story of the collection, this is a very dark and creepy ghost story that will surely send a chill or two down your spine. 4 stars.Mr. and Mrs. Mistletoe (Maia Chance)Unfortunately, the closing story was a let-down again. Probably meant to be funny and entertaining in an exaggerated way, but I felt annoyed and did not care much for the characters and the plot. 2 stars.Each story was preceded by a short introduction/summary of one of the other authors, which sometimes spoiled the fun. However, I liked the author comments at the end of each story, as they provided some interesting information, like where the idea for that specific story came from.Overall, an entertaining mixture of sci-fi and fantasy stories to get into the Christmas spirit. Let me adjust the box of chocolates comparison appropriately: this collection of stories was like a box of Christmas cookies, probably purchased for a good cause at some Christmas bazaar. While surely baked by enthusiastic (but not all equally talented) mothers, some are perfect treats, while others are dry and tasteless.(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)