Operation Arcana, edited by John Joseph Adams. Urban fantasy*. Paperback, 306 pages.

*This anthology is full of stories of military, war, battles, and the people who are caught up in them. Not every story is set in modern time. The stories range in time and space from the Paksenarrion fantasy world to the trenches of WW1 to today's downtown Kabul. Not every story is set right during the battle, either.

As with most anthologies, they were not all the same pace or crafted with the same skill. I'm not a Glen Cook fan, and Django Wexler takes too long to get anywhere. On the other hand, Jonathan Mayberry had just the right tone for me, and Weston Ochse definitely gave me something new to contemplate. Additionally, the anthology was arranged well. The first stories rode waves of emotion, while the last story refused to give any answer at the end, though it finished with a bang.

It's worth noting that I started this book a few weeks ago. The stories were so well-contained that I didn't want to overeat at the buffet, so I spaced out my consumption.

I recommend it to... People who want to understand hopelessness, bravery, and humanity all in little windows on a thousand worlds.

Books for 2015