A Fantasy Medley

by Robin Hobb, Kate Elliott, C. E. Murphy, Kelley Armstrong, Yanni Kuznia

★ 5.00 / 1

Edited by Yanni Kuznia.

A Fantasy Medley features the superlative storytelling abilities of four diverse authors:

In “Zen and the Art of Vampirism,” Zoe Takano, the only vampire in Toronto, a city filled with supernatural creatures of Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld, finds her place in the hierarchy threatened by two interlopers.

“Riding the Shore of the River of Death” returns us to the world of Kate Elliott’s Crown of Stars. Kareka, daughter of the begh of the Kirshat, hunts to take a man’s head. It is her last opportunity to prove herself as a man or else she will find herself restricted to the role of woman and wife in the clan forever.

Robin Hobb revisits her Farseer world in “Words Like Coins.” Mirrifen, a failed hedge-witch’s apprentice who has married to find security finds that threatened by a severe drought and the appearance of a pregnant female pecksie.

C.E. Murphy takes us to frozen Moscow in “From Russia, with Love.” Baba Yaga’s daughter is a barmaid at a dive when Janx and Eliseo Daisani walk in. They discover, as they compete for the girl’s affections, that Baba Yaga has plans for Janx and that her beautiful daughter had merely been the bait.

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Standard Shelves

Updated 07/30/2024

Category: Fantasy, Anthology

Release date: April 2009

Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb's stories are woven from the fabric of dreams, doubt, and destiny. Within the pages of her books, readers don’t just meet characters—they walk alongside them through kingdoms of intrigue, forests of magic, and oceans of inner turmoil. Known for crafting intricate worlds that feel as real as our own, Hobb's works capture the essence of what it means to be human, even when the characters are far from it.

Born Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden in 1952, Hobb’s childhood began in Berkeley, California, before she moved to the remote wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, where her deep connection to nature and isolation shaped much of her future storytelling. While her early years in Alaska filled her with a sense of rugged independence, it wasn’t until her teenage years in Colorado that she found her true calling. A communications major at Denver University, she honed her writing skills and went on to work as a journalist, weaving tales of human experience with the same depth and empathy that would later define her novels.

Under the pen name Megan Lindholm, she began writing in the 1980s, publishing works that spanned science fiction and fantasy, but it wasn’t until she adopted the name Robin Hobb that she truly became known as a creator of unforgettable worlds. With Assassin’s Apprentice, the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, she introduced readers to FitzChivalry Farseer, a young royal bastard thrust into a world of political intrigue, magic, and dark prophecies. This was just the beginning of her journey into the Realm of the Elderlings, an expansive universe that spans multiple series and explores themes of identity, duty, and sacrifice.

Hobb’s writing resonates because it doesn’t just explore fantasy—it digs into the heart of what makes us human, even in the face of unimaginable odds. Her characters, flawed and deeply personal, feel as though they’ve stepped off the page, bringing readers into their world of complex emotions and intricate relationships. The Realm of the Elderlings books, which include Liveship Traders, The Tawny Man, The Rain Wild Chronicles, and Fitz and the Fool, form a living, breathing world where no decision is without consequence, and where magic isn’t just a tool, but a means of shaping one’s fate.

Throughout her career, Robin Hobb’s ability to explore the darkest corners of the soul while still offering glimmers of hope has earned her a devoted following. Her influence is undeniable, with millions of copies of her books sold worldwide, and her work translated into over twenty languages. Hobb’s unique voice has garnered numerous accolades, including the prestigious World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2021, cementing her place as one of the most beloved authors in the fantasy genre.

Despite her fame, Hobb remains grounded, living a quiet life with her husband Fred and their menagerie of animals in rural Washington. When not immersed in her fantastical realms, she enjoys the simplicity of rural life, which serves as a constant source of inspiration for her writing.

For Hobb, writing isn’t just about telling stories—it’s about crafting worlds where readers can lose themselves and find parts of themselves in return. As she once reflected on reading The Lord of the Rings as a young girl: "In all my life I will never write anything as good as this. He's done it; he's achieved it. Is there any point in my trying?" But try she did, and in doing so, created some of the most remarkable and beloved works in fantasy today.

Photo: Szymon Sokół