Well. I somehow got my numbering system all messed up and confused so had to do a little sleuthing to straighten things out in my "have read in 2012" list. I'm going to try to go back to my normal system now since I seem to be reading again.
20.
Kitty's Greatest Hits
Kitty Norville series
by Carrie Vaughn
urban fantasy, anthology, fantasy
I remember reading the first Kitty book and knew it was a debut novel. It wasn't great but it showed promise. I got the second book and it was touch-and-go as to whether I'd pick up the next book at all. I'm glad I gave this author another chance. After the first two fairly lackluster books, the author took off and just kept on improving with every book. She also did a great job of exploring different writing style sub-genres ... all within one series. One story was very urban fantasy, one story was more mystery/suspense, one story was closer to gothic horror, etc. "Kitty's Greatest Hits" shows this eclecticism also. It is an anthology of short stories and one longer story all set within the Kitty world. Someone not familiar with the series can enjoy the stories but would not realize that they all belong in the same world. All the stories are of characters out of the Kitty series. The ones set in the older days, though, are written in as historical fantasy and not in the urban fantasy style. All of the stories in the anthology were very well done.
Amy T.
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Kittys-Greatest-Hits-Kitty-Norville/dp/0765329573/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339817508&sr=1-1&keywords=kittys+greatest+hits
Shelfari description:
The first-ever story collection from the New York Times bestselling author, including two all-new works!
Kitty Norville, star of a New York Times bestselling series, is everybody’s favorite werewolf DJ and out-of-the-closet supernatural creature. Over the course of eight books she’s fought evil vampires, were-creatures, and some serious black magic. She’s done it all with a sharp wit and the help of a memorable cast of werewolf hunters, psychics, and if-notgood- then-neutral vampires by her side. Kitty’s Greatest Hits not only gives readers some of Kitty’s further adventures, it offers longtime fans a window into the origins of some of their favorite characters.
In “Conquistador de la Noche,” we learn the origin story of Denver’s Master vampire, Rick; with “Wild Ride,” we find out how Kitty’s friend T.J. became a werewolf; and in “Life is the Teacher,” we revisit Emma, the human-turned-unwilling-vampire who serves the aloof vampire Master of Washington, D.C.
This entertaining collection includes two brand-new works: “You’re On the Air,” about one of Kitty’s callers after he hangs up the phone; and the eagerly awaited “Long Time Waiting,” the novella that finally reveals just what happened to Cormac in prison, something every Kitty fan wants to know.
