This 5-time Bram Stoker award winning author doesn't need an introduction. I, for one, am a big fan. His Rot and Ruin series has insured my devotion for life. In my opinion, Rot and Ruin is both superior young adult fiction, AND some of the best zombie fiction I've ever come across (and I've read a lot of both). I also love his ongoing action/adventure series featuring special forces hero, Joe Ledger. 
I've read the vast majority of his books and the reason that I haven't read all of them is HIS fault, not mine: The guy is just too prolific. It seems he always have a multitude of new books dropping on my que.
Enter: his new collection, Wind Through the Fence.
Wind Through the Fence is a collection of 12 anthologized stories spanning Maberry's entire career. His very first short story, "Pegleg and Paddy Save the World", is here along with a brand new story for this collection entitled "Faces." As with any short story collection, there are highlights and low-lights here. My favorites were "The Cobbler of Oz", which is an insanely charming story about a winged monkey looking for magic in the land of Oz and "Spellcaster 2.0", which is about a group of college students creating a magic computer program. My least favorite was "The Vanishing Assassin"; an homage to Edgar Allan Poe and his Auguste Dupin character. I feel that Maberry's attempt to recreate Poe's world does him a disservice here, as his own voice is drowned out.
I need to point out something about the book's format: I love the inclusion of story notes BEFORE the story appears in the collection. I feel that it created additional anticipation to read each story. It has always bothered me that story anecdotes regularly appear at the end of short story collections.
3.5 out of 5
Although this is a solid collection, I'd only recommend it to dedicated Maberry fans. The stories vary so much in theme and style that they may not give an accurate view of the writer's style. However, to someone familiar with Maberry's novels it serves as a showcase of this writer's expansive talent.
Review by Jason Cavallaro
I've read the vast majority of his books and the reason that I haven't read all of them is HIS fault, not mine: The guy is just too prolific. It seems he always have a multitude of new books dropping on my que.
Enter: his new collection, Wind Through the Fence.
Wind Through the Fence is a collection of 12 anthologized stories spanning Maberry's entire career. His very first short story, "Pegleg and Paddy Save the World", is here along with a brand new story for this collection entitled "Faces." As with any short story collection, there are highlights and low-lights here. My favorites were "The Cobbler of Oz", which is an insanely charming story about a winged monkey looking for magic in the land of Oz and "Spellcaster 2.0", which is about a group of college students creating a magic computer program. My least favorite was "The Vanishing Assassin"; an homage to Edgar Allan Poe and his Auguste Dupin character. I feel that Maberry's attempt to recreate Poe's world does him a disservice here, as his own voice is drowned out.
I need to point out something about the book's format: I love the inclusion of story notes BEFORE the story appears in the collection. I feel that it created additional anticipation to read each story. It has always bothered me that story anecdotes regularly appear at the end of short story collections.
3.5 out of 5
Although this is a solid collection, I'd only recommend it to dedicated Maberry fans. The stories vary so much in theme and style that they may not give an accurate view of the writer's style. However, to someone familiar with Maberry's novels it serves as a showcase of this writer's expansive talent.
Review by Jason Cavallaro
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