2022 Book Review: Great Wars

Tabatha

4 years ago

Great Wars

A Anthology, 2022 by Lost Boys Press, 272 Pages

As always with anthologies, it’s worth mentioning that not all the stories are things you’ll love. Of course, that’s also the beauty of anthologies. You may find that gem that you adore. I didn’t love all of these, that’s why it falls under this category.
Sea Battle feels like it was written in a foreign language, that’s how little I know about sailing. Was it accurate? Probably. I just don’t speak that language.
I wasn’t expecting two stories so early in the anthology to both take sort of a fantasy take on war. I think it messed with the feeling of variety to see this so quickly twice.

Love the big themes from this one. War being something with long term consequences, people being shaped by war in unusual ways, people who don’t even remember why they’re fighting anymore … all those come into play in this collection in a great way.
What’s Left for Old Gods was my absolute favorite from this collection. The story unrolled in a masterful way and had me hooked. I also love the way this one played with the stories near it in the collection. There were little connections that just worked to bring this together.
Encarnacion is a perfect way to end this book. Not only is it well written, this is one that brings a lot of the major themes of the anthology front and center. It also brings a beautiful conclusion.

Anthology fans, obviously. Lost Boys Press has proven themselves as curators of great short stories melded into big themes and spanning all genres. This is a near perfect anthology.
Fans of war stories with a twist. This collection brings plenty of war related tales but in ways that you may not be expecting. If you like fantasy or mythical elements in your war stories, these will be your new favorites.