BOOK REVIEW | THE LAW OF CONSEQUENCES | VARIOUS AUTHORS

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The Law of A Fantastical Anthology

 Every action has a consequence, some good, some less so, others of pure darkness...

 Step into a fantastical world where every choice reverberates with magic, shaping destinies in wondrous and terrifying ways. Curated by W.A. Leggatt, SC Gowland and G.M. White, this anthology explores the profound impact of the choices we make. Featuring 20 stories by bestselling and award-winning: -

 Alex Weight - Andrew Chapman - Andrew Guile - Emmanuella Dekonor - G B Ralph - G.M. White - Gareth Lewis - Jocelyn Sordoni - Julian Barr - JW Atkinson - Karen Storey - Kate Baker - Kate Kenzie - Mark Stay - Morgan Delaney - Richie Janukowicz - SC Gowland - Tommy Wills - Trey Montague - W.A. Leggatt

 From surprises in hessian sacks, pubs run by stone golems, a curious packed lunch, questionable drink choices, to copper urns (best avoided), dogs in space, horrifying boarding schools, families torn apart by war, brooding strangers and suspicious jars of marmalade.

 Discover drama, treachery, love and the unpredictable, and often astonishing outcomes of our actions. Each tale in 'The Law of Consequences' reveals the delicate balance between destiny and free will, light and shadow. Enter with an open mind…

 

REVIEW

The Law of Consequences is an anthology that has been curated by W.A. Leggatt (Voices of the Ilskini), S.C. Gowland (The Soul’s AbyssTrilogy) and G.M. White (The Royal Champion) and is a collection of stories written by listeners of The Bestseller Experiment, a podcast hosted by Mark Desvaux (who writes as Mark Oliver and co- wrote Back to Reality with Mark Stay ) and Mark Stay (who writes as Mark Stay and is the author of The Witches of Woodville series, The End of Magic Series, and has also made two films, Robot Overlords and Unwelcome).

The anthology collects stories from twenty writers across the globe (including one from Mark  Stay) and deals with the impact of the choices we make.

Throughout there is a mix of stories from the different authors. There are a number of standout stories in the collection, including time travel, humour, grimdark fantasy, fairytale and others. There were a number of standouts for me, starting with the first story, The Corridors of DeTrent House by Katie Baker (Maid of Steel), which on initial reading seems to be an unassuming portal fantasy set within a school. However, it then changes into a story about violence against women. The story was quite a surprise in all honesty. I am not particularly fond of stories set within magic schools, but the twist that the story surprised me.

The third story was one of my personal favourites. Andrew Chapman’s (Jack’s Game, The Mask Collector) The Many Crimes of Burtle Clearwater is a Pratchettesque romp that tells the story of Burtle Clearwater who invites a human man to live at his home for a few days with disastrous consequences.

The Reluctant Necromancer of Laragmor by G.M. White is an interesting tale about a group of adventurers who are hired to hunt down an infamous necromancer. The story has an interesting mix of humour amongst other things. There’s a wizard with ADHD and a necromancer called Geoff.

Another story that was on my radar was the story by Mark Stay which looks at a particular incident in his latest book, The End of Dragons from a different perspective.

The book closes with another of my favourite authors, SC Gowland, who closes the anthology with his tale of a debt collector who gets more than she bargained for.

Whilst these are some of my standouts in the collection, the whole anthology  is pretty strong with not a bad one amongst them.

 All in all, this is a good collection of stories that will delight any fantasy fan.