Reviewed by Chris

 

TITLE:  Devil Take Me

AUTHOR:   Rhys Ford, Ginn Hale, Jordan L. Hawk, T.A. Moore, C.S. Poe, and Jordan Castillo Price

PUBLISHER:  DSP Publications

LENGTH:  450 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 16, 2018

BLURB:  

Temptation lurks around every corner in worlds sometimes dark, sometimes lurid. Giving in is both dangerous and satisfying, though never in the ways one expects. While these enticements offer a vast range of benefits and boons, the cost is a soul and the devil expects his due. Sometimes suave and charming or calculating and cruel, these devils have schemes and desires of their own. They can be creatures to run away from… or toward.

Join the most unique and celebrated authors of LGBT urban fantasy and paranormal fiction for a fast-paced and unpredictable ride, from a city on the other side of reality, to a world suspended in dusk, to a twisted version of the 1960s and 70s.

Meet devils in top hats and waistcoats, a defrocked motorcycle-riding priest, and a genderfluid antihero—among many more. Full of humor, romance, horror, action, intrigue, and magic, these stories have one common element….

They’re one hell of a good time.

REVIEW:  

For the most part I really enjoyed this anthology. While all six stories had a linking thread of what exactly happens when someone is willing to sell their soul to get what they want–and what they will do to win it back–each author takes their story in new and creative paths. Several of the stories were not exactly things I would want to read again, but on the whole it was a very good collection of short stories. And actually, some of them were not all that “short,” so if you are looking to get your money’s worth this anthology should be a good bet. The publisher says it is 450 pages…but to be honest, I wouldn’t be shocked if that is short changing the book by a hundred pages or so.  It took me quite a while to get thru this whole collection (hence why I am so far past the publishing date on this review) and I’m usually able to read at decent clip. Halloween might be done, but this is a good book to pick up any time you need something a bit more dark.

Infernal Affairs by Jordan L. Hawk — 4.25 Hearts

Ralgath and Chesapeake Richards first meeting was not exactly what you would call a typical meeting of crossroad-demon and potential soul-seller. And not just because Chess ends up asking for something that no demon really has any business being involved in. When Chess persuades the demon to go against the rules, things do not go well for Ralgath. Three years, and a demonic-demotion, later, their paths cross again. Ralgath swears he will not fall for Chess’s charms again, but can’t help but want to sell his non-existent soul for one more kiss.

I’ve always found that first-stories in anthologies tend to be the stronger of the bunch, and while I haven’t yet read all of the stories contained in this book I will say that Jordan L. Hawk starts us off on a very sure foot. While the mystery isn’t the strongest, the characters made the whole thing well worth the read. I was really pleased with Chess, a sort-of supernatural hunter (who also happens to be non-binary), and Ralgath  the crossroads demon whom Chess sweeps off his feet. A lot of very good humor here, as well. It was a very good start to this anthology.

Collared by T.A. Moore — 4 Hearts

The world is slowly going to hell. Literally. And if anyone should know, it would be Jack, ex priest and current underling to the demon Math. After having sold his souls decades ago, Jack struggles to live thru each day. Made even harder by the fact that he is technically dead. When Math shows up demanding he find a stolen object, in return for his soul, Jack can’t really believe it. But for a chance to escape the slowly-rotting hell-on-earth for even a few years, maybe, Jack will risk rather a lot.

While I didn’t like this one quite as much as the first story in this anthology, that had less to do with the writing and more to do with how gory it tended to get. It was actually very well written, and while it certainly leans a lot more on the horror than any kind of romance, the story and characters were very captivating. I would just never recommend reading it while eating. Or any time near a meal. This gets pretty graphic and since it is so well written, it can be a bit nauseating at times. But if what you are looking for is something more in the vein of supernatural horror, I would say this is a pretty good bet for you.

Counterfeit Viscount by Ginn Hale — 4.25 Hearts

As a boy on a battlefield, Archie sold his soul for the promise of one day being able to avenge his beloved cousin, and bring utter ruin to his scheming and villainous uncle. Now, mere months away from finally getting what he paid so dearly for, Archie is once again in a bargain for his soul. Except this time it is to win it back. But even if he does get his soul back, it might cost him something far greater…the company of the very being who bought it in the first place.

This is I think the longest story in this anthology, and I would probably consider it a decent size novella. As such, it has longer to build up its characters and plot, giving it a very well-rounded–and grounded–feel. I really enjoyed the world building here. While not exactly “historical” since the world is not our own, it has that wonderful Victorian feel that I love so much. And both Archie and Nimble Hobbs, the demon (or Prodigal as the story calls them) who bought Archie’s soul, are very good together. Their banter really brings this story to life. I would love to eventually see more stories set in this world, since it has a lot of potential.

11:59 by C.S. Poe — 4 Hearts

For nearly half a decade the world has been afflicted by nightmares no longer content to reside solely in the dreaming world. Slowly, but surely, they have been leaking into reality, transforming people into walking monsters. Determined to save himself–so that he might save others– Asuka Kawashima traded his soul to the Devil so that he might be safe from the dreams that transform people. It is not till after the deal is struck, though, that realizes he has not only given up his soul but also his ability to dream and hope and feel.

I think this one could have been my favorite if it had been just a tad longer. I found the premise of the whole story to be very interesting, and Asuka was a very cool character that just need a smidge more backstory to really make him shine to his full potential. Merrick Grace also didn’t have a lot of page time, so he tends to blend into the background a bit more than I wanted. Still…it was very interesting, and found the mythology to be very cleverly used.

Wonderland City by Rhys Ford — 3.75 Hearts

Rhys Ford does Alice in Wonderland, basically. Which if that doesn’t sell you on this story, not sure what else will.

The story takes place years on from the climactic fall of the Queen of Hearts at the hands of Alice, in a Wonderland that is barely holding on. Xander Spade, a human who sold his soul in exchange for not dying, has had a long and painful history with Wonderland ever since a demon booted his ass over to the other side of the looking glass. But as apathetic as he is most days even he knows that another human child wandering into the land of weird and wonderful is a huge fucking problem. Especially since the last time that happened the world quaked and fell into its current ruin. So even if his soul wasn’t on the line yet again, he would have to hunt her down. He ain’t giving up the chance at his soul just because it is the right thing to do, though.

This was a lot of fun. I thought I was going to be bored with yet another retread of this classic story, but Rhys Ford did a good job of breathing fresh life into it. My only real complaint is that the final battle seemed to take forever to finish. It was well written, but it feels a bit more stretched out than it needed to be. There were several points where it hit a beat/story point and I thought “ok, this is it!” but then it just kept going. If it had wrapped up maybe five pages sooner, I think I would have liked this a bit more. The ending was really good though.

Dark Favors by Jordan Castillo Price — 2 Hearts

The price of a Favor might be a man’s soul…but it can also grant that man great power and influence. He just has to be willing to use it. Which Johnny Lockheart isn’t. Not anymore. Not after he realized the steep price paid over by his younger and much more foolish self. But when the devil comes a calling, with an offer of a soul in exchange for just one more small favor, not even Johnny can resist the temptation one last time.

Yeah…this would be the one story in this bunch that I couldn’t really stomach. Mostly for one reason. The sex in this book is more than a little rapey. It tries to offset it, but it never really helped things for me, and I just found the whole thing a bit nauseating. JCP is usually an author that delivers the goods, but on this one I’m gonna have to call it a dud. Others might not have such a big problem with it, but despite the interesting world building, the downsides sunk the ship on this one.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

DSP Publications

Amazon