Finished Places to Be, People to Kill. It’s a fantasy anthology that features twelve stories about assassins. The stories range from light-hearted to dark and gritty.

I enjoyed the lighter stories like Exactly by Tanya Huff much more than the serious stuff. Jim C. Hines, the guy who writes the D&D-esque Goblin books, completely surprised me with Bloodlines, a dark tale about family ties and magic. An interesting tale, but I think I like Jig the goblin much better.

Probably my favorite story was While Horse and Hero Fell by Sarah A. Hoyt, which is about a computer wizard (as in a techno genius, not a magical one) who takes over a magical black-ops unit to rescue the cute girl he’s admired from afar. I’d love to see a whole novel set in that world. 😎

Overall, the stories aren’t as interesting or thought-provoking as Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman, another short story collection I recently read. But Places to Be is still entertaining, especially if you’re looking for a quick read. 

The only other downside was that since these are short stories, there wasn’t enough the usual amount of world-building I’d expect in a fantasy novel. But there’s only so much you can do in twenty pages.

But still, thumbs up

Up next: The Leopard Prince by ELizabeth Hoyt.