02 December 2010

Review: A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon

Songs of Love & Death is a new short story collection edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. The first of the seventeen stories in the book I turned to was "A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows" by Diana Gabaldon. This review assumes you have some familiarity with the Outlander series, but it does not contain spoilers.

The story centers around Jerry MacKenzie, an RAF fighter pilot in World War II. The twenty-two-year-old husband to Marjorie and father to Roger was a careful, confident pilot who did not back away from his duties. When Captain Frank Randall picked MacKenzie for a special assignment, the two men had no inkling of just how closely their destinies would be linked.

I really can't say more about the tale without ruining it, but let me assure you that this is a must-read story for any Gabaldon fan. The only bad part is that now I have a burning desire to reread Echo in a Bone and almost every bit of the series that involves Roger.

Other stories in Songs of Love & Death I plan to read are by Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, and Neil Gaiman. In fact, I'm sure I'll eventually read them all. Here's part of the publisher's summary:

In this star-studded cross-genre anthology, seventeen of the greatest modern authors of fantasy, science fiction, and romance explore the borderlands of their genres with brand-new tales of ill-fated love. From zombie-infested woods in a postapocalyptic America to faery-haunted rural fields in eighteenth- century England, from the kingdoms of high fantasy to the alien world of a galaxy-spanning empire, these are stories of lovers who must struggle against the forces of magic and fate.

Published by Simon & Schuster / Gallery, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781439150146
YTD: 106
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Rating: B+

Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

12 comments:

Julie P. 12/2/10, 6:40 AM  

What an interesting sounding bunch of stories. Some great writers!

Sandy Nawrot 12/2/10, 6:52 AM  

Oh my. I HAVE to read this! I stalled out on Outlander right before Breath of Snow and Ashes. I need to get back into these! So exciting to find out about Roger's background!

Eva 12/2/10, 9:38 AM  

I'm going to put this on hold for my mom: she's a huge Outlander fan! :)

Jenn's Bookshelves 12/2/10, 9:40 AM  

I have to get my hands on this! What a great group of authors!

Mary (Bookfan) 12/2/10, 9:52 AM  

I've only read the first book (really liked it) so I may wait a bit to read this short since I'm not familiar with any of the characters. Surnames, yes but specific characteres, no.
I remember reading that this collection was being published and thinking it would be a good taste of authors I've heard of but not read. I'm thinking it's a good one to take my time with (over months). I'll probably pick it up in paperback down the road.

bermudaonion 12/2/10, 10:30 AM  

Sounds like a great short story collection!

Anonymous,  12/2/10, 11:41 AM  

Everyone in my book club has read and loves the Outlander series. Somehow I missed out on reading them and I'm not really sure how interested I am in them. Though your review makes me think I may have to a least give them a try.

Beth Hoffman 12/2/10, 12:27 PM  

This sounds fascinating!

Pam 12/2/10, 3:01 PM  

This sounds like such a great collection. How fun!

Hannah 12/2/10, 3:41 PM  

I have a friend who is a huge Outlander fan that needs to hear about this book!

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) 12/3/10, 10:39 AM  

I'm pretty sure I'll love this book. Thanks for the heads up, Somehow I didn't know about this one.

Unknown 12/16/10, 5:28 PM  

This isn't the type of book I would normally read, but you have me interested with the Diana Gabaldon story. I'm actually listening to Voyager now.

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