Publisher: Gallery Books
Format Read: eGalley (I was about 2/3 of the way done when the pub sent a finished print copy)
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Blurb from goodreads:
A star-studded
urban fantasy anthology featuring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Rob
Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, and Kevin Hearne, whose stories
explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of
traveling carnivals.
The traveling carnival
is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of
town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling
paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of
the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s
beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?
And while many are
tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical
going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of
this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a
whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s
own.
Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk
is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban
fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and
vivid new magic.
Bea's Thoughts:
I'll do my usual anthology process and give a mini-review of each story. I was excited about this anthology as it has a mix of authors I love, authors I've been wanting to read and one I hadn't heard of before. All the stories involve carnivals to one degree or another, but the punk aspect is vaguer and missing completely from some of the stories. I've marked my favorites with an asterisk.
