Title spotlight - "Tales of the Emerald Serpent" edited by Scott Taylor

I stumbled over this project a while back and for a couple of reasons it set my interest on fire. I love fantasy literature with passion and I enjoy reading as much of the genre as possible. That is without neglecting the other genres, but nonetheless, fantasy gets the lion’s share of my readings. “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” picked my interest instantly because it is a reminiscent of the fantasy old days, it is an anthology sharing the same setting but seen from the different perspectives of multiple authors. I like this idea quite a lot and since I don’t get many chances to read such projects lately “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” went to my wish list immediately (sadly I was not able to secure a paperback copy through the project’s fund raising page at Kickstarter due to an unfortunate event with the bank where I had my account). “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” invites us to journey in the Free City of Taux, a fantasy port of cursed stones, dark plots, and a core of rich characters who share space inside the infamous Black Gate District, a metropolis in the wider universe of The Nameless Realms. By the looks of it, the editor of the anthology and creator of this universe, Scott Taylor, promises a dark setting, another feature that attracted me towards this project. Fantasy with dark tinges tends to be high on my preferences for the moment and when the synopsis sounds like this “Taux, city of cursed stone and home to a growing population of the displaced. Deep within its walls rests the old Ullamaliztli Stadium, and it’s fabled Black Gate, where life treads a fine line between law and chaos. Tales of the Emerald Serpent allows readers a glimpse into this shadow world as nine authors tell a shared world mosaic that sets this fantasy anthology apart from any on the shelves today” I am certain that I can find something for my taste between the pages of the anthology. The list of authors comes with some familiar names, Lynn Flewelling, Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Julie Czerneda and Harry Connolly, but the main temptation from the list for me is Todd Lockwood. Todd Lockwood is one of my favorite fantasy artists and his talent is undeniable, as we can easily see on the cover of this project too. But seeing Todd Lockwood crossing the border towards the written fiction for the first time my curiosity for the result reaches new heights. Especially when we have a face for the main character, Torrent, of Todd Lockwood’s story on the cover, the girl in the middle. With all these in mind I already secured an electronic copy of Scott Taylor’s “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” and I am only waiting to start reading the adventures of this anthology.

Foreword

Acknowledgments

“Namesake” by Lynn Flewelling

“The One Thing You Can Never Trust” by Harry Connolly

“Between” by Todd Lockwood

“Venture” by Juliet McKenna

“Three Souls for Sale” by Mike Tousignant

“Revenants” by Martha Wells

“Water Remembers” by Julie Czerneda

“Charlatan” by Scott Taylor

“Footsteps of Blood” by Rob Mancebo