The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017
The Best American Series
Paperback | Kindle
Edited By Charles Yu and John Joseph Adams
Publisher: Mariner Books
Release Date: October 3, 2017

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: I love anthologies for the sheer fact that I get to preview a plethora of authors, some new and some not so much. Where else but in a compilation like this will you find so much talent in one spot without literally hanging out in a bookstore all day (I’m looking at you old Waldenbooks customers, folks)? That is precisely what The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 will give you. So anyway, I’m going to drop a few names, talk about a few stories, and make you want to run out and grab a copy of this. All in one little review. Are you ready? Okay, here we go!

Dungeons & Dragons: Tomb of Annihilation
Hardcover
D&D Accessory
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: September 19, 2017

Man, I love Wizards of the Coast. This past weekend I came back from a conference in Orlando to find a package waiting on my desk. I dropped everything and tore the box open to find not just the hardcover Dungeons & Dragons: Tomb of Annihilation but also the companion dice set and a load of stickers and literature for this amazing new adventure! I am including a photo below but hang on for the review as this is one wild ride of a story line!

Wonder Woman ’77 Meets The Bionic Woman #6
Written by Andy Mangels
Art by Judit Tondora
Colors by Roland Pilcz
Letters by Kathryn S. Renta
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 20, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

At long last, the final issue of one of the best alliances the seventies could ever offer is here. In Wonder Woman ’77 Meets The Bionic Woman #6, our heroines find themselves outmaneuvered and outmatched! But things are not as bleak as you might think. Because while CASTRA has seemingly endless troops, our mighty ladies have backup of their own.

In this issue, Diana has recovered from her injury and she and Jaime race towards the great battle with the Fembots on Paradise Island. Modern technology meets sword and arrow as the two groups square off in melee combat. Armored up, our heroines literally drop into battle and take their place defending the home of the Amazons.

Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: Dog Men #4
Written by Mark Powers
Art by Diego Galindo
Colors by Mohan
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Cover by Diego Galindo
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 13, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

So yeah, I’m a huge fan of the The Dresden Files in each and every incarnation it presents itself. But as much as I just cannot seem to get enough of title character, Harry Dresden, I am constantly surprised that his lack of forethought has yet to cost him his life. As a matter of fact, Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: Dog Men #4 is a perfect example of this. Harry just cannot seem to embrace the concept of thinking before acting.

Urban Enemies
Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, Jonathan Maberry, Steven Savile, Carrie Vaughn, Caitlin Kittredge
Edited by Joseph Nassise
Published by Gallery Books
Release Date: August 1, 2017

Here I am again, late to the party. I could give you a myriad of excuses but at the end of the day, I am still delivering this to you a little later than I should. However — and it is a huge however, mind you — I cannot just let this one pass me by. Urban Enemies was wicked fun. Yeah, I did say wicked fun.

I have always been told there are two sides to every story, as I am sure you have. But in this case, these sides, these stories are just plain dark. Because, my dear reader, some characters are meant to be bad, with no hope of redemption. And for the ones that embrace their darker side, it apparently can be quite exhilarating. Or that is what the writers of these short stories have led me to believe. So, while late I might be, this was definitely worth the wait!