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    Into the Woods
    Into the Woods
    Into the Woods
    Audiobook20 hours

    Into the Woods

    Written by Kim Harrison

    Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “I wouldn’t miss a Kim Harrison book for anything.”
    —Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels

    “Her work can read like a smoldering combination of Alice Waters and Ozzy Osbourne.”
    —New York Times Book Review

    A true queen of urban fantasy—the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular series featuring bounty hunter witch-turned-daywalking demon Rachel Morgan—the phenomenal Kim Harrison explores the Hollows more deeply than ever before in Into the Woods, her first collection of short stories. Rachel is here, as are Jenks the pixie, elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, and an unholy host of vampires, demons, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other assorted supernatural beings, friends and foes. Into the Woods combines original work, including a new Hollows novella, as well as all of Kim Harrison’s previously published short fiction gathered together in one volume for the very first time. No true Hollows aficionado will want to pass this up—and readers of Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, and Jim Butcher; fans of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels and of paranormal romance superstars Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon, will be likewise enchanted.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 9, 2012
    ISBN9780062204967
    Into the Woods
    Author

    Kim Harrison

    Kim Harrison is best known as the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published more than two dozen books, spanning the gamut from young adult, accelerated-science thriller, and several anthologies and has scripted two original graphic novels set in the Hollows universe. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, nonrelated, urban fantasy projects.

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    Reviews for Into the Woods

    4/5

    215 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It's like filling in all the blanks, getting more back story. I love it!
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed these shorts, they all gave so much backstory into the characters. Understanding Rachel and Ivy so much more. My favorite has to be Trent and Janks that was the best!
    • 4/5
      Ganska intressant om man läst Hollows och hennes andra böcker.
    • 3/5
      i wish every author would put their short stories (especially ones connected to a series) that they write for different magazines, anthologies , or free ebook things into one volume. sigh.
    • 3/5
      I would have rated the book higher, had I not already read most of the stories previously in the separate anthologies they were originally published in. It's a perfectly lovely collection if you haven't read them all first elsewhere.
    • 2/5
      Some of the stories in here were pretty good. Others...not so much. It might be a better read if you actually know anything about The Hollows.
    • 5/5
      My all time favorite author. Love her books
    • 3/5
      One for the collection, since it contains many stories I've read before. A new Trent Kalamack novella and some new shorts are included. Plus some stories outside of The Hollows which are great.
    • 5/5
      Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond (The Hollows #10.1) by Kim Harrison is not justanother great book in the series but it has special insights. This book has answers to questions fans have been wanting to know throughout the series. These are short to long stories about events that happened on the side that the author is kind enough to fill us in on now. Awesome is the best way to say it! I love hearing these side stories that bring a fullness to the whole world she has created. Loved it. Got this from the library and listened to it on audio. It was wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Review: The stories in the first portion of the book provide background for Ivy, Jenks, Al, Rachel, Trent and some of the minor characters. The other stories are experiments with fey characters that may or may not make their way into larger stories. Surprisingly, all of these stories are very good. In most short story collections, there is at least one that falls far below the other offerings. This was fun to read and makes me pay attention to the minor characters I met in other books.
    • 3/5
      I stuck a note on this so the friend I'm giving it to will be forewarned, "'ware the typos."Into the Woods is a collection of short stories from several of Kim Harrison's worlds. Some were published in other collections, some were shoved in a desk drawer. I'm not saying that all of those shoved in the desk drawer should have stayed there, but I did get weary of the sameness of some of them. And good gracious, all the typos. And the short story which seemed to have lost a page of two at the end. This book needed a proof-reader.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Wonderful collection of short stories, some action-packed adventurous fun to some dark and depressing.The Review:Into the Woods is a collection of old and new stories by Kim Harrison. As a huge fan of the Hollows series, I’m surprised it took me this long to read this. Although, I had read most of the Hollows stories already but I was really looking forward to reading “Million Dollar Baby” and “Grace.” I’ve reviewed each story individually, but as a whole I really loved this collection.“The Bespelled” – 5/5 – Originally appeared in paperback editions of The Outlaw Demon WailsThis short story is an excellent look into the devious demon Al and his thought processes as he trapped Ceri as his familiar, one thousand years before Rachel was born. Al is feverishly trying to figure out how to overcome Ceri as his emotions go from panic to love to ecstatic happiness as he gets what he wants. I really enjoyed being in Al’s head and learning how he justified love and being a demon to himself.“Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel” – 5/5 – Originally appeared in the anthology Holidays Are HellA deep and insightful story about Rachel at eighteen. Rachel is very much a strong willed girl and she knows what she wants to do with her life and is very much on the right path to make it happen. This is the second time reading this story for me so I really enjoyed seeing Pierce again when he was all cute and awkward with his 18th century ways. I definitely recommend reading this novella about Rachel’s early life and learning about her family and the struggles that she has gone through. The Hollows would be an entirely different place if Rachel had chosen the “safe life” that her brother was trying to talk her into.“Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil” – 4/5 – Originally appeared in the anthology Dates From HellThis novella focuses on Ivy, a living vampire, before she met Rachel. This Ivy is certainly not the Ivy from the beginning of the Hollows series. She drinks blood and because of that she is much more blood thirsty and temperamental (although that can be argued). My only complaint about Ivy is about how much she complains about having to fight her emotions so much. I really like Ivy but sometimes I have a hard time with her vampiric emotions. I think she comes off quite a bit self-absorbed and bitchy. Overall, I really enjoyed reading about Ivy’s time in the homicide division with the terrible vampire Art as her boss. Also, Kisten appears in this story, which is always a plus.“Dirty Magic” – 4/5 – Originally appeared in the anthology Hotter Than HellLife as a banshee is not easy. After many years of loneliness Mia has finally found love but when you can soak up their life energy that love cannot last long. This is a dark and emotionally rich story fit for a banshee who lives off powerful emotions.“The Bridges of Eden Park” – 4/5 – Originally appeared in paperback editions of For A Few Demons MoreThe last short story featuring Kisten before his tragic demise. The Bridges of Eden Park is an exciting but ominous side adventure that sadly foreshadows Kisten’s impending doom. Rachel even gets to learn more about Kisten and his family. This was a wonderful story, but like all things Hollows, I would have loved this to be a little longer. “Ley Line Drifter” – 5/5 – Originally appeared in the anthology UnboundA fun and action packed adventure featuring Jenks, the pixy, and Bis, the gargoyle. Jenks is hired to help a fellow pixy take care of a spirit that has been possessing his children, even burning one child from the inside out. This story was a fun, inquisitive look into Pixy family life and structure while still showing the dark side of the Hollows world. “Million Dollar Baby” – 4/5Exciting adventure with Trent and Jenks. I really loved having an inside look into Trent’s thoughts, although, I would have loved to have more insight into Trent’s thoughts on Rachel. I did think the story dragged a little during the beginning of Trent’s biking scenes, it seems to focus too much on “how he biked” than on the story, but other than that it was a wonderful story. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story, but after reading the rest of the series, I felt there was a bigger secret hidden in this story (a secret between Trent and Jenks) but I think I missed it.Non-Hollows Stories:“Pet Shop Boys” – 3/5The first of the non-Hollows stories features a boy named, Cooper, who helps run a pet shop. Cooper is very easily distracted by the pretty women around him. Pet Shop Boys is an eerie and slightly confusing story until the very end when everything is brought to light. Both main characters were a little too childish as the story played out. This story offers a strange twist to vampires and fey worlds/dimensions.“Temson Estates” – 4/5Kim Harrison certainly likes her dryads. This is the 3rd story in this collection featuring these rare creatures. Will has inherited land from his grandfather. The land contains a huge forest that Will wants to sell for a lot of money. One reason he needs the money, is so he can pay for his expensive schooling. Will’s great aunt tries to talk him out of selling the forest and to prove it she needs him to spend some time in the woods. The dryads in this story are pretty cute and lend to the sweetness of the story.“Spider Silk” – 4/5The 4th and final story in this collection that features dryads and unlike the previous story, this one is much more dark and depressing. This novella goes between two points of view between a mother and her daughter. The mother knows some dangerous secrets and the daughter who believes her mother is crazy and should be locked up in an old folk’s home. Trust could go a long way, especially after seeing something that you never thought possible. The ending wasn’t entirely surprising but it definitely kept up the dark feel of the storyline.“Grace” – 4/5An action packed story about Grace, a woman with a strong sense of duty and a strange power. Grace was a different and unique story that at first I had a hard time understanding, but by the end of the story I think I had a grasp of what was going on. I really enjoyed this story and how Grace really cared for those around her and she even stood for what was right even in the face of blackmail. Out of all the stories from the second half of this collection of stories, I think this is the world I would like to see expanded upon.FTC Advisory: Harper Voyager / Harper Collins provided me with a copy of Into the Woods. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      A group of short stories, most of which accompanied books about the Hollows, or which appeared in other anthologies. But there are at least three stories I had not read before. I enjoyed re-reading the stories I'd read before, and was delighted by the new pieces. A lovely way to spend an afternoon.
    • 3/5
      Listening to the audiobook.

      3.5 stars

      I've read all the Hollows stories before, but I loved revisiting many of them. Especially, Jenks and Trent's story to get Lucy. I also liked seeing Kisten with Rachel and his sister. I'm still not a fan of Kisten and Ivy's story. It shows a different side to both of them. They are not the confident vamps that we are used to seeing. I didn't like it. I wish there had been at least one new Hollows story.

      For the new stories from "Beyond the Hollows", they were okay. I really liked the Pet Shop Boys story. It had a solid ending, but you could see that there is room to keep the story alive, if she chose to do so. Temson Estates was okay. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. I didn't like Spider Silk. It felt extremely unfinished. I wanted to know more about how everything worked out. Grace had the most solid ending of all the stories.

      Overall I enjoyed the book. It will tide me over until the next Hollows book comes out. I hear it has a lot of Trent, Al and Jenks. Less Ivy. That sounds like a great book.
    • 4/5
      The Hollows

      The first seventy percent or so of Into the Woods collects a number of stories set in Kim Harrison's Hollows world. One of them, Million Dollar Baby, the story of Trent's elf-quest told from his point of view, is new to this collection. The others are reprints, collected from other sources.

      The Hollows stories gave me a deeper, better understanding of characters I thought I knew pretty well. They do exactly what you most hope an ancillary short story or novella will - enrich and enhance your understanding of the books, take nothing away, spoil nothing. I finished these stories impressed by Kim Harrison's craft.

      The Bespelled: the story of how Al takes Ceridwen as his familiar, from Al's POV. Mostly interesting for the hints of honest affection Al feels towards Ceri.

      Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel: Novella-length story about Rachel summoning Pierce as a teenager. I was never a Pierce fan, so I could take or leave his presence in any story. But the insight into Rachel as a teenager was really fantastic. She's in the process of applying to work at the I.S., still struggling to overcome the effects of her childhood illness, and we get a really clear picture of how her character was formed, why she became the Rachel Morgan we all know and love. Neat.

      Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil: Novella-length story with Ivy as the POV character.This one started out really, really slow for me. I love Ivy, but her intense angst can be exhausting One of my favorite parts of the story comes when Ivy is interviewing the banshee Mia in her office. Ivy angsts so hard that Mia, full as if she'd gorged herself at an all-you-can-eat buffet, asks Ivy if she wants to be roomies.. The story picked up for me with the arrival of a banshee subplot and finished strong, with a great explanation of how Ivy ended up as Rachel's partner at the beginning of DEAD WITCH WALKING. I ended up really enjoying this novella.

      Dirty Magic: brief story about Mia, the banshee. Fun, short, with a great twist. Especially enjoyed Harrison's intro at the beginning, where she explains how she re-imagined banshees as "apex predators".

      The Bridges of Eden Park: Short interlude with Rachel and Kisten and a little action to liven things up. In her intro, Kim Harrison describes this story as a farewell to Kisten and we really see him at his best - troubled but solid, sweet but strong. It's been a long time since I missed Kisten, but this story is wonderfully bittersweet.

      Ley Line Drifter: longer short story/not-quite-novella about Jenks taking a case on his own. In so many ways, Jenks is the heart and soul of all the Hollows books and reading a story from his perspective is heartwarming and heartbreaking. He's such a family man, he takes pride in such little things - teaching his children to read, for example - and seeing his happiness with Matalina, and how badly he wants her to live, might bring a tear to your eye (it did to mine). I'd love it if Kim Harrison did a whole spinoff series from a pixy's perspective - maybe one of Jenks' kids?

      Million Dollar Baby: Trent's elf-quest with Jenks. Story is made of awesome because Jenks' proximity to Trent naturally results in many hilarious expletives involving Tinkerbell's privates. But, in all seriousness, this story catches Trent at a turning point in his life. If we're only going to get one peek into Trent's mind, this is the one to have.

      Beyond the Hollows

      Reading these stories set outside of the Hollows world reminded me a lot of the first time I started Dead Witch Walking - I hated it. In fact, I set it aside unfinished for quite a while before, in a bored moment, I picked it up again, finished the novel, and became completely enthralled &, of course, now I pre-order every new Hollows book the second Amazon throws up the button.

      Something about the way that Kim Harrison starts a story just doesn't capture me. In these non-Hollows stories, I found the initial chapters off-putting...but by the time the novellas were done, I was ready to keep reading, and I was disappointed that they couldn't continue. I especially enjoyed Pet Shop Boys and Grace. Temson Estates and Spider Web didn't quite capture me.

      Pet Shop Boys: shortish novella set in a world featuring a vampire/fairy hybrid species. Starts off a little slow, with a hapless guy who gets caught up in events he doesn't understand, but by the end I was wishing I had a whole novel to read instead of just a short.

      Temson Estates: Another short, only a few chapters long. This one's about a young man who inherits a forest. He plans on having the trees cut to finance his graduate studies, until he discovers there are dryads in the trees. The mythology is interesting but the story itself is very rushed, the characters thinly drawn, and there's a fair bit of infodumping. Could be interesting if it were worked into a proper story, but it's not.

      Spider Web: A novella about three generations of women - grandmother, mother, two young girls - who live on a property inhabited by a dangerous forest spirit. Intergenerational squabbling leaves the women vulnerable to the spirit's manipulations. The story just didn't work for me; Harrison's descriptions of the farm and woods were incredible, and while the trials and strained relationships among the characters felt real to me, the characters themselves didn't stand out as interesting or unique.

      Grace: Urban fantasy novella about a special subset of the population who can "throw" electricity, for purposes as varied as blowing out lights to re-starting hearts. The throws themselves are either drafted into a government organization or "deadheaded", stripped of their abilities. The heroine, Grace, has stalled in her career because she's so good at what she does that nobody wants to promote her up the line. Her job is to collect unregistered throws; in this case, the target is older, with a fair amount of control over his ability, and absolutely does not want to be forced to tow the party line. There's a subplot involving an ex who moved up in the ranks faster than Grace, and another about her aging partner.

      I received a free copy of Into the Woods from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
    • 3/5
      A mixed bag. The Hollows stories were mostly uninspiring - I'd read a few of them already, and the ones I hadn't were dull. The novella length is just long enough to highlight Harrison's terrible pacing problems - all of the stories would have been better were they 30% shorter.

      The non-Hollows stories were much more interesting, with a couple that looked like potential new series starters. If she follows up The Hollows with one of those, I might just come along for the ride.
    • 4/5
      I'm usually not one for short stories, yet I keep requesting the collections of them. However, Into the Woods was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed each story, and this collection is a must-have for the millions of Kim Harrison fans out there! These stories will grab you and not let you go! There are some new and some old stories in here, and while you may have read some of them, you haven't read them all. Also, not all of these are Hollows stories, and it's nice to see Harrison branch out and create other worlds. You won't want to miss this anthology.My favorite story was "Ley Line Drifter," mainly because I love Jenks so much. I really enjoyed getting to see Jenks and Matalina interact. It added a whole new level to the series for me. I also enjoyed "Million Dollar Baby," even though it also crushed my hopes a bit. I enjoyed seeing things from Trent's perspective, and I adored his interactions with Jenks. As far as the non-Hollows stories, I think I liked "Pet Shop Boys" the best, and not just because it reminds me of the band. I really liked learning about new vampires. These guys were extremely interesting, and I'd love to see her write at least one full-length novel about them. Overall, I'd recommend this to all Kim Harrison fans. I really believe there is something for everybody in this collection. I enjoyed each of the stories, and I hope to see Harrison branch out further into some of these new worlds in the future.
    • 4/5
      This book is a collection of already published short stories together with a few new ones. As a big fan of Kim Harrison, I couldn’t resist. I hadn’t read any of the already published stories yet (I don’t read many anthologies), so everything was new to me.Most of my favorites were, of course, the Hollows-related stories. I liked seeing things from other characters’ perspectives, because normally we see everything through Rachel’s eyes. But the other star of the show was “Grace”, which was a completely new world including a different sort of ability — electricity manipulation. This is the sort of story that I would love to see her turn into an entire series, because it’s unlike anything else I’ve read in urban fantasy. Much preferable to yet another fae story, which is what “Pet Shop Boys” boils down to. I didn’t dislike the story, but it really didn’t excite me like “Grace” did.On the other side of the coin, dryads don’t ring my bell like they obviously do Harrison’s. I found her dryad stories rather boring, and skipped most of “Temson Woods” and “Spider Silk” entirely.Overall, this did a great job of filling in the time gap between one Hollows novel and the next for me. And my ARC of Ever After arrived shortly after I finished, so the timing couldn’t have been better!
    • 4/5
      I got an ecopy of this book to review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This books includes all of the Hallows short stories as well as a couple novellas/short stories from new urban fantasy worlds.I had read most of the Hallows short stories previously in other anthologies. The Bespelled was one I had missed and was an excellent story about how Al and Ceri meet.Million Dollar Baby is original to this book and is a story about how Trent rescued his daughter; this was a good read as well. There are four novellas/short stories that are not set in the Hallows world. Of these the one that really stood out for me was Grace; this was a wonderful world were certain types of people can manipulate energy. It had lots of action and some great new characters.You can read summaries of all of the stories included in this anthology below. Overall this was a decent read and something you should definitely pick up is you are a fan of the Hallows series.- The BespelledThis is story about Al and Ceri and how they originally met. More of a fantasy read, it provides some interesting background information on the two. -Two Ghosts for Sister RachelI had previously read this story. This was a great prequel to the Hallows series. It was fun to read about a younger Rachel who is still struggling to recover from Rosewood syndrome and trying to decide if she should join the IS or not. It was nice to read about a time in her life that helped get her to where she is at the start of the series. This is the story where Rachel and Pierce first meet.- Undead in the Garden of Good and EvilI had previously read this story. This story is about Ivy when she was dating Kisten; Mia (the banshee from "White Witch, Black Curse" is involved as well). This story helped explain some of the back story between Ivy and Mia, as well as gave nice insight into Kisten and Ivy's history. It was an engaging story and I enjoyed it; overall - Dirty MagicI had previously read this story. This story is about Mia the Banshee and how she ended up in the situation she was in in White Witch, Black Curse. It is well written and engaging.- The Bridges of Eden ParkRachel and Kisten rescue Kisten’s sister’s son from an attempted kidnapping. Good story, gives a bit more background on Kisten’s character.- Ley Line DrifterI had previously read this story. This is an excellent story about Jenks helping a fellow pixie. You learn more about pixie culture and there is a ton of action. - Million Dollar BabyThis is a previously unpublished story all about Trent’s journey to save his daughter. Adds a lot to Trent and Jenk’s relationship and let’s you look into Trent’s thoughts and how he feels about fatherhood.- Pet Shop BoysPreviously unpublished story about a man who encounters a lady and her daughter in the pet shop he works in. He finds out that there are more evil things in the world than he ever dreamed. Okay story, but my least favorite of the bunch.- Temson EstatesPreviously unpublished story about a man who finds out he has inherited a forest full of dryads. This was a fun little story.- Spider SilkPreviously unpublished story about a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughters and the danger they face from a forest spirit. The grandmother trapped the evil forest guardian in a tree but when the tree dies he tries to claim one of her granddaughters. The mother does what she must to save her daughter. Full of irony and very well written.- GraceThis was my favorite story of the bunch. It introduces readers to an excellent new world and characters. Grace has special powers; she can manipulate energy. She has chosen a career where she hunts down other undiscovered energy manipulators like herself before they do serious harm to society. When her current target (a 17 year old boy) hurts her dog and her friend, Grace has no choice to to hunt him down with a vengeance. An interesting new world and wonderfully done characters. I really enjoyed this story a lot. It would be great to see some books to follow-up this novella. The story is part urban fantasy, part science fiction.
    • 4/5
      A collection of short stories about the characters of the Hollows as well as other creative and nicely written short stories.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.allthingsuf.comI’m not a huge fan of short stories, I usually preferred full length stories to their shorter brethren. Kim Harrison is one of the authors that can turn my reluctance into eager anticipation, as her shorts always spark possibilities in new worlds or provide insights into beloved, familiar characters. Harrison’s writing, no matter the length, offers a window into worlds so rich the characters and stories spill off the page. As an inveterate Harrison fan, most of the Hollows stories that had been published prior to INTO THE WOODS were familiar to me, but not all (and a few are published here for the first time). Even readers more diligent than I will find more than enough here to keep them happy. I really enjoyed Harrison’s introductions to each story as well, a few sentences that gave me a sense of place and purpose before diving in. With each new short story I felt like I was getting a glimpse into Harrison’s writing process, seeing the seedlings that didn’t grow into full series… yet. Though I have all of the Rachel Morgan books on my shelf, I’ve been more haphazard about collecting Harrison’s short fiction. INTO THE WOODS offered me the opportunity to own some old favorites as well as add some new ones. Above and beyond prompting an urge to go back and reread WHITE WITCH, BLACK CURSE or A FISTFUL OF CHARMS, getting precious glimpses of Al’s inner thoughts or Rachel’s early days or Kisten so heartbreakingly alive makes INTO THE WOODS a treasure in it’s own right. Seeing the start of Al’s and Ceri’s relationship, in particular, was very powerful. Even knowing the pain and abuse that would follow, and knowing how far away and uncertain any redemption was, I hated to have their story end.Much like Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews, Harrison’s short fiction provides character growth, action, and often romance. I liked how this collection balances Hollows stories with new fiction. INTO THE WOODS left me itching to get my hands on EVER AFTER, and the last few stories in the anthology piqued my interest in Harrison’s potential offshoots. Spider Silk, one of the several variations exploring dryads and forest dwellers in this book, offers three generations of strong women and both magic and dangerous uncertainty. Grace established an interesting world mythology, strong main character, and potential love interest, all of which have me panting for more. A slam-dunk for Hollows fans with enticing new fiction hinting at Harrison’s future projects, INTO THE WOODS is a great read.Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
    • 4/5
      The Hollows series featuring Rachel Morgan is one of my favourite urban fantasy series so I couldn’t resist picking up Into the Woods. This anthology includes a combination of reprinted Hollows short stories, and a new novella featuring Trent and Jinks, as well as a handful of tales unrelated to the Hollows.All of the stories were new to me, though those related to the Hollows simply flesh out events and characters a reader of the series would already be familiar with. I don’t want to share too much of each story except to say I really enjoyed the entire collection, though I did have my favourites.‘Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel’ was first published in the Holidays Are Hell anthology and is the story of the first time Rachel met Pierce. I loved this look at the genesis of their relationship as I’ve always had a soft spot for Pierce. The story also adds to Rachel’s character, giving a glimpse of her early power and strength.Most Hollows fan’s would have paged straight to ‘Million Dollar Baby’, this is an original novella that provides insight into the quest undertaken by Trent and Jenks during Pale Demon. Trent is such a complicated character and in this story, Harrison explores his motivations more fully. Of course I love Jenks, and I really enjoyed the back and forth of their reluctant partnership here.Of the unrelated stories, it was ‘Grace’ that captured my imagination and one I can see being developed into a new series though I also liked Spider’s Silk as a capsule story.Into The Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond is a satisfying collection for fans of the Hollows, and proof, I think, that Harrison will be able to develop a new series after it’s demise. But it’s not over yet, Hollows #11, Ever After, is due out in January 2013 – I can’t wait!
    • 4/5
      This book is filled with seven novellas from the Hollows—all but one has already been published in anthologies or an extra in an earlier book—as well as four new to us that have nothing to do with the world the Hollows exist in. All of the stories are good, although whether or not this would be worth it for you to purchase will depend a lot on your likes and desires. If you like having all novellas from a series in one book, this is definitely the one you want. The addition of a new Hollows novella as well as the non-related four other novellas, well for me it would have been worth the price. It was on my To Buy list until I was able to get an ARC. Of course if you don’t read anthologies, these stories will be a special treat.The Bespelled is a very short story that tells us how Al got Ceridwen. And it’s nothing like you would have expected. It was published at the end of the paperback version of The Outlaw Demon Wails.Two Ghosts For Sister Rachel was first published in Holidays are Hell and is a pre-Hollows story about Rachel as a teen and how she accidentally summoned Pierce when trying to get her father.Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil was seen in the Dates From Hell anthology is also a pre-Hollows story about Ivy and Kisten. With this one we see the struggle they face both with Piscary’s machinations as well as Art, Ivy’s boss at the IS.Dirty Magic had been published in the Hotter Than Hell anthology and is about the banshee, Mia and her child, and loving a human to death.The Bridges of Eden Park was included in For a Few Demons More. It’s about Kisten and Rachel meeting for breakfast on the bridge and a fight that breaks out to save his nephew. Key Line Drifter (I’m reading an unproofed ARC and know the story as Ley Line Drifter) was in the Unbound anthology. Jenks is approached by another pixy asking for his help. Pixies NEVER ask an outsider for help. Both Jenks and Bis investigate how the pixy's children are being killed by two statues sitting on a ley line.Million Dollar Baby is new to us, and tells the story we didn’t get in Pale Demon about Trent and Jenks working together to kidnap Trent’s daughter. The non-Hollows novellas were written a while ago and it’s possible we could see a series develop from any of them.Pet Shop Boys has vampires and the fey in it, but not like ones we’ve seen before. It’s about a guy who works for a pet shop and is invited to a at a fancy place he’s always wanted to see, by a customer. But he immediately starts noticing that things are really weird.Temson Estates is a story about a man who just inherited the woods around an estate that went to his great-aunt. Only she needs to show him just why he can’t sell and cut down the woods.Spider Silk is a different take on dryads than Temson Estates showed us and is about a woman with two young daughters who are hearing stories from their grandmother about how they need to fear Penn, a dryad. The woman prefers to be in denial until her children are at risk. The ending was a surprise.Grace is probably the non-Hollows story that I enjoyed the most. Some humans are born with the ability to manipulate energy, although they need to find and train them from an early age to keep something bad from happening. Grace and her partner have this ability and are collectors, going after ones that detected notice until they were older, stronger and more dangerous without having learned balance.Read as an ARC from Edelweiss/Above The Treeline