Hex Appeal

By: Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Ilona Andrews, Simon R. Green, Rachel Caine, Erica Hayes, P. N. Elrod - author/editor

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck, Marc Vietor, Gayle Hendrix, Jonathan Davis

Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…. In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?

In this bewitching collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales. Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends, and even a sex droid from the 23rd century named Silicon Lily. But as our conjurers are about to discover, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed. And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem.

©2012 Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Carole Nelson Douglas, P. N. Elrod, Simon R. Green, Lori Handeland, Erica Hayes, Carrie Vaughn (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Heavy hitters serve up sharp, dark, witty urban fantasy in this anthology of nine hex tales, each with a unique twist." ( Publisher's Weekly)

An eclectic collection. Some better than others.

I definitely liked some stories better than others but I might have discovered some new authors that I will have to try out.

Great book

I have read these authors individually and now in a book of shorts - they shine! I would recommend this anthology to any who want a good listen, and especially if you want quicker bites for short commutes or...

grab bag

This is a short story collection, some were great others were not. If it contains an author you love, then it's worth it. Also good built in stopping places for shorter trips.

Some excellent -- some not so great.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Most of the stories in this collection are excellent. Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews and Big Foot on Campus were both excellent. The reader performing Big Foot did an amazingly good rendition of Dresden -- so good that I was halfway through the story before I realized that it was different from Marsden's interpretation. Holly's Balm was a nice little visit with resurectionist Holly and Andrew. But I found the forced, tongue in cheek style of Snow Job to be so poor a presentation that I skipped to the next story half way through it. Outside the Box by P.N. Elrod was up to her usual excellent standards. The rest of the stories were moderately good, but not memorable.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

No. the three best authors are writers whose work I already follow. I enjoyed the addition to their worlds.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It was a decent sampler.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

The narrators all did well. The reader for Big Foot gave an outstanding performance.

Any additional comments?

I've read similar collections and enjoyed learning of new authors. This one had some good storyes by authors whose works I already collect I always hope that a book of this nature will turn up someone new that I've not read before. Such was not the case with this collection.

need readers

several of the stories were read without any emotion, or in a stilted pace

Grab bag of Urban Fantasy

I got this anthology because it promised 'nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors'. My dad writes fanfic pretty much on this level. Recycled ideas, recycled plots.

RETRIBUTION CLAUSE by ILONA ANDREWS - 4 stars - post-tech world, pretty cool environment, interesting story.

BIGFOOT ON CAMPUS by JIM BUTCHER - 3 stars - I'm not really a fan of Dresden Files, but the story was interesting enough.

HOLLY'S BALM by RACHEL CAINE - 2.5 stars - love conquers all but is not an excuse for bad prose.

SNOW JOB by CAROLE NELSON DOUGLAS - ? stars - a story so bland, i'm not even sure what it was about anymore.

OUTSIDE THE BOX by P.N. ELROD - 3.5 stars - in a world where vampires are possible, it's only reasonable that there would be a somewhat bureaucratic agency that registers and processes newly risen bloodsuckers.

HOW DO YOU FEEL by SIMON R. GREEN - 3.5 stars - ok story from a sorta-zombie POV

THERE WILL BE DEMONS by LORI HANDELAND - 2 stars - Dhampirs, skinwalkers, fairies and fallen angels... I just didn't find it interesting.

CHERRY KISSES by ERICA HAYES - 2 stars - self-absorbed magical con artist goes to hell to retrieve something. I think amulet, but it didn't really stick.

THE ARCANE ART OF MISDIRECTION by CARRIE VAUGHN - 4 stars - a blackjack dealer in Vegas who spots a cheater. Pretty good start but kinda sours a little towards the end.

Good Format, Good Stories

On the plus side, each short story was its own chapter so you can easily get between parts of the book. The index of stories is below, along with particular remarks.

On the overall, I enjoyed the writing, and found the narration to be professional, but disappointing. As I told my husband, the narration quality was like when you're used to working with a 20 year veteran contractor and then you start working with someone who only has maybe 2 or 3 years on the job – the rough patches that the 20 year man smooths over by instinct the younger pro is still learning how to sand. The male narrators went a little too far into the film noir style for my tastes, and Ms. Van Dyck spoke too quickly with a lack of dramatic sense. It was rather like listening on fast forward. Ms. Hendrix reminded me of Tavia Gilbert's irritating voice, but with a more refined sense of dramatic speech.


1) Retribution Clause, written by Ilona Andrews, read by Marc Vietor
Overall: 4 Performance: 3 Story: 4

I think I'm so used to Renee Raudman reading for the Andrews' stories that any other voice is starting at a disadvantage. However, of Mr. Vietor's two performances in the book, this is the better.

2) Bigfoot on Campus, written by Jim Butcher, read by Jonathan Davis
Overall: 4 Performance: 4 Story: 4

This was, in my opinion, the best performance of the book, and while I wasn't quite getting into the Harry Dresden character, that was more about the character's archetype than any fault in the reading or the writing.

3) Holly's Balm, written by Rachel Caine, read by Jennifer Van Dyck
Overall: 3 Performance: 3 Story: 4

Ms. Caine is now on my list of authors to check out. The story was good, and this was probably one of the better performances by Ms. Van Dyck.

4) Snow Job, written by Carole Nelson Douglas, read by Gayle Hendrix
Overall: 3 Performance: 3 Story: 3

I am not a film fan, so a lot of the points just didn't hit it for me.

5) Outside the Box, written by P. N. Elrod, read by Jennifer Van Dyck
Overall: 3 Performance: 2 Story: 4

The reading on this one was so fast forward all the way that the only drama came from the writing.

6) How Do You Feel?, written by Simon R. Green, read by Marc Vietor
Overall: 2 Performance: 3 Story: 2

I think Mr. Vietor did a decent job with a crummy story in this one. The writing was sooooo over the top terrible that I'm wondering if it ever went through a real edit or just got passed through proof readers and stamped "good to go" simply because of the author.

7) There Will be Demons, written by Lori Handeland, read by Gayle Hendrix
Overall: 3 Performance: 3 Story: 3

This was pretty much a "meh" story for me. It maybe needs a longer format to flesh out things like why the heroine is a fairy instead of a fallen angel, and other oddities shoe-horned in.

8) Cherry Kisses, written by Erica Hayes, read by Jennifer Van Dyck
Overall: 4 Performance: 3 Story: 4

Ms. Van Dyck managed to slow down enough for some drama to come into her reading for this story. While there were some troupe moments in the plot, the whole of it was fun.

9) The Arcane Art of Misdirection, written by Carrie Vaughn, read by Gayle Hendrix
Overall: 4 Performance: 3 Story: 4

Set in the Kitty Norville universe, this tales tells more about the day to day adventures of Odysseus Grant, and is up to Ms. Vaughn's usual standards of quality story crafting.

Great Mix of Stories...

by favorite authors and new-found favorites.

The stories are long enough to settle into the world without being too long to really enjoy.

Great fun - looking forward to the next collection!

Read this moslty for Jim Butcher

If you could sum up Hex Appeal in three words, what would they be?

Hungry for more.

What did you like best about this story?

That it whetted my appetite for more in the various series.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Freedom to drive the car!

More good than bad short stories, worth a sale buy

At least three of these can be found in other collections specific to the author, so if you’re here for Ilona Andrews, Butcher, or Carrie Vaughn, consider getting their collection instead.

Nine short side-stories, all between 1-2 hours. Unlike some anthologies, each story is clearly labeled in the Table of Contents, making it easier get to the good and avoid the bad. Wait for a sale, as this is a mixed bag of good (No’s 1-3, 6, 8) to meh (5, 9) to bleh (4, 7). This collection also serves as a series sampler with four stories involving side characters (1 Kate Daniels, 2 Dresden, 6 Nightside, and 9 Kitty Norville). Occasional F-bombs and PG-nooky.

1) Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews. Set in the Philadelphia of the Kate Daniels series, this doesn’t involve any series regulars, except to reference Simann (sp?) the brother to frost giant Adam, who works with Cerune in a sort of mercenary detective agency. Excellent magic mystery with a good summary of the Kate Daniels world for those considering book 1 (which I highly recommend). *****This short is available in the graphic audio version of Kate Daniels book 1, Magic Bites. This short is also available in Small Magica, a collection of Ilona Daniels shorts and POV bonuses for the Kate Daniels series.

2) Bigfoot on Campus - A Harry Dresden short told through Harry’s witness statement to a detective. As tired as I am of the vampire parts of Dresden, this was nonetheless entertaining as a 2 hr short. *****This short is available in other Dresden short collections.

3) Holly’s Balm by Rachel Caine - Paranormal police mystery involving a serial killer using resurrection. A bit obvious, but it was a good enough introduction of witch Holly and resurrected witch Andy. While not a series, you can find another short about these two in the Strange Brew anthology.

4) SnowJob by Carolyn Nelson Douglas. Stilted narration, pinball writing about paranormal investigator Delilah Street investigating the disappearance of Cocaine, the albino vampire Vegas casino mogul. Vaguely referenced backstories, half baked and contradictory plots, and caricature characters felt like a badly written magical acid trip. Hard pass.

5) Outside the Box by P.N.Elrod - Matronly, dry narration explaining the rules surrounding vampires in large info dumps as two government suits help the newly turned adjust. By the time the action picked up, I had already lost interest.

6) How Do You Feel? By Simon Green - This off-shoot from the Nightside series is macabre noir from a British zombie’s POV (known as Dead Boy) as he considers why his death was ordered thirty years prior. Victor’s narration is outstanding and gives you a great taste of what the series delivers- mood!

7) There Will Be Demons by Lori Handeland - Rather ditzy, stilted narration for a centuries old fairy (Summer) who is supposedly a badass warrior, but whose behavior still matches her forever-21 year old body. Awkward dialogue with manic accents, uncool lingo (they’re “D.K.s” … short for demon killers 🙄), and juvenile insta love ten times worse than Twilight with a guido son of a vampire (Jimmy Sanduchi). The magic is all over the place as the author tries to cram every kind of creature into the story, from chupacabras to Indian shapeshifters. Eye rollingly bad, unless you’re 12.

8) Cherry Kisses by Erica Hayes - Remember the pulp movie Cherry 2000? Yeah, it was kinda like that. Buffyesque episode where fairy, and self described gutter con artist, Lena recovers an amulet from hell for a demon, while sparking against hunky, warrior Boy Scout Ethan. Like a technicolor orgy of glitter dust, snarky sex jokes, and hot pants. Oddly, I kind of enjoyed this campy, mouthy magical Indiana Jane adventure. Too bad this doesn’t start an Audible series.

9) Arcane Art of Misdirection by Carrie Vaughn - Set in the Kitty Norville world, follows magician Odysseus Grant and Vegas dealer Julie as they investigate a cheating gambler and her eyes are opened MIB style to the existence of real magic. *****This short is available in Kitty’s Mix Tape, which has 15 shorts in the Kitty Norville universe, and using the original series narrator.