Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this short story collection eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

The cover drew me in and three things convinced me to read this book:

1. I love Elizabeth Bear!  I have read at least eight of her novels;
2. It is a Subterranean Press book and they do great work; and
3. This collection has 27 stories and I have never read any of Bear's short fiction.

Out of the 27 stories I loved 14 of them, 7 were just okay, and I didn't like 6.  I will say that ye get a lot of bang for yer buck.  I will try to give ye an idea of the bare bones and thoughts on the stories:

"Covenant" - Damn.  Get inside the head of a convicted and rehabilitated serial murderer and then manage to find compassion for them.  I was mesmerized.  This was awesome and worth the price of admission.

"She Still Loves the Dragon" - This was weird and I don't think I liked it.  It is the story of a female knight and a dragon and their love.  I didn't really get it.

"Tideline" - This was a fantastic story about a dying war machine and the boy she befriends on a beach.  Sad and lovely.

"The Leavings of the Wolf" - This was an odd story about a woman whose wedding ring haunts her.  She is both driven and reluctant to get rid of it.  I didn't love the ending of it but it was very engaging.

"Okay, Glory" - I loved this one.  A rich recluse's smart house is hacked for ransom.  This is how he deals with it.  Clever and compelling.

"Needles" - This vampire story was confusing.  I didn't understand this one either.

"This Chance Planet" - A street mutt in Moscow helps a woman confront her unhealthy situation that everyone else in her life knows about but won't intrude on.  I loved it and thought the ending was excellent.

"The Body of the Nation" - This was a murder mystery with an awesome setting and a fun main character.  However, the solving of the mystery was cheating by not giving the reader sufficient clues.  It also felt like a snippet of a larger novel and that ye were missing something.

"Boojum" - Living space ships rock!  So do space pirates!  I actually have read (and loved) this one before but didn't realize it was co-written between Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear.

Side note: I also didn't know that Sarah Monette and Katherine Addison are the same person!

"The Bone War" - I loved this story about a bone wizard who brings a dinosaur back to "life".

"In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns" -  Another awesome story with a murder mystery, cool world building, and a cat.

"Shoggoths in Bloom" - Well I didn't know what a Shoggoth was.  The First Mate had to explain it me.  Loved this historical fantasy fiction set in between the great wars with a black naturalist scientist as the main character.  Sad but correct ending.

"Skin in the Game" - A painfully good story about the price of being a rockstar.

"Hobnoblin Blues" - This one was also about a rockstar who happens to be Loki.  I have to admit I kinda skimmed the beginning but I liked the ending a bit more.  Mixed feelings.

"Form and Void" - A weird, cool story about space, an unhealthy friendship, and odd dragons.  I liked it.

"Your Collar" - This story was about the minotaur and a queen.  It was interesting but I didn't completely understand the ending.

"Terroir" - I didn't know what this French word meant but dang was it used well as the theme of this story that dealt with memory and ghosts.  I thought the story was a bit too long but I enjoyed it.

"Dolly" - Murder-mystery robot story.  Absolutely loved it.

"Love Among the Talus" - This was set in the same world as the Eternal Sky trilogy which I read and loved.  Loved this story too.

"The Deeps of the Sky" - Ships sailing in the sky.  First contact story told from the perspective of an alien meeting a human for the first time.  Liked it.

"Two Dreams on Trains" - This was a heart wrenching story set in New Orleans in the distant future.  It showcases a mother's love and dreams for her son and her disappointment.  Beautifully done.

"Faster Gun" - A western with Doc Holiday, a crashed spaceship in the desert, and magic.  Fun.

"The Heart's Filthy Lesson" - An adventurer on Venus is trying to discover a lost civilization while dealing with the conflicted feelings about her lover who happens to share a mind-link with her.  I really loved this one.

"Perfect Gun" - A mercenary buys the perfect ship only that ship has her own ideas about her pilot's actions.

"Sonny Liston Takes the Fall" - A weird story about Las Vegas and boxing with a bit of magic and horse racing thrown in.  Well written but I didn't like it.

"Orm the Beautiful" - A weird story about the last dragon and how he chose to end his life.

"Erase, Erase, Erase" -  I liked the concepts in this one but the plot was kinda tedious.

I be very grateful to have a chance to read these stories.  While I didn't love every story, I do have a few new favourites of hers.  Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Subterranean Press!