Death's Excellent Vacation

[BookBlossom]

Death's Excellent Vacation is a great sampler book if you're looking for new authors in the paranormal fantasy genre. It's a collection of short stories from a wide array of authors, and the subjects range from superheroes to vampires. The first story is by one of two editors of the anthology, Charlaine Harris of Sookie Stackhouse fame, called "Two Blondes". It sets off the tone of the book nicely (slightly dark, yet ultimately comical) and convinced me to start reading the Sookie Stackhouse series.

My favorite story though, was "One for the Money" by Jeaniene Frost. It's about a vampire couple and the bodyguard job that interrupts their vacation. I really enjoyed the slight variances of the vampire stereotype, as well as the inclusion of other paranormal creatures.

A list of the authors: Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost, Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, L.A. Banks, Christopher Golden, Chris Grabenstein, A. Lee Martinez, Sharan Newman, Daniel Stashower, and Sarah Smith.