Urban Allies
Edited by Joseph Nassise
Harper Voyager, $16.99 trade paperback, 402pp
Published: July 2016

This is a very interesting and challenging anthology:  a collection of collaborations/mash-ups of two writers and a signature character of each. There were only two of which I was actually familiar and that was not, I think, enough to really appreciate this book.  The challenge with a book like this is to find enough readers who know most of the authors and their characters.  The short stories are not enough to familiarize you with each character; it is assumed you know them going in. So, if you don’t already know them, a lot of the story may be lost to you.

But what a lot of fun when you do know them!  Funny enough, the best story - for me – wasn’t the one by my favorite authors.  It was one by Larry Correia & Jonathan Maberry and stood very well on its own.

So, the mashups include:
Caitlin Kittredge and Jaye Wells
Seanan McGuire and Kelley Armstrong
Steven Savile and Craig Schaefer
Joseph Nassise and Sam Witt
Diana Rowland and Carrie Vaughn
Weston Ochse and David Wellington
Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden
C.E. Murphy and Kat Richardson
Jeff Somers and Stephen Blackmoore
Larry Correia and Jonathan Maberry