"Spell of the Sparrow" by Him C. Hines is a humorous story of a woman saving her husband from a love spell. Alycia leads a quiet life in the mountains with her husband James and daughter Melanie, who has a talent for magic. One day her husband returns with a strange, bird-like woman. He is in love with Basi, a Cloudling, due to her love spell cast through her sparrow familiar. With help from her daughter, Alycia has to figure out a safe way to get out of their dilemma. The author writes a story with likable characters and a good plot.
Naomi Kritzer explores the theme of what makes a mother in her story "Kin." Julia is a veteran mage that has been fighting in the war for years. She finds a girl baby, the only survivor of a destroyed village. Naming the baby Lilla, Julia becomes attached to her and keeps her, even taking the baby into battle with her. Her love for Lilla causes her to make a fateful decision about her life. Ms. Kritzer's story has sympathetic characters that brings the story to a poignant climax.
In "Child's Play" by Esther M. Friesner, readers get the story of Mira. She is a child with the gift of foreseeing the future. The King of the realm wants her to use her power for his own ambitions. Mira just wants to be happy and live with her father. Mira needs help from her teacher to thwart her stepmother and the King's men from taking her away. This entertaining story is brought to life by one tof he genre's most prolific authors.
An amnesiatic woman is the main character of "Favor of the Goddess" by Lynn Morgan Rosser. Myst hides in a filthy alley, trying to avoid being caught by the city guards. She can not get any food or water because she would risk being caught. Her friend Magpie, a homeless woman, gets Myst to go to the Moon Festival to see the Empress for generous handouts. Events unfold from there resulting in a satisfying conclusion. The author writes an entertaining story with interesting characters and a vivid setting.
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