I’m not as well versed in science fiction and fantasy (SFF) short fiction as I’d like to be. It’s a field full of innovative young – in career terms – writers who are honing their craft in real time. As I’ve said before, we are living in a golden age of SFF. Novels, TV shows, movies, podcasts, and, yes, short fiction, all have offerings of such high quality and such interesting stories that one cannot keep up. Well, maybe just me, I don’t know. There is one series of short fiction anthologies with which I try to stay current. Shawn Speakman’s anthologies are automatic additions to the ‘to be read’ pile. I first heard of Speakman when SFF authors came together to help him pay off some insurance bills by donating stories to his anthology Unfettered. It was, of course, a good cause; so, I bought the book. (And which sadly I can’t find anymore. This is why eBooks are better for me.) Since then, Speakman has released Unfettered 2, Unfettered 3, and Unbound. When I saw the chance to review the latest addition Unbound 2, I jumped at the opportunity. As always, this was a solid anthology with excellent stories.

Caution: Anthologies are difficult to review because with so many stories by different authors, the level of subjectivity increases geometrically. In a novel, there is one writing style with one major plotline, and thus the reviewer is subjective about one author. Even in collections of short stories from one author, the subjectivity is more than a novel yet less than an anthology because authors don’t vary wildly in style. So, as you read my review, please, remember that my personal stance on reviewing is to highlight what I enjoy and irks me. Your mileage will, of course, vary. With anthologies, there’s an added layer in that my review is of the anthology as a whole – not individual stories. I may highlight individual stories; I may not. If I don’t mention a story, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I’m just trying to capture the overall effect of the project more than to evaluate the pieces of it.