If, like me, you’re a fan of the Kate Daniels series, then I think you’ll enjoy ‘Small Magics‘.

If you’re not a fan (yet), don’t start here, start with ‘Magic Bites‘. It’s everything the first book in an Urban Fantasy series should be and more.

‘Small Magics’ is a collection of five short stories (all of which had been published before) and a series of scenes, written from Curren’s point of view, (written in response to requests from the fan base)that give a fresh look at some of the key events in some of the Kate Daniels books.

I enjoyed the stories. I’ve commented on each of them below.

I almost skipped the Curran point of view scenes. I expected them to be like those ‘Deleted Scene’ clips that get given as ‘Bonus Material’ on DVDs of TV series – of little interest unless you’re a fan who needs to be able to say you’ve read everything an author has written. I sampled the first scene, which is Curran’s first meeting with Kate and it was much more interesting than I’d expected so I read the rest. While I enjoyed being reminded of key points in the earlier books what the scenes mostly did was to demonstrate to me that a key part of the appeal of the Kate Daniels series is that it’s told from Kate’s point of view (although I’d also be happy with Julie’s point of view).

Here are my comments on the stories in the collection.

Magic Tests

This is a story about Julie going through the selection process for a new school (if you don’t know who Julie is, then come back to this short story collection after reading the novels). Of course, the selection process is unconventional and Julie ends up having to test herself against some very unusual magic in order to find and protet a missing student.

I thought a story with Julie as the main character was a great way to start. I liked the plot and the imagery and of course, I liked how Julie worked things out in her own distinctive style. I’d have bought ‘Small Magics’ just for the smile this story brought to my face.

A Questionable Client

This was a blast from the past, with Kate newly arrived in Atlanta and working as a Merc. It tells the story of her first meeting with Saiman, who she has to protect from an all assault by powerful magic users who he has offended. The nature of the offense is surprising and also central to the story.

I enjoyed watching Kate do her ‘kill everything that’s trying to kill me and my client while resisting the urge to kill the client for being so unpleasant‘ thing. It was refreshingly simple. I enjoyed the humour and the swordplay. I hated Saiman of course, but then I’ve always hated him, this story just gave me a few new reasons for my dislike.

Retribution Clause

This is a story about two supernaturals working for an insurance company. That may sound dull. It wasn’t. The two supernaturals were tasked with executing a ‘Retribution Clause’ which is when a client pays a premium so that, in the event of their death, the person who killed them will be killed by the insurance company’s agents.

I love these excursions into the lives of subsidiary characters in the Kate Daniels universe. They show me how thoroughly imagined that universe is. They pull me into the lives of the characters, just as I was pulled into Kate’s world when she her first words to the Beast Lord were “Here, kitty kitty. kitty”.

‘Retribution Clause’ had lots of violence, a few neat plot twists, a puzzle to be solved and unresolved sexual tension between the two agents. What more could I ask for? The story worked as a standalone and left me wishing there was a spin off novel out there.

Of Swine And Roses

I was smiling as soon as I read the title, which promised light, clever fun. ‘Of Swine And Roses’ This was an amusing tongue-in-cheek fairytale story. It reminded me of some of Tanya Huff’s fantasy short stories (which is a compliment by the way), It’s not easy to write something this light, keep it funny, pack it with action and make it feel fresh but Ilona Andrews managed it with style.

Grace Of Small Magics

This story was all new to me. I couldn’t place it in the Kate Daniels universe (that’s probably down to my ignorance) but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. I think this would be labelled as a Romantasy in today’s market but that cringe-making portmanteau word hadn’t been thrust upon us when this was written. It’s a quest story with a twist. It has a romance thread running through it (not quite enemies to lovers – more Elizabeth Bennet finding herself in servitude to Mr Darcy and not liking it much). This wouldn’t normally be my kind of thing. What pulled me in was the ideas were original, the pacing was excellent and I liked Grace, the main character. I’d read more about these two if it’s out there somewhere.