Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Street Magicks is a collection of urban fantasy short stories. All of the stories in this volume have been published elsewhere, and some of them only have a tenuous connection to the title. They all involve magic to some degree, but I found the use to be fairly light in a number of stories.
The standout stories for me were "A Year and a Day in Old Theradane" by Scott Lynch and "Painted Birds and Shivered Bones" by Kat Howard. Lynch's story is downright fun as a group of female thieves come out of retirement to steal a street. The feel of it is very similar to The Lies of Locke Lamora, meaning fans of that book will enjoy this story. Howard's story seems more like an urban fairytale. A young woman thinks she is going crazy after seeing a man transform into a bird. She becomes obsessed and as a painter feels a need to explore that transformation through her art.
I was glad to read Jim Butcher's story, "Last Call", featuring Harry Dresden. I am a bit behind in the book series featuring this character so there were moments that were a little jarring, but wouldn't be a problem for diehard fans or newcomers. Neil Gaiman's story, "The Goldfish Pond and Other Stories", was okay. It is about a writer who has his book opted by Hollywood and struggles between staying true to his work and writing a script that the studio wants to use. Nothing about the story wowed me though.
Overall, this is a good collection of stories. There can be a bit of a stretch fitting them into the theme, but anyone with a remote interest in fantasy stories can find something to enjoy here.
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